Questions from a first-time bonder

[cleverpony]

Hi Guys,I was browsing the Bunny 101 forum butcouldn't find anything that addressed my issues in particular. Somebackground: over the holidays I am going to attempt an introductionbetween my year old spayed female mini rex and my boyfriend's male,unneutered 2y/o dwarf mix. If the initial introduction goes well, Iwill bring George back here and go through the bonding process once I'msettled in my apartment at school again in the new year. I'm hoping itwill bea good match because Moxie is a very dominant bun andGeorge is totally easygoing, even though he has not been altered.Questions:

1) Will the fact that he has not been altered cause problems in therelationship? If he comes to live with me he will definitely beneutered, but I won't have this done before the initial introduction.How might this affect things?


2) Moxie lives in a sectioned off corner of my parent's basement whenwe are at home. She hasn't been there since August - is that longenough for it to count as neutral territory (none of her stuff has beenthere, so it won't smell like her) for an introduction?

3) How will I know if it's going well enough to take George back withme after Christmas? Those of you who have taken your buns to sheltersto choose their own mates - how did you decide which one to take home?What behaviours will be worked out, and which ones make it a no-goright from the start?

The reason I am thinking there will likely only be one introductorymeeting over the holidays is that even when I am at my parents house,my boyfriend and George still live about a half an hour away. If thefirst meeting goes well perhaps I will have him move in and they canjust be caged next to each other for the duration of the holiday and Iwill begin active bonding once I get back?

 

[Bunnys_rule63]

I'm not sure about the other questions howeverpersonally I wouldn't introduce them ifthemalewasn't neutered, he would constantly be trying to matewith the doe which wouldn't be fair on her. I'd get him neutered if youreally wanted to bond them together.

 

[jordiwes]

Hi there and welcome to the forum!

Based on my experience and research, I will try to answer your questions:

1. Most unneutered males will hump other bunnies. I have seenmales that just don't have that urge but it's rare. Moxie may or maynot put up with this.

2. I would give it a thorough clean before you use it as neutral territory. After that, it should be okay.

3. Good signs include, ignoring each other, and grooming. Establishingdominance is common (mounting). Full on fur flying hatred would be abad sign, although I've seen happy bunny couples start off dispisingeach other.

It would be a good idea to cage them beside each other during theholidays and while you are waiting for George's hormones to calm downafter the neuter.

 

[cleverpony]

Thanks for the responses. I plan on gettingGeorge neutered if he comes home with me, but since he does not displaycircling/honking behaviours I am hoping that he won't try to hump herduring a brief introduction. I plan on only having them together thatfirst time long enough to gauge whether there is potential for a longterm bond - if yes, they can be housed next to each other as jordiwessuggested. If no, then George will go home with my boyfriend and Moxiewill remain a single bun awhile longer. Unfortunately there is no bunnyvet in my hometown where Mox and I are going (and where George alreadyis) so I won't be able to have him neutered until we return to the cityafter the holidays, and after the introduction.

Am I crazy to try to gauge their compatibility before having George neutered, or could this work?

 

[Haley]

You can try to bond them even if hes notneutered and see how it goes. If he's pretty layed back, he might beokay around her. He may also get very excited (as jordiwes said) andjust try to hump her the whole time.

I would try a few short bonding sessions on neutral territory whileyoure home and see how it goes. You should be able to tell after a fewsessions whether or not things seem to be working out. If they dont, Iwould just wait and try again once he is neutered.

Good Luck and keep us posted!

Haley

PS..are you 100 percent sure your girl is spayed? I just ask bcsometimes pet stores will say she is when she isnt...and you definitelywant to be sure before introdtions!

 

[Blyre]

My opinion here, but I think you should hold offuntil the male can be neutered. That way, both bunnies can be on equalfooting hormonally. I tried to introduce my two unaltered girls andthat ended up with them being separated.

Hope this helps,

Blyre

 

[cleverpony]

LOL trust me, I had Moxie spayed after Ipurchased her (and all the stress and GI problems that can accompanythe surgery) - my vet is fantastic and I trust her 100% - Shannon Leeof Lynden Veterinary Clinic in Ontario, if anyone is interested. I'llhave her do the boy bun as well. How rare is it to have 2 buns who justwill not bond?

 

[Blyre]

I don't think it's impossible to bond any bunnies just very difficult and might take a very very long time.

Blyre

 

[Haley]

Great, just checking! If you have time, please add your vets info to our list. Thanks!

With regards to bonding, it just depends so much on the individualbunny. I dont think it will do any harm to try to bond now...just dontlet them fight too much because they will remember that and associatethe other bunny with negative feelings. That makes bonding moredifficult later on. A male and female pair are usually the easiest tobond, but its not a guarentee, as Im sure youve read.

Good Luck!

 

[Maureen Las]

I bonded a baby male (too young to be altered)with an adult spayed female and it went fine. He was humping herconstantly but since he was so small it didn't bother her as she walkedaround with him on her back like a big flea. She adored him as I thinkshe thought he was her baby and put up with everything. He wasextremely messy, spraying and peeing and pooping all over the place soI couldn't wait to get him neutered. Now he is 3yrs old and neuteredand she is 6 yrs old. I am talking about Beau (who had all the teethproblems ) and Babette (who had a respiratory problem.) They are soco-dependent that I am very worried about what could happen when oneof them goes to the bridge. My concern for you is that thestimulation of being around a female when not neutered can really makea messy male rabbit.

 

[HoneyPot]

It's OK to judge the compatibility of thebunnies before George is neutered if it's just for a short span oftime, but you have to keep a couple things in mind.

a) George is not neutered so he will be smelly-er in terms of hormonesand pheremones and scent glands and all that smelly bunnystuff. What that means is that he will likely be more of anintrusion to Moxie and more 'threatening' in terms of invading herterritory. So she may not like him AT ALL at first, but maybe ok around him after a while when he is neutered and less um..scented.

b) George may be laid back now.. but wait till he gets a whiff of girlbunny. Cookie (my male) was the same - totally easy going,about 2 years old, not neutered. Then we brought Misty intothe house and instantly he turned into Sir Humpalot. Now hecan't get enough of his stuffed animals. :?

c) Even if the initial introduction does not go well, that does notmean that won't bond eventually. If you do choose to bringGeorge home even if they do not hit it off right away, be prepared forlots of work with both of them. I did not think my pair(Misty and Charlie)would EVER bond, but after about 4-5months, they are inseperable.

I would let Moxie and George meet now (before he is neutered) - thereis nothing wrong with that unless it was to become a permanentsituation, and then Moxie may get annoyed with his attention.For a short time, it should not be a problem.

Also, if Moxie is in that corner even briefly before she meets George -it's likely she will think it is her area. If you were to puta table or something there, and introduce them on the table, that wouldbe neutral, but if she is comfortable in that area, she probablyremembers it as hers... worth a try though, but be prepared to useanother area (bathtubs work great).

Good luck!!

____________
Nadia

 

[cleverpony]

Thank you so much for all the advice! I am goinghome in two short weeks, so I will let everyone know how theintroductory session goes