Adding new bunny to home

[ichabodny]

Hi, We have had a our Gomez Addams about 2 months now. He is just going on 6 months old and will be neutered in two weeks (his pre-surgery check is Monday). He is free roam but does have a cage area that we put him in over night or when he's being particularly bossy under our large table holding the tv; which he chose lol.

Over the weekend, a local breeder that we contacted a few weeks before we found Gomez contacted me to say she finally had a litter of lops that would be ready the first week in July and was I still looking for one? Well we fell in love with a baby girl and she is coming home about 3 weeks for Gomez Addams; her name is Morticia Addams.

I have a few questions particular to our home and situation. I have read that they should be separated for 6-8 weeks after neutering. We do want to eventually spay her but that can be some months before she's ready. In the meantime, should she be put in a cage and pen area in the dining room (open but closed off by doors and a large board to limit areas for the other animals; chihuahuas and guinea pigs, etc)? Or should we set up an area next to the corner cage area where Gomez sleeps in and stays sometimes during the day? We wanted to bring her out to run for a few hours a day while he is in his corner cage but also want to be sure it's ok that he could nose her through his cage bars. We can also have her free roam for some hours in the dining room and they would never interact until we are ready to bond. I can also get a bunny playpen made of tent material for her to separate them.

Our home is dedicated to our animals so whatever is best, doesn't matter the space or how it looks, is good for us. Any suggestions would be helpful.

l.

 

[Abi :)]

Hi, We have had a our Gomez Addams about 2 months now. He is just going on 6 months old and will be neutered in two weeks (his pre-surgery check is Monday). He is free roam but does have a cage area that we put him in over night or when he's being particularly bossy under our large table holding the tv; which he chose lol.

Over the weekend, a local breeder that we contacted a few weeks before we found Gomez contacted me to say she finally had a litter of lops that would be ready the first week in July and was I still looking for one? Well we fell in love with a baby girl and she is coming home about 3 weeks for Gomez Addams; her name is Morticia Addams.

I have a few questions particular to our home and situation. I have read that they should be separated for 6-8 weeks after neutering. We do want to eventually spay her but that can be some months before she's ready. In the meantime, should she be put in a cage and pen area in the dining room (open but closed off by doors and a large board to limit areas for the other animals; chihuahuas and guinea pigs, etc)? Or should we set up an area next to the corner cage area where Gomez sleeps in and stays sometimes during the day? We wanted to bring her out to run for a few hours a day while he is in his corner cage but also want to be sure it's ok that he could nose her through his cage bars. We can also have her free roam for some hours in the dining room and they would never interact until we are ready to bond. I can also get a bunny playpen made of tent material for her to separate them.

Our home is dedicated to our animals so whatever is best, doesn't matter the space or how it looks, is good for us. Any suggestions would be helpful.

I would say that you need to separate them for 1-2 months after her spay, but are you sure your bun is okay with having a partner? If you get a bun from a breeder there is no guarantee that they with get along and if they don't will you give the bun back to the breeder? If you are open to looking else where try some place like a shelter, they have bonding services and bunny dates which can tell if they will get along.

It is recommended that both rabbits have to be spayed/neutered before you bond them and they both need around 6-8 weeks to recover, which means that you will have to wait a while. As for their enclosures, you can keep them next to each other so they can smell each other and get used to each others smells. Although I'm not sure about allowing them to 'nose through the bars' because there is a chance they could fight between the bars, so if you do this try to supervise them. Hope this helps

 

[ichabodny]

I would say that you need to separate them for 1-2 months after her spay, but are you sure your bun is okay with having a partner? If you get a bun from a breeder there is no guarantee that they with get along and if they don't will you give the bun back to the breeder? If you are open to looking else where try some place like a shelter, they have bonding services and bunny dates which can tell if they will get along.

It is recommended that both rabbits have to be spayed/neutered before you bond them and they both need around 6-8 weeks to recover, which means that you will have to wait a while. As for their enclosures, you can keep them next to each other so they can smell each other and get used to each others smells. Although I'm not sure about allowing them to 'nose through the bars' because there is a chance they could fight between the bars, so if you do this try to supervise them. Hope this helps

Thank you for your response. We have many guinea pigs from rescues that we take in and bonding issues is no new thing to us in regards to understanding it may not happen. I would never have thought to take in Morticia if there was a chance she would have to be re-homed for any reason. We have plenty of room here if they do not bond but of course I am in the hopes they can eventually be bonded as Gomez is trying desperately to become part of the chihuahuas group, a friend to the guinea pigs or even our cat. He just seems to want a friend. If they can't be successfully bonded then they each get free roam time each day and remain in separate cages.

The process in regards to the neutering and spaying was my main concern and how best to keep them separate while still getting to know each other. I was hoping bringing in a female gave them a better chance rather then a male and I've heard of two different sex rabbits eventually being able to just be free roam but never really take to each other aside from knowing the other exists across the room. Whatever happens, we are prepared to adjust the house to that.

I'm a 'mature' full-time student and online classes for the next semester due to a surgery coming up and just preferring to stay safe so I'm right next to everyone to supervise along with help from my husband and college kids so we can easily navigate the process for the next year or so if need be without problems. Mostly I just needed to know the best way for doing that.