Neuter/Spay+Questions

[Kikopolis]

I have had my rabbit Syd for about a year now, and my girl Berlin for about 4 months.

I took them for their first vet trip a few weeks ago, and last week Syd was Neutered and Berlin was Spayed. 2 in one shot lol.
The vet was Dr.Saver at catnip and carrots on Long Island NY, does anyone else go there?

She told me to wait a month after the surgery before starting to bond them, and she gave me a Metacam to give them for a few days, this is also normal? 2 different dosages for each bun cause Berlin is much larger then Syd.

She also told me that my boy Syd is a Dwarf, when the person who gave him to me said he was a Netherland dwarf (I know nothing about breeds).

How easy is it to bond Male to female? And does the fact that she is double his size make a difference? He is 3.3 pounds, and she is 7.2 pounds.

 

[elrohwen]

Congrats on their spay and neuter!

Getting a dose of metacam for a few days is perfectly normal - sometimes bunnies in pain will stop eating, so a dose of pain reliever can be just what they need to feel comfortable enough to keep eating. It makes perfect sense that they need different dosages since they are such different weights.

There are different breeds that have the dwarfing gene and can technically be classified as "dwarfs", but in general, when people talk about "dwarf rabbits" they're referring to the netherland dwarf breed, so it's just two different terms for the same thing.

I agree with your vet that you should wait at least 4 weeks for the hormones to settle down before attempting to bond them - this will give you the best chance of success. In general, male to female bonds are the easiest, but it all depends on the personalities of the bunnies involved. Size doesn't matter at all - there are plenty of successful pairs that are very different in size. Just introduce them for short periods of time in a neutral space - the bathroom, specifically in the bathtub, is a popular starting spot, since it's small and slippery and neither rabbit has been there before. Stressing them can also help, so many people will put them in a box together and take them on a car ride. When they're stressed out together they're less likely to fight and learn to trust the other rabbit.

 

[tonyshuman]

:yeahthat

As far as bonding, it will be dependent mostly on their personalities rather than size. Since Syd is smaller and male, he may be annoying to Berlin--male bunnies have their hormones longer after being fixed than females, and if this tiny little bugger keeps on trying to hump her, Berlin may get annoyed and snap at him. As the bigger bunny, she may want to be in charge. However, she may be one of those very laid-back types who won't care. Waiting until hormones are out of the picture will give you the best chance of success.

 

[Kikopolis]

Thanks for the replys
They are off the Metacam and eating fully again, I reduced the amount of pellets to 4th of a cup as recommended by the vet. And keeping an eye on the weight of them and reducing the pellets if I have to.

Syd is hyper heh. He is always running, jumping, circling my feet trying to trip me and flailing while he jumps (don't know what that means but it's cute as heck)

He is also obsessed with me, jumping into my lap and kissing me all over, sitting on my feet while I am on the computer and ect.

Berlin is far more...surly. She often just sits in her cage and lounges even though the door is always open when Syd is not out.
She is not fond of being held, and runs off when I stand up. She is newer so I am trying to give her some space while trying to get her used to me at the same time.

When she is out, she ignores Syd in his pen, and hops around him while he is having a fit thumping and hopping.

So far he is far more interested in her then she is in him xD

They have have had their cages in the same room close to each other for as long as I had them, and the used to visit between then bars (never more then that I got them fixed ASAP I don't like unnecessary babies ).

 

[elrohwen]

You may find that their personalities change a bit as their hormones calm down - Berlin might become more personable, especially. Many females are surly before being spayed, so she might decide she likes you (and Syd) more in a few weeks. Syd also might calm down a bit. He won't like you any less, but he might be less hyperactive about Berlin, since he won't be thinking about mating, just about meeting a new friend.

Good luck on bonding! It sounds like they will be a case of opposites attracting ;-)

eta: Oh, and the flailing while jumping is called a binky! It's a bunny happy dance

 

[Kikopolis]

Bunny Happy Dance:biggrin: Haha
Well, it's been a little over a week since the surgerys we got 3 weeks to go before bonding. I'll come back and let everyone know how it went