Same sex pairing advice please

[RoseCottageBuns]

Hello.... I have recently rescued two lady buns who were kept in separate cages by their former owner. They were in a bit of a state , but after 4 weeks of proper food , a nice dry enclosure, a proper routine and some dental work, they are looking a lot better. I have them in an enclosure next door to each other, so they have a wire mesh between them and they seem very happy to sit next to each other with the wire between them. They are not neutered and are both about 4 years old.
One is very friendly and and other is very shy , but seems more outgoing when the other one is about. I think they may well be able to bond, but should I neuter them first to stop the hormones, or not bother as they are both girls?
I have bonded a couple of male/female pairs and have kept rabbits for many years, so would like to give it a go as they have had miserable lives up to now.
Any help on same sex bonding would be really helpful, thank you. The shy bun was just used for breeding and nothing else...is petrified of me at the moment, the other bun is quite out going and friendly. Would these two girls work together?

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Always neuter--less problems down the road. Usually it's a male/female, but we had 2 males bonded and 2 females also when they came to us. Takes patience and time, and not all will work out.

 

[Blue eyes]

Agreed. Get them spayed first and give them time to heal.

On another note, when two rabbits separated by mesh sit near each other, it is usually interpreted as, "aaww, look, they want to be together." It isn't necessarily the case. It can be quite the opposite. Sometimes rabbits lay on that border to claim that space. It isn't so much that they want to be near each other, but that they are showing the other rabbit, "hey, this is my space, not yours."

Once they are spayed, it's best to have some space set aside (neutral space) that neither rabbit has been before. This helps tremendously -- especially with territorial females.

 

[Popsicles]

Definitely get them neutered beforehand, rabbits are one of the only species where females are generally more hormonally aggressive than males.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

We had a Checkered Giant, and I do mean giant--20 pounds. She was the sweetest most loving bunny ever, with us, but did not like any of our other buns. We also had a little Dutch female that loved me and followed me everywhere, but if Nancy came in the room she would screech and attack her legs--my son was safe but she went into attack mode if there was any females around, RABBITS!

 

[RoseCottageBuns]

Thank you everyone for your advice. Will def get them neutered...and shall give it a go.

 

[JamesG123]

Have you put them together in the same cage/space? They could already be bonded since they've lived near each other. There might be some fur fly as they establish dominance when in contact, but it could be a non-issue.

 

[Blue eyes]

Have you put them together in the same cage/space? They could already be bonded since they've lived near each other. There might be some fur fly as they establish dominance when in contact, but it could be a non-issue.

It's not advised to put intact rabbits together. That fur flying can potentially turn into a lethal fight.

 

[JamesG123]

It's not advised to put intact rabbits together. That fur flying can potentially turn into a lethal fight.

For evenly matched bucks perhaps. But with does, once one established dominance things usually settle down.

 

[Blue eyes]

^ 'Bonds' with intact rabbits are more prone to break apart for no apparent reason -regardless of gender. So for bonding purposes, it is to one's advantage to neuter first. Yes, intact females may bond, but then that bond remains iffy. I've heard of females fighting to the death as well - a friend of mine is still traumatized when her two females tore each other apart.

 

[Popsicles]

Female rabbits are actually more dominated by their hormones than males are, so bonds between them can be fragile and fights can be far more aggressive.

 

[Peanutpickles]

Hello, I am hoping someone can offer advice along similar lines. I have a little mini lop doe at 16 weeks and recently got an 8 week mini lop doe. As they are young is there any way they might bond without being spayed yet or best to wait. The little one doesn't seemed bothered but the 16 weeks appears territorial. Any advice on making this work? I can get one spayed in a month but should I keep them both separate until both spayed as need to wait another few months before the second one is spayed. How long should I wait after spaying to put together, they share a run at different times and have and upstairs and downstairs hutch.