Separating Siblings

[SarahsBunny]

Hello! Ive gotten two baby bunnies and I couldnt tell the gender until recently. To my surprise one is a female and the other is a male. Since I live in nyc I know spaying and neutering would be terribly expensive (like over 600 or even more). I was thinking that id separate both of them and give one away. I know separating pairs is a scary decision since rabbits can get lonely, but if I give the one ill keep adequate time and attention would it still be a bad idea? I wanted to keep the male and give away the female as spaying is much more expensive than neutering. If I do do this would there be anything to ease the rabbits loneliness such as rubbing a towel on its mate and keeping it in the cage or giving it a stuffed toy to snuggle on? I feel really bad but at the same time I would not be able to deal with a bunch of baby bunnies as cute as they would be. Theyve only been bonded for two weeks (but theyre siblings so they knew each other and had no problems being kept together). They’re about ten or eleven weeks now.

 

[bright_eyes]

Separate them sooner than later- they can start reproducing as early as 12 weeks.

If you rehome one, rabbits can live alone quite contentedly if they get attention, space to roam, and mental stimulation.

Please think very seriously about your ability to keep either of these rabbits- while spaying or neutering is not necessarily cheap, what is your plan if your rabbit gets sick and needs medical treatment? It's usually a matter of "when" not "if". Exotic vet bills can be expensive for even the most basic treatments. Obviously, I do not know you or your financial situation, just something to think about. All the best!

 

[SarahsBunny]

I know vet bills are especially expensive, but I think if any emergency occurred then id be able to take him to the vet since it won’t be too common (unless they get sick often which I hope I can prevent)
Neutering and spaying in nyc together would cost me well over 600-1000 just from checkups, bloodwork, and the surgery process. I can probably afford to neuter since its significantly cheaper in new jersey.
By the way does anyone know exotic vets in the nyc queens area or around it? I haven't been able to find one even after calling around (just in case of emergencies).
Once I switch jobs in a few months I know I can afford it but for now I think id be happier with one rabbit instead of two just because I don’t want to take a risk of having too many baby bunnies around the house and not knowing what to do.

 

[JBun]

Have you looked at the HRS vet list?

https://rabbit.org/veterinarians/
You can also look for RO member recommendations in the link below, though keep in mind that some listings are quite old.

https://www.rabbitsonline.net/forums/rabbit-veterinarian-list.21/

 

[SarahsBunny]

Thank you so much! Does anyone know if theres vets out there that check the rabbits gender for free?
Just a gender check to make sure I have a boy and girl cause everytime I check it looks different. Some days they look like girls other days like boys even though the person I got them from said one was a boy the other one was unknown at first but acted more like a girl and seemed like she had girl parts but I still want to be sure.

 

[JBun]

I doubt a vet would do it without booking a checkup for it. What about the person or place that you got them from? Or maybe if you could find a local shelter or rescue with someone experienced with rabbits, they might.

It can sometimes be difficult to determine the sex for sure with some bunnies, until they've matured a bit more, at around 16 weeks. If you want to try it yourself, here's some info on how to determine sex:

https://www.rabbitnetwork.org/educa...rabbit-care-articles/how-to-sex-your-rabbits/
https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/rabbits/sexing

 

[Preitler]

You can always look at some "sexing bunnies" pictures to see how they are best made, and post yours here.

https://www.rabbitsonline.net/threads/sexing-rabbit-pictures.44936/
For more threads use "sexing" as search term, select "Thread titles only"

Often it's obvious to trained eyes, sometimes inconclusive, but with a few tries it should work out.

 

[Blue eyes]

Regardless of their gender, at this age, they should be separated completely anyway. If you do indeed have one of each gender, you don't want the girl getting pregnant. But even if they are the same sex, those hormones can cause them to fight suddenly and with little warning. Baby "bonds" don't count as true bonds since hormonal rabbits are known to suddenly turn on each other. So for their safety, regardless of sex, they should be separated now anyway.

 

[SarahsBunny]

Thank you guys! I have tried to gender them myself but some times they look like a girl parts other times it looks like boy parts. If I upload a picture here would that be fine or too graphic? I know I cant completely rely on it but its better to have a second opinion as well. Ive just read up on how baby bunny bonds arent truly bonds and now I feel a bit sad knowing they may just turn on each other. If thats true, does that mean if I separate them now they wont be sad without each other?

 

[Blue eyes]

If thats true, does that mean if I separate them now they wont be sad without each other?

They will be just fine being separate. Better to be slightly sad than severely injured (or worse). If the housing areas are separated by a few inches, they can each be in their own cage/housing in the same room so they still can see each other from a distance.

Yes, you can post photos to see if others can hazard a guess on gender. Try posting that in the Rabbitry & Show Room forum.

Here's a little more on bonding:
https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/bonding-bunnies.html

 

[user 34902]

Maybe if you have two hutches so no need to worry about getting them spayed/neutered you would be able to keep them both.
Just a suggestion, I am not trying to tell you what to do. My two buns are siblings and I would be heartbroken if I parted with one of them.