Should I take bonded bunnies together for one to be neutered?

[sammyjp27]

Hi everyone So we have two dwarf bunnies that are now nearly a year and a half old. They are brother and sister and are bonded, however we recently discovered that the little boy somehow managed to escape his neutering the first time round. We think this is because they were a big litter of about 10 that was taken in so as they all look similar he may have just been missed. Luckily his sister is spayed otherwise we would have had several baby bunnies on our hands by now haha. She is very independent and has put up with him a lot because he honks at her and tries to hump her all the time. They are still bonded though.
Sorry for the late notice but he is due to go in for his neutering tomorrow morning and we are wondering whether we should take her along for the ride or not. If we leave her at home then obviously she will be in a comfortable space and probably won't think anything of it, but he will be alone. If we take them both together though then she will be in an unfamiliar place alone all day while he is in surgery and under anaesthetic, but at least they will be together and he will have her with him for the bits he is awake for.

We are thinking the best option may just be to leave her here and have him go in alone, but we want to minimise their stress all round.

Does anyone have any experience with this or suggestions on what to do?
Much appreciated

 

[zuppa]

Hi everyone So we have two dwarf bunnies that are now nearly a year and a half old. They are brother and sister and are bonded, however we recently discovered that the little boy somehow managed to escape his neutering the first time round. We think this is because they were a big litter of about 10 that was taken in so as they all look similar he may have just been missed. Luckily his sister is spayed otherwise we would have had several baby bunnies on our hands by now haha. She is very independent and has put up with him a lot because he honks at her and tries to hump her all the time. They are still bonded though.
Sorry for the late notice but he is due to go in for his neutering tomorrow morning and we are wondering whether we should take her along for the ride or not. If we leave her at home then obviously she will be in a comfortable space and probably won't think anything of it, but he will be alone. If we take them both together though then she will be in an unfamiliar place alone all day while he is in surgery and under anaesthetic, but at least they will be together and he will have her with him for the bits he is awake for.

We are thinking the best option may just be to leave her here and have him go in alone, but we want to minimise their stress all round.

Does anyone have any experience with this or suggestions on what to do?
Much appreciated

Hi, it is advised that you bring both together, especially when one of the bunnies comes home and smells like hospital the other can get upset, that's not from my own experience but was posted here multiple times from very knowledgeable people. So everywhere they go they go together, maybe you can use a divider for a couple days after since you will need to limit his movements a bit, but they still go there and smell same and all. Good luck!

 

[Blue eyes]

Odor is one issue. The other advantage of taking both is that they comfort each other on the trips back & forth and also once the one is out of surgery but still at vets.

This from Hills Veterinary clinic:
If your rabbit is one of a bonded pair it is a good idea to take them both to the surgery. In some cases the vet may need to examine the other rabbit (in case of infectious disease etc) but generally they will just keep each other company. Make sure your pet carrier is large enough for them to travel together comfortably. Rabbits usually travel best in an enclosed carrier & are usually easier to get out of one with a top opening.

If your rabbit is going into the surgery for an anaesthetic they will have to stay in for at least a few hours. Again taking a ‘friend’ with them will help them to relax and will avoid any problems reintroducing bonded pairs.

This from Vet4Life (in UK):
If you have more than one rabbit at home, it’s sensible to take them both to the vet in the same carrier, even if only one needs to be checked. There is “safety in numbers” and the companionship will help reduce their stress levels. When out and about the rabbits will absorb the same smells – if only one rabbit is taken, at home it can mean rejection from the companion rabbit if they smell different.

 

[zuppa]

If your carrier doesn't have top opening you can simply unclip the whole top part and take it off. This is better than trying to reach your scared bunny inside

Make sure your pet carrier is large enough for them to travel together comfortably. Rabbits usually travel best in an enclosed carrier & are usually easier to get out of one with a top opening.

 

[zuppa]

Hi everyone So we have two dwarf bunnies that are now nearly a year and a half old. They are brother and sister and are bonded, however we recently discovered that the little boy somehow managed to escape his neutering the first time round. We think this is because they were a big litter of about 10 that was taken in so as they all look similar he may have just been missed. Luckily his sister is spayed otherwise we would have had several baby bunnies on our hands by now haha. She is very independent and has put up with him a lot because he honks at her and tries to hump her all the time. They are still bonded though.
Sorry for the late notice but he is due to go in for his neutering tomorrow morning and we are wondering whether we should take her along for the ride or not. If we leave her at home then obviously she will be in a comfortable space and probably won't think anything of it, but he will be alone. If we take them both together though then she will be in an unfamiliar place alone all day while he is in surgery and under anaesthetic, but at least they will be together and he will have her with him for the bits he is awake for.

We are thinking the best option may just be to leave her here and have him go in alone, but we want to minimise their stress all round.

Does anyone have any experience with this or suggestions on what to do?
Much appreciated

So, was it all good?

 

[sammyjp27]

So, was it all good?

We’re literally at the vets right now waiting for him to come out have been told that everything went smoothly. We ended up leaving her at home because we didn’t want to stress her, he was very good about the whole thing bless him. We’ve made a separate enclosure for him with reduced opportunities to catch his wound on anything. Hopefully after a few weeks we will reintroduce them to each other slowly and let her realise that he won’t flick pee or hump her any more. Thanks!

 

[Catlyn]

We’re literally at the vets right now waiting for him to come out have been told that everything went smoothly. We ended up leaving her at home because we didn’t want to stress her, he was very good about the whole thing bless him. We’ve made a separate enclosure for him with reduced opportunities to catch his wound on anything. Hopefully after a few weeks we will reintroduce them to each other slowly and let her realise that he won’t flick pee or hump her any more. Thanks!

You might want to wait a bit more than just a few weeks, drpending on how fadt his hormones calm down.
Congrats on now having a fixed pair!