# Rabbit advice!



## serena2005 (22 March 2013)

Hello!!

I brought 2 GIRL rabbits in october last year at 10 weeks old.
One of them is showing a rather over enthusiastic interest in the other one!! Surely If the breeder had got the sex wrong they rabbits would have bred by now. Or is this normal dominating behanviour for 2 girls?

Thank you

Serena


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## Archiepoo (22 March 2013)

double check by doing this :-hold them with their tummy towards you, with them slightly horizontal. press very gently just above thier wee bits and they should pop out. If the opening is like a slit then its a doe and if its like a circle its a buck.

also very often once they reach sexual maturity they prefer their own company -rabbits can be funny sometimes youll get 2 that like each other sometimes not.


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## fallenangel123 (22 March 2013)

They have hit sexual maturity. Spaying will stop it if you want to keep them together as sometimes it can get quite aggressive between them.


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## webble (22 March 2013)

fallenangel123 said:



			They have hit sexual maturity. Spaying will stop it if you want to keep them together as sometimes it can get quite aggressive between them.
		
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Agree with this I had the same problem with my two girls at that age. Spaying them will help and also protect them from uterine cancer. There is lots of info on spaying rabbits here http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/forumdisplay.php?60-Behaviour-amp-Bonding


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## serena2005 (23 March 2013)

Wow thanks for the advice!


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## serena2005 (23 March 2013)

I think they do like each other, they are very often snuggled up together, they have quite a big space but are usually all ways together


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## webble (23 March 2013)

serena2005 said:



			I think they do like each other, they are very often snuggled up together, they have quite a big space but are usually all ways together
		
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They are just hormonal teenagers (sadly I remember what that was like!) but getting them spayed will help


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## serena2005 (23 March 2013)

What is the cost of spaying?


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## springtime13 (23 March 2013)

I think I spent £100 getting my doe neutered and about £60 for my buck. It seemed expensive at the time, but seeing how much they love each other and how well they get on, it's a small price to pay. IMO, two unneutered buns will almost never get on as adults, they can and will fight to the death and they will have to be seperated. I for one believe that rabbits should always be kept in pairs, it is cruel to keep them on their own.


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## springtime13 (23 March 2013)

I should add that I'm sure you can get cheaper costs for spaying. The place I use is expensive, but they have a rabbit specialist there who is excellent and a fantastic set up/ equipment.


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## serena2005 (23 March 2013)

How do they cope in the wild eh!? 
Thanks for the info. I will do more research into it. As long as they are happy I'm going to keep them as they are. If they do start to fight then I will rethink the situation. 
As they are happy, playful and affectionate towards each other its not a problem.
Oh and I checked they are both girls!  phew lol


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## SCMSL (23 March 2013)

I've had 5 rabbits together, all of them female, and never had any issues with fighting. As long as they have enough space to take a time out from the others if they wish, there should be no issues. 

Spaying a rabbit sounds crazy to me. Maybe I'm being cruel but I wouldn't even consider spending that kind of money on a rabbit.


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## webble (23 March 2013)

serena2005 said:



			How do they cope in the wild eh!? 
Thanks for the info. I will do more research into it. As long as they are happy I'm going to keep them as they are. If they do start to fight then I will rethink the situation. 
As they are happy, playful and affectionate towards each other its not a problem.
Oh and I checked they are both girls!  phew lol
		
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those that make it that far die young of uterine cancer


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## serena2005 (23 March 2013)

SCMSL 

I don't think that's cruel, I agree it would be a ludicrous amount of money to spend on a rabbit, but its personal choice I guess.
It's nice to have the option.

They are not aggressive, as long as they stay like that I'm happy with them as they are.


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## webble (23 March 2013)

serena2005 said:



			SCMSL 

I don't think that's cruel, I agree it would be a ludicrous amount of money to spend on a rabbit, but its personal choice I guess.
It's nice to have the option.

They are not aggressive, as long as they stay like that I'm happy with them as they are.
		
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why is it? we all spend far more than that on our horses each month let alone as a one off


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## catxx (23 March 2013)

Wild female rabbits fight to the death over burrows. Not living peacefully at all.

My doe is spayed. The rescue I volunteer at has around 200 rabbits and ALL females are spayed before they are rehomed (as a bonded pair).

Not spaying not only leaves them hormonal and territorial, but at risk of uterine cancers, mammary cancers and very serious womb infections. 

Sure ONE person may have got lucky keeping a group of unspayed females, but that doesn't mean it's recommended, at all.

If you think spaying is expensive now, it'll be 10x more expensive to treat future cancers or injuries or womb infections.


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## GinaB (23 March 2013)

I think I paid £50 to get Panda spayed. She's a happier girl. Her friend is neutered, although he was snipped before he came to me from rescue. 

To me its like keeping a bitch unspayed, I'd never do it.


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## serena2005 (23 March 2013)

We are all entitled to out opinions, and merely wanted to make sure their behavior was normal and I infact didn't have a male and a female.

I have received brilliant advice but I feel this discussion is Turing into weather its right or wrong to spay or not. 

Yes iv had dogs most have been spayed and another hasn't, they all have led happy lives.


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## GinaB (24 March 2013)

I think what people are saying is just that spaying would stop the behaviour they are currently displaying  I already owned a male before getting Panda so to enable them to live peacefully she was spayed. He'd already been neutered as he turned into an absolute hallion when he reached maturity  I didn't want to risk the same behaviour.

Daltry came from rescue so they always neuter before rehoming.


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## Cobber (25 March 2013)

I just hope they continue to get on as sometimes for no reason one day they can decide they don't. If people don't want to spend money on their pets don't get one. As already pointed out spaying prevents uterine cancer which is common. But let's not turn this into a discussion on rabbit health


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