When to separate Molly and Junior? U/D done :(

I know we spoke about this briefly before but I've just spent the last 45 mins searching for the thread and I give up!!!

According to the centre, Molly and Junior are 12 weeks old today. They told me they can stay together until they are 16 weeks with no breeding risk. The vet we saw on Wednesday agreed with that but I really want to know what you guys think about that?

Junior has been a hump monster tonight so I am naturally concerned. I do not want to add to the thousands of homeless bunnies out there already.

He is being neutered on Thursday, so he will be 13 weeks then. I've been advised that he can still be fertile for 6 weeks after neutering. Do you agree with that?

If that's right then there's a 3 week window where they will need to be separated.

The thing that's scaring me is, what if the centre were given the wrong info and they are older!

Thank you for any advice you may have

My vet told me they can be fertile for up to 6 weeks after aswell.

Just keep to the RWA to be on the safe side I'm of the old school and it's all changed now from how it use to be


This is from the Experts the RWA this is what they say Below

Females
Spaying is a bigger operation
than castration. It's usually performed when the rabbit is at least
4 or 5 months old.

Male rabbits
Castration is a relatively minor operation which can be
performed as soon as the testicles descend (10-12 weeks)
although most vets wait until the rabbit is 4 or 5 months
old, when the operation is easier to perform and the
anaesthetic risk is reduced.

I wouldn't want to keep a unspayed female with a potentially fertile male from about 12 weeks old. Tink (see the beautiful babe in my signature) was pregnant when that picture was taken and she was only about 14 weeks old although that's an estimate at the home she was born into didn't give a rat's ass about her welfare

16 weeks is a lot older than I've heard before, the versions I've heard vary from 10 weeks to 14 weeks.

Big Ears wrote:I wouldn't want to keep a unspayed female with a potentially fertile male from about 12 weeks old. Tink (see the beautiful babe in my signature) was pregnant when that picture was taken and she was only about 14 weeks old although that's an estimate at the home she was born into didn't give a rat's ass about her welfare

16 weeks is a lot older than I've heard before, the versions I've heard vary from 10 weeks to 14 weeks.

I meant to put 12 , why have I put 16

will edit that now to 12

Tuckerbunnies wrote:

Big Ears wrote: 16 weeks is a lot older than I've heard before, the versions I've heard vary from 10 weeks to 14 weeks.

I meant to put 12 , why have I put 16

will edit that now to 12

Rescue centre and vet's advice was also 16 weeks so *maybe* you read that and the number stuck in your head.

Tuckerbunnies wrote:A newly spayed female must be kept away from the male as a neutered male can still get a female rabbit pregnant up to 3 weeks after surgery.

I thought that when a female was spayed, everything was removed and a spayed female could not get pregnant at all.

I know that a neutered male must be kept away from an unspayed female for a few weeks...






Thumper - If Molly is well and healthy, I would consider getting her done fairly early. Our lot were spayed at 16 weeks.

Sparky wrote:

Tuckerbunnies wrote:A newly spayed female must be kept away from the male as a neutered male can still get a female rabbit pregnant up to 3 weeks after surgery.

I thought that when a female was spayed, everything was removed and a spayed female could not get pregnant at all.

I know that a neutered male must be kept away from an unspayed female for a few weeks...








Thumper - If Molly is well and healthy, I would consider getting her done fairly early. Our lot were spayed at 16 weeks.

Oh just ignore me it was a busy day and long night I have proberly got confused as I had about 10 books open reading up on spaying and neutering rabbits and they were all different.
ignore me

Aw Maysie

I would do it as soon as you possible can, mines were seperated long before they were 16 weeks, just incase. You never know, just meant had to buy a hutch for rosie so she had enough room to be happy.

Flossmeister was done at 17 weeks too, so if you got her done soon after Junior you wouldn't need to be as worried.

Hope it all goes ok

Thanks for the advice guys. I split them up yesterday

I feel like such a ***** Molly has Thumped lots and I've caught them both trying to pull the partition down (they can't) and they keep looking at me as if to say "why have you done this? We can't cozy up and go to sleep together now?"

They look lost

I'm still letting them out for supervised play time together. I'm just going to have to watch them like a hawk. It's going to be a long 7 weeks

On the positive side, I'm hoping this is going to help with the litter training because they're really hacking me off. They have a good few days and then pee everywhere just as you are beginning to trust them

Re getting Molly spayed, they will be 13 weeks this Saturday (roughly) so I've got another (almost) 4 weeks to wait. At the moment my gut is telling me not to do it at 16 weeks because she is still so diddy. She's so much smaller than Junior. She doesn't even weigh 1kg

The vet I saw on Wednesday said she would rather wait until Molly is 6 months old but I will wait and see what boss man says on Thursday.

Come on Molly I need you to grow!!!!!

Can I have some growing vibes for Molly please?

It must be sooo hard to seperate, even though it's for their own good you're bound to feel guilty and obviusly can't explain to them why you've done it! I would feel the same. Sending growing vibes for Molly.

It's one of the worse feelings in the world and I am always in tears ( that's nothing new ) when I have to do it but sometimes it just has to be done for their own good the trouble is they don't realise that .

I can't remember how old Tigger was when I had her spayed My memory is awful But I can tell you that she was about 1.2kg when she was done and she was absolutely fine

It must feel horrible to separate them, but at least they do get supervised play time together, it's for their own good.

Grow Molly Grow!!!!

Aw, bless them Grow Molly, grow!

I'm sure they will be fine - do they have a cuddly toy each to snuggle?

Growing vibes for Molly

Thumper2001 wrote: I've caught them both trying to pull the partition down (they can't)

Yet

Sparky wrote:I'm sure they will be fine - do they have a cuddly toy each to snuggle?

Growing vibes for Molly

Thumper2001 wrote: I've caught them both trying to pull the partition down (they can't)

Yet

There's a whole heap of the wraps on, so I've got my fingers crossed

I haven't given them a cuddly toy. Should I? I'd be a bit worried in case they decide they prefer them to each other

I was hoping they'd lie together either side of the bars but so far it's not happening

you could try getting them the same toy and the swapping them each night so they both get to cuddle something that smells of the other.

Amelia66 wrote:you could try getting them the same toy and the swapping them each night so they both get to cuddle something that smells of the other.

Oooh!!! That's a good idea!! Thank you

Florence has a teddy which she used to groom pre-Dougal, and still grooms now.

If I was her I'd be annoyed because Dougal also grooms the teddy but never grooms her