My future husband Stan and I have been taking care of abandoned and neglected rabbits for about 8 years now. We've never had any problems finding a compatible couple. We've matched males with males on occasion, females with females, and females with males. A little over a year ago, we adopted a young male who had been abandoned at Glendoveer Golf Course. With the expertise help of Esther Shepsman, Jim Hartmann, and Jim and Laura Denman, we captured the rabbit and named him Theodore. After he had been neutered and checked for parasites and other health problems, we put him in with a senior female named Winnie, who had recently lost her mate. Theodore and Winnie instantly bonded. They loved each other and were inseparable. When out for exercise and play, he wouldn't stray more than about a foot away from her.

Theodore and Winnie instantly bonded. They loved each other and were inseparable. When out for exercise and play, he wouldn't stray more than about a foot away from her.

Sherry Smith

Then, about six months later, Winnie passed away. Theodore seemed to get depressed. He lost interest in food (except for treats) and developed a really bad attitude. About a month later, we tried to pair him with a female mini-rex named Jellybean. When they first met (in a neutral area), they seemed to get along OK. However, Jellybean had to have some eye surgery and be spayed before we brought her home. When she came home to us about two weeks later, Theodore was very aggressive with her -- attacking, growling, and even biting Jellybean. We tried putting the two of them in a neutral area, and in a new cage that neither had used, and in their own cages near each other, but after a week of trying to put them together, it was clear that it wasn't going to work. So we left them separate, and later we found Jellybean a mate that she gets along with very well.

We tried to match other females with Theodore, using the same routine, and the response was exactly the same as it had been with Jellybean. We had a matched pair of females that we put with Theodore in the run, and as long as they were in the run, all three got along wonderfully -- grooming each other, playing together, and staying close together. But Theodore would not let them in his cage with him, nor would he join them in their cage, or in a neutral one -- once inside, he would resort to violence and get very agitated. So, for now he is content to live next door to them. He gets along with all of the other rabbits when they are out to play, but he will not accept another mate living with him. Someday, we hope he will accept another mate, but until then, he seems to be happy with this arrangement.

-- Sherry Smith

(Editor's note: just before printing, this update was received in an envelope marked URGENT!! Theodore has remarried!!)

Hello fellow rabbit people! Sorry about the "urgent" message, I got a little carried away. Theodore has finally accepted a mate: it's BB! (Editor's note: BB was adopted after being rescued from the Beaverton farm property, where she had been abandoned -- see story "A Rash of Rabbit Dumpings") We had tried BB and Madonna, but BB chased and nipped at her. Surprisingly, Madonna was very docile. We tried for about two weeks with Madonna and BB and gave up. We also tried Madonna and Theodore, but he treated her the same as he has other females in the past. Finally, we tried BB with Theo and for whatever reason, he accepted her! His manner and attitude was entirely different from the "past meetings" that I told you about. He immediately started cleaning her face, ears, and head. They both started snuggling, and neither showed any aggresion towards the other. I'm still keeping his cage next to his female friends next door. He still prefers the side closest to his friends, but now BB is in his cage with him. I didn't want him to have to give up his security or "make a choice". He has his wife, and he still has his friends. I still can't believe it -- after all this time! I just knew he would react the same with BB as he has with all others, but I wanted to try anyway. As I write this, BB and Theo are snuggled tight. However, I still need a mate for Madonna. Thank you for your ideas and suggestions -- without them, we may not have found a workable situation for Theo.

-- Sherry and Stan

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