Maloclusion and New Rabbit

Question
Hi!
1. I recently discovered that my 7 month old female Holland Lop rabbit  
had maloclusion (hope i spelled that right lol).  I took her to my rabbit
vet who decided that the best thing to do for Hazel was to combine the
date for her spay with a tooth pull and remove her four front teeth, as
well as file down her molars.  That was on Tuesday (4-17-04). The vet
sent me home with a syringe to force-feed her baby food if she wouldn't
eat.  Since i saw no sign that she was eating, i tried it on her. Thankfully,
i didnt have to actually force feed her, as i can just squirt it into her
mouth and she happily licks it up.  But now it's been two days and the
vet said she should be nearly recovered.  She has shown no sign that she
is even interested in the food i laid out for her (i gave her the normal hay
& pellets, pellets soaked in water to be soft and mushy, and some baby
food).  I dont mind hand-feeding her baby food for a few days, but i
really dont want her to get dependant.  Should i just cut off the baby
food tomorrow morning and make her eat or go hungry? What can i do
to help her?
2.  I am in the FFA, and just showed my male 7 month Holland lop
rabbit, Silver, in a small county fair.  However, he is neutered and i didnt
know previously that neutered rabbits shouldn't show. Anyways, Silver
shares a big two-storey rabbit hutch with Hazel (yes, the one i just
mentioned).  Now that both are fixed, i would like to have a bunny i
could use in a show.  If i get one, it would probably be a Holland Lop
(because i love that breed), female (because intact males drive me up the
wall), and young, maybe 6 - 8 weeks.  Silver has a wonderful calm sweet
personality, and Hazel is just as sweet and gentle but more hyper.  they
spend hours cuddling and grooming together.  Could they learn to love
a third bunny?  What can i do to introduce them?  i have a spare cage but
id prefer having them live together.
Thank you so much!
Kiara

Answer
Dear Kiara,

First the answer to #1:
No, don't withhold food.  She is not likely to be dependent, and I think the vet might have been a little overly optimistic to think that your bunny would be ready for solid food in only two days!

I would give her *at least* a week to fully recover from this traumatic and painful surgery.  Keep up the Critical Care (or whatever food you're giving her) until she's ready to eat on her own.  When the pain goes away, you'll see her start to eat her hay and other items that don't require her to cut with her incisors.

Now #2:
Introducing an intact third rabbit to a bonded pair is a recipe for disaster.  I would encourage you to NOT show a bunny, as this is stressful for the rabbit and a great way to expose him to potentially deadly diseases that he might never meet otherwise.  (For example, the deadly viral disease known as VHD, or viral hemorrhagic disease--the rabbit version of Ebola virus--was not known in the U.S. until someone from the UK brought an infected rabbit overseas for show.  Many rabbits were exposed, and a great number died this horrible way--but not until they were on their way home, spreading this horrific virus still further!)

There is just no easy way to get an intact rabbit to coexist peacefully with a spayed/neutered pair. (If your female is not spayed, then note that she has a very high risk of uterine cancer:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/spay.html

I know that may not be what you wanted to hear, but I hope it helps you make the right decision.  Good luck,

Dana