Sophie Needs A Friend

Hello there! I just got my first 2 pet rabbits about 12 days ago. One was a 8 week old lionhead cross that died suddenly a week after I got him - played, held him, eating & drinking& pooping all ok the night before - dead in his cage in the morning.
Sophie is a 2yr old unspayed mini lop that I was hoping to bond with the lionhead cross ( got them from different people but same day & side-by-side cages).
I want to get a friend for Sophie and I need people with more experience to guide me. I took her to the vet the next day after I got her and discussed spaying and doc suggested waiting untill she gets settled in her new home. What bunny-mate would best fit her? Should I wait untill after she is spayed and healed? I was thinking about getting her an older ( 1 year/18 Months) neutered male because since my baby died I don't think I can go through that again and older rabbit are not as fragile. Sophie seems fine but grooming & scratching a lot ( since I never had bunnies before not sure since it is a lot or just normal).
All advice is highly appreciated.

Absolutely wait until she is spayed and healed before introducing her to another bunny. In fact, she needs to be the one doing the choosing. Rabbit rescues have plenty of fixed rabbits that she can meet (bunny date) to pre-screen for potential compatibility. That neutered male you mentioned may be a good option (if Sophie likes him).

It's best if both rabbits are fixed before attempting a bond. Most rescues will allow an exchange if, after you get one rabbit home, the two don't get along after all.

You might like to read up more about the bonding process before getting started. You can do that by clicking here. In the meantime, Sophie should be spayed and healed before she dates some other fixed rabbits to see how they seem to get along.

Ah, sorry about your poor baby... Rabbits are fragile and sudden deaths with no warning is unfortunately not rare, with adults and babies... I agree with blue eyes : start by spaying your doe, you won't be able to introduce her to anyone for a few weeks after the spay anyway, considering you need to let her heal and settle down (when my doe was spayed, she couldn't stand anyone touching her hindquarter for about a month afterwards so introducing her to a new rabbit would have been problematic). Once it's done, you'll be able to find her a friend (a male, as you clearly already know). Personally, I got a baby when I was looking for a companion for my doe, because none of the rescues I could reach had what I was looking for at the time. I kept him separated and neutered him at around 4 months before introducing him to my female. It can be done. But I certainly won't do it again if I can help it - the proximity of the female excited his hormones and he was a monster until his neutering (I spent 2 months of pure hell, with urine sprayed everywhere, an escape artist who destroyed things and kept me awake at night by trying to climb on his pen...). The easiest way if you've got a rescue or foster families close to where you live is indeed to wait until your female is ready for companionship and to find a neutered male who was already quarantined (a new bunny can always bring nasty diseases with him). I don't really believe in the "letting the rabbit chose" thing because you're not in 'real life conditions', meaning that the fact the rabbits seem to get along in an unfamiliar environment for 30 mn doesn't mean they will still like each other once you get them home. BUT, the good thing about getting an adult from a rescue is that you don't have to wait to find out if they get along as you can start the introductions when you get the 2nd rabbit, the rabbits are grown up so you normally won't have any sudden fall out between the rabbits once they are bonded (the link should be more stable than with babies, who are always a bit messed up by their teenage phase), and if things go wrong, most rescue will accept to take the bunny back and let you try with another one (it's not a nice decision to make, but it's better than to live in a war zone and a house cut in two for the next 10 years)