Bringing home arescue bunny tonight, Cage quesions..

So I'm bringing home a rescue bunny tonight and I want to make sure everythings set for when he gets here. I have a bunny already named Binoo but I thought he needed a friend. How did you guys do the introductions? How did you set up the 2 cages? Will they ever be able to stay in the same cage? I know bonding 2 males can be difficult but I think I can do it.

The rescue bunny(Moo) is a holland lop male(neutered), approximately a year old. Binoo is a lion head male(neutered), and is a year and a half old.

Any helpful hints to give?? Has anyone tried a male pair before??:happybunny:

I would keep them separated for a couple days while the new ones gets used to his new environment. Some rabbits take longer to settle in, so you may need to wait a bit longer depending on how he does. As long as he is healthy, you can have the cages close to each other, but leave a bit of a gap so they can't bite through the cages.

For the introductions, you want to start on neutral territory with a barrier between them. If they are ok with that, then you can remove the barrier. You should be right there incase there is an issue. If they are doing well and getting along, you can let them be together in the neutral territory. Short positive sessions are good and you can work up to longer periods. Adding food and some toys can be good too. If they are getting along there well, you can move them to the area they will be sharing, this may require going back to short sessions as they can behave differently in their own space.

Bonded pairs should have more space and levels are a good idea if your rabbits like them. You may need to buy or build a bigger cage if they do bond. This can be good as neither one has a claim to the space.

Yep, I agree with everything Kate said.

Same sex bonds tend to be a bit more difficult but they can work. Sometimes, they will spontaneously flight down the road, and some rebonding is needed.

I have a m/f pair that took 30 days to bond.

Started with neutral dates in a bathroom. I am a proponet of slow track bonding so my first date was maybe 5 minutes. Try to end on a positive note every time.

Bunny date everyday (as long as no huge problems arise along the way) and increase the time as you progress.

After they are comfortable around each other in the neutral area you can try moving them to dates in a non neutral area. Increase time there as you progress.

I've read that a rule of thumb is when they can be together for 4-5 hours without one incident than they may be ready to move into the same cage.

I would also encourage waiting several days, if not a couple weeks, before the first date. Let new bunny settle in and make sure he is bonded with you and comfortable before moving forward. It's easy to want to rush things but i think being safe than sorry is a better process with bonding rabbits.

Bonding is a tedious process and lots of work but is worth it in the end. Best of luck and let us know how it goes!

Definitely let him settle in first, like others have suggested. I just brought a new girl home about 4 weeks ago and got too excited - though she and my boy got along fine during their dates at the shelter, she started initiating fighting because I didn't let her adjust. I stopped putting them together for a few weeks and recently tried again, but she still wasn't into it. Be patient, that is what I keep telling myself! Perhaps Chris will chime in soon, she has a trio of boys. Good luck, and congratulations on your new addition!

Those of you who have 2 rabbits in one cage can i please see pics of your cage setups?? Moo likes to jump but Binoo has never really been a big jumper.

Here's one I used to have for 2 prior rabbits:

Thank you for your pic. That cage is about the size of the cage i have right now just not multi level cause Binoo isnt fond of jumping. lol but Moo wil like when i build the new cage.

I've made several of these NIC type cages for different rabbits. It isn't unusual for some rabbits to take awhile to consider going on the upper levels. Some may take a good number of days. But once they get the hang of it, they seem to really enjoy having the different levels to choose from.

I think some rabbits just aren't used to the idea of going "up" a level.

It reminds me of our dog. We lived in a one-story house when we got him. A couple years later, we moved to a two story. He didn't know what to do with the stairs. The first night we all went up and he stood at the bottom and just barked at as. We had to do quite a bit of encouraging to get him to attempt to use the stairs. It was funny to me, but I realize he just hadn't encountered stairs before. ---this is how I think some bunnies are with levels.