Boy, girl - or both?

For weeks I've been looking to add a big, free range bunny to my "herd". I already have two small rabbits, a dwarf/Angora mix doe and a Netherland Dwarf buck. Both are neutered and bonded.

I adopted the little ones with the hope that they could live free range. My little ones decided otherwise. I had built them a big CC condo with attached roomy pen, and that's where they prefer to be. If I leave the pen open, the ND Stewart rushes to the back corner of the cage and hides. The doe, Zelda, gets territorial and seeks out and attacks the cats. Nowadays I leave them where they're happy and I go in and visit them every day instead. So do the cats - they get along fine when the pen is closed!

So my plan was to build an enclosure by blocking off my hallway with steel gates, then let the big bunny loose when I'm there to supervise (I'm home most of the time). Of course the big bun will be neutered as soon as he/she is old enough. The little bun enclosure is in the living room, out of sight of the hallway.

So after weeks of searching, I found a breeder who has a couple of 4 week old Flemish, one male and one female. He had planned to breed them but changed his mind.

To me, buck or doe doesn't matter too much because they'll be neutered. My concern is what may happen when the new bun gets close to the pen with the little ones. I'm not planning on putting them all in the pen together, it's probably two small for all three of them. But I don't want problems between them even from being in the same area and smelling each other. I've heard of three rabbits bonding but I'm not sure if that would be possible in this situation.

So Question One is, which gender (neutered) would be more likely to get along with a neutered buck and doe? Is it possible for them to bond or do they have to be in the same enclosure? Can they co-exist with two in the pen and one roaming free?

Second Question: the breeder would prefer to sell the two as a pair. I'm wondering if the two Flemish could be too much of a handful, and I'd have to neuter two rabbits. Would it actually be better for the big rabbits if they could be together? They're already being kept together as babies, so they know each other. Or, could one get along on its own?

wow. Lots to consider.

Of course the breeder wants you to take two- less for him to find homes for. But this would be terribly inconvenient for you because there is no way to predict if the two will get along once they've grown. All babies get along and even the snuggliest and cuddliest of a pair of rabbits can turn on each other and become bitter enemies with the onset of hormones. This is just as true of sibling bunnies too.

As has been said many times over on RO, getting a pair of babies is always risky because the two may not bond once they've past hormones and have been fixed. Don't let yourself be talked into something you aren't looking for.

As for introducing a third bun to a household with a bonded pair, the outcome is anyone's guess.
It's possible the mere presence of a third rabbit could upset the current bond. This would be all the more likely with a young rabbit once those hormones activate. It would be "safer" with an already fixed rabbit.

Keeping a third rabbit single and apart from the pair could work. Then again, it could disrupt the pair. Attempting to bond all three (after the third is fixed) might work, or again, it could disrupt the bond of the pair. It's possible you'd wind up with 3 that all need to be kept separate, OR a different bonded pair, OR the original pair and a single 3rd bun.

Typically with a trio of mixed genders, it's best to have only one male and the others female. Otherwise the males may compete for the female. So if you already have a male/female pair and you might attempt a 3rd, then a female would be recommended.

Sorry there aren't concrete answers to your questions. There are just too many factors when dealing with individual bunnies.

Blue eyes said:

wow. Lots to consider.

Of course the breeder wants you to take two- less for him to find homes for. But this would be terribly inconvenient for you because there is no way to predict if the two will get along once they've grown. All babies get along and even the snuggliest and cuddliest of a pair of rabbits can turn on each other and become bitter enemies with the onset of hormones. This is just as true of sibling bunnies too.

As has been said many times over on RO, getting a pair of babies is always risky because the two may not bond once they've past hormones and have been fixed. Don't let yourself be talked into something you aren't looking for.

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Thanks, you confirmed what I suspected. I'm not sure what RO is, though. I guessed that in an evolutionary sense, it's not good for siblings to get along when they grow up, because then there'd be inbreeding. I wasn't completely sure, but I suspected it would be a bad idea to adopt two siblings, even if I'm getting them neutered. I was heavily leaning towards saying "no" to the second rabbit. I was only planning to get one in the first place. I also thought it would complicate things with the other two I already have. My only possible reason for adopting the second one would have been to bond with the first one so it wouldn't be without a partner. Now that's been debunked, for which I'm glad. I already told the guy that I wanted one rabbit, and one rabbit is what I'm going to get. He offered me a big discount to take the pair but NO WAY if it's not good for those rabbits, or mine.

Blue eyes said:

As for introducing a third bun to a household with a bonded pair, the outcome is anyone's guess.
It's possible the mere presence of a third rabbit could upset the current bond. This would be all the more likely with a young rabbit once those hormones activate. It would be "safer" with an already fixed rabbit.

Click to expand...

My plan is to keep the new rabbit separate from the others until after he or she is neutered. I want to get it neutered as soon as possible, by the end of the month or whenever I can get in to the vet's. Even then, the small ones would be in their pen or cage at all times, it's their "happy place". I realize they'd all probably be able to smell each other, though. I thought of keeping the new rabbit in my closed bedroom until after it's neutered. It's further from the little rabbit cage and the little ones wouldn't smell the new one as much.

Another option might be to move the little buns in their cage/pen to the bedroom, temporarily or permanently. I go in and out of the bedroom many times during the day, so they wouldn't be left alone.

Blue eyes said:

Keeping a third rabbit single and apart from the pair could work. Then again, it could disrupt the pair. Attempting to bond all three (after the third is fixed) might work, or again, it could disrupt the bond of the pair. It's possible you'd wind up with 3 that all need to be kept separate, OR a different bonded pair, OR the original pair and a single 3rd bun.

Typically with a trio of mixed genders, it's best to have only one male and the others female. Otherwise the males may compete for the female. So if you already have a male/female pair and you might attempt a 3rd, then a female would be recommended.

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Thanks, I didn't realize that gender makes a big difference even if they're all neutered. I wasn't set on one gender or the other, so I can get a female. The price difference between genders for a neuter isn't very much (I checked with the vet today).

Blue eyes said:

Sorry there aren't concrete answers to your questions. There are just too many factors when dealing with individual bunnies.

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If there's one thing I've learned from keeping rabbits, it's what intelligent and complex individuals they are. That's a big thing that attracts me to them. You gave me some good general advice, important information, and steered me in the right direction, that's all I needed!

You're welcome.

Keeping the third rabbit in a closed bedroom until healed after fixing sounds like a smart idea. -keeps those scents limited.

RO is this forum (Rabbits Online).

Blue eyes said:

You're welcome.

Keeping the third rabbit in a closed bedroom until healed after fixing sounds like a smart idea. -keeps those scents limited.

RO is this forum (Rabbits Online).

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I keep a cat litter box in the hall outside my bedroom door, that should put paid to the bunny scent! :wiggle

I agree with everything Blue eyes said. I'm annoyed with how many breeders / petshops try to play on the 'they are siblings / babies' so it's a good idea to take them together because they will bond better (some people sincerely believe it too).
It doesn't work that way : hormones render null and void any relationship that the rabbits had previously (and, of course, 'family' has no meaning for animals).
Taking two babies is ALWAYS a bad idea. It often makes the hormonal stage worse and it keeping two rabbits separated for seven months (especially rabbits that big) would be a major pain. You might always consider getting a second giant once the one you're getting is spayed if everything goes well.

I went to pick up my rabbit today, and I chose the doe. Both of them were nice and in good health, the buck was a bit lighter in colour than the doe (both are sandies). I was told they are not siblings but they came from the same breeder and have one grandparent in common.

The guy didn't give me too much of a hassle about not buying the buck. He seems to feel that he'll have a harder time finding a home for him. We talked a bit about bonding and I told him that rabbits who are friends as babies stop getting along when they reach puberty, that's why I don't want to take both rabbits. Still, he said if I change my mind after the doe is spayed, I can call him and see if he still has the buck.

In the meantime, she's beautiful! I set her up in a pen in my bedroom for now. I offered her a piece of banana, but she wasn't impressed. She preferred the collard green leaf I gave her. I have to think up a name for her. I resisted the urge to call her "Tiny".

Sorry about the flipped pics, can't figure out how to fix it. Stupid cell cameras.

whoa! Was she eating greens at the place she came from? If so, no problems. But if not, and she's under 12 weeks, then best to hold off on offering any greens. (Fruit should be held off for sure until after she's settled for a week or so. The sudden intro of sugar like that could cause tummy issues in a stressed rabbit - ie. just moved to a new home.)

Blue eyes said:

whoa! Was she eating greens at the place she came from? If so, no problems. But if not, and she's under 12 weeks, then best to hold off on offering any greens. (Fruit should be held off for sure until after she's settled for a week or so. The sudden intro of sugar like that could cause tummy issues in a stressed rabbit - ie. just moved to a new home.)

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It's good that you mentioned that! I didn't know they shouldn't be offered greens when young. My doe is 16 weeks old. I asked the owner what she was eating and he gave me a big bag of her pellets and told me he's been giving them greens and a bit of carrot as treats. I just offered her the one collard green leaf for now, she ate it stem and all. I also have romaine lettuce and store bought dandelion leaves for tomorrow, depending on how her poops look. And of course she has a nice litter box with clean hay.