Another bunny or no?

[Adalii]

I have been strongly considering getting another rabbit. I own a beloved Holland Lop x Netherland dwarf from a really good breeder, and he has been the best most well behaved rabbit I have ever met. He turns a year old in May, and I have had no behavior problems whatsoever. He wasnt neutered due to him being so amazing...I never saw a reason.

Now with all this said. I have been considering getting another rabbit...but I have never owned two. Preston is my first rabbit to date honestly. If i were to do this I would want information on the kind of rabbit to get.

Should it be male or female?
Should it also be a small breed?
Should both be fixed?
At what age could they be together?
Should it be a baby?

I would really appreciate any advice on the matter. The extra expense would not be a problem at all, as I grow my own greens and purchase hay and oxbow pellets. I also have a wonderful exotics vet.

Thank you!

 

[ZoeStevens]

Should it be male or female?
It will be easier to bond him with a female rabbit, but male-male bonds are possible as well. You may want him to meet several rabbits before choosing one. When I got a companion for Abe, he met about 5 buns of various breeds and both sexes, and I adopted the one he got along best with. The only rabbit he DIDN'T get along reasonably well with was a male.

Should it also be a small breed?
I would say no. Abe is about double the weight of his companion and I've not had any issues. Of course, if they are fighting then there can be a bigger risk to the smaller rabbit but two rabbits of equal size can also bite each other.

Should both be fixed?
Definitely, definitely yes. Both should be fixed before you even think about introducing them.

At what age could they be together? / Should it be a baby?
I don't know that it matters terribly but I'd pick a rabbit that is approximately the same age (bonding a baby with a senior rabbit is not ideal for obvious reasons).

So, I think you first step should be to get your dude neutered. Once that's done, you can start introducing him to other rabbits about a month after the neuter. If there's a local rabbit rescue in your city, see if they will do playdates. I went to an adoption event to meet potential companions for Abe - they had a bunch of their available rabbits at a pet store with a pen set up. I put Abe in the pen and we tried him with the other rabbits and gauged their reaction. With the other male rabbit, they were both visibly tense. He seemed to like all the other girl rabbits but when we put him with Penny you could tell they liked each other - they ate side by side and were very interested in each other. I had set up separate cages for them but they bonded immediately and after the first night I put them together while I was around. Once there was no more humping / territorial behaviour (a few hours), I put them together for good. Penny still humps Abe sometimes but he takes it with good humour.

Oh - try to get another rabbit with good habits. Penny is full of bad habits which Abe (who used to be the perfect rabbit) has picked up. She pulls books off the shelf and they both sit there and chew them... I wish he would teach HER good manners but no such luck.

 

[PaGal]

1. From everything I have read you typically have a better chance of a successful bond with a female/male pair. Although other combos are possible.

2. it is not necessary to have similarly sized rabbits when bonding.

3. yes, both should be fixed as otherwise their hormones will play a part in their interaction.

4. If you are going to bond rabbits it would be best to keep them separate until both have been spayed/neutered, have healed from that and all hormones have dissipated which can take weeks after a spay/neuter. Even if you get a bun too young for mating to be an issue once it is old enough for mating then you would have to have it spayed/neutered and you would have to separate them till it was healed which could very well break the bond and so you would have to work at bonding them again. Plus although they might get along while one was young once the hormones kick in that could change.

If you go to a shelter to adopt then the bun may already be spayed/neutered as a lot of shelters do so before adopting a rabbit out.

 

[Tauntz]

If you want them to be able to be together, it is best to have both buns fixed. Males will look at another male as a potential rival & fight if they are not neutered. Even if you get a spayed female with your unneutered male you may have problems with fighting as he may want to mate. Also, once neutered usually a male/female bond works best. It is often recommended that you go to a rescue for bunny dates to help be sure your current bunny likes his new roommate. Shelter bunnies with bunny dates would be the way to see if your bunny is likely to like & get along with the bunny you think would be a good match. They are also usually already spayed/neutered.

 

[pani]

When Felix was around three and a half months old, I decided to get a second bunny. I ended up with Clementine, my darling mini lop (or Holland lop, depending on your area), so she's quite similar in size to Felix, a Netherland dwarf.

Felix was neutered around 2 weeks before Clementine came home. When the hormones were still around he would hump her and make contact, but after they wore off and decided who the dominant bun was, no further humping took place. They're now 'pre-bonded' (since she's yet to be spayed), and get along very well.

Felix was happy before Clementine came along, but her arrival (possibly coupled with his neutering) only made him sweeter.

There's no guarantee their 'bond' will be the same after her hormones kick in, or after her spay, which is something I'm worried about. That was one risk in adopting a baby, instead of an older bun, but I was after a similar sized lop-eared bun, and the breeder I got Felix from was great so I had no qualms adopting from her again.

 

[lovelops]

I originally had a dwarf agouti's as my first two bunnies, a brother and sister. The nex two rabbits I got were spur of the moment because they were rescues and about to be put down if they did not get a home. One was big and the other was a Holland Lop. Both were girls but it would not have mattered to me. I did not want to see them die. The lop was 8 months, the other 1 year. They were not babies, I got them fixed. They were not originally fixed. I don't think this is much help, but my two Agouti's are not fixed. The two new ones are.

If you find the rabbits in local rescues, etc make play dates and bring him along and see how they get along. Ditto for breeders... That would be the best to see how he would get along. I would do that before making my mind up for him who his new buddy would be!

Let us know how it works out!
Vanessa

 

[Adalii]

Another question haha

As for people orientation, are bonded rabbits still loving towards you? I heard from someone that two rabbits will entertain each other and they don't be as bonded with you the owner. True?

 

[lovelops]

Another question haha

As for people orientation, are bonded rabbits still loving towards you? I heard from someone that two rabbits will entertain each other and they don't be as bonded with you the owner. True?

Yes, my Chico and Chica have never changed how they treat me. They are bonded and have been... They don't 'entertain' each other and certainly don't ignore me. They still eat out of my hand when I bring them treats when they are out..

Vanessa