A second rabbit

[Mom21]

A quick background, my current rabbit Cadbury, is a male I found living on the side of my house and I've had him for about a month now. From some very nice people here, they believe he might be a Flemish mix. But anyway, Cadbury has settled in quite nicely in our house and acts like a little dog. He comes out of his cage everyday to roam around and has made best friends with one of my cats. He also tries to play with the other cat and dog but they aren't very interested. But my cat Kiki has started to play too rough with him and tries to play the same way she does with the other cat and dog. I watch them close and always correct her but it's getting a little tiring to be honest. Especially with a toddler running around in the mix too. Kiki sits outside his cage everyday til I let him out and Cadbury will shake the bars with his teeth until I open it lol So I'm wondering if I should get Cadbury another rabbit friend. I've read up on it and seen they can be hard to 'match' sometimes but then I think there were absolutely no problems with the cats and dogs. I could keep them in separate cages for awhile until they get used to eachother if needed. I also have a couple other questions. I've read the pair should usually be opposite sex. I'm assuming Cadbury isn't fixed so my other question is, could I just get one of them fixed? And is there an average price for how much that runs? Any advice is much appreciated it. Thanks in advance!

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

It is better if both rabbits are fixed. Having only one done does prevent breeding, but the one left intact still has the hormones which can cause issues as they might hump a lot and have behaviours that show they really want to breed. This can be annoying to the other rabbit which could lead to fights depending on rabbits. With bonding, you want them to be friends and that can be hard when one really wants to breed and the other doesn't.
The cost of get a rabbit neutered really depends on where you live (some areas do cost more than others), the vet you use and if it is a male or female. You should expect to spend about $150-250 for a neuter.

The best idea to find the right rabbit is to go to a shelter or rescue. You can bring Cadbury to meet other rabbits so he can pick who he likes. Most shelters do require the rabbits to be spayed or neutered before doing these dates. One of the bonuses of going to a rescue is that the rabbits are usually spayed or neutered as part of the adoption so you don't have to really worry about the costs and such.

 

[mitchellfoster]

What you also have to take into consideration that while a rabbit may be fine with the cat and the dog, it may not be okay with another bun. My buns act very calm around our cat, but when together, things can get a little hairy. When I got my two boys fixed, it ended up being about $500. On another note, it is very rare that you'll find a bun that Cadbury will take to right away. You have to be willing to accept the fact that you'll probably have to spend some time bonding them, which can take several weeks or months.

 

[I_heart_Fraggles]

Our rabbit Fraggles loves cats and small dogs but hates other buns! Its violent the hate she has for them. I am very happy to hear though that you kept Cadbury and you enjoy having him. He was kinda tossed into your lap. He sure is cute!

 

[lagomorph]

Generally I think it's a good idea for a bunny to have a bunny friend, but in this case I probably would not get another one. Not yet, anyway. You have too much going on already, with the various animals involved, and a potential problem between one cat and the bun. I would want to resolve the issue between your bun and the cat before adding in another animal. I would wonder how old is the cat, since many cats become much less playful after about 3 yrs of age. Therefore this problem could be just temporary. And what the size difference is between cat and bun. Do you think the cat could/would hurt the bun? How does your rabbit take it?

It is not uncommon for members of different species take to each other more quickly than members of the same species. Members of the same species tend to be territorial with each other, while those of different species do not mind sharing space (as long as one is not a physical threat to the other). That's the way it works with wildlife: a bobcat and a fox can share a territory, but 2 bobcats will not tolerate each other. So, as others have said, your bun is likely to have a much more violent reaction to another bunny, than to a cat. That said, if you can integrate 2 bunnies very slowly, they can form a tight bond, which can be a wonderful thing for both.

As far as letting the bunny choose the new friend, I am not sure how well initial reaction predicts their ability to share the same living space. I would integrate them very, very slowly, no matter what the initial meeting is like.