Adding a new bun?

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Blabauve

Blabauve

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I hope this is the right place to post this. I have a 1 year old Angora Buck - VERY docile - probably 4-5 lbs. I was thinking about getting a Holland Lop Doe and housing her next to him - she is only 2 months old. Over time can I try to bond them? She will only be 2 lbs when fully grown, is it OK to have rabbits of different sizes bond? Is a Holland Lop a good breed? I'd like something less maintenance than the Angora, but just as sweet and friendly.

Thanks!
 
It can take some time for the current bun to adjust to the new bun. I would not put the cages next to each other right away. You should quarantine the new one for a few weeks anyway to make sure she is healthy. When you are ready, you can put the cages in the same room so they each have their own space. If they get along, you can move the cages next to each other.

You may need to think about their diets in the long term. Even though you will probably wait until she is spayed until bonding them, they will have a few different needs. Portion control could be tricky and if the new one needed different pellets it could be hard to make sure they don't eat each others food.

With bonding, the breed, size and even sex don't really matter it is more about the personalty of the rabbits. You can have a Netherland Dwarf bond with a Flemish Giant and have 2 males or 2 females bond. On the same note, 2 rabbits of the same breed and of opposite sex might not get along.

2 pounds seems small for a full grown Holland Lop. I believe they should not be bigger than 4 pounds, but 2 is small. I have a full grown Lionhead who is 3.6 pounds and is about the size of my friends Holland Lop.
 
I guess the only downside I'm looking at is that there is always the possibility that once she is fixed there is the chance they won't bond. I don't know a lot about Holland Lops, but I do know the buns parents are very small, right around 2 pounds. I was hoping she wouldn't be quite as messy as my big fuzzy Angora! Currently Jacob spends a lot of time with my cats - they get in and out of his cage with him - he even lets them eat out of his bowl!
 
BabyMei wrote:
Size doesn't matter. I have a Flemish Giant bonded to a Netherland Dwarf ^^ And another Flemish Giant bonded to a regular sized rabbit.
Click to expand...

[align=center]Are your buns fixed yet? 8D
Or is it MeiMei and Sophie and then Vincent and ... the other one that I'm drawing a blank to bondage-ness? o_O
I'm gunna start switching Soleil and Silas's litterboxes around every time I change the litterbox today =]

And as everyone else said, Blabauve, size does not matter =] My 11 lb flemish has interacted with my 4 and 5 lb buns and even has humped them (normal bonding thing soo yeah) and they are fine =]
 
Totally agree with Kate on this one (I seem to be doing that a lot lately!).

The only thing I disagree about is fussing about diet. Most hollands are around 3lbs and with your bun at 4-5lbs, that's not really a big difference. I currently have a 4lb holland (he's a bigger guy for his breed) and a 5.5lb mini lop living together and they share all food. I think diet is a bigger consideration with buns that are more than 2-3lbs different in weight, but just a pound or two really shouldn't matter with how you feed them.

In general, breed doesn't matter a bit - it's personality that is key (and having them both fixed)
 
Thank you all so much for your help. I'm really hoping that things will work out and that Jacob will have a friend! He doesn't weigh much, just looks really big because of all his hair. I'm meeting his possible housemate this weekend.

I currently feed Jacob 1/4 cup pellets in the am and 1/4 cup in the pm. He always has hay available. I wasn't sure if young bunnies were supposed to free feed pellets? I feed Oxbow pellets.
 
Do you also feed veggies?

For a 4-5lb rabbit the recommendation is only 1/4c of pellets total per day, so it sounds like you can start weaning him down.

It's recommended baby rabbits get unlimited pellets, but I prefer to feed them in measured amounts and not refilling until the bowl is empty so you can tell if they're eating. A bun might not be eating much but if the bowl is kept full at all times it's hard to tell. Baby bunnies around that size tend to eat 1/2-1 cup per day.
 
I do feed veggies. I will cut back on pellets - thanks!!

So which is a better fit for me? A Mini lop or holland lop?

I'd like a rabbit this small but not skiddish - and tolerates being held some.
 
If you have a shelter or rescue near you, you should bring your rabbit and let him choose who he wants. It can be tough for you if they don't bond because you got the rabbit you wanted and not the one he did.

You really would need to decide which breed you like more. See if you can visit a breeder who has one or both breeds and visit with the rabbits for a bit. It is your choice and you will be the one living with the rabbit, so don't get one if you don't think it is the right fit for you.
 
Thanks for the advice. I guess Ive always heard smaller rabbits were more skiddish - I wasn't sure if there was truth to that. I want the rabbit to be a good match for Jacob but also a rabbit I'd like. :) Hopefully we can agree. ;)
 
As far as minis vs hollands, the hollands I've known have been more laid back than the minis. Neither were skittish, but the minis tended to have more energy and be more busy (constantly shredding paper or something) while the hollands sat around. I've seen this in the shelter and it holds true with my pair (one of each). My mini girl is go go go all the time while my holland boy just sits and looks out at the world (the mini lop is 2 years older, so it's not an age thing with them either)
 
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