Bonding a new rabbit!

[PureElla]

After about a couple of months, I have returned for some advice!

Once I got my rabbit, Toby, neutered, the pandemic hit really hard. At this time, I didn't think of getting him a companion due to the stress of everything. Since everything is slowly calming down, I have decided to find him a friend to keep him company once school starts up again.

I just have a few concerns:

- I do not have a neutral space.
Since my house isn't super big and it's a single floor, my rabbit has been in every place he could fit at one point. I am thinking of setting up a pen in the kitchen with some blankets that he has never touched, to try and bond the rabbits there. Any advice would be VERY helpful.

- The fear of the possibility of the rabbits not being able to bond properly.
For the first couple of days or weeks, they will not be together (unsupervised), unless they are 100% comfortable around each other. With that in mind, what are the chances that they will not get along? This is one of my biggest concerns.

- What should I provide each rabbit?
At the moment, my single rabbit has two litter boxes. In one of his boxes, he does all his business and eats hay. About a month ago, I placed a secondary litter box, since Toby decided to pee in a corner a couple of times. He only eats out of the second one. I am planning to get another big litter box (the same size as the main litter box that toby has). Along with that, should I get an additional bowl for the new rabbit? (The bowl is only to eat pellets out of and veggies.) Also, should they get separate water sources? Toby has a gallon water dispenser, that automatically fills up the water.

Any other tips or any type of advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you!!

 

[JBun]

Pen in the kitchen would probably work. Just neutralize the floor with vinegar/water first. For beginning dates if doing the slow bonding process, the bathtub is sometimes a good place to start too.

There's really no way to know if they'll get along until the process is started. You just have to give it a shot and hope for the best. But if you can find an already spayed/neutered rabbit, at a shelter/rescue that allows bunny dates so you can find the best possible match for your bun, this is the best way to go about finding a bunny companion.

Whether or not you need separate litter boxes, and separate feeding/water bowls, all depends on how well they bond with each other. My current group of 4 all share one feeding bowl, water bowl, and litter box(when they actually decide to use it ). So it all depends on the closeness of the bond your two form and how they get on with each other.

Bonding info:

https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/bonding-bunnies.html
http://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Bonding_rabbits_together

 

[PureElla]

Ah, thank you.

I have been reading about bonding and whatnot. Most websites are saying female/male bonds are the easiest. Is it still possible that a male/male bond can still be successful? (Both males are already neutered)

 

[JBun]

Yes, that can still work. But in the end, it all comes down to their personalities. Two dominant personalities don't generally mesh, and will usually end up in aggression and fighting. At least one of the buns needs to be submissive.

 

[JBun]

Not sure how long since your two were neutered, but just make sure it's been at least 6 weeks so they've had enough time for the hormones to fade, before attempting bonding.