Bonding ADULT Males

[GardenSpots]

How hard is it....really?

I am going to be adopting a buddy for my 14 month old neutered male. I have put the search on hold for a few weeks, but I am continuing to look around for possibilities. There sure are a lot more males around than females!

I have been in contact with the only rescue anywhere close to me that allows "bunny dating" and I may end up going that route, but it is a bit of a drive for me. There are very few rescues that take bunnies near me. This particular one does have a number of rabbits to choose from which is attractive to me, and of course they know something about their health and personalities. The local animal control gets 1-2 bunnies in every couple of weeks, but they are not at all reliable on sexing them if they sex them at all. My current bun came from there (he was pulled by another rescue which is where I adopted him from). Animal control had him listed as female, but he needed a neuter when he was taken in for his spay .

I am thinking I might like to try adopting from animal control, but there is the unknown of how the rabbits will get on with each other and also a chance I might sex the rabbit wrong as I am no expert either. Both rabbits would be fixed and well past the hormones before I attempted introducing them, but if I ended up with 2 males, how hard is it REALLY to bond them?

 

[JBun]

It really all just depends on the rabbits and their personalities. You could get two males that are best buddies for life. Generally speaking though, male/female seem to work out the best. Same sex matches seem to encounter more squabbles, and may end up in the bond broken.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

It really depends on the rabbits. Some will get along, but others will hate each other. Being neutered doesn't always make a difference.

I know someone who adopted a rabbit from the rescue I work with. She had a male/female pair and got another male from the rescue. They all get along well now and I don't think there were any big issues. The one she adopted is pretty laid back and would probably get along with just about any bun.

 

[Bville]

I think you should do the "bunny dating." I tried to re-bond my male rabbits and failed so if I had it to do over again, I get a bonded adult pair to begin with or would try bunny dating. Mine were litter mates and I (being an inexperienced rabbit owner) thought that meant they were already bonded. When the hormones kicked in they fought and neutering didn't help. I was so traumatized by the first attempt at re-bonding after neutering that I just gave up. Other people on the forum told me about successful bonds they had between two males, but it didn't work out for me.

 

[Blue eyes]

As everyone says, it really depends on the individual rabbits. That's why it is such a good idea to go through a rescue that will allow for exchanges if things don't work out.
Male/male can be more difficult, but I've also had my share of difficult male/female bond attempts too. (And some that just didn't work) It just depends on the bunnies.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

It all depends on the temperament of the bunnies. We had two males that were great--neither of them had an aggressive personality. We also had 2 females but had to separate them after 5 years as they started to fight for real, not just a little boxing and nipping. One of them was more aggressive than the other bunny. We have read both here and in books that it is easier to bond a neutered male and female, so I think your best bet would be to find one that is already neutered--that way you'll know what sex it was at the time of neutering. Also dating if you can would be an indication of compatibility or combat.

 

[zombiesue]

There are some people that believe that any rabbits can be bonded if you're willing to put the time and effort into it, it's just a matter of whether or not it's worth it to stress the rabbits that much.

Or yourself, for that matter. If you can't imagine yourself bonding them for a whole year or don't want to have two separate rabbits, better to go with a shelter that allows exchanges x)

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

Are you able to foster a rabbit? This can give you a better idea of if the rabbits will get along if they are in your space rather than a shelter. If the bonding doens't work, you don't have to keep the rabbit. It is good to be upfront about your intentions so you can try to get rabbits that will work and can get some help if needed. A few disadvantages can be that you might not get much choice in the rabbits that need a foster home. Some might not be neutered yet, so bonding can be limited or won't happen. You may need to be open to long term fostering as some rabbits can take a while to adopt. Fostering does let you help rabbits who need homes while trying to find a rabbit that can get along with the one you have.

 

[GardenSpots]

OK, well it sounds like I should continue to persist in looking for a female and go the dating route if I can. <sigh> Obviously, I'd rather it work out than not.

There is a possibilty I could foster one. I did try to do that through the organization I adopted my boy from, but they haven't had any females come in. I have also talked to the animal control facility because they also have a foster program, but it is geared more to the dogs and cats. They did seem open to fostering, but there again, I will not know male/female when I commit to fostering. They will spay/neuter before I bring it home for fostering, but then you need to wait a month again for the hormones before even attempting to put them together. The rabbit could get adopted before then and the likelihood of them already being fixed when they go into the shelter is slim. So, that's been my dilemma there. That would be a definite option though.

I have a few weeks yet before I can begin looking in earnest again, so I will continue to think on it. Thanks everyone for your thoughts!

 

[blwinteler]

Definitely do the bunny dating thing. The moment my boys were put together, they became inseparable (which is how I ended up getting two). If you can put your boy with others to see how they do before you get the new one, you may eventually have a similar experience.

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