Bonding Large and Small Breeds

[Wooditkar45]

I have an 8 month old male Flemish Giant and was wondering if it would be ok to get him a little friend. He lives in s fairly large pen and I just don't think there would be enough room for 2 Flemish Giants but I still think he would enjoy having some company when I'm not there.

I was looking at a female mini lop...would this be ok? Would I need to make sure my male is neutered before I introduce them?

I was planning on putting the lop in a cage and having it next to the pen for a week or two before introducing them all the way so they can get a feel for each other

Comments or advice would be much appreciated! Thanks!

 

[Blue eyes]

He would need to be neutered first and also have up to 8 weeks post surgery to allow hormones to fully dissipate before attempting a bond.

Your best bet, after he's neutered, is to allow him to bunny date some spayed females. Yes, the female needs to be spayed too to rid her of those hormones as well.

He needs to be the one choosing his bondmate, however, since some rabbits just won't bond with certain individual rabbits. You can do this at most rabbit rescues. (the breed or size difference of rabbits makes no difference when it comes to bonding)

I would also suggest reading all you can about bonding. Bondings sometimes go easily and smoothly, but sometimes they are extremely frustrating and exhausting. Knowing what to watch out for can go a long way toward easing the process.

 

[Wooditkar45]

Thanks for the info! I will get Woody neutered and wait a few weeks before I get another. The only issue is that we don't have any rabbit rescues nearby that I'm aware of so I might just have to wait until I have another opportunity to buy one and take a chance that they will like each other.

 

[Wooditkar45]

I'm hoping it's as easy to bond him with another bunny as it was to bond him with my dog and cat....that wasn't any work at all, he loves the dog and cat and doesn't mind when they go in his pen and visit him.

 

[Blue eyes]

Are you in the US? what state? We can help you find a rescue.

How a rabbit responds to other species will have no bearing on how they respond to a fellow rabbit. My most difficult rabbit to bond (went through 2 males before the 3rd was finally accepted) gets along wonderfully with our dog. She was sooo picky and hard-headed about what rabbit was acceptable.

And one girl I had was super easy to bond with another rabbit, but never trusted the dog.

 

[Wooditkar45]

I am in far eastern Montana on the North Dakota border.

 

[Blue eyes]

Try googling "rabbits rescues, Montana" and then look for results that are exclusively rabbits. You would know better where some of the cities are in Montana. I saw a couple potentials, including one facebook site. The individual rescue sites typically have photos of their available bunnies, but they are seldom up to date so don't think that is all they have.

They won't allow bunny dates until your boy is neutered (and had a few weeks or more for hormones to dissipate).

You could also start a new thread asking for rescues in Montana -- that might get someones attention here on RO who is familiar with your area.

 

[Wooditkar45]

Thanks for all the help! I'll look into it and get my boy fixed so I can get him a companion!