introducing 2 rabbits

[apollo4441000]

hey, so i have a spayed female rabbit, called snowy, who is a white dwarf, I bought her as a single rabbit as she was on her own, so i have been wondering if i can get a male rabbit to go with her, i am thinking about buying her a new hutch, but i need to know will she accept the male, who is a black lion-head (hopefully, if i get him) how could i increase the chances of her bonding with him and accepting him, because she lives in a pet store cage which was last minute but if i get a new hutch will i need to get a new bowl, bottle and toys???

 

[Watermelons]

they will need to be housed separate until they are fully bonded, IF they fully bond. You have to be prepared that the 2 rabbits will not get along and will need to be housed apart for their entire lives.
Both animals should be spayed and neutered.
Bonding time will need to be done in a neutral area, not in one of the cages.

 

[apollo4441000]

thanks but do i have to do that thing where i swap them around each others cage each day so they get used to them, because the cage my female lives is will be outgrown very quickly, because i want them to both live in the hutch, but if its not possible im willing to buy another hutch for her

 

[Watermelons]

Why would you swap them around both cages?
Their meetings would need to be done OUTSIDE of both cages where neither rabbit has been before. Then when they are fully bonded they can live in 1 of the 2 cages.
However standard pet store hutches are usually too small to house 2 rabbits.

 

[JBun]

The best way to find a buddy for your female rabbit is to go to a shelter or rescue that already has neutered rabbits that you can let your rabbit meet. That way you can see from the start if they will possibly get along. But if you just get any rabbit to try and bond her with, you run the risk of what watermelons mentioned about the possibility of them not getting along and having to be housed separately.

By swapping cages, if you mean for the purpose of getting them used to each others scent, then yes, that is something you can do as you prepare for bonding them. But usually you start with the small things like toys and blankets, then food bowls, then you can move to also switching litter boxes, then after they seem to accept those changes, you can swap cages. I would suggest you read up on bonding before you attempt it. Depending on your rabbits temperaments and personalities, this can either go very smoothly or be very complicated. Here is one good link for bonding info.

http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/articles/bond.shtml