Male and male bonding

[zebraprint]

I've wanted to get Wylie a friend for a while now and heard that male will bond better with a female... but today I'm going to the local shelter to look at an ADORABLE little French Lop. He's 2 years old and neutered. Wylie just turned 1, and is also neutered.
Just wondering if they have a good chance? The shelter in their ad said this rabbit would do best with a companion so maybe there's hope?
I'll bring Wylie with me to meet him and go from there, but say I do bring the new one home, will I know when I can leave them in the cage together? Not for a few days/weeks obviously... but I just wanna make sure I do this right. And also, random-ish question: Do bonded bunnies share a litter box?

 

[agnesthelion]

Well, I have heard that male to male bonding can be difficult. I also read something that a successful male to male bond can also depend on when the neuter occurred. If the neuter was done later in life it could be a tougher bond.

Yes let them meet at the shelter and on neutral territory. If there is any fighting or aggressive behavior me personally i wouldn't force a bond. I would look for a female.

But if you do bring them home then no do NOT put them in the same cage. Keep their cages about 3 inches apart so they can't bite through the bars.

Signs of bonding is grooming laying next to each other cuddling. It could take weeks or sometimes months. You don't want them unsupervised until you know for sure. Buns tend to fight the most early morning and night when you might not be around.

Good luck! Let us know how it goes!

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

It really depends on the individual rabbits. Some will get along with anything (within reason) regardless of the sex of the other rabbit. While others only like certain rabbits and may fight with any other.

Your best option would to bring Wylie with you if you can so he can meet the other rabbit. You can also have him meet other rabbits there to see if her prefers one more than the others. It would be good to call and ask the shelter as some might not allow you to bring him.

If you do find one that he likes, bring that one home and set him up in a separate cage. You can have them close by so they can see and smell each other. It would be a good idea to get the rabbit vet checked and a fecal test done to make sure there are no parasites or something that could pass to Wylie. Once the new one is settled in, then you can start introducing them on neutral territory. How long it takes before they are ready to live together depends on the rabbits, some might be a few weeks while others may be a few months. How will they do with the bonding really determines when they are ready to live together.

Bonded pairs will usually share a litter box, but it can be a good idea to have 2 so they have choices. Some will pick different spots to use, so might need more than one box.