Siblings?

[canela_2004]

I am picking up a baby boy Californian in two weeks. There are several bucks and does available in the litter. I have never had a pair of bonded bunnies and several people have mentioned that maybe it would be good to get siblings ( obviously knowing that I would alter them as soon as they were mature enough).

Are bunnies really going to be happier in a pair? If I decide on a pair, would them being siblings help the bonding process or does it not matter? I know I can always get another rabbit later on and bond them but was wondering if siblings would make it easier.

 

[PaGal]

I don't believe buns need a companion to be happy. They do not live together in the wild. So the choice of having two buns should be based more on what you would like. Besides it is possible to just not be able to bond the two buns so you could have to keep two rabbits separate for life.

I don't know that being siblings or not would make a difference. Once the buns hit puberty they must be separated to avoid pregnancy which could break any bond they would form prior to being separated and then spayed/neutered. You would then have to rebond them. All that I have heard however states that a male/female bond is typically the easiest to accomplish.

 

[canela_2004]

If that's the case then I will stick with just be boy. I usually have one bunny at a time so it wil be fine.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

Being siblings has little to no influence on if rabbits get along. Once they hit maturity around 3-5 months old, all bets are off. Some will get along and others will have nasty fights. If you have a male and female, they can breed.
You would need to separate them before 3 months old. This means they are no better off than if they are not related and you try bonding.

I would suggest getting one rabbit now. Get it spayed or neutered at an appropriate age. Then if you want to consider another rabbit, you can look to find one that your rabbit likes. Usually opposite sex pairs that are both spayed or neutered work best.