When can I leave them alone together, unsupervised?

[MandyK]

I've had 2 male rabbits for about 4/5 years. One is neutered, the other is not (my vet said there are more complications with neutering at my rabbit's age, it's not worth the risk for the few benefits). They are both about 6/7 years old.

My question is: when can I leave them alone together, unsupervised?

I have always had them in separate cages, and they get about 8-9 hours of "free time" each day in the house together. They run around, play, cuddle, chew, etc. They used to fight every once in a while, but I haven't seen them do that in about a year. The worst they ever did was get a few bites in, maybe a little bleeding - but I was always around to stop the fight before it got bad.

I would like to get rid of their separate cages and house them in one HUGE cage together (plus the 8-9 hours "free time" each day). They love each other's company and I know they would love spending the day together.

How do I know when I can trust them alone together? I'm scared I'll come home one day, and one of them will be injured from a fight. I know I need to use my best judgement, but I'm so paranoid about this.

 

[BunBuns Human]

There is more info on this topic on this thread:

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=75908&forum_id=48

When I have the time there is quite a bit that I will add, but for your situation I would not put them in a cage together. Loose in the house maybe, but I gather that is not how your bunnies roll.

I am of the opinion that one of the reasons so many people have trouble with rabbits fighting is because of restricted spaces (cages) and associated territorial issues. Once out of their cages the territory of the house is not settled territory and isup for grabs.

 

[Imbrium]

because they're not both neutered, I wouldn't consider it safe to leave them unsupervised or to house them together. you can only truly bond fixed rabbits.

 

[JBun]

Though it does work out better to bond fixed rabbits, it's not entirely true that you can't bond unfixed rabbits. A long time ago I took over the care of two unspayed girl rabbits that were bonded. I also had a neighbor that had two unneutered male rabbits that suprisingly, were bonded and got along really well. So yes, it is possible. It really just depends on the personalities of the rabbits you're trying to bond. And bonding does have a greater chance of success if both parties are fixed.

 

[ldoerr]

I have a breeder friend who put up a pen in her barn for some fat brood does so that they could loose some weight. She put 10 does in there and let them figure it out. They are all doing really good and NONE of them are fixed.

 

[MandyK]

Thanks for the replies. Just an update: I am going to let them out together unsupervised, but I won't put them in a cage.

I'll let them roam free in the bedroom while I'm at work. When I come home from work, they can still roam free in the bedroom. Then at night, I'll put them in their separate cages.

The reason I need to do this is because I need to work LONG hours (long story behind that), and I feel awful that their "free time" is being limited.