i have one bunny rn, but planning to get another one because they need to be kept in pairs. this is her place rn. shes 4 months old so she cant get neutered yet. i was told and seen so many different things. apparently males can get neutered at 12 weeks, so i was told to get her a male. but also ive heard its better if theyre both neutered AND healed by the time bonding starts. i also know this place isnt enough for 2. what should i do, and when ? i need advice on space, bonding, and anything else i need to know.
by fl0ra-d0b0s
4 Comments
Usually male/female pairs are easiest to bond and have a more stable bond. This doesn’t mean that female/female can’t bond, but overall a male would be easier. It’s true that before bonding both should be desexed. I would wait until your girl is fixed and healed!
In the end it’s more about personalities of the rabbits. I don’t know if they have any rescues near you that could help with bonding, or off play dates, but if they do I would recommend going that route. That way your rabbit can pick her friend, instead of us humans enforcing a friend upon her. They could obviously also help with bonding and help if things don’t work out.
What’s is the surface of the pen they have? And how much free roam time do they get? I think you can make it work!
Is that litter grates? These are not good for rabbits feet if thats what you do have , appologies if not as it is hard to tell. A cat litter tray is a really good option
I do like the toys, tunnel and snuffle mat you have added!
I adopted a neutered male who was about 3 months old, and my female was around 4 months old at the time. I had adopted her about three weeks earlier. At first, I didn’t really listen to people who said both rabbits should be fixed right away, because since the male was already neutered, at least I knew I couldn’t end up with baby rabbits. I started by keeping them separate so they wouldn’t pass any illnesses to each other, just in case. Then after a vet visit to make sure both of them were healthy, I set up two pens next to each other. They weren’t in the same enclosure, but separated by a barrier so they could see and smell each other. I made sure the wire mesh was small enough that they couldn’t bite each other through the bars. They stayed like that for several weeks. Once I noticed there was less aggression between them, I started feeding them side by side (still separated by the barrier). That helped them start building a positive association, but you really have to watch carefully to make sure there are no fights and to observe how they react even through the bars. At some point, I decided to let them explore each other’s spaces. Before that, I swapped some of their items so they could get used to each other’s scent. Then I switched their pens to see how they would react, and they were actually very happy to explore the other rabbit’s space. After that, they slowly started cohabiting. There were a few small fights, but I let them work some things out. About three weeks after I adopted my male, they finally bonded and I was able to keep them in the same pen. Of course, you still have to be careful because bonding doesn’t go this smoothly for every pair of rabbits. Sometimes it can be much more complicated. But generally, a male and a female tend to be one of the easiest pairings for rabbits.
https://preview.redd.it/smpi7pssh9pg1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d903a621d1fe308c00cb7a51fe7a0712dfc6c544
Can’t bond rabbits that aren’t fixed, no matter what anyone tries to tell you otherwise. 6-8 weeks after fixing both is when you can start bonding. Introductions and bonding must take place in a neutral space that has neither rabbit’s scent in it. Some rabbit shekters and rescues can do bunny speed dating and bonding. Look into that first.