Can two male, neutered buns get along well?

[Kat9055]

I have a feisty, Netherland dwarf who is neutered (born August 1, 2012). He loves other animals, and if i am holding my sisters dog or cat, he will run up and bump noses with them even though they both would eat him if they could.

i was wondering, I hear that neutered males and spayed females got along very best, but how likely is it for two males to get along well? Should I stick with m/f pair? I am going to get a baby (I wanted a rescue, but it isn’t working due to the only rescue in OK not responding)

advice?

[manic_muncher]

I see you’ve had a few views but no responses yet. So I just wanted to pop in and let you know that the members that have successful same-gendered bonds will likely respond as soon as they are able. I have no experience in this personally, since I only have the one rabbit at the moment. However, I do follow many of the bonding posts and have read several older threads, you know, for informational purposes.

What I have learned from threads here: sex doesn’t matter, it’s all about the personality of the buns, which is why adopting would be preferred, since you’d likely be adopting a bun already neutered (yay) and the personality of that bun would not be hormonally driven.

Off the top of my head, MoveDiagonally and tanlover17 have multiple bonded rabbits, and Sarita has at least a pair now. There are MANY others, so hopefully they will chime in soon. In the meantime, you could search for posts by them in the Bonding section.

There is a somewhat recent thread called “RSPCA” that pretty much asks the same question you are asking. You could peek at that too!

[Sarita]

Moving to Bonding

[Beka27]

It really depends on personality. Unfortunately, with a baby, you’re not going to know what his/her mature personality will be. But if that’s your only option, then you may not have a choice. As long as you’re aware that there is a chance that they will never bond and will need to be kept separately for the next 10+ years, it’s your decision if you want to go ahead or not.

Assuming either sex would be 8 weeks old when you get it, keep in mind what age your vet spay/neuters. A male can be neutered sooner, therefore bonding can start sooner. If you’re in a hurry to start, I might go with a boy, otherwise it really doesn’t matter.

I would recommend a reputable, professional breeder if a rescue isn’t an option… don’t buy at a pet store!!! If you are planning on purchasing through a breeder, he/she may also have older buns that haven’t been sold (in the 6 month to 1 year range), this would allow you to spay/neuter right away and start bonding after one month, rather than waiting several months.

[caudex]

Sure they can, if they have the personality for it, and you have the patience.

The gray lop and the black and white tort in my avatar are male. Once Finn (gray) was neutered, it just took a little time and work. But like Beka said, there is no guarantee that your baby will grow into an adult that wants a companion. You can usually make it happen with patience and figuring out the right technique for your particular pair, but not always. No animal shelters with rabbits in your area? I got Sophie as a baby, but Liam from a shelter, and while I love my diva, he is by far the better “pet,” which I knew cos I met him as an adult. I knew Finn from a baby, I knew what I was getting into when I rescued him.

[Beka27]

If that rescue is an option, you might also wait awhile until the “Easter bunnies” start being surrendered around the beginning of summer. Rescues end up with too many rabbits and are anxious to get them adopted out. Have you only been contacting the rescue by phone/email? Can you find out their hours and just go there one day?

[Eepster]

No bonding advice, but you title reminded me of the opening to the “Odd Couple”

[Eepster]

Can anyone see the video? I can’t even though it is there when I go to edit. Here’s the link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYeAu71rHdE

[LBJ10]

My boys love each other. They really are the best of friends. It really does depend on personality though and not gender. You are just as likely to get a girl and have her not be compatible as you are to get a boy and have the same thing happen. A majority of bunny pairings can be bonded though, some just take a lot more work than others. My two were a super easy bond (once humping was done), but there are many on here who had many sleepless nights trying to bond their bunnies.

[tanlover14]

As everyone has said, it’s more personality than gender. I also agree with Beka on the baby rabbit – you will not know anything until the bun is older. Which is why taking your rabbit “dating” at a shelter can be much more useful in regards to bonding. And be cautious about instantly thinking because your rabbit is friendly to you and other humans, does not mean he will be incredibly friendly to another rabbit right off the bat. The hardest of my bunch to bond is actually the absolute SWEETEST to humans. Again, why bonding dates are so incredible. You can let your rabbit choose a fit, rather than assuming you’ll know what the best fit will be based on personality.

Either way, I have three bonded boys (also bonded to three females) BUT my boy bonds were by far my easiest compared to the girls. However, my two females Lacey and Sidney hit it off VERY well their first meeting… so as you can tell there are no “set” rules regarding gender. Sidney hated Nora, loves Lacey. Nora hates Lacey, loves Tanger. and Simba just loves… well, everyone now. Haha!

[Kat9055]

So good to know! Thanks for the advice!

I said baby, but what I really meant was my ideal range would be over 6 months (6-24months). There are two animal shelters each about 1.5 hrs away. I have checked them periodically, but nothing. The rescue I have been trying to get a hold of for two and a half months, so I am done with that. they haven’t responded and they say on their website that no visitors can stop by without an appointment. That was a little frustrating. There are a LOT (well, like 20ish) on craigslist, so I was planning on “rescuing” one of those, but I am a little cautious/not in a hurry. I adore barnaby and we aren’t in a hurry. Wherever I get the bun, he/she will be fixed and vet checked.

I’m thinking barnaby will do fine. He has this stuffed hedgehog which he adores and grooms every day multiple times. He even rolls it around with him (which is HILARIOUS because he is barely 2.5 lbs and the hedgehog is almost the same size).

How much of a difference does size/breed make? like I said, he is really small and my sister’s bunny and he used to play (my sis thought hers was a girl) but Mill-he was a lot bigger and after puberty kept trying to get it on with him and if I do get a baby, I want to reduce problems if possible!

[Beka27]

Size and breed doesn’t matter. It’s more about personality. We’ve had lots of members with very “opposite” pairs!

Barnaby sounds so cute!

That’s frustrating about the rescue. How are you trying to contact them, through email or by phone? Maybe they’re just really busy? The rescue I adopted Max from took awhile to get back to me. Turns out it run by one woman, so her time was obviously very limited. Maybe just keep trying to contact them once a week, but continue to explore your other options.

[Author]

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