Hi! This is my first post here. I’m a first time rabbit owner. I bought my Californian rabbit when he was 10 weeks old at a reptile expo on october 24. He was being sold as reptile food. At the time, I didn’t realize that it’s better to buy two rabbits at once (I’ve had rats, ferrets, etc, but never rabbits. I didn’t know much about them at that time) so I only bought one. I brought him home originally thinking he was a she. I fell in love. I did so much reading. I would even read about rabbit care at work. He is now a fullblown house rabbit except for when I’m at work (there’s other animals in my house & I don’t live alone. I don’t trust anyone but me with my rabbit.) He flops around me and loves getting his head rubbed and laying on my bed with me, etc. Just I was and still am totally smitten.
My work schedule got really busy to the point of being at work from 9-7 once or twice a week instead of 9-5. I decided that my bun needed a friend to keep company! So of course, 30th of November, I take my little baby to the vet, question her for 30 minutes before I decide to let her do the procedure to get her fixed, and leave. At this point, I had talked to a woman in my neighborhood that breeds rabbits and had reserved a male rabbit to be picked up the 6th to be my rabbits companion. Since we thought my rabbit was a girl, to make it easier to bond, she suggested a male. At work that day, my vet calls me mid-procedure to tell me that my she is actually a he!
No big deal, so I laugh and say thanks. Call my breeder and let her know, she says that’ll be fine. Get my baby home, who is named Grover now, give the meds as needed for the week, check the wound healing, etc. Go to pick up his friend on the 6th! Exciting! I am shocked at the size difference and my worry sets in. Grover is a pretty large rabbit and still growing. I have attached a pic. I think that because he is a meat rabbit, he will probably get big. Vet told me he still has 2-3 months of growing to do. I let them smell eachother between the bars and it would appear that they nip at eachother through the bars, but no full on biting or fighting through them. The second day Grover laid down near the cage of the new bunny. It would appear the nips are just enough to move the rabbits fur and make it wet.
How should I go about bonding them? The baby is unfixed and 10 weeks old, Grover is almost 20 weeks and fixed. He might even be a bit older than 20 weeks, maybe 22. Grover has sharp claws & is just very large but also fast, and the baby is just a little fuzzball. I noticed the baby makes a grunting noise and when I let him out and will chin things. I just don’t want anything bad to happen. I have not put them together at all since I got the younger one because Grover is easily excited and could hurt him accidentally or purposefully. Should I wait to get the baby fixed? My vet does not to do that until 15 weeks for the safety of the rabbit. their enclosures are currently next to eachother.
grover laying infront of the baby rabbits enclosure (since upgraded to a larger, two floor one)
the little baby