I would keep them separated, as it sounds like Detective Snicker is displaying some classic territorial aggression, thus he way be aggressive and violent with the new rabbit if given a bit more time in his territory. That initial interaction is positive, but hormonal rabbits can be very dynamic and fluctuate with their interactions. There is also the chance that your new rabbit is a female (mis-sexing rabbits is not unusual, even for very experienced individuals), so you would not want an accidental pregnancy to occur either! In addition, the new rabbit will eventually go through puberty as well, so whatever hormonal changes may occur there will also impact how they respond to each other. Separation is the “better safe than sorry” approach.

Re: Detective Snicker’s behaviors specifically, if he is eating and pooping well, I would not be worried about it being a non-puberty related issue. That being said, there are things you and your daughter can do to not upset a territorial rabbit. For example, ” he even nipped my daughter the other day when she was trying to pull him out of his cage to clean it” … for a rabbit that now is leaning full into territorial instincts, it sounds very normal that he would nip your daughter, who was trying to get him out of his space so she could go in it. In the future, perhaps lure him out with food or another distractor so it does not seem like such an invasive interaction.

So, just to clarify, you’re saying I should wait until both are fixed? Yes!

If Doodle turns out to be a girl, and it’s impossible to find a place around here that spays rabbits, if Snicker is fixed will it be an issue if Doodle isn’t? Most likely yes — both rabbits need to be fixed in order to safely and reliably create a secure bond together. I would recommend following up with places, as well if seeing if there’s an exotic vet somewhere maybe even a bit further to spay. You can try and contact rescues around you to see where they may get rabbits spayed/neutered. Also, as a note, I would be a bit wary of getting a rabbit neutered at a practice that doesn’t spay rabbits… both are fairly routine procedures, so if they feel spays are too risky or something, I would wonder about their expertise in general.

Will size be an issue with bonding? No, rabbits of different sizes can bond. My Netherland dwarf is three times smaller than his buddy.

Leaving the Cage – If his cage is his safe space and home base, it is not unusual that he doesn’t leave it, especially during day time hours when rabbits are actually sleeping. He wants to chill in his space? That makes sense! It could be good to try and get him to establish a secondary base outside his own. Try making a secondary area or space for him, where he can feel safe so he can transfer from one to another.

Agree with everything Wick said. It’s unfortunate that you’re having such a hard time finding a vet. The fact that they aren’t comfortable doing a spay would be a red flag, as Wick pointed out.

You should definitely get both rabbits fixed before bonding, even if it means taking a road trip. If Doodles turns out to be a girl it will be twice as important to get her fixed, the cancer rate for unspayed does is above 85% by age 3-4.

I don’t know how old your daughter is, but it isn’t recommended to allow kids to pick up a rabbit. It can be tricky to pick up and hold one safely even for adults, dropping them or having them struggle in your arms can lead to broken bones and other nasty injuries. Many rabbits can act territorial about their cage, fixed or not. I know if I reached into my buns cage and tried to pull him out I would get boxed and bitten. Ideally you should find a way to get him to go in and out on his own, but if that’s not possible it would be best if you got him out rather than your daughter, otherwise she will likely receive a nasty bite at some point.

Agree with what’s been said so far. 🙂

Can you describe their housing set-ups a bit more? That will give me a better picture of how to encourage more exploring, and also suggest some ways to reduce cage aggression. In general it’s best to do all cleaning when the bunny is not in the cage, especially if the cage is actually a cage (vs. a large pen), and when the bun is just learning to trust you. Hormones do factor in, but are not the only cause (so neutering will not necessarily be a magic solution).

A lot of people will use a cage as a home base, but then have it open all the time attached to an x-pen so the bun has more space (kind of like a front yard), as cages are almost always too small for a bun to be in more than a few hours a day. You can add a ramp or a step to make it easier for the bun to hop down into the play area. Adding some hides or tunnels will also help encourage him to come out.

In general babies get along with other bunnies, but once puberty hits problems arise. Especially with both unaltered I would keep them separated for now.

Regarding the possible spay issue and having to drive to find a vet, you might ask them if they would be able to keep the bun overnight (or at least until it starts eating again) before you pick them up, or just get their thoughts on driving after spaying.

In my opinion, if there is observed, significant difference in the survival rate of males compared to females under anesthesia at a practice, something is wrong— it could be the vet’s knowledge, the vet techs, the equipment… who knows, because I feel that is not a disparity you’ll find at the vast majority of experienced exotic vet practices.  There is nothing about having ovaries vs. testes that would impact coping with anesthesia.