Can a male rabbit be ‘too old’ to bond?

[Waffle65]

My male Dutch rabbit Kiwi just turned 9 years old, and I was thinking about possible adopting another rabbit.  I adopted Kiwi when he was just a baby bunny, and I haven’t had any other pets since getting him, so he is very used to it being just me and him.  He’s neutered and has a great temperament.  He’s still incredibly energetic and lively at his age, but also has a pretty laid back attitude and is very tolerant.  He also seems to thrive on his routine.

About a month ago I was looking at a local shelter’s Facebook page (I know, bad idea for an animal lover), and saw that they had just gotten a neutered, male rabbit in.  Now I don’t know much about him, he looks like a dwarf rabbit to me, but I can’t be sure.  I also don’t know how old he is, but he doesn’t look like a super young baby rabbit to me.  He’s the only rabbit at the shelter, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about him.  The description about him says that his previous owner brought him in because they couldn’t take care of him anymore, so I don’t think this is a situation where he’s come from an abusive home or would have a lot of emotional difficulties.  The shelter also says he’s very friendly and loves to play with people.  

I was thinking about making a trip to the shelter this week, just so I could meet him and see what his personality is like, and if I think there’s any possibility he could be a great fit for me and Kiwi.  Do you think that at Kiwi’s age he would have a hard time getting along with another rabbit?  He’s an absolute sweetheart towards me and anybody else, but I know that’s different than expecting him to love a ‘brother’ bunny.  If it turns out that this new rabbit and Kiwi have a large age gap, would that cause problems?  I also know that it can be more difficult to bond two male rabbits together that those of opposite genders.  I just don’t want to get my hopes up if there’s really no chance they could get along.  It just breaks my heart seeing this bunny by himself at a shelter.  I know it sounds ridiculous, but I would hate for him to be staying in a shelter over the holidays, especially when me and Kiwi have so much love and attention to give another bunny.

Any advice or experience would be greatly appreciated, thank you!

[Sr. Melangell]

My Bunny has been away from his friend for a long time (Over a year) if I even show him a teddy bear he will attack it now because he is used to being on his own, so if bunnies have been alone a long time it might not be a good idea to get another bunny for them, some bunnies are very territorial and even if a bug walks into their cage they get angy, like my Olly does, if you get your bunny a friend he might feel that someone is in his space and attack even if he is a good boy, I’d love to get Olly a friend but it wouldn’t work, if you got a rescue bunny and he was good too it may upset Kiwi, as nice as it sounds to get him a friend I don’t think it would work, I could be wrong, we all want what is best for our bunny, but some just want to be left alone, like people, I admit I am friendly and live alone but when people come to see me I am happy sometimes when they leave and can do what I want in my own home, a bunny can be the same.
Perhaps you could house this other bunny in another cage if you have the room

[Waffle65]

Thank you! I really have no idea if Kiwi is territorial or not. He never has a problems with me touching his stuff or his cage, but he’s never dealt with anyone else in his space, so I’m not sure how he would react. As much as I would like to help this other bunny out, Kiwi comes first and I will not bring another bunny in if it will only upset Kiwi. We’ll see what happens, there’s a good chance I could meet this bunny and realize there’s no way he has a compatible personality for us anyways.

[BunnyFriends]

No, a rabbit is never too old, but it might be best to adopt another older rabbit just because when one rabbit passes the other is frequently quite sad. But if there is a big age difference, it will still be okay, but be prepared – you’d probably have to get another companion for the remaining rabbit if one passes.

[Deleted User]

Rabbits are never too old, my boy was neutered and bonded with his first bun wife at 6 years old,

[Author]

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