Second Rabbit Soon?

[Louiethebunny]

My rabbit is a single male bun, he’s 7 months and neutered and I’m considering getting him a friend. Our family is waiting for some news regarding work, so if my parent gets a position, we can get a second rabbit. I haven’t started looking for rabbits yet, but when it’s time, how should I go about it? Should I get one the same age as him, the same size, same breed, etc.? My rabbit lives free roam in my bedroom, so how would I go about bonding them? I want to know as much as I can before I make the commitment of getting a second rabbit.

[DanaNM]

Wooohooo 🙂

In terms of size, age, etc, it really doesn’t matter. How easily they bond just comes down to the rabbit’s personalities. Contrary to what you might read online, same sex pairings do work, although on avg male-female might be easier. But male-male pairs seem pretty common as well.

If possible, it can be nice to take Louie on some speed dates to see if he hits it off with any bun in particular. Some rescues will do this and help find a compatible bun.

Even with speed dating (or without it), the bonding process can take a few weeks in an easy bond, or several months in a tough one. So being prepared to house 2 separate rabbits for potentially several months is important. I like using x-pens and NIC cube grids to make temporary housing and fencing for during bonding etc.

If you haven’t already, I recommend reading the Bonding section in the Bunny Info section on this site for a good background on what’s involved and what to expect.

It is important to have a neutral space to work with them in, so that could be some other area of your house where Louie doesn’t go. But you could have them housed side-by-side for pre-bonding in your room, they just shouldn’t be to interact unless you are doing a bonding session.

It can be a lot of work but I think it’s worth it! 🙂

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Louiethebunny]

I am hoping he’ll get a new friend soon, as when school resumes I’ll be gone for around 7-8 hours and he’ll be alone (although he sleeps all day anyways). My room that Louie is in is the basement and is definitely not neutral, and the rest of the house upstairs is neutral, so if the bonding goes quick, keeping the hypothetical second rabbit could work easily upstairs in the general living area. If the new rabbit moves into Louie’s territory, will he/she mark territory everywhere since it all smells like Louie? I am planning to adopt a rabbit either his age or a bit older, so he/she will be neutered already, (the cost here is v high).

[DanaNM]

Be prepared for both rabbits to mark all over the place when the new rabbit comes home. This doesn’t always happen, but it’s common for there to be “poop and pee wars” where they mark along boundaries etc. Getting a rabbit that’s already castrated is def a good move!

The neutral space used for bonding should not be the same area where the new bunny lives, because it should be neutral for both bunnies. It is OK for the new bunny to move into Louie’s territory (as long as it’s divided up appropriately), as this can actually help the bonding process. Before starting actual dating sessions, it helps to have the bunnies get really used to each other’s scents (aka. pre-bonding). Typically you house the bunnies side by side as neighbors, and then swap who is on what side every day or two. When one rabbit is free roam, this can mean a pen set up in the other rabbit’s area, or both rabbit’s penned temporarily and given alternate free-roam time. The main consideration with housing is making sure they can’t nip each other through fencing or access each other, so usually people set up the fence so there is a buffer of about 4-6 inches between walls.

 

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Louiethebunny]

Even though this isn’t happening soon, I’m still trying to prepare in case it does happen, so thanks for the advice. Right now Louie has an xpen for his “home base” so, with the new rabbit, I could probably move all his stuff out of the xpen and let new bunny live in the xpen until they’re bonded. I have a bathroom attached to the room which is neutral so that would totally work for bonding sessions, and overnight bonding too. When it’s time for the new bunny’s free time, Louie can switch places and stay in the xpen while new bunny gets exercise.

[DanaNM]

It’s really good you are doing this thinking now to prepare! That set-up sounds like it would work out. 🙂  Then all you’d need is a second x-pen or some cube grids to create that space buffer to prevent nipping through the x-pen bars.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Louiethebunny]

Cool, when the time comes I can order some online or pick some up from target 😀

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