Two Young Male Rabbits

[Loloki]

I have been wanting to get my rabbit Loki (male) a play mate. I just got him for 3 days and he is 3 months old. I think he is a little bored with all his toys and such. And he doesnt want to play along with me that much. I have been thinking of bringing him a male friend, a 2 month old rabbit with a more playful attitude. I’m thinking of putting them first in two side by side cages. Do you think that they would get along well in the near future? Plus i dont think that there’s neuter services near our area. And i need a little more advice on what i should do after getting a friend for my Loki.

[Sirius&Luna]

Hi,

It’s great that you’re researching getting a friend for Loki! The most important thing to consider when getting a friend is whether both rabbits can be neutered or spayed. If you can’t find anywhere that will neuter your rabbits, then I’m afraid it won’t work. Two male rabbits that are unneutered are likely to have nasty fights, and a male and female pair would breed.

Neutering really is the most important step in bonding rabbits. Perhaps you could do some research and find out if there are any vets nearby you that will neuter? It’s really important to find a good rabbit vet anyway – you don’t want to be suddenly looking for one when he gets sick, it’s good to already know where your vet is and be registered with them. If there’s a rabbit or pet rescue near you, they can normally recommend somewhere. 

If you did get a friend, and both rabbits were neutered, you would keep them living near each other but in separate cages for about a month, and swap them between each others cages every other day. Make sure they can’t get to each other when they have out of cage time too. After they get used to the smell of each other (at least a month later), you could start introducing them to each other on neutral territory, that neither rabbit has been into before. To start with, this would just be 5 minutes, and you would be ready to intervene if it looked like they were going to fight. If they were nice to each other or ignored each other, you could start slowly increasing the time they spent together.

Bonding rabbits is a long and sometimes stressful process, so it’s great that you’re making sure you understand all the steps involved

[Deleted User]

To add to S&L, if I’m reading that right and you’ve only had him for 3 days, he’s going to be very nervous right now. He won’t appear interested in you or anything else really until he has settled in and adjusted to his new environment.

Are you doing anything to bond him to yourself? Things like hand feeding him his pellets and hay are a good start. Another good way to bond is just by sitting or laying on the floor with him and letting him sniff you out, so to speak. His natural curiosity will take over and eventually he’ll explore you. Some bunnies can take a while to settle in and feel comfortable in their new homes, so if he isn’t interested in you, give him time.

[Author]

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