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Small pets

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Original poster

Will a rabbit living next to another rabbit be enough company?

18 replies

TomaytoTomato · 03/07/2018 12:42

I’ve adopted a 6 month old bun and want to give her a friend .

I ended up with the bun as she’s lost her mate to a fox very recently and the owners didn’t want her indoors.

Female bun is spayed and will be indoors.

I also recently adopted my own little boy bun who is only 9 weeks old.

The plan is to neuter him and then bond the two .

In the mean time , the girl bun seems a bit forlorn - likely sad for her mate .

If I set both bunnies up in their own cages but have them side by side , litter trays and hay racks next to the bars, would this be enough to cheer up the female bun?

How long should I wait before bonding?

I’m worried it won’t work out and I’ll be stuck with two lonely buns (rehoming one is not an option)

OP posts:

susurration · 03/07/2018 12:58

I know nothing about rabbits, but if the female is definitely spayed, then won't they be ok to start bonding now?

Original poster

TomaytoTomato · 03/07/2018 16:47

I think bonding is supposed to work best when both are fixed

OP posts:

FernieB · 03/07/2018 18:50

If they can see and sniff each other then they're getting company. It'll also make bonding much easier. As you get closer to attempting bonding you can switch their cages so they each have to live in the others cage for a bit and get used to each other's scent.

FernieB · 03/07/2018 18:51

Put their food bowls close together so they have to eat together too.

Original poster

TomaytoTomato · 03/07/2018 20:36

I’m pleased she has company , I hate the thought of her mourning

OP posts:

Honeyroar · 04/07/2018 18:35

I acquired a bunny recently. We got another for company after a month. We put their runs side by side for a week, and they seemed to constantly be by each other's side, so we tried bonding them. We put the runs end to end and opened the doors between them. There was a lot of chasing, humping and fur pulling for the first two days, but it's now two weeks on and they seem very close and happy together. I think the key things were having shelter, food and water at either end of the run and enough space for the under bunny to run away (and for the upper bunny to feel happy that under bunny has run far enough!). Our run is about 10' in length, and made up of two different runs with a low plank in between the two runs, so they could go to a separate space if they wanted to.

Honeyroar · 04/07/2018 18:37

Ps, in a house they've got even more space. I'd just be concerned that he is still v young.

littledinosaurs · 04/07/2018 18:39

This is how you start bonding a pair, as far as I know (I have rabbits and have read a fair bit about them, but am by no means an expert).

In any case, it can't hurt can it? I guess see if they start sniffing at each other through the cage and go from there.

WhatWouldLeslieKnopeDo · 04/07/2018 18:39

How will you keep them separate during the day when they are not in their cages?

Original poster

TomaytoTomato · 06/07/2018 12:33

Wow Honeyroar that is super quick bonding !

I’m very nervous about introducing them.

They’ve started sniffing through the bars but the new girl bun keeps shoving her mouth through the bars - I can’t work out whether she’s trying to nip the boy or not ?

During the day , they are let out in the room one at a time for an hour at a time, taking turns .

The one who is “in” has access to both cages and a small pen area so they can still see and sniff each other through the bars .

I work from home so it’s a bit of a pain but manageable .

My boy is only 10 weeks old , should I wait until he’s neutered before introductions begin?

It would mean at least another 10 weeks of them living side by side - that can only be a good thing in prep for bonding?

OP posts:

FluffyBunnyTails · 06/07/2018 12:57

After our boy died we got another for our girl. She was neutered, he wasn't. They didn't get along at first but we tried again in a much more neutral space (a room they don't go into) and they were fine within a day. When you bond it should be in a very neutral space as they're very territorial, in a small area. Also clean all their usual area and toys etc, to remove all smells (white vinegar is good), and then they come back into the area, they have no old smells. As they're already sharing spaces though, it may not be too bad.

Only warning is, if you do bond before neutering, make sure she goes with him to the vet in the carrier and stays at the vet waiting for him. It makes it more difficult when you're checking that he's recovering ok, but keeping them apart like some vets say to, could break the bond. We went with the vets advice and even though they could see/smell/touch each other, they went for each other when they were reunited so we had to bond all over again.

peachescariad · 06/07/2018 13:13

I'd advise to wait until he's neutered. A neutral space is a must to start the bonding. I divided our run (they'd both been it previously - run rota! so probably had both scents on it...didn't think about cleaning it though!! !). There was much sniffing and nose biting and raised tails between the grills plus I wasn't very on it so only did these sessions as and when I had time. I think if I'd been able to to this every day it would have been quicker.
Can you divide your run so they can have some building up sessions?

Original poster

TomaytoTomato · 06/07/2018 14:43

They haven’t ventured outside yet as neither are vaccinated (boy has an appointment booked , girl had owners who didn’t think vaccinations were worth bothering with ).

They do have a run set up in the utility room (it’s a big space) that’s where one free roams and the other is penned but I will build a side by side run and put them in

OP posts:

peachescariad · 06/07/2018 15:05

Inside run is fine. I'm no expert but I'd stop the free roaming while the other is in the pen just to prevent dominance issues. They know that the other is free if they're penned in and vice versa, although your boy is still a baby.
It can be a hard slog...but don't give up, even when you're thinking 'this will never work'. You'd be very unlucky not to get a bonded pair eventually.
I love bunnies

Honeyroar · 06/07/2018 20:33

I know, we hadn't thought it would be that quick. I'd thought they'd be next to each other for weeks before they went in together, but they were sitting next to each other all the time so we tried. It was a bit fast and furious at first - he chased her all over, pulled her fur out and humped her. I was a bit worried for her, but my husband persuaded me to leave them a day. Overnight I'm not sure what had happened but he spent the next two days running away from him. Gradually they got closer and closer, and within four days they were friends. Generally they are both pretty chilled characters, so that probably helped.

BlackInk · 10/07/2018 15:45

We recently got a new female baby bunny companion for our elderly male. She was around 10 weeks when we got her. After the first couple of days we let them sniff noses through the bars of the run and held them close to each other. Let the male run free in the garden with the baby in a run.
We introduced them properly a week or two in. We put them down on the bathroom floor (neutral territory) with a big pile of nice hay. They skipped around each other a bit, ignored each other a bit then started munching side by side. We never looked back and they now share a converted wooden playhouse in the garden.
The female isn't neutered yet (have to wait until 6 months) but the male is. No fighting at all and our old boy has a new skip in his step :)
Hope it works out for your bunnies - I'm sure it will x

TamaytoTomato · 10/07/2018 20:19

@BlackInk

Was your baby around 12 weeks old?

The vet has told us to do it sooner rather than later so after a week of them living near each other , we introduced them.

BUT the baby is absolutely terrified - he grunts and jumps out the pen as soon as the girl bun comes near him.

Girl bun is being mostly gentle but has pulled some fur, mostly trying to lick him though .

I’ve tried a few times but he just gets really stressed and goes crazy which then sets off the girl bun but she mostly ignores him!

But when they are then put back in their cages , my baby bun is chasing her and trying to sniff her and seems keen to be near her

I’m not sure if I should wait a bit longer?

BlackInk · 12/07/2018 09:30

I think the most important thing is to introduce them in a completely neutral space - somewhere that neither bun thinks of as their own territory. This could be a bathroom or bedroom, or a room at someone else's house. There needs to be enough space for them to get away from each other, but no tight spaces where one could get cornered. Two bowls of tempting food, and separate them if they get really distressed or if fighting is anything more than humping and fur pulling - then try again another day.
We've had rabbits who act like they want to kill each other for weeks that we successfully bonded in the end, so don't give up!
Some people recommend putting both bunnies in a carrying case together and taking them for a drive but I've not tried this.
If you find you're really struggling, most rescue centres offer a bonding service.
Hope it all works out :)

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