Can differant breeds live together?

Question
Hi.
Can an english spot cross live wuth a netherland dwarf?
I have always wanted a netherland dwarf and i am always on the look out for an
orange one but recently one of my friends english spot had a litter of kittens
and I was wanting one could they live together?
and if so how would you recomend bonding them?

Answer
Hi Vivien,

the answer is "yes, if they like each other".  Otherwise, no.  Rabbits pick their friends.  Size is not very important to rabbits.  There are pairings of a large and small rabbit and the small one is the dominant one!  It's really whether they get along and like each other.

However, I would not try to bond unaltered rabbits at all.  If male/female, you will end up with an accidental litter and I am opposed to this kind of easily preventable mistake.  If they are of the same sex, one hits puberty before the other and fighting starts and injuries or fatalities can result.  I don't recommend trying to bond one fixed and one unaltered rabbit because again, one will fight more and injuries and fatalities can happen.

You need to have both animals fixed and wait a month after the last ones' operation (so the hormone levels stabilize at their new lower level) and then start the bonding process.  Hopefully they will either like each other right off the bat, or be indifferent - because you can always work with rabbits that are so-so to the other.  IF one or both starts attacking the other right away With teeth and growling, you will not be able to bond them because one or both does not like the other.

I would suggest going to the house rabbit society web site (www.rabbit.org) and reading the following articles:

http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/multiple.html

http://www.rabbit.org/chapters/san-diego/behavior/bonding-tips.html

http://www.rabbit.org/journal/4-4/tough-bonding.html

http://www.rabbit.org/chapters/san-diego/behavior/expect.html

http://www.rabbit.org/journal/3-8/rabbits-in-the-plural.html

Write back anytime.  Lee