New Bunny?

Question
I have a 1 year old male and female pair of altered bonded bunnies that live in a huge outdoor enclosure.  I really want to get a new baby bunny as an addition to the family, but would welcome advice on the best way of going about this.  Would a male or female baby be better?  Would a separate hutch within the run be a good idea?  Do I need to get the new bunny altered?  Any ideas for the best way of going about this would be greatly appreciated.

Answer
Hi Heather,

with any new rabbit, you need to keep them separate at the beginning.  Any intact rabbits must be kept separate.  Whatever sex, you should get the bunny altered, as it is not good practice to mix altered and intact rabbits.

A separate hutch would be a good idea.  A male would probably be better (but he needs to be fixed).  I wouldn't even try to do any bonding for a month or so after he is fixed, as his existing hormones in his blood need to be used up.

Also you can't just throw him into the other two's territory without bonding them first in a neutral area.  You must be very careful as they may do all right in a neutral space, but have problems when he's in their space.

Check out the House Rabbit Society web site (www.rabbit.org) and do a search on 'bonding'.

Lee