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NEW BUNNY OLD BUNNY

22 11:13:36

Question
Hi,
I was reading up on bonding rabbits. I have a 14 month old female, very spoiled, litter-trained and gets along well with the cats. But I feel she is lonely when we are not home. She has a large pen 4'by 5' that she is in when we aren't home. I would like to get her a companion. I read that a neutered male will be the best suggestion. Am I fooling myself, is she too old to share with another rabbit? I know it will take time, and I am prepared for that. I just don't want to make a mistake, but I think once they bond it will be great for the both of them.

Answer
Hi Michelle,

your female isn't too old for a mate.  She is still a very young rabbit.  Contrary to what you may think, often older rabbits are easier to bond.  Youngsters are more prone to not get along.

I also am assuming that your female is spayed.  If not, you will need to get her spayed and then wait for 4-5 weeks as her hormone levels finally come down.  It is never a good idea to mix an intact rabbit with an altered rabbit.  Kind of like putting a normal person against a person on steroids.

Sharing could be an issue.  Females are territorial, so you don't have the best scenario here.  Best is having a neutered male in the house first, then bringing in a neutered female.  Yours is the 2nd best scenario (generalizing here).

As you have been reading up on bonding, you know that you will need to keep them in separate areas at first, separated by double gates if the areas are next to each other.  You also will need a neutral area in the house where neither go (ie own) to conduct bonding 'dates'.  The House Rabbit Society (www.rabbit.org) has a lot of articles about bonding rabbits, if you haven't checked this site out yet.

Write back anytime.  Lee