Pet Information > ASK Experts > Exotic Pets > Rabbits > can i?

can i?

22 11:17:43

Question
i'm just about to get a boy rabbit he is one years old and neutered i was wondering after his settled in could i introduce him to another rabbit?

Answer
Yes, as long as the other rabbit is also spayed/neutered. Otherwise the one that is not spayed/neutered may be too hormonal to settle in with him. Do keep in mind that some rabbits never adjust to living with another rabbit. Some are just aggressive toward other rabbits. Be prepared for this.

The best way to introduce two rabbits is to have them living in seperate cages that are close to each other (i.e. close enough that they can see and smell each other). When you go to introduce them, introduce them in neutral territory; somewhere that neither rabbit frequents enough to consider to be "its territory". Be ready to seperate them if they start fighting. It may take several weeks or even months to get them to the point where they are bonded enough that they can be left together unsupervised.

If you are getting a new rabbit to introduce to your current one I would suggest getting a young one (not a very young baby, but not sexually mature either; 3 months is good). If you do get an adult, bring your boy along to see if he seems to like the new addition. If you are going to a rescue, you may be able to introduce him to a few different rabbits to see which he gets along best with. A breeder may or may not allow this. If they do not allow it, it is most likely due to concern about bringing disease into the barn by introducing your rabbit to theirs. Your rabbit may be perfectly healthy, but a breeder cannot be sure of that.