keeping 2 rabbits together

Question
I got a rabbit from a pet shop, and 28 days later, she had 8 kits.  She had the first 2 on the wire flooring, and they died.  The other 6 were born in the nest box, and are now 2 weeks old.  I am considering keeping one of the babies, but would have to keep it in the same pen as the mother.  If I keep a female, will they continue to get along together?  If I keep a male, at what age would I have to have it castrated to prevent another pregnancy?  We have them in one of those Super Pet Hutches right now, and my son is in the process of building an addition to it with a ramp leading down to the addition.  This will give the rabbits approximately 11 square ft. more, in addition to the 8 square feet in the hutch.  

Answer
Dear Marlene,

Yow.  What an unhappy surprise for the pet store to bestow on you!  It's not easy to find safe homes for rabbits, but if you would like some information on how to screen potential adopters, please let me know and I will send you some.  It would be easier for me to send it directly from my email at dana@miami.edu

It's hard to know whether two bunnies will stay bonded to one another once puberty hits, but the best way to ensure that they stay friends is to have *everyone* spayed/neutered.  Males can be neutered as soon as the testicles drop, at the age of about 3-4 months (it varies with individuals).  Females can be spayed as young as 5 months, but I prefer to wait a big longer (8 months, if possible) to allow the estrogen to do its hormonal work at building the skeleton, etc.

When you take two bonded bunnies for spay/neuter, be sure to take them *together* so they do not become unbonded.  It can happen as quickly as 24 hours, when one comes home smelling different, and then terrible fights can ensure.  Always keep them together, and the chance of fighting will be minimized.  

Watch the bunnies closely as they grow, to see which ones get along best with mama.  Let each one choose the other, and you'll have the best chance of success.

The space you have is definitely a bit small for a mama and her entire litter, so the sooner the addition is built, the better.  I wouldn't recommend a space any smaller than 8 square feet for a single rabbit, and more for any additional ones, as necessary.  Rabbits need a LOT of space to run and play.  As much room as a dog or cat.  I would recommend that once the bunnies are spayed/neutered you start to litterbox train them and move them inside, where they will be safer and much more a part of the family:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/training.html

You can also read more about spay/neuter here:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/spay.html

and find a good rabbit vet to help you here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

You can also read more about proper diet and care here:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/rabbithealth.html

and here:  www.rabbit.org

Hope that helps get you started.  Please write back if you have any other questions.

Dana