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multiple bunnys

22 11:31:42

Question
Hi, I own a four month old female mini rex, she has a great temper and is living by herself, I don't have much time to spend with her and found out in several books that wild cotton tail rabbits live in groups, could she have two female friends? dwarf crosses, mini lops or mini rexs not really sure what breed they'd be, I'd be getting the in two months... would this work? how would I introduce them?

Answer
Hi

Cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus spp.) don't usually live in groups except when it's a family group, and those tend to disperse after a while.  They congregate to feed, but don't have a real social order.  

Domestic rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), however, are descended from wild European rabbits that have a very strong social order and dominance hierarchy. They live in "warrens" of many individuals.  Rabbits do love the company of their own kind, and there's nothing cuter than two bonded rabbits cuddling.  But rabbits are VERY picky about their mates, and it's your bunny--not you--who needs to do the choosing of the new rabbit(s) who come into the home.  Otherwise, there will be bloodshed.

I've had cotties and domestics living together, and often the two species are *very* aggressive towards one another.  The same is true of two domestic rabbits together.  This is probably because there are as many different rabbit personalities as there are rabbits, and you have to be VERY careful when introducing two rabbits to each other.

The first step is to have your bunny spayed.  Unless she's spayed, she is most likely to be extremely aggressive towards any newcomers, especially other females.  It is usually much easier to introduce a spayed/neutered opposite sex pair than a same-sex pair.  Rabbits are *that* territorial!

Breed doesn't make any difference at all, since breeders don't breed for personality as much as for looks.  You never know who's in that furry little body until you get to know him/her.  :)

You can find very helpful articles on bonding rabbits to each other here:

www.rabbit.org

Go to the bottom of the page and use the simple search engine there.  Put in the keyword "bonding" and you'll get a whole list of articles with instructions on how to introduce bunnies safely (i.e., without having to take everyone to the vet to get their skins sewn back together after the first meeting...)

I know you say she has a great personality, and I'm very sure she does.  But you absolutely cannot judge the way she will react to members of her own species by the way she treats humans or other non-rabbit species. When a new rabbit comes in the door, it's a whole new ballgame.

If you don't have a good rabbit vet to do the spay, then please find one here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

And please consider adopting a needy rabbit, rather than buying one.  You can contact your local rabbit rescuer via the www.rabbit.org site by clicking the 'Chapters' button on the sidebar.  The rescuer can help you with bonding and all the information you need.  Plus, whoever you adopt will already be spayed/neutered, sparing you that expense and worry.

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

Dana