A friend for Dennis Hoppers

[CourtneyPagdin]

Hi there,
I'm very new to this website and I've owned a dwarf rex for 5 years now named Dennis Hoppers (although my husband and I just call him 'Da Bunny'). He was quite aggressive when we first got him so we never bought him any friends out of fear that he might bite or attack them. He's calmed down over the years and I was wondering if it is time to introduce him to another rabbit?

I'm worried that he might become territorial because he has had his own home for so many years and he possibly won't like the idea of sharing.
I would need to get him desexed first but I'm uncertain if it is worth putting him through the stress of surgery if he simply wouldn't get along with another rabbit anyways?
Any input is highly appreciated! I ask my local vet these questions but it seems that vets don't know a lot about rabbit psychological matters!

and lastly Da Bunny seems to grind his teeth all the time. I've heard that it's a sign of aggression/discomfort and I've heard that it's the equivalent of 'purring' for rabbit? He'll do it while hopping around the house, while he's sitting in my lap and while he's along in his cage (as a matter of fact he's at my feet grinding his teeth right now). Is this ok?

Sorry for my long-winded speech! ~Courtney xxx

 

[Tally943]

Hi,
I got both of my rabbits already neutered/spayed from the APL, so I never had to deal with really aggressive or territorial rabbits. Also, your rabbit is about 5 years old? I bonded my rabbits when they were 11 months & 4 months old so I'm sure that older rabbits its hard to bond them. Starting with getting him fixed, its a very good idea because like I said he will be less aggressive and territorial which will help with the bonding. The surgery should not be that bad because for males its a lot easier then females, and you can not bond with out both rabbits being fixed, (you can but it would be difficult.) Then after he is recovered from being fixed, make sure you get a separate cage/pen for the new rabbit and set it next to his. I would recommend getting a female (fixed) rabbit close to his age. It should be easier to bond them because male & female couples work best together(out in the wild they would be together normally) and if they are around the same age they will have more in common and will get a long better overall. After you get the new rabbit, let them get used to their cage for about a week. Then take them both out in neutral territory for about 15mnutes a day, watch them closely , and always have a water squirt bottle on hand in case they fight. But normally, they will not fight, but there might be some humping, which is normal ( a sign of domanice) and as long as no one is getting hurt leave them alone for the 15 minutes. Then just add 5 minutes each day or every other day until you get to an hour and half. Once they have spent an hour and a half together, you should not need to watch them anymore and leave it at that time until you think they are ready to move in together. Once that happens, the female is most likely to become the domaint one , (so you will have to deal with the humping again) but they should be a happy couple after that. As with the teeth grinding , I always had that problem with my guinea pigs but I havn't heard my rabbits do it so I can't really help you there. Also if you want some more info on bonding I would look it up on youtube, there are some great videos. Lastly, if you are unhappy with your vet , I would look for one that is more of an expert on rabbits.

 

[CourtneyPagdin]

Wow! I didn't know that the girls are more likely to be dominant! This is going to be interesting...
Thank you for your reply, I'm definitely going to follow it. I'll keep you up to date with how it all goes.

 

[Tally943]

Ok, feel free to ask anymore questions

 

[JBun]

Bonding rabbits is really about finding the right rabbit. Most rabbits will bond if you find the right companion for them. Often male/female combos seem to work out the best, though male/male can work just fine too if you find the right friend for your bun. On rare occasions there are rabbits that do better as singles, and just don't get along with other rabbits, though I'm sure that even with those they could bond if the right companion was found for them. Because of personalities, I think it is just more difficult finding that right companion for a few buns.

But you would need to get him neutered first before even being able to find out if a bond is possible, though like Tally943 mentioned, bonding non fixed rabbits might be possible but is much more difficult, is also risky because of aggression/fights, and may not be possible depending on your rabbits personality. If you do decide to go ahead with a neuter, just be aware that because of his age, there is a greater risk with the surgery. It would probably be a good idea to get a blood test and checkup done beforehand, to make sure that he is healthy.

After he's had at least a month to settle after the surgery(though it can sometimes take up to 8 weeks for the hormones to fully fade), I would suggest looking at shelters or rescues that have already altered rabbits, that you could do bunny dates with to see if any get along with your rabbit without actually committing to a certain rabbit. Sometimes these dates can be done at the shelter/rescue and sometimes the rabbit can be brought home on a trial basis and exchanged with a different rabbit if it isn't working out with your rabbit. If you don't do bunny dates and just bring any rabbit home, or bring home an unaltered rabbit, there is a greater risk that you rabbits won't end up bonding and you'll then have to keep your two rabbits separately.

There can be different degrees of difficulty bonding. If you aren't experienced with bonding or don't want to go through a difficult bond, then you want to look for a rabbit, where there are clear signs that both rabbits like each other. It would be good to do some reading up on bonding and other peoples bonding experiences, so that you know what those signs are, and also the signs of things not working out.

There are two different types of tooth grinding. One is due to pain/stress, the other is from happiness and contentment. Usually the tooth grinding from pain is harsher and louder, and is often accompanied with other signs of pain, like sitting hunched up, not eating, etc. Tooth purring is usually a softer quieter sound, and sometimes will sound more like chattering instead of grinding, and tooth purring will happen when a rabbit is being petted, resting, or is generally content.