Bonding two males?

[Enh98]

My friend is looking to rehome her son's bunny. One of those situations where bunny was purchased as an impulse and kid has now lost interest. I feel bad for him. He lives in a small cage, not cleaned often, barely any hay, etc. I'd happily take him if it wouldn't be super difficult to bond him with my current male (neutered) bunny. I am a busy mom with a 5 year old son, 18 month old son, and two dogs (one being a new puppy). Our bunny gets plenty of attention and playtime, but I just don't know if I have the energy and time to devote to a lengthy and complicated bonding process. If we were to have them meet briefly to assess their compatibility, what would we look for in terms of their interactions?

 

[Troller]

I hate to give you this answer, but Ive read where even a really good initial meeting works out badly long term in bonding. I'm not counseling not to do it, but the best way to mentally go about it is to accept that it may not work out and you'll have to work with 2 separate rabbits, or that bonding (especially two boys) will be a long and arduous process. For example my two buck and doe (supposedly the easiest bonding) displayed good signs in the first few dates. It took me 5 months, with one injury requiring a vet visit, and almost giving up near the end, until I got it done. And I'm a stubborn individual who did have time.

So be prepared is all I'm saying.

 

[Devi]

And to add to what Troller Said, the other thing to think about is the possibility of them not bonding or their bond breaking later on. You have to be ready for that as well.

 

[Azerane]

Is the other male neutered? You will probably have to get him fixed to stand any chance of bonding the two, intact males can be very territorial/aggressive.

 

[Enh98]

Thank you for the input! I guess if I'm not prepared to have two unbounded rabbits (and I'm not) I probably shouldn't get him.

 

[LiveLaughLop]

I had gotten a baby bunny when I was younger and told it was female. I named her Shaylee. Loved her so much that a few weeks later i got another bun and was told it was female and named it Lucy. Got one big giant cage and introduced them, seemed ok. Then they started picking on eachother.

One day they were out of the cage and it was a full blown throw down with fur and blood everywhere. Through my panicked state, I threw my hand in there to intervene and til this day, 15 years later, I still have the scar to prove it. Now that they were older, I flipped them over and discovered both were males.

So Shaylee became Shay and Lucy because Luke, both having their own giant cages that I had no room for but lived with.

And I'll never do it again haha