Can rabbits be friends is one isn’t fixed?

[Ariana]

My rabbit is a rescue and he only has one of his man bits dropped, the other is possibly up inside somewhere. The risks of the surgery scared the heck outta me, I know not getting him fixed increases health issues and cancers , which has me terrified. We were considering getting him a friend but since he isn’t neutered can he be bonded ?

 

[nat1234]

Sadly no
If he's not bonded he'll constantly fight with the other bunny for dominance
Don't stress too much about the risks, just make sure your vet has worked on bunnies beforehand and it should be fine

 

[Imbrium]

Unless your rabbit is a rare, extremely laid-back and submissive unneutered male, they definitely both need to be neutered in order to have a friend. I would find a rabbit-savvy vet and discuss the testicle issue with them to get their opinion about any increased risk. It's the anesthesia that's really the risk with rabbits so much more than the surgery itself, so it may not increase the risk much at all anyway. For what it's worth, if you decide against the neuter, the cancer risk concern is only for females - males only really need to be neutered for behavioral and/or bonding reasons.

 

[Popsicles]

It is true that female rabbits are more at risk of cancers than males, but the risk is increased in cryptorchids (when one testicle isn’t descended properly). I would suggest it is more important to castrate a cryptorchid than just a normal male rabbit. Agreed with the others too, that the risk is lowered if you go to a really rabbit knowledgable vet who has done lots of similar procedures before.

 

[JBun]

List for rabbit knowledgeable vets.
https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/

 

[JetFalcon]

I have one neutered bunny, one non-neutered bunny. Both males.

They never fought. But the un-altered bunny likes to have his way and hump the other neutered bunny. And he will chase him in circles until he gets his way.

But other than that, they are always snuggling together which is great. I used to have a female for my male bunny (who is neutered), but she died . So thankfully, someone at the beach who saw my bunny asked if I would adopt their bunny who needed a home, because they had big dogs who kill bunnies.

 

[Preitler]

My rabbit is a rescue and he only has one of his man bits dropped, the other is possibly up inside somewhere. The risks of the surgery scared the heck outta me, I know not getting him fixed increases health issues and cancers , which has me terrified. We were considering getting him a friend but since he isn’t neutered can he be bonded ?

Well, my house bunnys are an intact male, 4yo, ca. 10lbs, and I got him one of his daughters spayed as cuddlebun last year. They live happily together. There are small issues about them being free roam house rabbits though, he sometimes does spray her, about twice a week I have to mop up what missed her. Also, their characters should be compatible - in spring he followed her for hours everyday (still does, but it slacked off noticeable), trying to mount her, she just hops away but isn't bothered too much, she has some hiding places when she has had enough. I dont think she would be very happy if she could not have some private time, or that she would put up with all that if she were an alpha.
They are very occupied with each other, they are more like room mates than pets, they don't care much about me, I think.

The more frequent combination here is a neutered buck and intact female.

Rabbits are social animals by nature, they are not made that way by neutering. But neutering does reduce a lot of stumbling stones caused by hormones, their instincts can be very strong, and things like mating, breeding, hierachy, territory, warren design etc. can occupy most of their little brains at times, and those interests often are not helpful for making them placid,uncomplicated pets that always get along untroubled.

I also keep 4 intact does in mother-daughter pairs, same there, characters need to be compatible, two alphas wouldn't work too well, I guess. They need space, enough to get out of each others eyes when they feel like it. There is a hutch for each, two and two connected by tunnels, and they get a lot of garden time.

So, yes, intact rabbits can bond. But I wouldn't try two males if there isn't a way to back out if it doesn't work, although there are working pairs and even groups out there(neighbours have 4 or 5 neutered males, didn't hear about issues), it is the most difficult combination, espcially when one is intact. That 2 intact males get along is a real exception. Also, if the mood swings, males tend to escalate more likely to serious fight in seconds, does tend to go through a whole repertoire of escalation steps for establishing a pecking order.

All this are tendencies, what it really depends on are the individual characters.

Anyway, I would consult a good vet about neutering him, I don't think it is such a big problem. Here, it is rather common to neuter males before puberty which, among other things, makes them easier to bond. Doesn't seem to be popular in the US.

 

[Rachel.2]

I have a female unspayed that I had for 2 years then got a neutered male from the humane society. Took them a couple days to be bonded but they love each other endlessly. They cuddle ALL the time and beg each other for licks. The male tried to mount for a week or so and would chase her but then that stopped once the hormones died because he was freshly neutered when I got him. The female hasn’t shown any bad signs other than lunging the first week as well but other than that she loves him. There are territorial droppings a lot however. But I’ve found that my pair work really well together. I do recommend getting a fixed male if you don’t get your current male neutered otherwise he will try to hump the female and be very dominant, but if you do chose to get your male neutered then maybe your male and female will be like mine but every bunny is different.