do some rabbits just not have any trouble bonding?

[hollandloplover1]

i just got a new baby boy last night and put him with my neutered male bun cloud. instantly cloud has tooken to the new guy. nuzzleing him, guarding him, following him around. when we take the newbie out he gets so worried and hops all over the 4 level cage looking for him. as soon as hes put back cloud hops over and nuzzles him and lays down next to him. with all the stories about it being hard to bond i'm wonderingif i should be watching them closer?cloud seems so happy to have a friend and hes already used to our 4 cats that it doesn't seem to be a problem. any thoughts on instant bonds? will there be trouble when the little guy reaches maturity?

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

Some rabbits do seem to have a love at first sight thing going. However, this could be becasue the new guy is a baby and has not matured yet. You really can't base if they will get along long term from what they do when they are young.

If they are getting along now, that is fine but you do need to keep a close eye on them for the next couple months. Some males do develop faster than others.
You should check the new guy at least once a week for testicles. Once they start coming in, you should prepare to get him nuetered and even keep the separate if needed. I would have a cage that is ready to be put together as fights can break out with no warning.

You might want to consider separating them before things happen as some rabbits do hold a grudge. If a fight were to happen, then it can make bonding in the future much harder. If they don't get a chance to fight, it is more like they have just been apart and can bond back easier.

Once the younger one is neutered, you can't totally expect them to get along right away. Try to keep the cages near each other while he heals, and do gradual introductions to make sure they still get along.

 

[elrohwen]

It's fairly common for babies to instantly bond with adults - babies like to be around other rabbits and the adult doesn't seem them as a threat.

However, that really has no bearing on whether they will stay together after your baby reaches maturity. Sometimes it works out, but often they start fighting and need to be separated until after the neuter. If it were me I would house them separately - the worst thing that could happen would be a fight when you're not home. Both rabbits could be severely injured and it could hinder their future bonding. For now I would just let them out for supervised playtime - you'll be able to watch them, and they'll still be able to spend some time together.

 

[pinkluwink]

Just to clear something up, rabbits are very solitary animals. They really require no companionship. Toys are their favorite friends, though its common for rabbits to co-exist peacefully. I personally don't prefer this. It can lead to injury, weight problems, and a load of other things. For one, you can't monitor what each is eating or drinking. Also, if they begin to fight, it might be too late before you notice and can separate them. I've dealt with hundreds of rabbits and gathered this from experience. Hope this is helpful!

 

[elrohwen]

pinkluwink wrote:

Just to clear something up, rabbits are very solitary animals. They really require no companionship. Toys are their favorite friends, though its common for rabbits to co-exist peacefully. I personally don't prefer this. It can lead to injury, weight problems, and a load of other things. For one, you can't monitor what each is eating or drinking. Also, if they begin to fight, it might be too late before you notice and can separate them. I've dealt with hundreds of rabbits and gathered this from experience. Hope this is helpful!

Were the rabbits you dealt with spayed and neutered? I think most here would agree that unfixed rabbits do not do well with companions in general. However, fixed rabbits greatly enjoy having a companion. Wild rabbits (the European type our domestics are decended from) are extremely social and live in very large family groups, so saying that they are solitary animals is misleading. Yes, they are territorial, but once fixed and properly bonded they enjoy sharing their territory with another rabbit.

 

[Runestonez]

:yeahthat: