Getting another rabbit, any advice?

[Lucky_2017]

For my birthday I’ve decided that all the money I get will go towards, laminating my bedroom floor, getting a raised bed, a new cage, and another rabbit. All of these things piece together. Laminate floor so the hair doesn’t heft stuck in the carpet. A raised bed so I can put the new cage underneath. And the new cage because my current cage isn’t in very good condition. I will attach a picture of what hutch that I’m thinking about getting. Of course I’ll have to keep my old cage until my rabbits are bonded but once they are they will live in this (I think). My rabbit is really chilled out and in the pet shop he lived next to another rabbit and was fine, he’s also fine with my dog and is really relaxed even when my dog is bouncing all over the place. I’m wondering what *** of rabbit to get, boy or girl. Lucky is neutered and I’m swaying towards getting a neutered female. (My Lucky is male, 2.5 years old?). Would you recommend any breed/type or gender of rabbit for me to choose? Lucky is a Holland Lop.
Thanks guys! X

 

[ladysown]

Female rabbit. Neutered if can find.

 

[Lucky_2017]

Thanks, any breed preferences or is there no difference?

 

[Bribble]

I would also get a female. Even neutered males can display intact behaviour and I've found males are harder to bond to each other. A spayed female would help because even a neutered rabbit may be "triggered" by a hormonal female and a hormonal female might be "triggered" with a male around even if he's neutered. Breed doesn't matter as long as the two get along and you're happy with him/her.

 

[Lucky_2017]

I would also get a female. Even neutered males can display intact behaviour and I've found males are harder to bond to each other. A spayed female would help because even a neutered rabbit may be "triggered" by a hormonal female and a hormonal female might be "triggered" with a male around even if he's neutered. Breed doesn't matter as long as the two get along and you're happy with him/her.

I’m not great with breeds, I know:
•Flemish Giant
•Rex
•Holland
•Dutch
•Havana
•Lionhead
Do you have any other popular or preferred breeds, I really don’t mind!

 

[Bribble]

Definitely would not get a Flemish giant or anything much bigger than a Holland lop. Just to avoid any major dominance disputes or any bullying. Dont get me wrong, my runt netherland dwarf DOMINATES my lionhead but I feel its a bit out of the norm. You can go bigger, but I would do anything drastic . Lionheads or Mini rex are good. Not sure how big normal rex's are.

 

[Lucky_2017]

Definitely would not get a Flemish giant or anything much bigger than a Holland lop. Just to avoid any major dominance disputes or any bullying. Dont get me wrong, my runt netherland dwarf DOMINATES my lionhead but I feel its a bit out of the norm. You can go bigger, but I would do anything drastic . Lionheads or Mini rex are good. Not sure how big normal rex's are.

Oh course I’m not going to get a Flemish giant!! Sorry, I didn’t word it very well did I [emoji23]. I thinking of a Holland Lop, my rabbit is about 2.5 years old. Is there any age limit I should aim for? (I’m sorry if anyone gets mad, but I’m not too keen on Rex’s)

 

[Blue eyes]

I don't think you should be looking for any specific breed. It is more important for your rabbit to do the choosing. He should meet some other spayed females to pre-screen for potential compatibility. They both have to be willing to get along. A first rabbit is always the human's choice. A second rabbit is the choice of the first rabbit.

Age isn't too important. Being fixed is absolutely important. However, the advantage of finding a rabbit that is roughly the same age is that (in theory) the two can grow old together.

Size makes no difference either. The smallest rabbit can be dominant over a giant rabbit.

Here's some more info on bonding. You'll want to save the new cage until after both are bonded. You won't want one of them to claim it as his/her territory. (The females tend to be quite territorial.)

When looking for a potential bondmate, the ideal way is to bunny date through a rabbit rescue. Many of their rabbits are mixed breeds anyway, so just see which ones seem compatible with yours. The rescue (different than generic shelter) can walk you through the early process. But still read up before even beginning to consider looking at other rabbits.

 

[mark]

I don't think you should be looking for any specific breed. It is more important for your rabbit to do the choosing. He should meet some other spayed females to pre-screen for potential compatibility. They both have to be willing to get along. A first rabbit is always the human's choice. A second rabbit is the choice of the first rabbit

This is brilliant! This thread should be pinned or stickied or whatever it's called here on RO. This is exactly how it should be.

The rabbit rescue we found Ellie at held "bunny speed dating" events almost every Saturday, where they bring in a mix of foster and shelter rabbits, and you bring in yours to meet them. They can sit in a pen with a volunteer, and you can see if they at least tolerate one another. Some just don't mix well.

We were thrilled that ours ended up bonding. We had an easy time of it - which is ultimately up to them almost exclusively - but we think that the speed dating at least helped.

Good luck with yours!

 

[ladysown]

don't let size intimidate you. Many bigger breeds are so laid back that nothing much matters to them...especially those bigger girls or boys. Just get a bun that fits well with yours.

 

[Lucky_2017]

I don't think you should be looking for any specific breed. It is more important for your rabbit to do the choosing. He should meet some other spayed females to pre-screen for potential compatibility. They both have to be willing to get along. A first rabbit is always the human's choice. A second rabbit is the choice of the first rabbit.

Age isn't too important. Being fixed is absolutely important. However, the advantage of finding a rabbit that is roughly the same age is that (in theory) the two can grow old together.

Size makes no difference either. The smallest rabbit can be dominant over a giant rabbit.

Here's some more info on bonding. You'll want to save the new cage until after both are bonded. You won't want one of them to claim it as his/her territory. (The females tend to be quite territorial.)

When looking for a potential bondmate, the ideal way is to bunny date through a rabbit rescue. Many of their rabbits are mixed breeds anyway, so just see which ones seem compatible with yours. The rescue (different than generic shelter) can walk you through the early process. But still read up before even beginning to consider looking at other rabbits.

Thankyou sooooo much! There’s this lady that we are going to try and contact, and she has a lot of rescue bunnies (I got lucky from a pet shop but he’s sort of a rescue because his owners couldn’t look after him). She also helps to find the perfect match, so she asks you to bring your rabbit, and brings one rabbit at a time into the room, and lets the rabbits choose each other.

 

[Liung]

Mmm, I would say breed does matter a bit. I find people who want specific breeds just for the breed's popularity very strange, especially if they insist on purebred—purebred is inbred, and inbred is unhealthy.

So I for one would never consider getting a Rex, not because I don't like them—I do, they're so velvety and soft!!—but because the nature of their fur means almost guaranteed sore hocks. Lahi and Delilah, a dwarf mix and mini lop respectively, have sore hocks I'm constantly struggling to keep under control, so a rabbit that didn't have good foot fur in the first place would be a nightmare.

If I got another rabbit, I would also never want to get another dwarf or lop. I love them both dearly, they're my angels, but both breeds are notorious for tooth problems due to their small skulls, and of course lops = ear problems. Lahi has to get his teeth trimmed by the dentist once a year or more, and Delilah's seeming to be developing overgrown tooth roots.

Yes, ultimately your existing rabbit would make the final decision on who comes home with you... but I would still choose not to even try a speed date with a rabbit with an obvious breed type that has a high probability of developing horrible, painful health problems.

Dogs, rabbits, doesn't matter: I'd go for the mutt of indeterminate breed any day. Because they're likely going to be the healthiest, the least neurotic, the longest-lived...

 

[Liung]

Also @OP: getting your floors laminated for your bunnies is a very bad idea! That's how you end up with sore hocks, take it from someone who found out the hard way. Hard, slippery floors will put way too much pressure and strain on a bun's heels and result in nasty ulcers. They're almost impossible to get rid of once they're developed, because you can't exactly say to a rabbit "please stay off your feet". I redid their entire space to be carpet... only to find out that carpet is considered abrasive and bad for sore hocks.

So if it can't be hard flooring and it can't be carpet, then what? I don't know, but I'm in the midst of designing a room for them that will have a layer of foam exercise pads, a layer of vinyl, a layer of carpet, and a layer of polar fleece (which is very soft and nonabrasive and also very pet friendly.)

 

[Blue eyes]

Also @OP: getting your floors laminated for your bunnies is a very bad idea! That's how you end up with sore hocks, take it from someone who found out the hard way. Hard, slippery floors will put way too much pressure and strain on a bun's heels and result in nasty ulcers. They're almost impossible to get rid of once they're developed, because you can't exactly say to a rabbit "please stay off your feet". I redid their entire space to be carpet... only to find out that carpet is considered abrasive and bad for sore hocks.

So if it can't be hard flooring and it can't be carpet, then what? I don't know, but I'm in the midst of designing a room for them that will have a layer of foam exercise pads, a layer of vinyl, a layer of carpet, and a layer of polar fleece (which is very soft and nonabrasive and also very pet friendly.)

I think the real key in preventing sore hocks is to have a variety of flooring available. Just about any flooring, if exclusive, can cause sore hocks. They need the ability to be on different surfaces. Linoleum and carpet are just fine for rabbits provided that isn't their only option.

Our rabbits have always had carpet and tile and lino, along with pet beds, on which to sit, lie, and run. None of my rabbits (around 13 so far) have ever had sore hocks. (I've had a couple rexes too.) I have read suggestions to try to mimic the softness of the ground.

Right now, my current bun has his cage door open all day. In his cage is ceramic tile, padded mat (the kind for in front of a kitchen sink), and a shelf with a soft cloth. The floor outside his cage is wood laminate with area rugs. So he has multiple options to keep his furry paws on a variety of surfaces.

 

[bluebird]

A female preferably adult fixed.