Housing two rabbits in seperate enclosures

[Alfredo's Mum]

Hi I'm new to this forum and just wanted to gain some knowledge of how to house two rabbits. I currently have my boy bunny Alfredo (5 months) housed in a large x penned area in a room. Since he is nearing his neutering my partner and I have been seriously looking into getting him paired with a female. We recently came upon a female (3-4 months) old that is looking to be rehomed and we might be getting her within a few days. We were wondering if they can be kept near or in the area / room as each other but in seperate pens of course or if we have to keep the female in a completely sperate room until we can get her spayed?

 

[Mariam+Theo]

Welcome to the forum!
I would keep them in the same room so they can be getting used to each other. The pens need to be at least 6 inches apart to prevent them from nipping or mating through the cage bars.

 

[Alfredo's Mum]

Welcome to the forum!
I would keep them in the same room so they can be getting used to each other. The pens need to be at least 6 inches apart to prevent them from nipping or mating through the cage bars.

Thank you, thank helps alot

 

[JBun]

Their pens can be in the same room unless either is showing signs of extreme agitation and/or aggression towards the other rabbit. In this case it's sometimes better to keep them in completely separate rooms until they have both been fixed and you're ready to attempt bonding. If kept in the same room, the pens only need to be separated by a gap wide enough that they can't mate or nip through the bars. Usually a couple of inches is enough.

Keep in mind that though there is a good chance they can bond once both are fixed and he's had at least 4 weeks for the hormones to die down, there is a possibility they may not be a good match and bonding won't work out. Usually the best route to go when looking for a bondmate for your rabbit, is to first get your rabbit fixed, wait 4-8 weeks for hormones to fade, then look at shelters and rescues for rabbits that are already fixed and where they allow you to bring your rabbit to do a bunny date for a potential match.

With rabbits, it's all about compatible personalities. If you have two really dominant rabbits, or one really bossy rabbit and the other extremely timid, chances are the rabbits won't be able to bond.

https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/bonding-bunnies.html
http://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Bonding_rabbits_together

 

[Vee]

Welcome to the forum!
I would keep them in the same room so they can be getting used to each other. The pens need to be at least 6 inches apart to prevent them from nipping or mating through the cage bars.

 

[Vee]

I have two lop ear bunnies that sit behind my computer chair in my living room. They are housed separately but can see each other, and they share a separate play area, but not at the same time. They seem quite content with this arrangement and we all interact throughout the day when I am working on my computer. They usually sleep during midday.

 

[zuppa]

Hi I'm new to this forum and just wanted to gain some knowledge of how to house two rabbits. I currently have my boy bunny Alfredo (5 months) housed in a large x penned area in a room. Since he is nearing his neutering my partner and I have been seriously looking into getting him paired with a female. We recently came upon a female (3-4 months) old that is looking to be rehomed and we might be getting her within a few days. We were wondering if they can be kept near or in the area / room as each other but in seperate pens of course or if we have to keep the female in a completely sperate room until we can get her spayed?

Hi, I wouldn't keep them close to each other until 8+ weeks after males neutering.

In my experience unneutered males get very nervous when they can see/smell a female, stress is never good and can lead to depression, refusing food or developing illness, since males are still fertile up to 4 weeks after neutering he can even get a female pregnant, if she is 4 months old it is already possible, and there's lots of stories when male rabbits escaped their enclosure to get to female, so why risk. He will still be hormonal 6-8 weeks after neutering.

If you want to get her right now that's fine if you can house them even in the same room but make sure they cannot see or smell each other. When you hold female and want to hold your Alfred after, spray your hands and clothes with 5% white vinegar to remove scent of her otherwise he will get nervous and can even start peeing on you or marking everything.

So I would keep them far from each other 8+ weeks after his neutering and 4+ weeks after her spay.

You will need less escapable enclosures as well, playpen is too easy to move or escape, you need at least fully closed cage for him, besides after neutering it is recommended to limit his territory to a small cage with no room for exercise until he is healed.