I'm getting a second rabbit, should I expand?

[aragrey]

My bunny Lita lives in a 4' square xpen and seems to have no problems in there, and she's about 6.5 lbs. However, I'm in the process of adopting a second rabbit, and I want to start prepping the living conditions for him before he gets here. I understand that at first he'll live in his own pen sectioned off from Lita (Which I still need to figure out whether I'm going to opt for another xpen or NIC cubes), but then they'll eventually live in the same pen.

Floor space in my bedroom isn't too cramped, but I probably couldn't fit another 4' square pen in here. I think the max I could expand to is another 2x4'.

When two bunnies are sharing the same space, they need two of everything, right? Two litter boxes, two water bowls, etc. I just want to be super prepared! Any help you guys could give me on setting up for two rabbits would be helpful

 

[Imbrium]

they can share a food bowl once they're bonded... I like to have two water bottles just in case they empty out the little one overnight because I forgot to top it off or in case one breaks.

I have four litter boxes because we're still struggling with potty training (one per floor in the condo, two in the attached run), but they DO share litter boxes. two might make it easier to clean (mess spread out so you could go a couple days between cleaning), but one big one would probably work just fine as long as neither bunny is oddly picky about their box.

if you go with a NIC condo instead of another x-pen, you can zip-tie the current pen to two corners of the pen so that the condo walls increase the overall size of the pen

 

[ldoerr]

Make the cage as big as you can. You will need a litter box that both rabbits can fit in comfortably at the same time. Tractor Supply sells a HUGE cat litter box for fairly cheepley. http://www.tractorsupply.com/petmate-cat-litter-pan-jumbo-2424420. I actually bought one for my rabbits. It is a little bit too big for my small rabbits but would probably be perfect for bigger rabbits. I still use it, just not in their cages. I keep it in their run room (aka my kitchen). It may seem like it has high sides bun my rabbits jump in and out with ease.

You do want to have 2 water bowls. This way in case one is tipped over you have another. These bowls will prevent your rabbits from tipping over the bowl. http://www.petco.com/product/6987/L...?Ntt=twist and lock bowls&OneResultRedirect=1. You can use them for food and water. You can find them in multiple sections of Petco (bird, small animal, dog, cat). Also some rabbits do not like to share their stuff.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Like the avatar above, Lilly and Molly would use the same everything except food dishes.

 

[Blue eyes]

Bonding can be a tricky thing. Your girl may not appreciate what she perceives as an intruder in her space. (Checkout some recent bonding topics posted)

If you are considering a NIC cage, that could work to your advantage. Once they're bonded, it works easiest if they are put in a new cage together. That way neither can claim ownership of it. If the bonding is going well and then you try to put him in her pen, she may not like it and could very well attack. But if you put them both into a new environment it will go smoother. So think temporary for the boy and don't use for him whatever you eventually want them to share.

With bonded pairs, I've always used one of everything. You can buy a walmart storage box with low sides for a litter box. The one I use is about 15" x 24" and 5"deep. (oh, I do recall needing 2 litter boxes temporarily as one pair got adjusted to their new NIC cage)

I use a bowl like this for water. It can't be tipped or spilled:
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752724

Is your girl spayed? Are you going through a rescue to do speed dating to ensure you get a bun that will bond?