Am trying to find a new friend for our widowed 4 year old spayed lionhead, Dutchess. We lost Arnold, who was much older and neutered. Is there any advantage to findingher another male or would a younger female be ok? She seems unhappy alone. All the bunnies we have found nearby for rehoming are much younger, eg 4-6 months. Thank you.
Male or female friend for widowed bunny if ages are very different?
- Thread starter cwebster
- Start date
Help Support Rabbits Online Forum:
Younger is fine. Male/female pairs usually work out the best, but female/female can sometimes work out just fine too. The important thing is finding the right rabbit that is a compatible personality with your rabbit. Age really only matters if it's an issue with the owner, or if a young rabbit is causing too many issues for a really old rabbit.
You'll want to be sure that the new rabbit is already spayed/neutered as well. That way you will be able to pre-screen for potential compatibility.
If a rabbit isn't already fixed then there is no way to know whether or not they will ultimately get along.
If a rabbit isn't already fixed then there is no way to know whether or not they will ultimately get along.
If you haven't seen the rabbits at these places, here are some options...
http://rescuerabbitsrock.com/?q=adoptablehttps://bunssb.org/adopthttp://www.therabbithaven.org/
http://rescuerabbitsrock.com/?q=adoptablehttps://bunssb.org/adopthttp://www.therabbithaven.org/
Hi! We adopted a seven week old lionhead. today. She is being checked out by our vet next week but is way too young to spay. Will get her spayed when she is old enough. Gave her a stuffed animal and will start scent swapping with Abbey ( new bunny) and Dutchess. Held Abbey up to Dutchess several times. Dutchess seemed curious but peaceful. We miss Arnold terribly. Dutchess and Abbey are living on different levels of our two story indoor cage.
No point in scent swapping yet. It won't make any difference. Even if they appear to get along great when the new one is this young, they should not be put together. Once her hormones kick in, it can cause either (or both) of them to lash out and fight each other. If you happen to not be there to stop it, things could get bad.
So be patient. Once she returns from her spay and has healed, she will smell like a different/new rabbit and likely won't be recognized by your current bun anyway. (That's why scent-swapping at this time won't make a difference.)
Here's some more on bonding:
https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/bonding-bunnies.html
So be patient. Once she returns from her spay and has healed, she will smell like a different/new rabbit and likely won't be recognized by your current bun anyway. (That's why scent-swapping at this time won't make a difference.)
Here's some more on bonding:
https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/bonding-bunnies.html
Blue eyes, thank you. I almost adopted an olderfemale instead but she may have been pregnant. What can i do to comfort Abbey who is used to being in a large group of bunnies, until she is old enough to spay (6 months)? Igave her a stuffed animal and am trying to give her a lot of attention but iknow that is not the same.
She should be just fine. Rabbits typically get separated from their male siblings close to this age anyway. Then the females get separated from each other not too long afterward to keep them from hormonal fighting.
Stuffed animal, hiding spot, attention... sounds like you got it covered.
Stuffed animal, hiding spot, attention... sounds like you got it covered.
