New rabbit is coming home tomorrow need some advice

[zuppa]

Hi. I was asked for advice and would like to get some opinions on this forum.

A family with school kids is getting a new rabbit, it's a 6 months old girl, unspayed, 100% indoor, good temperament, healthy and well behaved, from a good home where she lived in her own large cage but had a few hours of playtime and free roam and occasionally meeting other female rabbits, her sisters and mother, all intact. She was housed with her sister and mother until she was about 5 months.

This family have one neutered 6 months old rabbit living in a hutch outdoor and free-roaming day time. His companion girl just died a few weeks ago and they decided to get him another friend. The new girl is strictly indoor at least this winter but they still want her and decided to keep her indoor and introduce them indoor and transfer her outdoor next summer.

Now they wanted to introduce them immediately even bring her home in his carrier with his bedding so she can smell him, but I am not too sure if it would be a good idea I thought maybe she'd need some time a couple days before that. They got a new cage and prepared everything for her full setup with litterbox as she had before and will get her litter to put into it and her bedding and going to leave her for 24 h alone in her cage under the table, so I am just not too sure when they can be introduced to each other? It will be shock for her definitely, traveling to a new home and all, but maybe meeting a new rabbit would be too much stress or it would be better to meet him same day? They want to have her free-roam indoors and he's coming indoor every day but generally lives outdoor.

There are also dogs in the house but they are friendly and nice to rabbits.

Hoping for some help here, what would be best way to introduce them to each other, thank you in advance!

 

[A & B]

The first step would be to get her spayed. After a month of healing, they can be introduced in a neutral area with supervision. This space should be a small area such as a laundry basket, milk crate, etc. This is where you'll probably be able to decide how the rest of the process will be done by their body language. If they fight instantly, the bond probably isn't going to work out.

If you need more information on the bonding process let me know!

 

[Blue eyes]

Agree that she needs to be spayed first.

If I'm understanding, the outdoor rabbit is brought indoors every day. I assume the climate where they live (state?) is mild. If they live in a place where the outside temp is more than a 15F degree difference than indoors, then this practice is quite dangerous. Rabbits have a difficult time regulating their body temp. This is why, if a rabbit is going to brought indoors in the winter time, it should remain indoors 24/7. It is fine, once Spring arrives, to move them back outdoors. But the constant changing of temp for a rabbit in winter going from a warm house during the day to a cold hutch at night is stressful on their bodies.

With that said, if the boy is going to spend every night outdoors this winter then there is no point in introducing the rabbits yet. Bonded rabbits spend 24/7 together. One shouldn't take a bonded pair and try to separate them every night. That just won't do.

Once the bonding process begins, the end result -- if successful -- would be to have the rabbits stay together all the time. They can't do that now unless the male is permitted to stay indoors full time. If they were to bond indoors, that doesn't mean they'll be just fine when moved outdoors either. Outdoors is the male's territory and he may or may not be agreeable. Alternately, If she's indoors all winter while he's outdoors at night, the indoors may become the female's territory (in her eyes anyway) if the male is spending half the time (nights) somewhere other than indoors.

Sorry this may sound all confusing. It just is not an ideal situation anyway you look at it.
My guess would be that the best bet at this point (once spayed) is to have the male remain indoors 24/7 this winter. Bond the two indoors. Then in the summer, thoroughly clean out the outdoor hutch and put shared items in there (shared beds, shared litter box, etc) and hope they continue well.