Questions About Adding A New Bunny?

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texaschewy

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I have a 5 month old Holland Lop, who will be neutered in a few weeks. I was going to get another bunny in a few months, but it will be only a few months old when I bring it home. My questions are:
1) what sex would be best?
2) is the age difference going to be a problem?
3). What is the best way to introduce them?
Thanks for any help and advice.
 
I have also been considering an addition. I logged in to the site specifically to do some reading about this topic. So glad you asked!:eek:
 
You can find all those informations by making a search through this website. The House Rabbit Society website also has a lot of good articles on the subject.
If you've got a male, picking a female is the best - 2 males is the worst combination possible. But DO NOT attempt to put them together until both are neutered/spayed. In my experience neutered male WILL try to mount an intact female and he can be seriously injured for trying if the girl isn't agreeable (don't think because the female is younger or more tiny, she can't seriously hurt your rabbit - I've seen several cases of a girl butchering the male's genitalia with a good bite when he tried to harass her). Also, even if it goes well it means you will have to separate them when rabbit n°2 will get spayed which will result in the need to reintroduce the 2 rabbits from scratch (and introductions can be easy or very hard depending on the rabbits).
The best is either to take a young female and keep her in a separate area until she's spayed or to get a spayed female from a rescue (some people also sometimes give away adult spayed rabbits they can't / don't want to keep anymore).
 
If you have a neutered rabbit and are looking to bond him, the best and easiest way to ensure a bond is to go through a rabbit rescue and let your rabbit choose an already fixed rabbit.

The reason for this is because getting a young rabbit is risky. The two rabbits may not bond at all and then you'll be stuck housing them separate. Even if the rabbits seem to get along, young rabbits can't bond with older rabbits because the onset of hormones will completely change the dynamic and fights can ensue. If that occurs, they have to be separated, the young one fixed and healed, the two re-introduced, and hope for the best.

With a rescue, they will work with you and help pre-screen a potential bondmate. If that rabbit just doesn't work for some reason, then it can be exchanged for one that will. This is why it is best to go through a rescue and let your bunny help decide which bondmate to get. For more information on bonding, check here.
 

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