Rabbit Owner Chat V.2

[Star_Bun]

That may help too! As long as moving him to a different room doesn't stress him out either lol

[Blue_Aussie]

I think I may try that tonight instead, thanks c:

[Siddy]

Hello! So I’m just looking for a little advice on housing two rabbits together! I have a neutered, broken black New Zealand buck named banjo! He’s a little over a year old now. He was originally going to be my 4H show rabbit, but because I neutered him I wasn’t allowed to show him. I’ve only been in 4H for two years now and I JUST met a good rabbit leader that can help me out showing because it’s a difficult process, especially when you can’t find any information on it and it’s different for every breed and state.
I only have two fairs left until I’m too old to do another, so I really wanted to get another rabbit that I could show, but here’s my situation.
Banjo lives in the house because he’s spoiled and I’m not into the whole keeping them in wire cages ordeal, and this rabbit will be kept the same. I’m looking for both a pet, AND a 4H rabbit.
I think it would be cool to bond them together and keep them together because banjo tries to play with the cats but they’re to scared of him (he’s 12 pounds so bigger than most of the cats.) so I think he’d like having a buddy around to keep him company. I’m worried though because this male rabbit wouldn’t be neutered, and I don’t like the idea of keeping an unneutered male with my fixed one just Incase he’s a little moody but I’m not sure because I don’t have experience with that, so that’s my first question. Is it okay to keep a neutered male with one that’s not as long as I get them used to each other first?
And my second question is just one that I want some general advice on that more people will probably be able to help me with. Is it possible to keep rabbits with each other that are different sizes? I’ve seen some people do it but banjo is my baby, and I don’t want anything to happen to him or the baby. I’m asking because I’m considering a polish instead of another New Zealand and I wasn’t sure if they could be safely housed together.
Whenever I ask 4H kids they’re always like “just eat it if it doesn’t work out just sell it” and I would never have the heart to do anything like that. Once I get another one it’s staying with me till it dies. I just want some genuine advise from people that actually care about the rabbits well being. I love 4H but sometimes the kids are just awful when it comes to keeping the animals properly (I know from experience, so I’m not looking to argue).
I really appreciate any advise that anybody has to offer! I’m on mobile so if I’m rambling or something doesn’t sound right I’m sorry, I’ll look it back over once I have access to a laptop if need be.

[nervousdog]

@siddy
I wouldn't house an unneutered male with your neutered one . My advise would be to get a doe, as it'll be safer to keep an intact doe with a neutered male .
My Jetta was a 6 yo intact doe and was happily housed with my neutered 2 yo male before she passed .
Intact males have a lot of testosterone and are territorial, for the safety of both I wouldn't put an intact male with a neutered one . Maybe if you are set on getting another male you could keep them separate ? Then once you are no longer showing 4H you could neuter and bond them .
That only works if you don't plan on breeding and showing in future non 4H rabbit shows in your area .

As for the size difference- I don't think it matters much with bonding . Just be slow and take the proper precautions like any other bonding session . I would suggest feeding them separately so your smaller bun isn't getting pushed around and losing out on food from your bigger bun !

[Blue_Aussie]

I disagree with nervousdog, I bonded my unneutered bucks just fine in less than a month. They now share an X-pen and play together out of the X-pen twice a day to have some space. If you have any question on how I went though the bonding process your more than welcome to PM me c:

Both of my rabbits are dwarfs and roughly the same size so I cant help with your question about size difference...

[nervousdog]

I disagree with nervousdog, I bonded my unneutered bucks [ snip ]

That's honestly rlly interesting to me !
I've always seen/ been told unneutered bucks should be kept separate or else they fight !
I do assume this is very case by case, and with proper introductions and the right mesh of personalities any rabbit could get along ..
As long as there is a back up plan in case the rabbits do not get along then things shouldn't be a big deal for siddy !
When I got my female I was 100% prepared to keep her and Volkswagen separate if need be, but they ended up enjoying each other so things went well : )

[Blue_Aussie]

I disagree with nervousdog, I bonded my unneutered bucks [ snip ]

That's honestly rlly interesting to me !
I've always seen/ been told unneutered bucks should be kept separate or else they fight !
I do assume this is very case by case, and with proper introductions and the right mesh of personalities any rabbit could get along ..
As long as there is a back up plan in case the rabbits do not get along then things shouldn't be a big deal for siddy !
When I got my female I was 100% prepared to keep her and Volkswagen separate if need be, but they ended up enjoying each other so things went well : )

Absolutely! All rabbits are different so I'm not saying it will 100% work out but it worked for me. Yes, Romeo does still mark a little bit but he's never bit or been aggressive towards Echo. When I bought Echo I had a back-up plan of keeping them in separate X-pens forever if it didn't work out, but now I have them combined and they do great c:

I too have heard and read that unneutered males don't get along but I wanted to try it anyways because I don't have much luck with female rabbits...

[.sins.]

Hello! So I’m just looking for a little advice on housing two rabbits together! I have a neutered, broken black New Zealand buck named banjo! He’s a little over a year old now. He was originally going to be my 4H show rabbit, but because I neutered him I wasn’t allowed to show him. I’ve only been in 4H for two years now and I JUST met a good rabbit leader that can help me out showing because it’s a difficult process, especially when you can’t find any information on it and it’s different for every breed and state.
I only have two fairs left until I’m too old to do another, so I really wanted to get another rabbit that I could show, but here’s my situation.
Banjo lives in the house because he’s spoiled and I’m not into the whole keeping them in wire cages ordeal, and this rabbit will be kept the same. I’m looking for both a pet, AND a 4H rabbit.
I think it would be cool to bond them together and keep them together because banjo tries to play with the cats but they’re to scared of him (he’s 12 pounds so bigger than most of the cats.) so I think he’d like having a buddy around to keep him company. I’m worried though because this male rabbit wouldn’t be neutered, and I don’t like the idea of keeping an unneutered male with my fixed one just Incase he’s a little moody but I’m not sure because I don’t have experience with that, so that’s my first question. Is it okay to keep a neutered male with one that’s not as long as I get them used to each other first?
And my second question is just one that I want some general advice on that more people will probably be able to help me with. Is it possible to keep rabbits with each other that are different sizes? I’ve seen some people do it but banjo is my baby, and I don’t want anything to happen to him or the baby. I’m asking because I’m considering a polish instead of another New Zealand and I wasn’t sure if they could be safely housed together.
Whenever I ask 4H kids they’re always like “just eat it if it doesn’t work out just sell it” and I would never have the heart to do anything like that. Once I get another one it’s staying with me till it dies. I just want some genuine advise from people that actually care about the rabbits well being. I love 4H but sometimes the kids are just awful when it comes to keeping the animals properly (I know from experience, so I’m not looking to argue).
I really appreciate any advise that anybody has to offer! I’m on mobile so if I’m rambling or something doesn’t sound right I’m sorry, I’ll look it back over once I have access to a laptop if need be.

Hey!! So I also showed rabbits in 4-H so if you want some advice you can shoot me a PM anytime. As for housing by breed;

A New Zealand is going to get a bit bigger for sure, but not too much... a polish will be maybe 1/2 or 1/3 of the size and weight of your New Zealand so keeping that in mind is huge in my opinion.

Going off of intact:

The intact male will have the rush of hormones that your other wont. Meaning that intact will dig and mount and all that other stuff almost regardless of training you try, so you should always be aware and okay with this. (Not trying to sound rude) and depending on when your larger male was neutered he might try to mount the smaller buck, causing issues.

If you were to get a female instead this could be better, but beware of your male possibly mounting the smaller doe (if you still stick with a polish) and might be better to keep them separated by a baby gate or something like that.

In my opinion either way you go (male or female) you will need to keep them separated so they can get used to each other first before letting them together, and possibly only letting them together while you are able to watch, in order to avoid possible injury as males will fight even if used to each other (in my experiences with many different breeds and sizes) and females will lash out if they are uncomfortable with the other in their personal space.
I would be more worried about size difference if you were to get a female polish, but if a male would make sure you watch closely to avoid injury to both your show baby and pet baby.

I would recommend either mini(roughly 5-6 pounds max) or Holland(max 4lbs) lops as a good show/pet rabbit as their personalities are great from what I saw and bred. But if you are set then there is no swaying of that of course.

Either way beware of mounting and fighting with either sex and size, and keep separated when you are not around to watch them. If you get your newer baby young the situation might work better since both will be younger and more likely to bond faster, where older babies might take longer or not at all.

Ultimately it's up to the rabbits on how they want to proceed with each other in the space and figure their stuff out.

[Ancient Frost]

I'm thinking about going to a rabbit show to buy a new doe. How ever, I'm not sure what to expect. How much do they usually cost, for example? If someone could help me with this that would be appreciated.

[beautifulglitter]

Hello! So I’m just looking for a little advice on housing two rabbits together! I have a neutered, broken black New Zealand buck named banjo! He’s a little over a year old now. He was originally going to be my 4H show rabbit, but because I neutered him I wasn’t allowed to show him. I’ve only been in 4H for two years now and I JUST met a good rabbit leader that can help me out showing because it’s a difficult process, especially when you can’t find any information on it and it’s different for every breed and state.
I only have two fairs left until I’m too old to do another, so I really wanted to get another rabbit that I could show, but here’s my situation.
Banjo lives in the house because he’s spoiled and I’m not into the whole keeping them in wire cages ordeal, and this rabbit will be kept the same. I’m looking for both a pet, AND a 4H rabbit.
I think it would be cool to bond them together and keep them together because banjo tries to play with the cats but they’re to scared of him (he’s 12 pounds so bigger than most of the cats.) so I think he’d like having a buddy around to keep him company. I’m worried though because this male rabbit wouldn’t be neutered, and I don’t like the idea of keeping an unneutered male with my fixed one just Incase he’s a little moody but I’m not sure because I don’t have experience with that, so that’s my first question. Is it okay to keep a neutered male with one that’s not as long as I get them used to each other first?
And my second question is just one that I want some general advice on that more people will probably be able to help me with. Is it possible to keep rabbits with each other that are different sizes? I’ve seen some people do it but banjo is my baby, and I don’t want anything to happen to him or the baby. I’m asking because I’m considering a polish instead of another New Zealand and I wasn’t sure if they could be safely housed together.
Whenever I ask 4H kids they’re always like “just eat it if it doesn’t work out just sell it” and I would never have the heart to do anything like that. Once I get another one it’s staying with me till it dies. I just want some genuine advise from people that actually care about the rabbits well being. I love 4H but sometimes the kids are just awful when it comes to keeping the animals properly (I know from experience, so I’m not looking to argue).
I really appreciate any advise that anybody has to offer! I’m on mobile so if I’m rambling or something doesn’t sound right I’m sorry, I’ll look it back over once I have access to a laptop if need be.

I would lean towards a doe for reasons others have mentioned- you are less likely to have spraying issues as well. And if you want to get her fixed, no judge is going to be able to tell the difference between a spayed and intact female once she's healed, so you could also spay her so you can "have your cake and eat it too"

As for size issues, I've never heard of any issues between breeds; a quick search through some of the House Rabbit Society's posts shows plenty of size difference in bonded pairs, some of which are between Flemish Giants and Netherland Dwarfs!