Holly's Hollands Rabbitry
Raising Holland Lops exclusively with the mindset of quality over quantity.
  • Home
  • Contact
  • For Sale
  • Blog
  • All About Rabbits

Owning 2 Pet Rabbits - Pt. 2 - Possible Pairings

5/31/2014

2 Comments

 
So you want to get a second rabbit (or want to start with 2), and now know what to expect.
I love this semi-chapter from one of my favorite rabbit-related books, Living With a House Rabbit, by Linda Dykes and Helen Flack. 
The first thing to say is that, unless you are starting off with baby rabbits, both parties must be neutered. The easiset pairing is introducing a new female to a resident male. Most male rabbits are quite happy to welcome a new lady friend into their abode. Female rabbits are usually more territorial than males and you will need to watch out for outbreaks of aggression if you introduce a male into the home of a resident female. However, serious problems are unusual.
Same-sex pairings, such as female/female and particularity male/male, can be very difficult to establish. Unless you have two rabbits you particularly want to live together, you would be well advised to stick to opposite-sex pairings. If you proceed with a same-sex pairing, you must be prepared for a prolonged bonding period. This may extend to months rather than weeks, if the rabbits dislike each other at first meeting. 
Starting out with two baby rabbits from the same litter is one of the best ways to start out. Baby bunnies are friends with everyone, especially their own siblings. And since they will not be moved from all their siblings and possibly mom on the same day, they will adjust to your home much quicker than if they were alone. However, like with every pairing, there are also drawbacks to this arrangement. 
Litter mates will already be bonded to each other, so trying to form a strong bond with either of them will be futile. Second, they will also reach sexual maturity at the same time. If you have a buck and doe, you will need to plan the buck's neutering surgery immediately after his testicles descend, or else you could end up with a pregnant female overnight. 
Two bucks will need to be neutered simultaneously, before they begin to fight. With siblings, same-sex pairings often work out fine, as long as both are neutered or spayed as soon as possible, since the rabbits grew up together and are already bonded. 

Let me talk a little bit about age for a second. If you already have a resident rabbit, the age of that rabbit doesn't really matter. You don't need to make it a priority to find a rabbit of the same age. If you have an old rabbit and want a baby, go ahead and introduce them to each other. Chances are, the older rabbit (if it's a doe especially), will be more prone to liking the baby, as her mothering instincts will kick in and she'll care for it. 
Introducing an older rabbit to a baby can be just as profitable. Babies are friends with everyone, and the older rabbit will be the newcomer so he or she will be less inclined to dominate over the baby, whereas the baby will just want to snuggle up and be friends!

My next blog will be about where to buy a second rabbit if you already have one. Like stated above, it's much easier to introduce a new female to a resident male, rather than the other way around, though both can end up working out just fine as long as you have patience. 
Picture
Siblings are usually inseparable!
2 Comments
Susan Sanetrik
10/6/2014 04:34:35 am

We have a female bunny who is a couple of months old. She will be neutered in Jan. We now have a baby from the 2nd litter the parents had. I am not sure how old he/she is because they stay underground for so long. I liked the information you posted and I just wanted to be sure of the timing of introducing the two siblings. My husband wants to put them together but since we just got the baby last night I don't know if right away is a good idea. Thank you

Reply
Sherrill
5/12/2021 12:04:34 am

I'm adopting 2 8 week old male Holland lops. They are litter mates and are bonded. Will they bond with me and my granddaughter or not?

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    RSS Feed

    My name is Holly.

    I'm glad you're here! Don't be a ghost; leave a comment every once and a while! Let's talk ;) 
    A little about me - I love breeding and raising Holland Lop rabbits! I have been blessed the with the opportunity to raise rabbits in the city, and I am so grateful!
    Besides rabbit breeding, I have a babysitting business, and I am an author. I hope to have a novel published in the next couple years or so!
    In this blog I hope to post daily articles and updates on the rabbitry. Thank you for following and I hope you enjoy! Don't be shy; feel free to leave a comment once and a while! I would love to get to know you.

    Categories

    All
    Articles
    Babies
    Birth Stories
    Boarding News
    Breeding Info
    Diet
    Feeding
    For Sale
    Health
    Herd Evaluations
    House Rabbit
    Personal
    Q&A
    Rabbits And Friends
    Rabbit Showing
    Updates
    Yearly Bookkeeping/goals

    Archives

    June 2019
    October 2018
    June 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.