What are your thoughts or experiences on pairing rabbits?

:wave: Hi, just thinking about bunnies and what pairings seem to work well, do you have thoughts on this ie, bigger doe - smaller buck works or bigger buck smaller doe works or is it just personality rather than size or breed?

Also what seems make for a successful pairing - 2 similar sizes/breeds or is it just about their personality??? What attracts a bunny to another - anything anyone has noticed at all, colours/breeds that don't blend at all ??

I have always found it down to personality.

Taffy (nethie cross) is an active bunny, but i have found she is irritated by active rabbits. She was originally paired with my bridge bun Trio who was very disabled. She loved to nurse and care for him. Then she was bonded to Flynn for a spell, but the bond was not good, as they wound each other up. Taffy will bolt and run into her partner looking for a reaction, then have a proper go at them, sounds bizzarre but its true. When we tried to with a rescue boy called Echo, she hated him because he was active. Now she is with Riley (frenchie x EL) who is three legged and bulky. He doesn't do anything fast and would far rather lounge around, so he does not upset her.

Holly (english spot) is bonded to dwarf lop Frodo. Holly is highly strung and easily offended. She likes to be dominant but also likes to do the grooming, so i guess she is happy to kiss a bunny as long as she is being respected. She was bonded to my bridge bun Bigwig (a three legged lionhead). He was happy as she groomed him, and she was happy because he didn't want to hump her :lol:. Now with Frodo, he is very laid back (almost horizontal) so she will happily groom him, in the knowledge he wont annoy her.

Giles (english cross) and Summer (blind dwarf lop) i have no idea. They just fell in love the second they met. Its a funny relationship, most definatly the strongest bond of all my pairs. Summer will run about and bump right into Giles and he doesn't even flinch, he just looks at her, and if he could, he would roll his eyes :roll: :lol:. I have no idea who is the boss or what makes the bond work. It was just love at first sight.

So, i would say, with my buns it is down to personality compatability. I suppose, just like humans, for a bond to truly work it has to go further than looks . This is just based on my experience.

Awww I enjoyed reading that it's like bunny Mills & Boon reading about their romances - they sound lovely especially Giles and Summer how adorable that he doesn't mind her 'bumping' into him, so sweet

I've only had Ruby and Pip in a pair, but I think they probably work because of their personalities. Neither comes across as most dominant. They seem to have worked out a system of who is boss of what :lol:
I sometimes think Pipkin probably loves Ruby more than she loves him, but then she looks after him so well when he's ill that I change my mind ^_^

Loosy said:

I've only had Ruby and Pip in a pair, but I think they probably work because of their personalities. Neither comes across as most dominant. They seem to have worked out a system of who is boss of what :lol:
I sometimes think Pipkin probably loves Ruby more than she loves him, but then she looks after him so well when he's ill that I change my mind ^_^

Click to expand...

Awww she probably loves him but, in a more maternal way maybe? Did you see my poll? Do you think that is OK I haven't done one before - I am thinking people can write on here as you have about their experience aswell.:wave:

Your poll is good, i voted .

I'm glad you enjoyed hearing about my pairs, i find it very interesting too. I think this will be a brilliant thread, hope it gets a good responce.

VickiP said:

Awww she probably loves him but, in a more maternal way maybe? Did you see my poll? Do you think that is OK I haven't done one before - I am thinking people can write on here as you have about their experience aswell.:wave:

Click to expand...

Hehe, that could be it! When they're together just normally she seems fairly indifferent, but after a vet trip or a dental they always seem much more snuggly. When Pip had some blood taken from his ear she spent a few hours grooming the same spot on his ear :lol:

The poll looks good to me. I hadn't noticed it before, sorry
Voted now!

ShazzaBunny said:

Your poll is good, i voted .

I'm glad you enjoyed hearing about my pairs, i find it very interesting too. I think this will be a brilliant thread, hope it gets a good responce.

Click to expand...

Yes I think it will and probably funny in some cases! I have to sign off but, I hope there are some good stories/experiences to read later, thanks for checking out the poll, I am glad it's not confusing the way I worded it. :wave:

When Charlie had a wifey, he was bigger and older than her and they bonded perfectly. No fights at all, and he decided he loved her just from when she was brought into my bedroom (so not even on a neutreal place). But Charlie is a soft lump!
Don't know otherwise becasue I haven't had other buns

:wave: when i got ruby and blue(brother and sister) they were already bonded,even though blues been nutered,rubys is booked in end of march.i havent had any humping/fighting or chasing with them.i put this down to their personalitys they are both so laid back and loving.
however when i bonded leon (dwarf lop) with snowball (nethie) it went really well and within a week they were put into there shed..after two weeks though i went out one morning to feed them and snowball was breathing heavily,as i got in to pick her up leon attacked her there was fur everywere luckily just a small cut on leons nose were snowball had retaliated.they were seperated insantly.leon is very timid and scared but is getting better each day to the point were he dosnt run off now when i go in to feed him,he will also take treats from my hand.so im going to wait a few more months and then get him a female.
three weeks after harvey(dutchie) was nutered i bonded him with snowball,we had a lot of humping by him as hes always been a lone bunny but hes very nosey,cheeky and loves his nose rubs kind of bun.after three days that had calmed down and we had lots of grooming.now they are inseprable to the point when she goes for a drink he sort of puts his head under her as if to hold her up! so far so good...

I think male / female pairings usually work better than same sex pairs. Personality is more important than size, age or breed. The other really important factor is how you do the bonding, such as neutral territory, size of the space that you use and not keepign interferring with them.

I think it's definitely down to personality more than anything else

Most of ours are in pairs (opposite sex) or mixed groups they are all of similar sizes - but that wasn't really down to us choosing them etc, it just happened that way.

We had Alfie a small cross breed gummy bun who lived with Jemima a british giant they were absolutely smitten with each other

Sadly they are both at the bridge now

Here they are in the garden together

I didn't vote, because I think sex is important and generally a mixed sex pair has a greater chance of being happy together long term with less squabbles, but I think breed/size/colour are irrelevant

I voted the first option because I think personality probably is the overiding factor but I do think that opposite sex pairs probably helps with the long term pairing of bunnies. I think :? :lol:

I am not sure now... Oscar loved the company with George when they were getting on while they were being bonded, but Oscar wanted to be the dominant one so it didn't work out Now he's with a girl, he loves getting shagged by her (literally - he won't run away :lol, and is there by her side ALL the time! My girly is definitely the one in charge :lol:

I think its a mix between personality and sex! Physical appearances have nothing to do with the mix IMO! Saying that, people have same sex bonds which work out brilliantly, and people have nethies bonded with frenchies!

I voted Personality but I have experienced the other option ,a pair of brothers who went straight back together like they'd never been apart.

The same with several brother/sister pairs, they were completely inseparable

One of the girls from a previous brother/sister pair wouldn't accept any bun except one the same colour as her brother:?

louise and Gus said:

I didn't vote, because I think sex is important and generally a mixed sex pair has a greater chance of being happy together long term with less squabbles, but I think breed/size/colour are irrelevant

Click to expand...

Yes I think I may have made it a bit confusing I suppose if we all assume that mixed pairs are better and that rabbits are neutered aswell it might make it easier, sorry it's the first one I have done - I shoud have given it a bit more thought I think so far people are saying that bunnies do have personalities (which we all knew) but, that it can be strong to enough to either make or break a pairing and that the size, colour, breed sometimes might be a factor but, generally personality would be the thing, I suppose this then makes me think do pairings work better with 2 similar personalities or do opposites attract? I suppose it's a case of getting to know your bunnies and trying it, bit like hoomins really, thanks to everyone who replied though and apologies if the poll could have been a bit clearer. :wave:

I use to think personalities and sex mattered but now Iv'e come to the conclusion it could be anything.
My nan has same sex pairs who are fantastic together and a group of 5 males.

Iv'e got my three, who couldn't be any more different to each other.
Honey and Blue are opposites no end, but they love each other so much.

Our local rescue tried to bond her with some quiter rabbit after her and blue didn't get on at first and that was awful :lol:

I haven't voted as I think it is mainly down to personalities, but in my experience male/male bonds are more likely to have problems develop later on.

LoopyLouie said:

I haven't voted as I think it is mainly down to personalities, but in my experience male/male bonds are more likely to have problems develop later on.

Click to expand...

Oh right, is this even after neutering?