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Elderly rabbits in a group ?

Lea-Anne

Lea-Anne

Warren Veteran
I used to have a group of six rabbits. Originally these were all male/female pairs and I managed to bond 3 couples together. I loved having a group, the interaction is completely different from a couple. Over the years I have lost some and now down to just two :(.
My question is these two rabbits are eight years old.
I have told my husband I'd love another group. Should I wait until they have passed before starting up a new group due to their age or would it be ok to add new buns? You see my elderly dog would think it was hell on earth if I brought in another youngster but I'm not sure if rabbits age/think in the same way? :?
 
it depends how elderly they are, some old rabbits are frail and elderly acting but some are still youthful. If they were old and creaky I probably wouldn't, if they were still lively I'd be tempted to add some 2-4 year olds in :)
 
Georgeypudding said:
it depends how elderly they are, some old rabbits are frail and elderly acting but some are still youthful. If they were old and creaky I probably wouldn't, if they were still lively I'd be tempted to add some 2-4 year olds in :)
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One is and one isn't. The male seems no different but the female is slowing down. She doesn't do much which is pretty depressing for me to see. They have tons of space and don't use it. I wondered if new friends might ' perk them up' or it could be a bad idea :?. She was the 'head' of the group too bless her, typical bossy lionhead ;):lol:.
 
If they're happy together, personally I wouldn't want to rock the boat by adding more. I've got two ten year old bunnies, each of which is paired with another middle aged bunny, and while I don't think my oldies seem particularly old, they can come across as quite frail sometimes when compared to the others. They get barged out of the way sometimes and are a little less steady on their feet around a boisterous younger bunny, but I don't think I would notice this about them if they weren't bonded with younger ones, if you know what I mean.

So personally I would wait, although it does leave you with an issue of the older one left when the first of this pair passes away. You could at that point try bonding the remaining old one with a calm younger bun, who might then be more ok with a group bonding at a later date. I have to say though on the whole I prefer pairs to groups though so maybe I'm just biased!
 
Santa said:
If they're happy together, personally I wouldn't want to rock the boat by adding more. I've got two ten year old bunnies, each of which is paired with another middle aged bunny, and while I don't think my oldies seem particularly old, they can come across as quite frail sometimes when compared to the others. They get barged out of the way sometimes and are a little less steady on their feet around a boisterous younger bunny, but I don't think I would notice this about them if they weren't bonded with younger ones, if you know what I mean.

So personally I would wait, although it does leave you with an issue of the older one left when the first of this pair passes away. You could at that point try bonding the remaining old one with a calm younger bun, who might then be more ok with a group bonding at a later date. I have to say though on the whole I prefer pairs to groups though so maybe I'm just biased!
Click to expand...

I know exactly what you mean. Thankyou.
You are probably right. She is noticeably older when compared to my young house rabbits. She was fully grown at the rescue when I got her and I've had her eight years so she could be even older.
It wasn't too bad with three but when I lost my nethie a month ago even though she was tiny the shed and run suddenly look ' empty'. I think I am just being selfish wanting to see the space used again. They are happy and content just the two of them I think :D
 
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