new bunny coming this Saturday...

hi, we have a recently neutered male who (although we've not told him yet) is going to meet his new lady friend this Saturday. We have his hutch and run in the garage, with another smaller hutch and run at the side, set up ready for the new arrival. Both are mini lops from the same local hobby breeder, the newer arrival being only 8 weeks old, whereas Munch is 6 months now. I know we've to keep them apart for at least another month after his neutering a couple of weeks ago, so come Christmas time, we'll be able to begin the bonding. Hopefully having them next to each other for a month before hand will help - they'll be able to see and smell each other. Quick question though - his litter tray and hay balls/rack are at the other side of his run, away from the new bun's run - is it a good idea to move everything so that they eat etc close to each other? I keep reading about it being a good sign when buns eat together?

i think you will need to wait to have the doe spayed first as my do is not spayed and i am having problems with my bond at the moment as she is all hormonal so i would get the doe spayed and wait around 6 weeks for the does to recover then attempt to bond them in a neutral space

Also I would not put them straight next to each other as she should be in quarantine for a while to make sure she isn't carrying any thing that she could pass on, Good luck with the bond but I would neuter her first to get rid of any hormones that could hinder the bonding process,

oh, that's put a spanner in the works - I thought because they're from the same breeder, the risk of any illnesses passing across would be slim? - Munch has been vaccinated anyway and we'll get the new one done asap. And the neutering then bonding thing - I thought it'd be OK to have them next to each other so they could get used to each other, then maybe put together for a short while after Munch's 6 week period, then when she's ready to be done, seperate them again & put back together later? We have the garage space etc, so wouldn't be a problem?

Being from the same breeder won't mean anything, so quarantine would be safer. I don't know how long for that is though. What rabbits do/act like between bars gives no indication of how they will act together. My 2 would thump, box and try to fight between bars, yet they only took 2 days to bond.

If your rabbit is castrated and you try and bond you can't guarantee they will get on for long and separating rabbits after bonding can 'upset' them. They may even decide they don't want to re-bond. Could you accommodate 2 singles and find friends for them both?

It would be safer and more beneficial for you to keep them separate until they are both neutered and all of the hormones have gone, then there is no risk of a fall out or fight. The damage rabbits can do to each other if you have one rabbit who is full of hormones is horrible and would be a lot more expensive than the cost of a spay.

I would say you need to be patient and have them both neutered to make sure you have the best chance of a bond working.