Thinking of getting another Rabbit

Hi all
My first time here so go easy on me.
We have a male rabbit just over a year old that my daughter absolutely idolises.
My other half has decided she now wants one. My other half is just as keen on my daughters rabbit ( in fact when daughter is at school she has him out most of the time).
My other half has now decided she wants one of her own.
So really I'm after some advice.
We got the rabbit last Sept. We had him neutered in March, ( he wasn't showing aggression or anything, I just didn't want our rabbit creating anymore bunnies when there are too many un homed ones already).
Obviously he is used to having everything his own way.
If we introduce another rabbit he ain't gonna be a happy bunny (excuse the pun)
My other half would like a doe.
How would I go about introducing them? should I try and get a neutered fem ( if she not neutered when I get her she soon will be ). The rabbit lives in a 5ft hutch at night and has a 6 x 4 run with a box hutch to run about in during the day.
I have a spare hutch which I can put the new arrival in, so at least at night they'll live apart.
Any ideas / comments would be greatly appreciated.
Please note, if anyone thinks it's a bad idea please say so. At the end of the day the rabbits welfare comes first.
thanks

I think its a great idea. Rabbits love the companionship of other rabbits (apart from the exceptions)!

A spayed doe from a rescue would be a good bet. She would be already vaccinated (check with the rescue, but most of them do this) and may even be able to help with bonding for a small fee, which needs to be done on totally neutral territory (see the hundreds of bonding threads on here for inspiration).

Best of luck. Hope you find a lovely friend for your daughter's buck.

What makes you think your current bun won't like it? Is he aggressive with you? As rabbits would naturally live in a large colony they usually love to have a friend.

A doe is definitely the way to go! I agree you should look for a spayed one, preferably from a rescue centre. If you get one who isn't spayed you'll have the stress of going through it, and you'll have to wait at least 6 weeks for the hormones to quieten down before you can introduce them safely. If it doesn't work out then you'll be in a bit of a pickle, as you'll be bonded with her by then and you'll end up with the 2 of them living separately. What some rescues do is actually allow you to bring your rabbit and let him 'date' other buns, to see who he bonds with well. They may even be happy to keep him for a few days to make sure there aren't any problems before you take them both home.

The RSPCA, and I believe most rehoming places, require a bigger setup than your current one. Do you have a shed at all? Is there any way it could be turned into a bunny palace? A shed with an attached aviary provides heaps of space, it's sheltered from dramatic weather, it's predator proof and it's sooo much pleasanter mucking out there in the winter evenings, especially with a heater and a light on.

What makes you think your current bun won't like it? Is he aggressive with you?
No, the complete opposite
I just thought maybe he'd not like the idea of having to share

tucker said:

What makes you think your current bun won't like it? Is he aggressive with you?
No, the complete opposite
I just thought maybe he'd not like the idea of having to share

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Once he's settled down after the bonding, I think he'll be as pleased as punch he's got his own little woman to snuggle with of a night time

Your current bun will be territorial, you are right to be cautious. Best thing would be to adopt a neutered female and introduce in a neutral part of your home. A rescue may be able to bond them for you as well.

That was one of my concerns. He will like any other animal, probably feel his nose is being put out of joint.

That's why I wondered what peoples opinions were.
If I thought for one minute he'd get cheesed of,f then I wouldn't bother, it's not fair on him.

Fifibutton said:

Your current bun will be territorial, you are right to be cautious. Best thing would be to adopt a neutered female and introduce in a neutral part of your home. A rescue may be able to bond them for you as well.

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I have to say I usually find the female to be the territorial one in a male/female bonding. The male is often quite accepting. He shouldn't be territorial if the bonding is done correctly, i.e. in neutral territory.

Typically, all the doe's we've seen so far that my other half likes have not been neutered.
Is it possible / a good idea to maybe get one that isn't neutered and have her done in a couple of weeks.
Or is that asking for trouble / defeating the object.
I have been told that as long as the male is neutered I shouldn't worry too much about the doe and get her done when I'm ready.
And I thought getting another bunny would be simple

tucker said:

Typically, all the doe's we've seen so far that my other half likes have not been neutered.
Is it possible / a good idea to maybe get one that isn't neutered and have her done in a couple of weeks.
Or is that asking for trouble / defeating the object.
I have been told that as long as the male is neutered I shouldn't worry too much about the doe and get her done when I'm ready.
And I thought getting another bunny would be simple

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If you get her neutered yourself, you have to wait 6 weeks for her hormones to calm down (as others have said) and there is no guarantee that they will bond. By going to a rescue, your bunny will be able to pick his mate, and the rescue will often help with bonding. Neutering females is very important as unneutered females will be grumpy, hormonal and territoral, so difficult to bond. They are also at a huge risk of developing uterine cancer at a very young age.

I also don't understand why you would need to separate them at night? If they are bonded then they should be together all the time- it would be distressing to separate them for half the day.

Rosie42 said:

I also don't understand why you would need to separate them at night? If they are bonded then they should be together all the time- it would be distressing to separate them for half the day.

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Maybe I'm thinking putting them together is more difficult than it is.
If they wanna cuddle up at night that's fine by me

tucker said:

Maybe I'm thinking putting them together is more difficult than it is.
If they wanna cuddle up at night that's fine by me

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The initial bonding may be a bit stressful if you do it yourself, but generally, once two bunnies are bonded then they won't want to be separated. They will stay together for life