new comer! would my rabbit like a friend?

[saoirse]

Hi there, I have a two year old female rabbit (and two daughters now 6 and 3) my plan was to have a house/garden rabbit that we could all love and train! It turns out the rabbit had other plans... I now have a rabbit loose in the lovely walled garden. she will come back to her hutch to eat but barley lets us touch her more likely to get a nip or a scratch. The garden is quite safe and interesting and she must have a lovely burrow somewhere becase she doesn't sleep in hutch and has survived the winter. I've been offered another female about the same age so just looking for some advice.
1/should i bother getting her spayed? (I read its dangerous for heart?) is there any point? she's probably wild now and I don't really have the time to spend training and daughter are a little scared of being nipped)
2/ would she like a girl friend? (i imagine shes a bit lonely and there is lots of space to keep away from each other?)( the new rabbit would be similar size colour not spayed and also not friendly!)
I was thinking even if they dont like eachother at least it would make their lives more interesting!!
thank you very much for reading, i'd love any advice x

 

[Vegan_Bunny]

Welcome to the forum. :wave:

I'm afraid you really must catch her and not let her run around your garden unsupervised. Foxes are very capable of jumping a 6ft wall/fence and it will only take one fox to discover her. What size is her hutch? Does she have a run attached?

Spaying her is an absolute must. 80% of female rabbits will develop uterine cancer at some point in their life, it will also help with the aggression. Most likely she is feeling very hormonal and frustrated which leads to aggression (the nipping and scratching). Domestic rabbits really won't do well in the wild and she really does need to be caught and taken to a vets to make sure she is doing ok. I would suggest getting her teeth checked by a vet to make sure they are in good condition. If she is living wild in your garden, I presume she won't have access to hay? In winter grass won't be giving her the proper nutrition and so she really will need to visit a vet to check her weight and general condition.

If the hutch is too small she won't want to spend time in it. Min recommendations are a 6x2x2ft hutch with an attached 8x4ft that the rabbit has access to 24/7. Rabbits love having space and so this will be why she is enjoying being in the garden but it really isn't ideal for her as I have already mention.

Is she vaccinated?

As for a friend, there is no point in getting her a friend until she is spayed as she will be likely to fight. The best pairing is neutered male/female pair. When you get her spayed you will need to wait 6 weeks before finding her a friend. The best thing you can do for her is to take her to a local reputable rabbit rescue and let her choose a friend. The rescue staff should give you advice on bonding or even bond them for you.

If you need help with ideas for outdoor/indoor accommodation there is a sticky in the Housing section that will give you some fantastic ideas.