New to Rabbits

[coedogz]

Hi folks, we have just rescued a rabbit from a poor home and want to find him a companion. Neither of us have ever owned a rabbit before so we know little about looking after them. The rabbit we have is a male that was quite aggressive toward the other male that he lived with and they had to be kept apart. I imagine if we got another male there would be the same problem.
Would a neutered female be a better companion? If we have to keep them apart we will at least put them in adjacent hutches.

Are there any rabbit breeds we should avoid? I know with dogs certain breeds are too small for instance and suffer health problems. Are there rabbit breeds like this? I don't want to encourage breeders like this by buying a rabbit of this sort - although I would take one from a rescue centre.

Thanks for any advice,
Chris

 

[Rexbun]

Hello, well done for rescuing the rabbit and welcome to the forum

Firstly, if your bunny is not neutered, I would get him done, it normally takes around 6 weeks for the hormones to die down. After that a neutered female is likely to be your best option although I've heard same sex pairing can work. If you go to a rescue centre they can help find a suitable friend for him and do the bonding for yo

I am not an expert on breeds but I'm sure if you start a thread on it I'm sure people will give you advice. If you adopt from a rescue centre, the bunny should be health checked so you know what you are taking on.

Best of luck and hope you enjoy keeping bunny. Look forward to seeing pictures of your bunny :wave:

 

[tintin]

Well done for saving the bunny. If both were unneutered males, that would account for the aggression. It may just be hormones and having to compete with another male, as opposed to his character, which makes him aggressive.

I would make sure he is neutered and then get a rescue to find a speyed female for you and let them bond them at the rescue. Where in the UK are you? Have you seen the Rescue section on here where there are lots of unwanted rabbits?

We have dwarf netherland rabbits and I have read since that they are a bit timid and highly strung. I have also read that bigger rabbit breeds are more friendly - not sure if that is true. What breed is your rabbit?