Panicking!

Hi,

I am due to receive 2 boy Mini Lop Bunnies. We are taking the Buns from a family who have had an unexpected litter.

After extensive reading I am starting to panic that they won't get on and start to fight?!

They will be 8 weeks 3 days when we get them. We have converted a new 8ft dog kennel outside to house them. I haven't got much of a plan if I need to separate them! I never considered that before.

Is there any positive stories about sibling boys being successfully kept together from birth? I can't find many!

:?

This is EXACTLY what my sister and I did. The first sign of aggression (and I’d say it almost certainly will happen once hormones kick in) we separated them and had them neutered. Then waited the 6 weeks. Whilst waiting we kept them on either side of a puppy pen and they often laid down next to each other etc. We swapped their sides every day so they didn’t associate one side with their territory.

We tried to re bond them and we couldn’t, so we sent them to a lovely lady (Rabbit Rambles on Facebook) who did it for us. They’re back now (have been back about 2 weeks) and have just had a big fight. They’re getting over it slowly but still a bit of chasing.

So yes - it can work (I hope!!) But I wouldn’t do it again. My next pair will be rescued adults already bonded!!!

Boys can be neutered as soon as their testicles drop. If you get them done as soon as possible (maybe even at 12 weeks), they should be fine. Separate them as soon as there is any sign of aggression, though. Once they start fighting, it will be more difficult to re-bond. Any un-neutered rabbits are likely to fall out as they reach puberty, irrelevant of gender or sibling relationship. Meanwhile, book in at your vet to get them vaccinated for RHD1&2 then Myxo (includes RHD1) a couple of weeks later. The vet will advise on neutering as well.

I hand reared a litter of abandoned bunnies and when they were up for rehoming a lady wanted the two boys, I advised a male and female instead and she knew the risks but wanted the boys. I kept them quite late as the lady wanted them fully vaccinated first and there was no signs of aggression from either at any point, one had very obvious testicles whereas the others were very small/later to develop. Once in their new home however they did start to chase when given a lot of space, they were soon neutered and recovered together and have been fine since.

I hope your boys will be ok (sounds like they're coming to a lovely home!).

Thanks guys!

I'm really hopeful they grow up happy together. I really don't want to leave one behind at this house as im not sure what they would do if I left one!!

We are making them a really lovely home and I'm really going above and beyond to try make sure they have the best chance, and although I had rabbits growing up, it's a different kettle of fish when it's your own! I want them to be happy and healthy.

Thinking about it, if we experienced any aggressive behaviours we could work a way to keep them separate temporarily.

I've booked in with the vet for a full check up and jabs at 12weeks and I had a vet give them a once over before we agreed to buy.

So exciting but really daunting!

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Hello, and welcome to the forum :wave: I adopted 2 brothers once, they had been together since birth, and never fell out. They were already neutered when I got them and had a very close bond

sounds like they will have a wonderful home. i hope they bond OK!

the only similar experience i have had is 2 un-neutered sisters. they were great together, but did have some scraps in springtime.

I think with 2 boys you can be lucky or unlucky. You just can't know beforehand. The rabbits can be vaccinated as soon as you get them. We tend to advise that people get their rabbits vaccinated first against RHD2 - this also covers RHD1, then 2 weeks later have them vaccinated against Myxo/VHD1. RHD2 has killed a lot of rabbits over the last 2 years and try to ensure your Vet is knowledgeable in rabbits. You can ask on here for a recommendation of a Vet in your area. Boys start to fight around 13 weeks sometimes, so you need to keep a careful eye on them. Hope it all works out for you.