Rabbit companion?

Question

I have a nether land Dwarf rabbit (i think thats what its called), he is a boy. I love him very much, but don't give him all the attention he needs as I am very busy. I don't want to give him up to anyone as if he goes to a shelter and his time runs out, he could get put to sleep. I would love to get him a rabbit or guinea pig companion. I would go to a shelter and adopt one. Would this be a good idea? How do I make sure they get along? Can I keep them in the same cage? What about their genders? Their breeds? If i make a bigish pen that would be inclosed in my yard could i put them out when it is not too hot or cold? Thank you!

Answer 1

I would get a female rabbit that has kind of a mellow personality so they don't fight... also make sure they are both fixed.  Most shelters/rescues will let you bring your bunny down to meet a potential friend so you can know whether they will get along.  I don't think the breed matters as much as the personality.  I would let them each have their own space-- maybe next to each other--  until they are comfortable with each other

Answer 2

You shouldn't house rabbits with guinea pigs for the reasons listed here http://www.guineapigcages.com/rabbits.ht...

You can match up rabbits with tips on here

http://homepage.mac.com/mattocks/morfz/r...

But you need to make sure both buns are already neutered or you will have problems.

Answer 3

Hello, I have a cage in my yard and they like it! You can't get another male rabbit or else they will fight and most likely get serious injury. If you don't want babies and you get a female you should spay and neuter them.

Answer 4

Okay...I am  Rabbit EXPERT so you can trust my answer =]

by the way it's Netherland Dwarf Rabbit you just had to take away the space =]

You are making the right choice as to get him a companion...May i consider getting another NetherLand Dwarf Rabbit....He would get along quite fine with em'....As long as they Rabbit is the same size as your rabbit right now...They would get along but they have to learn to like each other....If they fight just put them in apart in there cages....You cant make sure they don't fight they have to LEARN to like each other...The most you Can do is put them apart when they fight...Personally i think this would be a awesome idea....I would put them in different cages....Have you ever though of putting each one in there own NIC cubes ? --(neat idea cubes..)-- in other words a bunny condo? I would consider getting to males....Unless you ADOPT a female that is spayed and neutered..Then they cant have babies...Like i said another Netherland dwarf would accompany him nicely...Keep them indoors...They can get highly sick outside...lonely someone could steel them...They can get ticks....BAD IDEA.....To have a pet neutered means that there business won't smell that bad....2 have a pet SPAYED that means they cant have babies..

Answer 5

Male and male wouldn't work, animals work best when housed with a conspecific of the opposite gender. A female would make a nice companion for your male. Introduce them slowly as not all rabbits will bond. Initially house them separately, once they are bonded they can then be housed together. The female should also be spayed. An outside pen would be fine, you should provide shelter for them for if they feel too hot.

Answer 6

i have a netherland dwarf too =]

anyway, rabbits dont need that much attention, but seeing them daily would be gd....

if you get another rabbit they may fight, like any other animal, but i have 2 rabbits and i got my other 1 a year later, although they dont share a cage they dont fight with eachother out of the cage... there both boys btw but they still hump eachother lool

i wud advise 2 boys unless u want loadsa babies, or get a guinea, they go well with rabbits...

and also puttin them out when its too hot they would need abit of shade and a water bottle, it its cold weather put some shelter in there incase of rain (rabbits fur takes ages to dry, and that way they can catch a cold) but if its windy or whatever they'll be fine as they have fur and they already live outside n e waii so ....

hope this helps =]

Answer 7

If you want to give him a companion, both he and the new rabbit will need to be neutered. Rabbits can also be difficult to bond, so don't count on being able to just put them together and have them live happily ever after. Sometimes it's not possible at all, but often it is.

There are definitely lots of rabbits in shelters and rescues, and most of those are already neutered. If you adopt through one of those organizations, sometimes they'll help you out with getting the two rabbits to bond.

Here's something you should read, appropriately titled, "Should I get a second rabbit?"

http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/multi...

Definitely don't get him a guinea pig. Rabbits and guinea pigs have different nutritional needs and different social needs - they won't recognize each other as "companions" and it's very easy for a guinea pig to be injured by a rabbit. Even happy rabbits can hurt guinea pigs with their strong legs.

EDIT: Even if you get him a neutered companion, yes, he'll need to be neutered as well. It's not just about preventing reproduction - intact rabbits will still have problems with sexual aggression.