Is it possible to bond two female rabbits?

[Willow's Meadow]

I have one spayed female 2 yr. old mini lop/american and may be getting another female rabbit. Do female rabbits bond well? Is it possible to bond two female rabbits? What are your experiences with it....have you done it? I keep reading it is very, very hard to bond female rabbits and I heard some say it is impossible. But is there ANYONE out there who has done it?????????????

 

[mom2jedi]

When I was a kid, I had a female that we bred. She ended up having only two female kits. As soon as they were weaned, she wanted them out of her cage. So we got them their own. They successfully bonded and stayed together the entire time we had them. The mom however stayed solitary and was just fine with it. So, my answer is unless they are together from a very young age, it's risky. Rabbits tend to need their space and can be super aggressive to each other. The two rabbits I have now are in a homemade hutch that is 4'x4' divided in half so each rabbit has its own space but they can see and smell each other and lay next to each other if they get cold, as they are only separated by hardware cloth.

 

[FireTigeris]

by "bond" do you mean tolerate each other without killing each other?

take it slow ... real slow ... on neutral territory - I also put out three piles of yummy treats and do it when they are sleepy.

rat are not rabbits but rats we use vanilla behind the ears to overpower the sense of smell... never did that on the rabbits, never had to yet.

 

[Akane]

If they are spayed it should be possible but females are the most difficult to bond. There are some instructions here for spayed rabbits. http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/introductions.html

Unspayed breeding does is an entirely different topic that not many people seem to have figured out. A few people do manage colonies of many unaltered rabbits together without fights but I think the key there is space. Rabbits are quite territorial and they like their space. The space you have to work with becomes very important whether you are trying to introduce a pair of altered rabbits or setup a breeding colony. If you don't have a large enough cage, pen, or building it will never work no matter the personality of the rabbits or the situation.

 

[therealsilkiechick]

i keep my girls in colonies and only seperate them for shows and dureing breedings till babies r weened then they go back to their colonies. some have been siblings brought up together most have not. i only have 2 females who always have to be by themselves or they will fight. any of my other girls can be in colonies but i always put them back in same colonies cuz if not then it causes problems so it can be done but as said depends on each rabbits personallity and definately space available.

 

[Flabbergastia]

I bonded two females quite easily. Ruth Buzzy was a year old at the time and spayed. Beasty Weiners (don't ask) was 4 or 5 months old, not yet spayed. I kept the new one in a cage in the house for a few day and the other investigated. Then I took the two of them to my neighbour's mud room and sat on a bucket for 2 hours wearing gloves and holding a broom. The older one was dominating, chasing, growling, but the room was small and I was in total control the whole time. The new one seemed baffled, "Why is this happening to me? I only want to sit here and eat the broom." There was some fur pulling but I could tell the older one was interested more than anything. Things got easier and finally I took them home and let them out in the house. Ruth Buzzy asserted her authority, the other agreed to the terms, and soon they were friends. They have been inseparable ever since. I don't cage them and wherever I see them in the house they look like conjoined twins. I thought it would be harder. When Beasty Weiners was old enough I had her spayed as well. Good luck to you.