neutered rabbit housed with no neutered rabbit?

[lbidder114]

Can a fixed rabbit be kept with an intact male? I have a huge house and inclosure with a male rabbit but would like to put more with him. I'd like to rescue a rabbit from a shelter or something.
Thanks!

 

[Bunnylady]

That would largely depend on the intact male. Some males are not too bad, but most (particularly younger ones) are somewhere between annoying and obsessive about trying to breed. At a minimum, they usually pull the hair off the shoulders of the object of their attention, and embarrass you in front of your friends. At worst, the object of their desire gets so irritated that full-scale fights break out, and, well, rabbits can do really nasty things with their teeth and claws.

 

[lbidder114]

He seems to be the most mellow rabbit ever. I would like to adopt one that needs a home but it sound like a situation they wouldn't try. Maybe if I breed again and they don't all sell I will keep one and have it fixed. The area I keep him in and his house is so big it could house 20 rabbits and he's all by himself!

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

Rabbits are not really social animals, other than for breeding. I do not suggest keeping more than one rabbit together even if they are raised from birth together. I've seen nasty things happen over night between siblings that had always gotten along.

I would recommend splitting the hutch and keeping a second rabbit separate.

 

[SA Farm]

Rabbits are actually very social creatures. Lack of space or fighting over a female or territorial problems are the main reasons for fights. I've had groups of unaltered adult males get along with no problem in a large space. They were introduced in neutral territory, established a pecking order and they were the best of buds with no females to stir them up and cause problems.
Ibidder114, if you could perhaps do a trial period with a rescue to make sure they have compatible personalities, I would recommend doing it that way.
Good luck

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/training.html

This is an interesting article that shows why the situation you described often works (groups of rabbits in large spaces) but why putting two rabbits a person chooses in a hutch together can have disastrous consequences. They are social animals in the wild but not in a cooperative way, so there is less pressure for rabbits to get along with all members of their species. A lot of the hierarchy in a colony is based on strength, which is why a second or third rabbit can get beat up quite a bit. In a large area, the other rabbits have room to move away from ones that are picking on them.

Basically, I suggest that the OP evaluates his or her setup to see if it might work, but I always tell people to be ready in the event that it doesn't. I also warn people that rabbits may get along for a while and very quickly decide they don't like each other.

So it could work but it is always better to be prepared in the event that it doesn't work out. Having no females around would definitely help.

 

[Herp Lover]

I would not risk it. Unaltered rabbits can be very aggressive and have been known to kill each other. I know someone who bought a house and there were two male rabbits that had been left behind and she put them in the same cage and one bit off the other ones ear. If you want to get a second rabbit I would suggest getting a spayed or neutered one from a rescue. A lot of rescues/shelters will let you bring your rabbit so it can pick out it's own friend.