Hello! I got 2 adorable Holland Lops on Saturday. They are half related, same daddy, different mamas but raised together, both females! I was wondering if anyone had any tips for me on socializing with the both of them. Should i keep them in the same cage or separate them until they are used to me?

Also, I don't know how to go about teaching them their names when there are both of them. I feel like they won't catch on? lol
Should I allow them time out of the cage at separate times and in a different room or something? Ahh so many questions, hope i'm not a bother, thank you to anyone who can help!

 

Are they both spayed? It is okay to house them together if they are getting along nicely. I don't think it really makes any difference as far as socializing goes. They may want to bond more strongly to each other rather than you though, but that is normal. As far as them learning their names, I wouldn't worry about that. They will figure it out, especially if one of them is being naughty. I suppose you could try some one on one time though, it certainly wouldn't hurt.

Thanks!

No they're not spayed, they're only about 3 months old, not quite old enough yet. But they're basically sisters, they should be fine together until I'm able to spay them.. I'm trying to figure out how to get them to come out and go back into the cage without having to pick them up. I'm afraid they're going to be scared of me if I keep picking them up when they don't like it. :$ 

Lol anyways, thanks for answering! I really appreciate it!

Hey welcome to BB! - you should post an introduction thread and some pics!!

In terms of teaching them their names you could try a collective name call like 'bunnies' and if they come over give them treats. Also if you call the name of one, and the right one comes over, give it a treat and repeat it's name again as it eats the treat - same with the other. If your bunny runs over to you give it a treat and say it's name so it starts to connect treats with the name. That way when you call it's name it should come running for a treat but it will look like it runs to it's name . I use pellets as treats for these kinds of exercises taken from their daily pellet allowance. That way you aren't constantly filling them up with sugary treats all the time. Doing this will do wonders in terms of you socialising with both bunnies and you wouldn't have to separate them. I would also say spend time with both bunnies together not one or the other if they get along fine. Separating them might create some territorial issues over who has ownership of you when you put them back together but if you raise them while sharing you it shouldn't be an issue!

Welcome! I urge you to read through the Bunny Info. sections of the site to learn as much as you can about all the different facets of raising a bunny. Pay special attention to the Bonding section, as well as the bonding forums.

While you got them both together, they are not necessarily bonded, and due to their ages, they will have their hormones kick in which usually breaks any sort of bond. There is no real attachment as siblings, so you will want to start a bonding process for them as they mature in a few months. Meanwhile, unfortunately, determining the gender at this early an age is very, very difficult - even for vets. So there is a risk that you have opposite sex bunnies, and that can lead to an unwanted litter. I would get a second habitat to be able to keep them separate in their own space for when they begin to get active hormones. It will happen before you can see it, so you really want to start arranging the housing now before either fights or humping starts. (And humping is a dominance gesture, not just a sexual one.) The next step is to make an appointment with the vet for one, then both, to be spayed as soon as possible. Once that is done, a month later they will at least be safe together as a bonded pair. Hopefully the will continue to like each other and the bonding will go easily, but if one turns out to be male, he can be neutered easily. Both need the procedure for their long term health.

If you have them in separate habitats, they will learn their individual names quickly and easily. You can have play time together, or staggered if they show signs of fighting. You can see more of their individual personalities that way too, as they dig, or toss things, or climb or hide. It's really amazing how different bunnies can be, so you can relate to them in their own way as their personalities emerge.

Thank you everyone!

@IsabellaRobyn I really like that idea of associating names with treats! Right now I'm using pellets to bribe them, I haven't started introducing them to veggies or fruit yet so it's all I have right now haha! I bribed them out of the cage today, I don't think they've quite realized they can hop out whenever they want to! Only when I take the whole top of the cage off the bottom they realize they might be able to lol.
Ooh i'd really like to post an introduction thread! Need to go take some pictures of the bunnies buahaha lol x)

@RabbitPam Thank you! haha oh dear I really hope they're both female! They've got terribly girly names! lol, we'll see. I need to save up quite a bit before I can get them spayed sadly. Especially since females tend to be more expensive to fix The breeder I got my buns from said they should be fine together as long as they reach sexual maturity together in the same cage. They're very sweet together! Always cuddling. The other day Zelda had something in her eye, like a little piece of hay, and I helped her get it out but after Chloe kept licking her eye better! So precious. I adore them!

I agree with RabbitPam. That is why I asked if they are spayed. I didn't realize they were so young still. Yes, definitely make sure you have two girls. If they are and you decided to continue to house them together, then be prepared that they may not get along when the hormones kick in and they may need to be separated.

This is making me really uneasy now. I'm so scared they're not going to get along now Hoping to God it will all work out.

This is making me really uneasy now. I'm so scared they're not going to get along now Hoping to God it will all work out.