I want to get Bilbo a friend

[MrBilboBagginsMammy]

Bilbo is now 15months old, he’s been neutered and is a very easy placid friendly house bunny. He used to live with a house cat in my previous relationship but now we’ve split up he’s on his own a lot more so of course I feel really sorry for him as I work, so I really want to get him another bunny friend. I have various questions though as I want to make sure I do my research correctly and get the best possible match for him. I’m also aware that it’s a good idea for Bilbo to meet any fellow companions and have a trial period where possible also.

1.Should I get him a spayed female bunny or neutered male bunny friend?

2. Is it true that males are generally more friendly than females? A lady told me earlier that males are friendlier towards humans and females are more independant. If this is the case, I’d rather get a neutered male as I want lots of cuddles and interaction too. 

3. Is it important to have females spayed? I thought if they weren’t that they’d get Uterus Cancer or something similar but again the lady I spoke to told me that this was not the case. 

4. Finally are there any advertising websites other than Pre-Loved and Gumtree where I can look at? I’m a little less keen on rescue centres just because I don’t feel I’d get as much previous history about the rabbits, for example their age/health and feel bugs and things can be passed from bunny to bunny so naturally wouldn’t want anything to be passed to my Bilbo.

I look forward to hearing people’s feedback 

Ellie

[AnnaW]

Spayed female will probably be the easiest bun to bond with your neutered male (he’s very handsome by the way!).

My Barney (and previous male house bunny) were both very attentive, but Belle my spayed female is also very playful and runs out to see me whenever I come home! Barney likes being cuddled more than Belle, but Belle only has 3 legs so that may just be because she feels extra insecure being picked up. She still likes to be stroked though!

Yes it is very important to have females spayed, not only will it make your bonding easier but when I got Belle spayed at only 7 months of age she ALREADY had a pre-cancerous uterus. I think the statistic is something like 80% of females over the age of 3 will develop it!

Gumtree and Pre-Loved are good, where abouts do you live? I got 3 legged Belle from the Pets at Home adoption center. Rescues are in fact probably less likely to pass on bugs etc, as all bunnies have to undergo an exclusion period and VERY thorough health checks before being considered for adoption, they can get a rough idea of age based on teeth and size Part of the beauty of a rescue rabbit is that you will be told their background as to why they had to be rescued in the first place, the rest of their story is for you to dictate when you give them a new lease of life

Hope this helps! Again, if you say where abouts in (the UK?) you are, I can point you towards some good rescues I know of x

[Jessie1990]

My rabbits fit the stereotype perfectly, but I love them both. I’m hoping opposites attract when I go to bond them.

A lot of people suggest that you let the bunny pick his friend. You can do this at an animal shelter if there are any near you. That is the best way to ensure they are compatible. You also need to make sure you can house two individual rabbits in case the bond does not work. This is another benefit of working with a shelter or rescue. They will often work to find a match. Hope this helps! I’m just repeating what I have heard the very experienced people on here say

[MoveDiagonally]

I would take him bunny dating if possible. It lets him pick his own partner and gives you a higher chance at a easy successful bond. I don’t think gender matters as much when you’re dealing with spayed/neutered bunnies and bonding (imo) requires fixed rabbits. Intact rabbits are often more territorial and aggressive with other rabbits. I would focus more on personality and compatibility than gender.

Really any rabbit you bring in from any source has a risk of passing something on to Bilbo. I agree with what Anna said about most rescues being very vigilant on health check ups and getting medical treatment for the bunnies in their care. They usually know of any existing medical issues. Another benefit with rescues and shelters is being able to foster to adopt. This allows you to try bonding before committing to being a forever home.

Uterine cancer statistics are sometimes debated. The 80% study was done a while back and focused on a single colony of rabbits and some people think it’s outdated or not accurate for all rabbits just the ones in that specific colony. Some other studies done by other researchers and information released by some vets based on the occurrence of uterine cancer in their patients shows a rate of about 50%. Rabbit breeders are usually pretty vocal about these statistics not being accurate because they don’t see uterine cancer in their own herds. I think this might be in part because one of the early symptoms of uterine cancer is infertility. A lot of breeders don’t keep rabbits around for very long after they stop producing litters. If they do have a rabbit die naturally most that I’ve talked to don’t get a necropsy done so it’s hard to say what the cause of death is in most of those situations. I tend to go with the 50-80% statistic.

Anyway, best of luck finding a companion for your bunny! Bonded rabbits are a lot of fun to watch.

[MrBilboBagginsMammy]

Thanks Anna, I am in Swindon, Wiltshire.

[AnnaW]

Ahh ok. Try out your local Pets at Home for any rescues they might have, and often just googling ‘rabbit rescues in Swindon/Wiltshire’ will throw up some results x

[Elrohwen]

1. A spayed female may be easier, but males can get along too. Generally it’s two females that cause the most problems. It’s really dependent on bunny personality though, so I would try to have them meet before bringing a new bunny home. Rescues are great because you can try out a few different bunnies and see who is the best fit. Getting a baby bunny is the most risky because you can’t bond them until the new bun is fixed, and then they might have totally incompatible personalities, making bonding very difficult. Note that most baby bunnies will get along with all adults, but this changes with maturity.

2. For unfixed bunnies, males are generally friendlier because females can be territorial. Since you’re talking about fixed bunnies, I don’t know that there is much of a difference. Females tend to have bigger personalities, IME. They can be divas. My female is very friendly and bossy in a cute way. She wants people to pay attention to her. My male is quite aloof and content to sit back and watch us. So my personal experience is that my female is more friendly and interactive, but that’s not true for everyone.

3. Females definitely need to be spayed for health reasons. And just a note on MoveDiagonally’s post about cancer stats – my personal feeling about breeder rabbits is that the rate of cancer is significantly diminished for rabbits who are bred and have litters. I suspect this is why breeders claim not to see it as much, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the rate in pet rabbits was much higher. Whatever the true stat, I agree with the others that it’s a high enough risk to make spaying a necessity. And either way, it will also be practically impossible to bond an unspayed female because they can be very territorial.

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