Bonding 2 babies from litters 2 weeks apart.

[Trainandtractormommy]

Hello, I am somewhat new to bunnies. Had them as a kid, but haven’t had them for years. We breed horses and I am a large animal vet tech so I am no stranger to animal behaviors. However, the more research I do, the more I learn about how unique bunnies are! I am purchasing my holland lops from a very responsible breeder. Initially I was just going to get one, then I was advised they make better pets if you get two and that they can be more difficult to bond as they get older so I thought well, I might as well get two from the get go. I fell in love with a little buck, then decided on a tiny female from another litter that was born within 2 days from my buck. However, I have my eye on another litter that was born two weeks later and I would REALLY love to make that work (one from each litter) what do you guys suggest I do??? TIA !!!

[Tessie]

Hi Tia, welcome to the forum! 

Firstly, the most important thing I feel I should mention is that you really can’t have two un-neutered bunnies bonded or living together. Bunnies are social animals though, so if you can have two, that’s awesome!  

I assume from your post that they are babies? (CUTE!) There are a few things to consider. 

Babies are unlikely to fight initially, and in that sense will ‘bond’. BUT there is no way of knowing when they will hit puberty, it can happen as young as 2 and a half months old! 

Once they hit puberty, their hormones will go wild and they will most likely fight 

Also, once they hit puberty, they can obviously start having babies (they don’t care if they’re related), which we definitely don’t want! 

Even if you get two of the same sex, it is very common that breeders get the sex wrong (I myself had a lovely baby boy who has turned into a sassy young lady!) and this happens all the time, haha!
Bunnies can’t be truly bonded unless both are neutered, when their adult personalities have developed and they are crazy hormone-free 

So you shouldn’t have two un-neutered bunnies together.
What you could do, is have them live separately and then once they are older and neutered bond them, but in that case you may as well get one and then get another once your one has been neutered.
A good way to go about this would be to take your bun to a shelter and let him/her pick out their friend. If you’re interested you can find more info on this in the bonding section. 
Another option if you want to spare the pain of two separate bunnies and bonding would be to adopt a bonded pair, then all the hard work will be done for you, they’ll be neutered, health-checked, and most likely litter trained. 

In terms of your question about the age gap, there’s no need to worry about this. I have seen 1 year old bunnies bond with 5 year olds, it really makes no difference.
Although a male-female combination is considered easiest, you could also consider two girls or two boys if you wanted. It really is all about personality. 

I think if I were you I’d look into adopting a pair, or if you’re set on having a baby, just get one for now (having two seperate is a PAIN! haha
Hope this helped! 

[Trainandtractormommy]

Thank you so much for your reply! That is so helpful! I think we will most likely just go with the one we loved so much. Then we will get another if need be. I am a stay at home mom so as far as spending plenty of time with him goes, we have no problem accomplishing that.

Thanks again!

[Beka27]

Welcome to BB!

Tessie gave you great advice, couldn’t have said it better myself!

I think your revised plan is good! Start with one and make sure you have all your ducks in a row first… I assume when you had them as a kid, they were housed outside. House bunnies are a newer phenomenon, so there may be a learning curve as you adjust to having one as an indoor companion. It’s easier to make your “mistakes” with one, and then expand when you have a handle on the situation!

If/when you’re ready for #2, you can check out rescues in your area. As a vet tech, I’m sure you have all kinds of contacts. You might decide that you want an entirely different breed from your first. 🙂

[Trainandtractormommy]

Thank you all for taking the time to respond! This is all helpful information !

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