Bonding unneutered male w. neutered female

[Josephine]

First of all; I’m sorry if another threat has already been made about this, but I searched for quite some time and couldn’t find any. 

Secondly I apologize if I break any rules, I certainly don’t intend to but I just joined binkybunny and read the rules 5 minutes ago.

I’ve had my rabbit (unneutered male rabbit Shakespeare) for almost 4 years, and by my estimate he is about 6 years old. 

He’s a house rabbit, and lives in a shelving unit that I designed for him. He loves it, and also has access to the rest of the house, though he prefers to be in my room. He shares the house with a cat, and they are super well off.

He’s incredibly calm and patient. Never have I ever felt like he was aggresive or would bite. He is wonderful and I love him.

Now here’s my dilemma: I’ve read a lot about how rabbits are social creatures, and they need to be in pairs of two or more. In august I’m also starting school again, and so he will be alone for a majority of the day. Therefore I want to get Shakespeare a buddy.

What I’ve come to understand is that male/female pairs is best. Since Shakespeare is not neutered, I was wondering if it would be enough if only the female was neutered? Could I bond Shakespeare with a neutered female? Should I?

Would it be better for him to be neutered as well? I’m worrying a bit about that cause I’ve read that some rabbits completely change personality post-neutering, and I really don’t want him to change. Never have I ever met a rabbit that is so easy to handle. He’s super healthy and uses a litter box for all his business. Plus he is kind of old, and I also worry that if he was to go through the procedure, that the anesthesia could kill him, or harm him. 

I honestly just want the best for my bunny, and I am trying my hardest to improve every day.

Lastly I apologize for any grammatical errors – english is not my first language. 

Thank you for reading.

[Mikey]

It would be best if you dont get him a friend, honestly. If he cant be neutered, he shouldnt try to be bonded to another rabbit. Even if hes not hormonal now, he would likely act hormonally when put with another bunny, be they fixed or not. Even if the new rabbit is fixed, they can small and react to your current buns hormones and in turn act hormonally. Hes been very happy for 4+ years. Likely he would prefer to stay your single bun

[Josephine]

Okay, thank you very much.

[sarahthegemini]

I don’t  believe that a bun’s personality would change completely after a neuter. You could always have tests done prior to a neuter to check he’s healthy enough for surgery. 

Personally, I’d get him a friend. Just because he’s been happy so far doesn’t mean he won’t be happier with a buddy especially as you won’t be able to spend as much time with him.

[tobyluv]

Unless your rabbit can be neutered, you can’t bring another rabbit into the house to bond with him, even if that rabbit is spayed or neutered. Six years old is older than normal for neuter surgery, but if a vet has run blood tests to check for organ function and given him a good checkup and is confident that he is okay for surgery, you could consider it. You do need to know that while most rabbits love having another rabbit companion, there are some rabbits who prefer to be the sole rabbit in the house, and will never get along with another rabbit. That is rare, but it happens. In that case, you would have to permanently house them separately, and let them out separately for play and exercise. Not everyone has room to do that, or the desire to have two rabbit areas to maintain and two schedules to follow.

Most rabbits sleep for a good bit of the day, so if you are able to be with him in the early mornings and late afternoons and evenings, your rabbit may be fine with that.

It’s impossible to know how your rabbit would react to another rabbit. He may absolutely fall in love and be very happy with another rabbit, or another rabbit could bring upset to the house. In any case, you definitely would need to have him neutered first, and allow a month or so for the hormones to die down before getting another rabbit. You will have to go through proper bonding procedures if you do get another rabbit. There is a good article about bonding here, under the BUNNY INFO tab at the top of the page, and here is another good article. http://rabbit.org/faq-bonding-multiple-rabbits/. Plus, you can always ask questions and get help here in the forums.

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