What You Need to Know about Bonding a Pair of Rabbits
Rabbits can find a best friend in another rabbit even if there is a huge difference in age or breed. Bonded pairs don’t need to bemale-female, although that’s often the best and easiest pairingas long as they are both neutered. Your rabbit’s best mate can be the same gender.
It also goes almost without saying that if you put two rabbits of the different sex together, they will mate and have babies unless you arrange for them to be neutered. This requires a visit to the vets. Apart from preventing unwanted pregnancies, it’s also true that unneutered rabbits are prone to aggression between each other and that can certainly come out during the bonding process.
No matter which two rabbits you hope to put together, they both need to be vaccinated. Rabbits of all ages are susceptible to infections, so check with your vet and get them protected with the latest vaccines available.
It’s important to remember that the bonding process isn’t always easy. If you experience difficulties, don’t hesitate to consult a professional. Chat to your vet or a local rabbit shelter as they’ll be able to offer tips specific to your rabbit.
How to Bond a Pair of Rabbits
You can bond almost any two rabbits with each other given enough time. Even though it’s successful in most cases, some rabbits just aren’t meant to be together. The easiest way to bond a pair of rabbits is to adopt them together. However, the best case isn’t always feasible.
There are two ways to bond a pair of rabbits. If you can move both to neutral territory, you might be able to fast track the standard bonding process. All good rabbit rescue centres will be able to give you good practical advice on how best to do this. Once you’ve moved both rabbits to this space, you will need to supervise until you can see that your rabbits are lovey-dovey and nuzzling each other. If you spot any signs of aggression, you may need to break up the party.
Most bonding takes place over a longer time. Usually, this entails
placing rabbits in neighbouring areas with a boundary between them. This
allows rabbits to learn each others’ smells and movements before they
actually meet face to face. This process can take months, but it can be
worth it if you’ve got a particularly difficult rabbit to bond.
Top Tips to Take Away:
- Rabbits hate being alone and really want a friend to spend their time with. When a pair of rabbits is in love, it’s known as being bonded.
- Bonding rabbits isn’t always easy, but nearly every rabbit can be bonded for life. Pairs can be male-female or of the same gender.
- Even if you’re bonding rabbits of the same gender, you need to ensure that they’re both neutered and up to date on their vaccinations.
- Bonding rabbits can happen quickly, especially if you have neutral territory and a few hours to supervise. Or, it can take a few months; it really all depends on your pets.
- If you run into any problems, divide your rabbits and seek advice from a vet or rabbit shelter volunteer.
..
No comments:
Post a Comment