Can Rabbits get along as adults?

floodthelast · #1 07/09/12, 10:03 PM

I'm planning on buying two rabbits at the end of the month from the fair. We are building a hutch. I wanted to know if rabbits can live together. The hutch is going to be built so they live side by side but can be together if they do get along. We can also keep them apart forever if need be.
I've heard that males and females can't get along together once they grow up but have seen pictures of rabbits together and heard of a few that stay together so I am not sure anymore. Please let me know your experiences.

lonelyfarmgirl · #2 07/09/12, 11:23 PM

Two adult males together is a bad, bad idea. One will always pick upon the other. If you have a LARGE area and lots of places to hide, it could work, maybe.

Does on the other hand, different story. I put adult does together from time to time. Most rabbit colonies have one male and a harem of females. They establish a pecking order. Many times, if the weather here falls into the bitter cold category, I will put two adult does in cages together for warmth. Most of the time, its ok. I know which ones wont tolerate another.

barnyardgal · #3 07/12/12, 05:20 AM

When i first got my rabbits-i had all 3 in the same cage with a divider between each but they could come & go as they pleased,a couple mornings i went out & there was hair everywhere & found out the females was fighting as a friend told me the females get territorial,so they do/can fight for their space,so now they have a permanent divider so no visiting but can see each other & seem happier~

mygoat · #4 07/12/12, 05:16 PM

I wouldn't house females together in a cage. I would house them together in a colony - but that's usually much larger and has more space for the less dominant ones to get away from the dominant ones. More places to nest if breeding, and preferably more than one food bowl so that the dominant ones don't hog all the feed.

arnie · #5 07/13/12, 06:53 PM

Its best to keep them in seprate cages .they are teritorial and do much better in indivuale cages

mekasmom · #6 07/13/12, 07:36 PM

It is possible to colonize rabbits. I have raised them in colonies at times. The problem comes if you just suddenly put two "strangers" together in a small space. But if they live and grow in a colony they are fine.
So, yes they can and do often live together in colonies. I have had dozens upon dozens of rabbits in a colony with varying ages and both sexes with no problems. But I wouldn't just go out and buy two strange adult rabbits, toss them together in a small space and expect them to be best friends.

akane · #7 07/13/12, 08:15 PM

Depends on space and the rabbits. I've kept small breeds together in 3x6' cages and I've got 8 large breed does breeding together in 12x12' and 3 young large breed does in 6x6'. None raised together and most cage raised. I've also got 3 in cages and just butchered one because they can not get along with anyone else. The one I butchered went on a smaller rabbit killing spree including her own offspring twice when let loose in colony. I thought after she had a few litters it might work out and tried again but suddenly after a few weeks we found 6 dead and her all bloody with 4 being her own offspring. The others just lose weight and don't take care of their kits because they are too stressed by the other does being able to get in their space.

a7736100 · #8 07/15/12, 11:27 PM

I discovered that sometimes the aggressive ones get mellow if there is lots of food.

floodthelast · #9 07/16/12, 11:27 PM

My hutch may be a colony at that. The upper bit will be divided into two sections with a plexi glass divider so they can see each other. They will have separate nesting boxes. I want each side to have a ramp to the bottom play area that will have chicken wire across the bottom and all sides.
Do you think this would be enough space? I'll have to try and figure out pictures of post a link to the latest one of our hutch progress.
We will probably get two different types of rabbit and they will most likely be adults, a male for my son and a female for me.
The plan is to have the male neutered. Thoughts?

floodthelast · #10 07/17/12, 03:31 PM

hmm the image isn't showing up at all.

floodthelast · #11 07/17/12, 03:31 PM

http://www.flickr.com/photos/2890341...ream/lightbox/

arachyd · #12 07/17/12, 08:31 PM

If you don't intend to breed why go to the expense of neutering a buck? Mother-daughter or sister-sister pairs that have grown up together get along better than other combinations.

floodthelast · #13 07/17/12, 08:36 PM

The trouble is that my little boy age five, wants a boy rabbit. I'm willing to keep them separately if need be so he can have what he wants. I just wondered about the sharing and getting along because then the rabbits would be able to share more space and heat.

Dusky Beauty · #14 07/18/12, 12:38 AM

Flood, I don't wish to step on your toes as one parent to another.... but my children are 9, 6 and 2, and when the two older ones were each 5, they didn't exactly qualify as "informed decision makers" and it was pretty easy to convince them that mama knew best (15, probably not so much, but 5, YES!!

)

I bet if you call up a reputable breeder and 'splain the situation and your little boy sees all the cute baby bunnies he's not gonna care if they are boys or girls, they're just gonna be cute fuzzy bunnies and you'd get away with a pair of sisters just fine.
My 9 year old is starting to catch on to the wisdom of choosing hen-ducks when I let her pick a new bird to raise. (She "gets" that too many boys = camp kenmore for someone, and girl ducks give her ducklings to sell.)

floodthelast · #15 07/19/12, 08:59 AM

I don't mind hearing that Dusky, it just doesn't matter that much to me whether I have two girls or not. Also we are getting our bunnies at the fair next week so it will very much depend on what's available. I don't know what kind of bunny he will want when he sees them. Although he has already changed his mind from, "a bunny with floppy ears" to "a normal one" meaning regular ears. He also has no idea what colors he wants and doesn't know the breeds at all. I will see if I can steer him towards a small bunny but we will just have to see once we get there.
I would very much like a Netherland Dwarf for myself. This is the first pet he will have for himself and I am more focused on teaching him to take care of them and be responsible. I do expect to do most of the care myself but the lessons are still there.

AugustRED · #16 07/19/12, 12:58 PM

I've kept/put rabbits together on a number of occasions, the best luck I've had is with does when I introduce them when one or both is under 3-4mos & don't ever plan on separating them for longer than it takes to visit the buck. Bucks will sometimes get along for awhile if they were raised together & not used for breeding but it's generally just a matter of time before they fight. I'll introduce adult does to each other in the colony but never went well when I tried it in a hutch. So basically if you get two young does and raise them together they should be fine with maybe the occasional scuttle...

floodthelast · #17 07/20/12, 08:58 AM

That sounds like good advice August. It might be that we find litter mates available and I can talk him into a girl after all. : )

mygoat · #18 07/20/12, 10:31 AM

Or just don't tell him it's a girl. He probably won't ever know that it's a female. As for names - the rabbit won't care if her name is steve or dave instead of molly or susie.

floodthelast · #19 07/26/12, 08:27 AM

turns out I didn't care for any of the does they had available. We are both getting jr. bucks. So they will be kept apart forever and I don't need to worry about them getting along.
They are both babies and we are picking them up from the fair tonight. I'll be sure to share a link to pics soon. Oh and he picked a Netherland Dwarf so both little boys are the same size.

arnie · #20 07/26/12, 07:50 PM

I,d like to see a wire floor in the hutch to mahe it easyer to keep clean. :-)

floodthelast · #21 07/26/12, 11:40 PM

Well Arnie, there is a reason for the solid flooring. The part beneath the hutch is going to be a play area, it is fenced in but still needs doors. We also covered the floor in linoleum for easier cleaning. We can take out the center particion and hose the whole thing down.