When you get a pet, you have found your perfect companion. You have someone to cuddle with, play with, and take naps together. After a while, you might notice your pet getting lonely.
That is because no matter how much you love each other, you are not an animal companion. Bunnies, like other animals, love companionship. However, there are many things to consider before bonding bunnies because not all of them will get along. So, can two unneutered male rabbits live together?
Yes, two intact male bunnies can live together under controlled conditions. Often, it is not pleasant as male bunnies are aggressive. You can minimize aggression by taking special care of a few things. It is, however, not advised to keep two unneutered bucks together.
Bunnies are social animals and rejoice in the company of other fellow rabbits. The best pairing is a male-female pairing, neutered or unneutered, depending on your choice. Same-gender bunnies get along better if spayed.
However, intact female bunnies have better behavior with each other than male bunnies. To establish if it is a good idea to keep two unneutered bucks, you need to know the following things.
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Rabbit Bonding – What Is It?
When you introduce two rabbits in hopes of striking a friendship, that is rabbit bonding. Throwing two bunnies in a cage and letting them figure out should not be your plan. There is a proper way of rabbit bonding that ensures the safety of both bunnies.
You have to introduce them to each other gradually. Provide the rabbits with a controlled environment that will reduce the chance of injury. There are a few things to do to make it an easy process for your bunny.
The Proper Introduction Of Two Rabbits
Rabbits have an inbuilt desire to live in partnerships or a community. Even in the wild, bunnies have groups with male authority figures mostly.
If you already have a cute little bunny that lives alone with you, you need to ease in the second bunny. You can do the following for your bunny’s easier transition:
1. Individual Cages At First
Initiate the introduction by placing both rabbits in their separate cages. Put the cages in different rooms or at a great distance. It will give your bunnies a chance to acknowledge each other without feeling threatened. Make sure they can see each other to familiarize themselves with the presence of another.
Both cages should have the same things to make the rabbits comfortable:
- Bedding, newspaper covered with straws
- Hay for your furry friend to enjoy
- Food bowl for treats and greens
- A source of water
- A hiding area like a box or hut
- Litter box, non-toxic and covered in hay
2. Spay Both Bunnies
This point is invalid in your case because you are planning to raise two unneutered bucks together. However, it is still better to get them neutered.
3. Bring The Cages Together
Your bunnies will start feeling easy in each other’s distant presence in a week or two. Once your notice this, it is time for the next step. Place their cages side-by-side, leaving enough space so they cannot hurt each other.
It gives them a chance to acknowledge each other closely and get familiar with each other’s smells. It will reduce their fear of another bunny stealing their territory. During this stage, you will notice your bunnies becoming curious about each other.
You will see your bunnies sniff each other. They will even talk to each through small noises or chirping sounds. There is a high chance your bunnies will show aggression as they are unneutered male bunnies. Do not worry because this aggression has a chance of subsiding with time as they realize there is no threat.
4. Face-to-Face Interaction
After you feel that your bunnies have successfully started to tolerate each other, try a face-to-face interaction. Choose a room that is neutral for both bunnies. Otherwise, if it smells of the other bunny, your bunny will get aggressive and start a fight.
Sit in the middle of the room to supervise. Your bunnies will do many things to explore each other, like mounting. Mounting is not just a sexual act. Bunnies mount another male bunny to exert dominance.
Remove any dangerous stuff from the room and a box for each bunny to hide. Placing veggies and hay will be a promoting factor as bunnies like to exchange treats as a step towards friendship.
For your protection, wear oven mitts and stay fully covered. It will keep you safe from bites or scratches if you have to stop the two bunnies from fighting.
After 10 minutes of sniffing, nose touching, circling, and playful nipping, separate the bunnies for the rest of the day. Repeat this every day, gradually increasing time. In case of the bunnies fight, stop this practice for a few days and try again.
5. Notice Signs of Bonding
Your bunnies will show a change in their body language once they have created a bond. If your bunnies groom themselves, eat, or lay in the presence of the other bunny, congratulations!
You have successfully eased your rabbits into becoming best buds. It will not happen at once and might not happen for unneutered bucks altogether.
Even though rabbits are social animals, unneutered male bunnies being roommates is not a good idea. Here is why.
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Reasons Why Unneutered Male Bunnies Cannot Be Happy Together
Spayed dogs and neutered bucks can live together happily ever after. It becomes challenging when they are still intact, especially the male rabbits. Several things will come between you and your wish of your furry bucks being friendly.
Hormones
If you got two baby bucks, they can be best friends in a short while. That is because they have not matured sexually. Once these little guys are between 3-6 months old, you will start seeing aggression.
Rabbits reach complete sexual maturity at the age of 6 months. Both your bunnies will take each other as competitions after this time. They will fight, bite and hurt each other. The best solution is to neuter them while they are babies. So their bond does not get affected.
Marking Through Urine
Rabbits are possessive about their territories. They like to be their tenants and landlords. If your bunny feels threatened about its space and belongings, it will spray urine to mark its things.
In the presence of another unneutered bunny, both bunnies will spray the cage, your furniture, their toys, each other, and you.
Bunny’s pee contains a large amount of ammonia, making it smelly. Keeping two intact male bunnies will have your home always smell pungent.
Mounting
Your unneutered bunnies will constantly mount each other for dominance and unreleased heat. Unless one has a submissive personality, expect constant fights, injuries, and vet visits.
Fighting
Pent-up male bunnies constantly fight. These cute little things look cuddly and soft, but when it comes to territorial dominance, they are vicious.
Bunnies have sharp claws that can injure their fellow rabbit. Furthermore, the rabbit’s hind legs are strong enough to break another bunny’s spine. Keeping them together will be fatal for both.
Stress
Rabbits are highly emotional creatures. Feeling constantly threatened in their home would create a permanent stressful situation for them. Unneutered male rabbits can never make peace with the presence of another.
This stress will deteriorate their mental and physical health. Your bunnies can refuse to eat and always be panicking and fighting. This amount of panic, anxiety, and stress can be fatal for your little friends.
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Final Word
Keeping two unneutered rabbits together is a bad idea. It does not matter if they are male or female or from the same litter. After reaching sexual maturity, they will always attack each other.
It rarely happens that an unneutered animal accepts the same gender in its hatch. If you want to keep two male rabbits, always neuter them. In case you do not wish to neuter your animal, get a male-female pair so they can mate.
You can also get a single rabbit. Yes, they can get depressed, but there is a high chance they will live happily if you give them your full attention.
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