The best way to set up a pair of rabbits depends on the situation and their age. If you're looking to take on two young rabbits at once, a male and female from the same litter have a good chance of bonding well for life.
Rabbit pairings
Rabbits can live happily in male/female, female/female, male/male pairings and larger mixed groups. However, the most natural and therefore easiest pairing is male/female. In the wild, rabbits tend to live in male/female pairs and will sometimes remain partnered for life.
Prepare a neutral area separate from their enclosures
Have hiding places and toys ready to put in the area, but leave it empty for when you first introduce them. Once the rabbits are comfortable with the sight and smell of each other, they can be introduced for short periods in the neutral area.
Two male rabbits from the same litter have the best chance of getting along. They must be neutered to prevent hormones from damaging their relationship. Never keep two unneutered male rabbits together, even if they're brothers. They will fight to the point of causing injury.
Pet rabbits need at least one bunny bestie to live with but they'll be even happier in larger groups. It's easiest to adopt rabbits that are already bonded - brothers and sisters from the same litter will be really happy to live together, so long as they've been neutered (or you get them done when they're old enough).
While female – male bonding tends to be easier, you can certainly bond two females or two males together. Next, each rabbit will require its own space with their own personal things.
Barring the odd rogue rabbit that likes the lonely life, rabbits generally benefit from the company of other rabbits. They will often be far happier and content with a mate. Rabbits are not that unlike humans, they also get bored, even depressed, and when they do, they often act it out with destructive behaviour.
Once the rabbits have bonded, DO NOT separate them. If one rabbit needs to go to the vet, both need to go. If they're separated and one rabbit comes back with a different smell or change in health, they may reject each other and begin fighting.
Put the rabbits in nearby enclosures, where they can sniff each other through the wire. If your existing rabbit is free range, put the new rabbit in a small separated area so they can get used to each other's scent. You can swap around their litter trays and rub a cloth over each transferring scents.
Keeping two unspayed females together, even if they are sisters, is very likely to result in serious fighting and the risk of injuries. Female rabbits are able to have kits from about 4-6 months of age.
Chasing is a normal behavior to expect during bonding that you should allow to continue. This is not a true fight where the rabbits are getting territorial with each other. However, it can look similar to other behaviors that are aggressive.
It is recommended however, that not more than one mating be performed per day for each male as usually, the second ejaculation often contains much more sperm. It is also important to observe a time delay of one day between two mating acts.
Rabbits just LOVE company!
Most owners house a pair of rabbits, but keeping three or four are also popular options. Be sure that you have enough space to comfortably house all your rabbits, or else you'll have to purchase multiple runs to create enough space.
The average litter size for rabbits is five, though mothers may give birth to as few as one and as many as 12! Since young rabbits grow up quite quickly, “doe” rabbits may have three or four litters in a season.
The very best rabbit pairs are a spayed female and a neutered male as both will become a little less territorial and therefore more likely to bond. Two neutered male rabbits can sometimes be kept together but adults should only be introduced by experienced keepers.
Rabbits enjoy the company of other living beings. In addition to human friends, your rabbit may get along with another rabbit, house cat, guinea pig and well-mannered dog. All introductions should be closely supervised.
Companionship for your rabbit
Rabbits are social species and prefer to live in groups. If you decide to own a rabbit, always have at least 2 rabbits. However, if you don't have the room or time or money to keep two rabbits you will need to become your rabbit's companion.
In general, rabbits will be happier in pairs than when they are single. A second rabbit can prevent depression, and even help to minimize boredom and troublemaking behaviors. However, enough social interaction from humans or other pets is also okay if getting a second rabbit is not possible.
Rabbits can also exhibit distress at separation. As with dogs, symptoms include destructive behaviours such as chewing on slippers and carpets and reverting to unsavoury toilet habits.
Baby rabbits need to stay with their mother until they are about 8 weeks old. Baby rabbits start nibbling on hay and pellets at about 2 weeks old. However, just because they start eating on their own does not mean they can be taken away from their mother.
Young rabbits disperse from the nest at 15-20 days old. By three weeks of age, they are on their own in the wild and no longer require a mother's care.
Rabbits can develop abnormal behaviour and may suffer if you leave them on their own and with nothing to do for long periods, so you should keep your rabbit with at least one other friendly rabbit.
As a general rule, rabbits are bonded once they can spend 48 hours together without any chasing or aggressive behaviors. You also want to see positive signs such as grooming, sharing food, and sleeping next to each other to confirm that your rabbits feel safe around each other.