Having two bonded rabbits can provide them with years of joy and fun. First, you'll want to make sure that both rabbits are spayed/ neutered prior to bonding as it will make the process easier. While female – male bonding tends to be easier, you can certainly bond two females or two males together.
For two de-sexed rabbits, it can take anything from a couple of days to a few weeks - it all depends on the rabbits' personalities. If either rabbit is displaying aggressive behaviour such as growling and biting, wait a while longer before trying the introduction.
While some intact male rabbits can live together peacefully, it is more likely for aggressive behaviour to develop between intact male rabbits than neutered male rabbits. This can cause 'uncoupling' where previously bonded rabbits start to bully or fight with each other as they reach sexual maturity (3-6months).
The whole bonding process can take as little as one day or up to several months – it all depends on your rabbits. Usually, it's a few weeks before your bunnies will be living happily together but it is well worth the wait.
A rabbit may fight to show dominance. Biting and nipping are also mating behaviour. Paradoxically, rabbits may even fight as part of their bonding process. Bonded rabbits can fight, too.
Male/female bonding is usually the easiest to achieve, and in this case, being fixed is a must. Even if your rabbit is generally gentle and calm, when a new bunny enters the scene, you may see some very aggressive behavior.
3 - 6 months old: Adolescence
Male rabbits will often spray urine as a sign of courtship, circle your feet and mount them. Female rabbits tend to become very territorial over their personal space and may growl or lunge at you.
In the wild, rabbits will often live in extremely large groups, with parents and babies all in the same structure. Whilst most owners house a pair of rabbits, keeping three or four are also popular options.
If your rabbits are mounting each other a lot, instigating fights, stop them, place them side by side. Pet them together and talk to them quietly. Do not let much chasing ensue. If they are persistently aggressive, separate them to prevent injuries.
If your rabbits are having trouble getting along, pet them together for 10-15 minutes at a time. It's also a good idea to end each bonding session with 5-10 minutes of head scratches and petting side-by-side to make sure you end on a positive note.
If fighting is serious, the bunnies should be separated when unsupervised. Once they seem to be getting along, they can be re-introduced into familiar territory. Often they start to fight again in their own space, so be ready with the water, and don't give up.
Rabbits are a social species and have evolved to live in groups. In the wild, rabbits do not live alone. Rabbits kept as companions are not biologically different from their wild counterparts and so their innate need to be kept in the company of other rabbits is just as strong.
SEPARATING THE FATHER Most male rabbits are gentle with their offspring. The main reason to separate off the male is that the female can become pregnant again WITHIN HOURS of kindling! He should be housed where he can still see and contact her as separation is stressful.
In the wild, rabbits live in big groups and they enjoy being with friends who will play with them, groom them, understand them and look out for them. So if these sociable animals are kept on their own, they may become bored, depressed, and very lonely.
Your neutered male rabbit will live longer as well, given that he won't be tempted to fight with other animals (rabbits, cats, etc.)
Male aggression is decreased, so the incidence of fight wounds is decreased. Scent marking by spraying urine and depositing feces is decreased. There is a good chance that aggression towards the owner will decrease appreciably following neutering.
Unfixed male rabbits may get very aggressive with each other -- constantly fighting for dominance. Also remember that sibling rabbits usually work much better than those that are completely unrelated.
Like many other animals, rabbits often nip and play fight as part of their bonding. Nipping is also linked to mating. Even a neutered male may nip and mount another rabbit – male or female. This is an act of dominance, not lust.
Bonding sessions may only last about 10-15 minutes at first. That is okay. Don't stress about it; you can slowly increase the time until they can spend hours together.
There will be more mounting and chasing but as long as there is no fighting this should settle down in a few weeks. If serious fighting breaks out they'll need to be separated, given time to calm down and then carefully reintroduced once their hormones have settled down. This may take several weeks.
Keeping rabbits together
Rabbits can live happily together as: a neutered male and a neutered female – often the most successful combination. two litter brothers or two litter sisters – although there is no risk of pregnancy, it's important to still neuter as hormones will cause them to fight as they get older.
The first thought in a rabbit's mind when encountering another rabbit is "are you superior or inferior to me?" Classic signs of dominance are mounting (this can be done by either a male or female), chasing, circling and, if the other rabbit doesn't submit, nipping and fur pulling.
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.