Rabbits are sociable animals that need company.
They should always be kept in pairs unless you can spend hours daily interacting with your rabbit.
Bunnies are happiest when kept in the company of one or more rabbits.
However, there is no guarantee that two rabbits will bond and get along.
So, Can Two Unneutered Male Rabbits Live Together?
You should never keep two unneutered male rabbits together, even if they are from the same litter. While such a pair can get along, it is very rare and is not worth the risk. Unneutered male rabbits will act aggressive and territorial with each other and fight to injure each other. If you try forcing them to live together and bond, it might result in stress for your rabbits.
Although they have never shown any signs of aggression, putting them together, particularly in the same cage, would be taking a big chance.
They have a high chance of fighting and causing injuries.
Unneutered males often experience sexual frustrations and will be more content if they don’t have to deal with the frustration.
For two male rabbits to get along, they must be neutered as soon as possible.
This will provide a better chance of peaceful coexistence in the short term and long term.
Under What Situations Can You Keep Two Male Rabbits Together?
While bunnies are among the lovable animals, you should take proper care and precautions to ensure you don’t get on their wrong foot.
Keep in mind that they are animals and could become nasty in certain situations.
Several circumstances are suitable for male rabbits to live together with animals, these include;
1. They Must Be Neutered
Neutering your male rabbits makes them calmer and gives them a higher probability of living together peacefully than unneutered rabbits.
You must neuter your male rabbits to keep them together, or there is a high chance they will have an aggressive fight leaving you with a rabbit funeral to preside over.
More so, if you want to keep two male rabbits together, ensure one of them is submissive to avoid their egos clashing at one point.
2. They Are From The Same Litter
Two brother rabbits have a higher possibility of coexisting peacefully compared to two male rabbits from different litters.
Brothers have an established bond from their litter that will prevent them from having an aggressive rivalry.
Compared to other domesticated pets, rabbits tend to be more loyal and value family bonds.
However, even if the rabbits are from the same litter, you should ensure they are neutered to ensure hormones do not damage their relationship.
Even unneutered brothers will fight, inflicting severe injuries or even resulting in death.
How To Bond Two Male Rabbits
Do you want to bond and keep two male rabbits together?
Fortunately, male rabbits are not so volatile compared to other domesticated male pet species.
You just need to follow some steps, and everything will be fine.
1. Prepare Two Separate Cages
Normally, you will have one male rabbit residing in its cage, so you will just need to set up one temporary cage beside the other cage.
After you have the other cage in place, place the other male rabbit into the newly acquired cage.
The cages should be close to each other so that both rabbits can see each other before being put together.
Because bunnies are clean animals, their cages must be well equipped to decrease the probability of becoming agitated and aggressive.
A proper cage should have a clean food bowl for veggies and fruits, a newspaper topped with hay, a clean water dish, and a sheltered hiding area.
It should also have a litter box where your rabbit can poop discreetly.
Ensure the two male rabbits stay close but in separate cages for a while and even give them exercise sections separately.
2. Neuter Both Rabbits
This is one of the essential steps that any serious rabbit owner should take.
As stated earlier, unneutered males can be very aggressive, and neutering them is the only way to avoid getting into fights.
You should neuter the rabbits as soon as possible to suppress the sex hormones responsible for territorial and aggressive behavior.
After neutering, wait for about two months before moving to the next step.
Waiting for two months is important because the longer you wait after neutering, the better for your rabbits, as neutering causes wounds that require healing.
The fact that the two rabbits will probably fight when they are kept together for the first time will be better off when healed fully.
3. Put The Cages Together
While this step might look the simplest, if you don’t take it with absolute precision and finesse, it could render all your earlier work useless.
Their first meeting should be via the bars of the cages. Bring the two cages together side by side and keep a close eye on how both rabbits will react.
Ensure that both can see each other well via the bars as you also ensure the two cages are far enough that the bunnies cannot contact each other physically.
This is an essential step of bonding as their curiosities will be aggravated further. The rabbits can even sleep with their eyes open to keep looking at each other.
The bunnies are likely to vocalize, touch, sniff, and start to be free with others.
When they start getting used to each other, they will start being at ease rather than defensive.
They might even start to lay out trying to talk in secret when you are not looking. Once you notice these signs, it is the best time to move on to the next step.
4. Face To Face Introduction
This is now the delicate step where you must ensure they are supervised well.
You should start by introducing the rabbits to each other in a neutral space that neither has spent time in previously.
This will help avoid any of the rabbits from asserting their territorial traits in the room, which will give them a level ground.
You should then give them a delicious treat for the bunnies to bond as they feast. This is the best way of making a new friend.
After the delicious treat, it is time to put both male rabbits in the same room.
Here, you should be on the lookout and equipped with proper gloves, as they will probably scuffle a little when trying to assert dominance.
If they go through this step peacefully, you should move to the next step. However, if the rabbits keep circling and jawing aggressively at each other, ease them slowly until they become peaceful.
5. Watch Them
Remember, you are bonding two male rabbits, and it’s completely different compared to rabbits of the opposite sex.
Male bunnies are naturally territorial and dominant, so you have to watch them closely.
Until they start lying down, touching each other, you should maintain a close look. The final bonding stage is grooming each other.
When the rabbits start to groom each other, you can now let them be best friends forever.
Conclusion
Keeping two male rabbits together is possible, but you must follow the proper steps and precautions.
Although rabbits are cute pets, they can be dominant and territorial, so if you don’t want them injuring each other, you should properly bond them.
You should never put two unneutered male rabbits together. By following the reviewed bonding steps, your two male rabbits will coexist together peacefully.
Related
(As Responsible Parent) Can You Leave Pet Rabbits Alone for A Weekend?
References
Does anyone have unneutered male rabbits together? – RabbitsOnline
Is it possible to bond two unneutered males? – BinkyBunny
2 unneutered males living together? – Rabbits United Forum