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Lionhead Rabbits - 2's a crowd?!

[Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 134
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in Pets #1
Hi - so my 4 year old daughter asked for a rabbit and after a couple of weeks reading up all about them we took the plunge.

Bought a 2 tier hutch and a 5 foot run which, through a little DIY, i have attached the 2 together so the rabbit has permanent access to the great outdoors.

We went to a local breeder and picked up a 9 week old female lionhead - we had intended to pick up 2 but they only had one female. We are going back in a couple of weeks to pick up a second doe when she's old enough.

Now the question i have is - Will the hutch be big enough for the 2 of them?! It's H103cm x W93cm x D44cm.

Also - as far as lionheads go do they prefer to have company or live by themselves and will the current bunny be a bit miffed to see the new arrival?

Thanks in advance

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    xdowxdow Posts: 2,388
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    #2
    you should be okay if the buns are still young to just put them together, however if it's more than a week between you'll need to bond them on mutual ground to make sure they won;t scrap and injure each other.

    also, an odd sex couple will get on better than a pair of the same - however you'd need to get them done - you may still have to do this with two of the same sex though so neither is perfect.

    a 3ft hutch... i wouldn't say was big enough for two lion heads - they may be small now, but they'll grow and be the same size as, or just larger than a standard cat - to give you a rough idea
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    HogzillaHogzilla Posts: 24,116
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    #3
    Bonding is quite an undertaking. Also the fact they're 2 females - won't make a lot of difference if they don't want to bond, they won't. I understand it's best to bond neutered buns (of whichever sex).

    I tried to bond 2 neutered males last year but the growling was unholy. And the chasing. I gave up! Buns look cute but they literally fight to the death. It's not pretty.

    Here's loads of good advice on bonding. This forum is brilliant and if you have problems, they will help you out fast:

    http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=60

    It's fashionable now for people to think bonding is 'good' but there are individual buns that genuinely prefer to be alone. My mate has a lionhead cross that is a single bunny. And he's very happy!

    RSPCA guidelines for housing buns = a minimum of 6 foot by 2 foot by 2 foot plus large run. But the bigger the bun, the bigger the space and they do like to stand on hind legs. Some hutches are too small for this.
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,324
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    #4
    Apologies for the unhelpful post, I've no advice to offer, but had to google what a lionhead rabbit looks like and had to post how cute they look - awww.

    Good luck with your new bun(s).
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