# Keeping two male rabbits?



## Grace_Lily

Hello,

I have been considering getting a rabbit for a while now but have seen two Dutch brothers in the local garden centre that I really like. I've read very mixed things on the internet about keeping two males in the same cage so am now very confused! Does anyone have any real experience of keeping two males together?

They will both be neutered and are living together now aged 12 weeks.

Thanks in advance 

Grace


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## SEVEN_PETS

Firstly, don't buy from pet shops or garden centres. Consider a pair of the 30,000 rabbits in rescue centres, or rabbits from responsible and reputable breeders. 

Secondly, male rabbits can live together, but personally, I would go for two females or a female and a male. two males can get on well, but they can fight when they reach maturity, even if you neuter them.


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## Grace_Lily

SEVEN_PETS said:


> Firstly, don't buy from pet shops or garden centres. Consider a pair of the 30,000 rabbits in rescue centres, or rabbits from responsible and reputable breeders.
> 
> Secondly, male rabbits can live together, but personally, I would go for two females or a female and a male. two males can get on well, but they can fight when they reach maturity, even if you neuter them.


Thanks for the quick response, we have five rescue cats so are familiar with that type of rehoming it's just that on this occasion I've happened to see the two bunnies at the garden centre and have fallen in love with them!


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## trish7bunnies

I have 2 male rabbit brothers that are still happily living together. They are 11 months old. I have also bonded Rosie with them when we found out he was a boy aged around 3 months about 3/4 months ago. All 3 get on well together with no fighting so far


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## Grace_Lily

trish7bunnies said:


> I have 2 male rabbit brothers that are still happily living together. They are 11 months old. I have also bonded Rosie with them when we found out he was a boy aged around 3 months about 3/4 months ago. All 3 get on well together with no fighting so far


Thanks for your reply Trish, are your boys all neutered or intact?


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## SophieCyde

My friend had two lionhead boys together ...... as far as I know they're fine together


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## Guest

I have 2 bucks in one of my trios and they get on great but they are litter mates


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## happysaz133

My friends have 2 males living together, unneutered, and one is 8 months, the other is nearly 2. They get on very well


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## ChatterPuss

I had two brother rabbits and even though we had them neutered they started to fight and we were unable to keep them together. However, I will say that the two brothers were totally different personalities and one was a lot more dominent. I think really it all depends on the personalities of the individual rabbits!


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## trish7bunnies

Grace_Lily said:


> Thanks for your reply Trish, are your boys all neutered or intact?


None of my 3 boys are neutered. It probably depends on the personality of the rabbits . My 3 boys are content and laid back , yet playful and friendly. All rabbits have different personalities


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## Kammie

Grace_Lily said:


> Thanks for the quick response, we have five rescue cats so are familiar with that type of rehoming it's just that on this occasion I've happened to see the two bunnies at the garden centre and have fallen in love with them!


Rabbits bought from pet shops and garden centres are badly bred and will be likely to have lots of teeth problems in the future.

I had a pet shop bunny and he only lived till three, he died under anaesthetic after lots of problems with his teeth. I was paying out £65 a month for him to have his teeth filed regularly as they were so bad, the last time his teeth were done he had a bad infection, which wouldn't go away with any of the antibiotics tried it then spread to his jaw bone and lungs, in his last 24 hours he was on oxygen and unable to breathe on his own. His jaw bone crumbled to dust so he would never have been able to eat again but this was only discovered whilst he was having x-rays under anaesthetic. He never woke up from that anaesthetic as he had become so weak. He was my baby and I loved him dearly but he came from a pet shop where at the time I fell in love with him straight away but didn't know he would have bad teeth, he was 6 months old when the teeth problems started and he'd had to have all his front teeth removed.

This is that bunny, Charlie. Even the vets let him down and couldn't help him.
YouTube - Charlie

I still have his partner Rosie who also has bad teeth and she was rescued from a backyard breeder when she was a year old. Again she had to have her front teeth removed and I pay out vet costs of around £65 ever month to have her gassed and teeth filed, she's now almost 6 and I honestly don't know how much longer she'll cope under anaesthetic as she's taking longer to wake up each time.

Rosie is one of Five rabbits I currently have and all the others are from rescue of some kind, none of them have bad teeth.

If you get these two from the garden centre can you afford the vet costs each month if they have bad teeth? Remember insurance for rabbits doesn't pay out for teeth problems.


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## happysaz133

All my 7 rabbits have been from pet shops and no teeth problems thankfully


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## Grace_Lily

Thanks for all the responses, it's really helpful 

I'm going to go back to the garden centre again tomorrow to have another look at the boys and watch how they get along more closely. From what people have said on here and research I've spent all night doing it seems two males aren't the best match but the fact that these two are brothers and will be neutered seems to make the chance of a successful bond more likely. 

Kammie - I appreciate your advice, and you have my sympathy about the problems you have experienced with your bunny. I know from having bought animals from my local pet shop before that it can be a postive experience to get an animal not from rescue or a breeder, and the rabbits at this garden centre were in far better health than the other two pet shops I went to in the day. With all due respect, I have twelve pets at present and have owned many more over the years; understandably medical care adds up into the thousands. I'm a responsible pet owner and wouldn't be considering taking on these rabbits unless I was absolutely sure I could afford it and any unexpected eventuality.


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## Funky

I have two little English rabbits boys who I have taken from rspca before Christmas. I have bonded them with my girl bunny Kimi. They all seems fine but I have noticed today that Elliot becomes bit bossy.If he push Kimi or Oscar they are going away from him and soon after he goes to them for cuddles. Shall I be worrying? Both boys have been neutered. I have two boys who live upstairs in our house...little Funky and Stuart and unfortunately Funky has bonded with us and doesn't care about anybody else and he has had guts problem after trying to bond him with Stuart. I a, not worry about those two as they are happy as they are.
I am worrying now about my two new boys ...they are brothers. They look like 3 of them love each other...no problem while feeding, they sleep together, they cuddle together, etc. but today I have noticed Elliot being bit bossy and I don't want them to fight. What can I do?


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## Funky

Grace_Lily said:


> Thanks for all the responses, it's really helpful
> 
> I'm going to go back to the garden centre again tomorrow to have another look at the boys and watch how they get along more closely. From what people have said on here and research I've spent all night doing it seems two males aren't the best match but the fact that these two are brothers and will be neutered seems to make the chance of a successful bond more likely.
> 
> Kammie - I appreciate your advice, and you have my sympathy about the problems you have experienced with your bunny. I know from having bought animals from my local pet shop before that it can be a postive experience to get an animal not from rescue or a breeder, and the rabbits at this garden centre were in far better health than the other two pet shops I went to in the day. With all due respect, I have twelve pets at present and have owned many more over the years; understandably medical care adds up into the thousands. I'm a responsible pet owner and wouldn't be considering taking on these rabbits unless I was absolutely sure I could afford it and any unexpected eventuality.


We have 4 bunnies from shop...I am glad We have Funky as I truly believe he would be dead by now if somebody else would get him.
If you go to shop and you fall in love with rabbits you cannot do anything about it. Stuart was very affectionate in the shop and I knew he is mine...if this make sense.
I wish you good luck and would recommend insurancefor piece of mind.
Do you think your cats would like bunnies?saying that we have terrier dog who loves all our rabbits and even live happily with two canaries.


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## Funky

Omg that was so old post...didn't notice.
Anyway please give me any tips on my two boys and my girl.


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## Louiseandfriends

Please do considering neutering your rabbits! It wipes out the possibility of cancer in the reproduction organs, stops hormones making your rabbit grump and increases life expectancy.

I've never kept two rabbit of the same gender...


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## Louiseandfriends

And I'm also completely against pet shops and garden centres, although my hamster is a petshop hamster. Once I realised the reality of this unethical breeding, there was no way that I would ever pay to support this again. :sad:

Why not use Pet Shops?


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## Summersky

We have 2 trios that are male/male/female, one with unrelated males. All neutered and spayed. In the past we had a male/male pair that got on really well (brothers), so it can work - but it is more risky. Depends on personality.

If you get them, do have them neutered as soon aas they are old enough - minimises risks of rampant hormones breaking the bond -once they fight it is much harder to rebond.

Also, do research accommodation size before buying - crucial to rabbit well being.

Good luck.

There are many out there in resues, that desperately need a second chance, but these obviouslyneeda home too, and I understand how you can just fall in love with them.


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## Summersky

Hmmmmmmm.

i'm a bit late with advice methinks :blush2:


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