INTRODUCTION

Rabbits are sociable animals by nature, when they live in the wild they form groups with a complex social structure and develop different social behaviours but, although these relationships provide physical and mental well-being for the rabbits, we must not forget that they are territorial animals and that, in order to give them a companion, we must follow certain indications.

RABBITS: SOCIAL BUT TERRITORIAL ANIMALS

As we have already mentioned, rabbits are social animals which enjoy the company of both human beings and their fellows, but there are certain things which humans cannot provide and for this reason it is beneficial for them to give them a companion of the same species. In spite of this, it is important to bear in mind that we are going to have to have socialisation sessions between them every day, always supervised and little by little (we will talk about this later) to avoid as far as possible fights and the consequences of bad socialisation or a too abrupt introduction. 

Rabbits are not dogs and it is quite common for them to defend their territory from other "strange" rabbits, so patience and doing things well is fundamental. 

I WANT MY RABBIT TO HAVE A COMPANION

You want your rabbit to have a companion, great! I'm sure he'll be very grateful, but there are a few things to bear in mind when it comes to this.

RABBIT OR GUINEA PIG?

Without a doubt we should rule out as much as possible the idea of giving our rabbit a guinea pig companion, for various well-founded reasons:

• They do not have the same nutritional needs
• They do not "speak" the same language
• Their sexual or dominant behaviour is different
• The way they play is different
• The rabbit is much stronger and sometimes more violent than the guinea pig (it can do a lot of damage).
• 80% of rabbits carry the bacterium Bordetella Bronchiseptica, this is harmless for rabbits but can be transmitted to guinea pigs causing respiratory infections, if not treated, our guinea pig could die.

The first doubt that always arises is which animal will be the most suitable to keep our rabbit company? 

- Adult male - Adult male.

- Adult female - Adult female.

- Adult male - Adult female.

- Two gazapos.

- Gazapo - Adult.

COMBINATIONS ACCORDING TO SEX:

The combination most likely to be successful is to bring together rabbits of different sexes (both sterilised) and of a more or less similar age.

In those cases where the intention is to bring together rabbits of the same sex, we must bear in mind that the process can be complicated, it all depends on the personality of the animals we have in our hands, but even if they are castrated we can encounter more problems than when bringing together animals of different sexes.

We will always start with castrated or neutered rabbits as the hormones hinder the process, making it more difficult and accentuating territorial traits. Castration does not mean that they will stop mounting (sexual behaviour is not 100% eliminated, it is only attenuated, as it is mainly mental) but it will soften the bad responses; on the other hand, mounting is also a game of dominance between rabbits to define the hierarchy of the group.

ADULT MALE AND ADULT FEMALE

This is the most recommended combination as it is the least likely to cause problems. It is recommended to have both neutered not only to avoid unwanted litters, but also to avoid stressful or aggressive situations; a female stressed because she is being ridden all day long by the male may react negatively and end up mutilating the male (she may even castrate him), as well as developing stress-related diseases such as mites, intestinal paralysis and E.Cuni.

What if the female is neutered and the male is not? We will have to style the male as well to avoid the above situation; this would also be the case in the opposite situation (neutered male and fertile female) as the female will mount the male in frustration and may end up attacking him as she is not reciprocated.

ADULT MALE AND ADULT MALE

This is not an easy combination as, between males, disputes can become more aggressive than in the other cases. That is why it is very important that both are sterilised and that the recommended time (at least one month, or more if we still notice signs of jealousy, 45 days being recommended) has been respected before starting to put them together.

ADULT FEMALE AND ADULT FEMALE

Neither is an easy combination. Females by nature are more territorial than males, so it is very difficult for them to accept another rabbit of the same sex. The socialisation period between them is usually longer and they need more space to escape from each other in the event of conflict.  

Some breeders keep the fertile females together in large enclosures, but the process is complex and these spaces need to be really large so that they are not overwhelmed by "overcrowding" (too many animals in a small place).

GAZAPO AND GAZAPO

There is usually no problem with this option as they tend to adapt very well. It is important to be careful with the sex of the gazapos because the males can drop their testicles earlier than expected and we can find ourselves with some surprises. For this reason it is recommended to separate them by sex from two months of age or at the latest at 2.5 months. They will be neutered at 5 months and the socialisation process will begin once again.

ADULT AND GAZAPO

With this case we have to be careful above all because an adult rabbit can mortally injure a gazapo and in the case of a fertile adult male and a female gazapo we can find ourselves with early and unwanted litters, something which can kill the female as she does not have the physical maturity necessary to cope with pregnancy and birth. Adults do not usually accept them well because of the character of the rabbits, although there are times when a tolerant adult rabbit can tolerate a rabbits (especially if it is a submissive adult). We must be very careful as the gazapo will not be able to defend itself against the attack of an adult rabbit.

THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD SOCIALISATION BETWEEN RABBITS

When we bring a new rabbit home to join our own, the new member of the family will feel frightened and disorientated as it is in a strange place, with unfamiliar smells, perhaps it has made a long journey or it is an animal which has not been socialised before being acquired; for these reasons it is better to leave it alone for a few days, letting it get used to its new home (we will live a normal life, talking to it, caressing it and doing everything exactly the same as with the other rabbit).

It is always much easier if the male is the first one in the house, as females are very territorial and tend to defend their territory more; we will always opt for a large, neutral space so that they can start to get to know each other, with places to explore, toys or houses where they can hide if necessary. 

THE FIRST PHASE OF SOCIALISATION:

We must put each rabbit in a separate enclosure (large cages of at least one metre or parks), we will place these enclosures together but not next to each other (so that they cannot bite each other) and we will observe how they react to each other. There are rabbits that smell each other and rub against the walls, others that ignore each other and there are some that are aggressive (this can be distinguished by the fact that they will start to bite the bars or kick the floor).

If they sniff or ignore each other this is a good sign as they do not see the other as a complete enemy that they have to defend themselves against. If this is the case, we will leave them like this for a few days and we will change the feeders, drinkers and toys from one enclosure to another, as well as the rabbits (swapping them from one enclosure to another) and we will release them in turn. 

To move on to the next phase, both rabbits should respect each other through the bars, i.e. they should not show aggression when they see the other rabbit, but rather indifference or curiosity. If we see that they lie down next to each other separated by the walls of the enclosures, we can breathe a little easier.

THE SECOND PHASE OF SOCIALISATION:

First, we will bring them together in a neutral zone (a room, corridor, courtyard...) where neither of them have ever been (this is what is considered a "neutral zone", because neither animal has left its scent on it): this place will be big enough so that they can run and escape from each other if necessary but not so big that they get out of sight and ignore each other (which would lengthen the process even more).

Something that usually works is to put out two vegetable dishes or fill the room with small treats to attract their attention, so they are not 100% focused on the other rabbit or they will come to associate the presence of the other rabbit as beneficial (they get treats if they are together).

The rabbits are also guided by smell so we will clean them with baby wipes without alcohol so that the smell they give off is the same, if we do not have a "neutral" area we will clean the room with sanitol or disinfectants without bleach to eliminate all traces of the main rabbit's smell.

Once we bring them together, several things can happen:

• THEY SMELL AND LICK MUTUALLY: A very good sign, if they do not show aggression do not separate them, just observe.

• THEY APPROACH, SMELL AND IGNORE EACH OTHER: Another good sign that indicates that, at first, they have "liked each other". If we have time to be with them all day we will not separate them and watch them from time to time, we will do this every day until we are sure there are no fights (some good signs are that they lick each other, prance around (symptom of joy) or sleep together.

• MOUNTING: If it is the male who mounts the female and she does not get upset it is a good sign but we must be very careful if she becomes aggressive as we can find ourselves in a hairy situation that can end up with the male at the vet. Be careful that the mating does not take place on the head, as the one who is on top can get a bite in the genital area and end up in a very bad situation.

• THEY DIE: If they chase each other and we see a lock of hair flying, we don't need to panic, they are seeing who is in charge and it is better not to intervene at first; if on the other hand we see that they start to bite each other or go around each other hooked to the hair, we must intervene and separate them immediately (carefully, as they can bite us); we will repeat the socialisation process every day until they don't try to fight again, and we can use a spray of water to scold them.
  After each "fight" we will have to check that neither of them is injured.
  If the fights are very violent, we will separate them for three days in separate rooms and go back to phase 1.

THIRD PHASE OF SOCIALISATION:

As soon as the rabbits can be together without fighting for a full 30 minutes together inside the enclosure we can start to relax but we will never take our eye off them, in case we are not going to be at home we will separate them again, as we may risk something going wrong during our absence.

FOURTH PHASE OF SOCIALISATION:

We will increase the time spent together until our rabbits can be together for most of the day; this process can be long and strenuous, lasting between five and seven weeks. 

If the rabbits we have acquired are used to being together, as in the case of breeders who keep them in groups (only the females, the males are always in individual enclosures) or if they come from a shelter which keeps them in pairs or groups, we can skip phases 1 and 2.

THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT DOING A GOOD SOCIALISATION BETWEEN RABBITS

As we have already mentioned, some of the consequences of a bad socialisation between rabbits are fights and aggressions, which can be very strong and put the health or life of the animals at risk. 

On the other hand, another of the consequences is that the owner has to get rid of one of the two rabbits because he does not have the capacity to keep the two separated due to the characteristics of his house.

CONCLUSION

Giving our rabbit a companion of the same species is a good idea and very beneficial for them, but as we have seen we have to take into account the steps to follow and the possible consequences of this.