Forum

OUR FORUM IS UP BUT WE ARE STILL IN THE MIDDLE OF UPDATING AND FIXING THINGS.  SOME THINGS WILL LOOK WEIRD AND/OR NOT BE CORRECT. YOUR PATIENCE IS APPRECIATED.  We are not fully ready to answer questions in a timely manner as we are not officially open, but we will do our best. 

You may have received a 2-factor authentication (2FA) email from us on 4/21/2020. That was from us, but was premature as the login was not working at that time. 

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately! Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

What are we about?  Please read about our Forum Culture and check out the Rules

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately!  Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES 

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum BONDING A bit of advice?

Viewing 15 reply threads
  • Author
    Messages

    • pendrith
      Participant
      41 posts Send Private Message

         My bunny, Binky is 9 months old now, I’ve had him for 7months. Although he gets quite a lot of attention and gives it back he does spend quite a few hours on his own in the house and i’m worried he might get lonely, or could just do with another bunny to play with.

        I made the mistake of going to the local pet shop (I was getting Binky’s hay) and looking into the rabbit pen. They have new mini lops in. Theres a beautiful brown mini lop female that i’ve picked up a few times. Trouble is I shouldn’t have picked her up, cause now I want her.

        Binky isn’t neutered yet but if i decide on getting the girl bun I will definitely get him done. She is 11 weeks old so they would have to be kept separate until she  is old enough to be spayed as well (A good..6 months apart?). I already have 2 cages and a big enough room to keep them a fair distance from each other and wouldn’t let them out together until they are both neutered/spayed.

        I’m just worried that even when he is neutered and she is older and spayed they may not get on, I know its a risk with any pair of rabbits. I could wait until Binky is older and go to a rabbit rescue to get him a friend I can guarantee he’ll get on with… But would i regret not bringing the little brown bun home?

        This is the bun i’m considering getting, I seem to have a weakness for mini lops. I have to decide if I want her by Thursday morning, if the pet shop don’t hear they’ll put her back for sale.


      • Monkeybun
        Participant
        10479 posts Send Private Message

          Well, goign to a shelter to pick a bun is always an awesome option. But sometimes we can’t help but fall in love

          If you have the space and time to keep them apart til they are both altered, I would say follow your heart Bonding can be tough, but you can bond any bunny with enough patience and time. Just check out Markbun’s adventures with Maryann. I personally bonded my pair of girls without having them choose each other. In fact, I had originally had Monkey pick my boy Moose out from a foster home, but after awhile Moose decided he hated the little black monster who was always humping him. So it really does depend on the bunnies how bonding can go.

          Only you can really decide what option to go for, this pretty little loppy lady, or a shelter bun later on. But go with what your heart tells you, thats always a good option


        • Elrohwen
          Participant
          7318 posts Send Private Message

            Baby buns are extremely cute, but getting a baby is a lot of work and expense for getting them fixed. There are plenty of lops in shelters and rescues that are already fixed, so consider that. She’s cute a docile now, but that doesn’t have any impact on what her final personality is.

            It’s really your decision either way – I’m of the opinion that almost any buns can bond if you put in the time and effort, but it might not be easy.


          • FrankieFlash
            Participant
            1710 posts Send Private Message

              I’m all for rescuing and stuff but the heart wants what the heart wants. I understand falling in love *starts to reminisce*. Anywho, If you’re willing to put in the work it might take to bond them AND have the money for two, do it!


            • BB Administrator
              Keymaster
              392 posts Send Private Message

                POST DELETED

                Reminder going forward.  

                It is fine to encourage adoption, (and the above posts are just fine, but for others going forward,  do not make this into a debate or go on the attack.)

                Encouraging adoption is wonderful, but if our forum is scary to people who have chosen another route, then they will just look elsewhere (or nowhere), to learn how to best care for their rabbit. One of our goals here is to provide a safe resource that helps owners find solutions to challenging issues (whether it be cost, vet, health, behavior)..  And  it’s those “challenges” and “unexpected issues”  that are many times the reason that bunnies are given up.  (That was my experience after years of shelter work and volunteer time). So in this format, we can do our part in preventing abandonment by focusing on the individual’s responsibility to the commitment they make, regardless of where their bunny comes from. 
                 
                Again, this is not to say you can’t encourage adoption.  The above posts have been caring and respectful. That is what BinkyBunny is about. 
                 
                 

                Helloworld!!


              • pendrith
                Participant
                41 posts Send Private Message

                  Oh I’m all for adopting too, in fact that was my plan. But I was silly enough to go and see this little girl like 4 times and hold her. I know that as she gets older she’ll change and I got my first bun at 9 weeks old so I know how much hassle bunnies can be ^^; It took him a good 3-4 weeks to settle properly and now doesn’t like being picked up, whereas before he was fine with it.
                  There are so many pros and cons to way up, getting her or not. I’m stuck.


                • Beka27
                  Participant
                  16016 posts Send Private Message

                    Have you gone to local shelters/rescues and held or interacted with their bunnies? Just like you “fell in love” with her, you can easily fall in love with a shelter bunny… and you’ll have the added benefit of maybe getting a rabbit who is MORE interested in people.


                  • pendrith
                    Participant
                    41 posts Send Private Message

                      Yeah I should probably wait and get a shelter bun to be honest. I just wish I hadn’t got carried away and imagined owning her. Theres also a tiny chance that I might get made redundant in the next few months, and its really is pretty much a zero chance, but if i got her and did, there would be issues.
                      Now when I imagine going to the pet shop and telling them to put her back for sale or imagine someone else buying her i can’t help but get teary.
                      Head says: let her go and wait for a better time
                      Heart says: But i want her


                    • pendrith
                      Participant
                      41 posts Send Private Message

                        Okay, I’ve actually cried over it now >>; Deary me.


                      • Beka27
                        Participant
                        16016 posts Send Private Message

                          When you say “get made redundant”, do you mean you may lose your job or get laid off? If so, I would definitely not get another bun right now. As you know, your responsibility is first and foremost to the bunny you have. One bun is so much more manageable because life changes (like job loss) can throw people into a tail-spin. If you needed to move to a different home, one little bunny is an easier “sell” to a landlord or new roommate than two rabbits. And then there is the cost. In the next few months, that bun will be ready for spay/neutering… and that’s not cheap. And you said that your first bun is not neutered yet, so really you can multiply that cost by two.

                          If things aren’t perfect, don’t do it. You will be sad for awhile. It’s okay to cry and feel like you’ve lost something, because you have. You’ve lost that idyllic future with that rabbit. But you’ll be MORE upset long-term if you brought that bun home, bonded with her, and then ended up not being able to financially care for one or both. Not every rabbit who is surrendered to a shelter is not loved. Often they ARE loved, but the owners got in over their heads and could not care for them properly. Sometimes the hardest decision is walking away, but like I said, if things are unsure right now, it’s better this way.

                          Do you have someone who can call the store on your behalf and ask the rabbit be put back?


                        • pendrith
                          Participant
                          41 posts Send Private Message

                            Well I found out today that there are still 3 years on the contract for the building i work in, so its highly unlikely they’ll get rid of me before then. Plus theres no way i’d be moving. I have enough savings to keep me going until i found another job. My mortgage comes to less than renting any other place would. Renting is extortionate here right now.
                            I’m so torn about what to do and the pet store want to know in 12 hours time. I could go along quite content with 1 bun for now. I love Binky to bits anyway. I just don’t want to regret not buying this pretty little lady.


                          • bunnyfriend
                            Participant
                            2368 posts Send Private Message

                              I adopted Totoro before Wilbur was old enough to be spayed, so I had to keep them separate for two months without ever introducing them. Turned out they bonded in only a matter of a couple days. I saw Totoro on a humane society website and I kept thinking similarly to how you are thinking now, I wanted to adopt him so badly (I just had a good feeling about him and didn’t want to pass him up) but I was worried that they wouldn’t get along and that I should wait. I say if you have the time, money and space for another rabbit go forward with what your heart wants It might not be worth regretting passing her up, I know people say that there always be bunnies, but maybe you were meant to bring this one home 


                            • Elrohwen
                              Participant
                              7318 posts Send Private Message

                                There are always new and wonderful bunnies out there! I know this girl seems special because you’ve spent some time with her, but like Beka said, there are other super special bunnies out there who will be ready when you’re 100% ready to take on another one. It’s totally ok to grieve a bit, but it’s also ok to wait until your situation is perfect.


                              • ravishingRabbit
                                Participant
                                94 posts Send Private Message

                                  Like everyone else as said there are always lots of super special bunnies out there. Ultimately it’s up to you whether or not you want to get this particular one. In my case, when I first saw Abigail I just *knew* she was going to be my next rabbit. Thinking back I’ve always felt that way about the bunnies I’ve had, so I figure maybe other people have had the same type of experience where they’ve just looked at the rabbit and known. So if you have that absolute gut feeling then maybe this bun is the right one for you, otherwise there’s always going to be lots of wonderful rabbits out there waiting for a great home. =)


                                • pendrith
                                  Participant
                                  41 posts Send Private Message

                                    I ended up getting the little bunbun. I woke up on the day and checked to see if i could bun proof my kitchen for her, and it worked. So I went down to the store and got her ^^; Binky has been going crazy because of her scent so I’m getting him neutered next week. She is a little scaredy bun but I’m picking her up 3 times a day to make sure she stays used to it. For the first time I’ve also been able to pick Binky up a few times a day and cuddle him. I nearly cried with glee lol.
                                    I’ll make another thread if I need advice from you guys concerning their bonding (which I probably will) and that won’t be for a while yet anyway!
                                    Oh yes, I called her Winnie


                                  • Jenner
                                    Participant
                                    58 posts Send Private Message

                                      I read this whole thread. LOL Congrats on getting your new bunny! I hope to see more photos of her soon! Winnie is a really cute name.

                                  Viewing 15 reply threads
                                  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.

                                  Forum BONDING A bit of advice?