How to KNOW if a bond is possible?

[MoxieMeadows]

I’ve been toying with the idea of giving Moxie a husbun for a while now…But I don’t know if she’d like one. Are there any signs that point to her wanting a friend or having one work out? She’s outgoing, semi pushy, but loving. She loves to eat and doesn’t play with toys much. She lounges around a lot, and does the occasional binky/zoom. I can just imagine two bunnies who love each other binkying around and eating giant salads to their hearts content.  There’s one bun in particular who has caught my eye..

BUT, here are where I think might be an issue: She’s gonna be 3 years old and hasn’t been around another bun since she was 8 weeks old. She’s used to having everything to herself and everything her way. Also, the humane society I’d be adopting from doesn’t do bunny dates for them to meet and see if there’s one she connects to (plus theres so many dogs there and people I wouldn’t want to bring Moxie to that scary place anyway).

ALSO, would I need to quarantine the new bun if the shelter says he’s healthy?

Any new bun would be fixed long enough so they should be emotionally stable and not unpredictable.

So pretty much… Is there anyway to know if a bond will work out? The humane society only gives you 7 days to see if it will work out. After that you’d need to surrender it if things didn’t work out and you’d be unable to adopt from them for a long time. So you can see my concerns…Any advice about anything would be appreciated.

[Vienna Blue in France]

Sounds a bit rough Moxie – not being able to bunny date….. anyone who knows bunnies knows that it could take longer for 2 to bond…. and then not being able to adopt again from them…? Is there no other option…..? It may be just to put off those unsavoury characters who are not BB family like us…?

[MoxieMeadows]

Well all our local shelters never have bunnies. This humane society is a couple hours away. I figure I wouldn’t even start bonding for a week because I’d want the new bun to settle in. So other than a breeder…This is the only option. But when you adopt from a breeder you have to wait, get them fixed, wait for them to heal and then bond. When adopting an adult rabbit who’s already been fixed and needs a home sounds good to me. I can understand though why they wouldn’t want to adopt out any of their animals if you recently surrendered one, but I feel like they should understand if it JUST doesn’t work out! But sadly, yeah, unless they make an exception because they know you’d make a great home but it was best because they hated each other.

[Paradigm]

While anecdotes aren’t data, I bonded George, Charlie and Albus without bunny dating. George and Charlie hit off straight away, but Charlie and Albus really looked like it wasn’t going to work as Charlie kept attacking Albus.

It might sound callous, but worst case scenario is you have to return the bunny to the shelter – putting it into the same position it would have been in before. (Although, I have to admit when we thought we were going to have to surrender Albus it was a very emotional time.)

If you’ve only got 7 days to bond it might be worth doing multiple long sessions a day and marathon bonding. You might at least have an idea whether it’s feasible/if there’s been improvement by the end. 

I would only really attempt that if you can clear your schedule for that week as it’s both labour intensive and emotionally draining. While I was doing it, it seemed like the worst decision I’ve ever made… but it had a nice ending and now the truly awful feelings have mostly faded, lol.

[tobyluv]

I never did any bunny dating at the shelters with any of the pairs I put together. And I always wonder if a rabbit is going to be its true self when taken away from home and taken to a shelter or rescue to meet other rabbits. I’m sure that bunny dating has worked in some situations, but I don’t think that’s an absolute true test, since a rabbit’s demeanor in a shelter may differ greatly than what it will be when the rabbit is home.

Regarding Moxie not having been around another rabbit for 3 years, I once had a rabbit that was around 10 years old, that we adopted when he was 2 years old. He was the sole rabbit in his former home. We found a cast out bunny on the street and brought her into our house to live. Although our rabbit hadn’t been around another rabbit for 10 years, he took to this rabbit right away (after we got her spayed and addressed her health conditions).

I don’t think that you would need to quarantine the new bunny if the shelter deems him healthy and if you also see no signs that could be troubling – itching, sloppy droppings, etc. Although it might be a good idea to take him for a checkup at your regular vet, soon after bringing him home.

Waiting a week for him to settle in and for Moxie to get used to another rabbit in the house, sounds like a good plan.

[MoxieMeadows]

I think what scares me the most is that I have never seen her interaction with another rabbit, so I don’t know if she’d be submissive, dominant or (this might sound crazy) Vicious. I’m scared she’d be aggressive towards another bun.

[Paradigm]

Unfortunately it depend on the bunny-bunny pairing. Charlie and George fell in love straight away. When we introduced Albus he turned into a major bunny and it set off some settling of hierarchies between George and Charlie that they hadn’t gone through when they first bonded.

Similarly, I’ve heard of buns who fought and fought with one bunny and then were indifferent or loved up to the next.

[Love4Bunny]

Posted By MoxieMeadows on 2/10/2016 4:29 PM
I think what scares me the most is that I have never seen her interaction with another rabbit, so I don’t know if she’d be submissive, dominant or (this might sound crazy) Vicious. I’m scared she’d be aggressive towards another bun.

Moxie, one of my experienced rabbit friends told me she didn’t think Thor would get along with another rabbit, because he was so bossy and intimidating. I was in a similar dilemma to you, but I had 30 days to keep the second rabbit, and a very helpful and understanding shelter volunteer on my side. Like everyone else on this thread, I also did not do any in-advance bunny dates because Thor had some run in’s with sick shelter buns that had me so stressed, so I hand-picked Crysta by temperament and age. She defers to Thor a lot, as she is younger, is a tad stubborn, yet teachable (because she keeps distance during food time). Crysta is a smaller, more skittish rabbit, and Thor is the polar opposite: calm, confident and so very vocal about everything – he could bark and I wouldn’t be surprised. Crysta’s sudden spurts of energy unnerve Thor and he gets irritated, but every time I walk into the room, they are always lounging right next to each other like buddies. So, basically, opposites can get along nicely.
I would also check teeth, fur, ears, eyes, etc, because sadly, some of my rabbits and dogs have had health conditions that the shelter omitted or flat out denied, even after other vets confirmed stuff. Don’t just take the shelters word for it. I would do the vet visit before bonding. Some shelters also give you a complimentary voucher for a health check from a rabbit vet.

[rayray]

I can’t give much in the way of advice… but I can tell you my experience. I couldn’t do bunny dates either. Ziggy was also 3yrs old and had been alone since he left his litter. I decided to get a friend because he seemed lonely and who doesn’t like to have a friend. Lily was a year old when I got her. They fell in love INSTANTLY! There was no sessions, no dates. The 1st time I put Lily in front of Ziggy he groomed her. And she was very happy to let him. It’s been a year now and I’ve never seen a fight or even a growl.
I guess the only thing that MIGHT help is getting a bun with a opposite personality. Ziggy is quiet and laid back, whereas Lily (Hurricane Lily) is spunky, energetic, and bold. There’s no fight over who’s the dominate bun.

[Bunny Daddy]

I don’t have much in the way of advice, but do you think you could ask about fostering for the rescue you’re looking to adopt from since they don’t do dates? That way you don’t really have to commit to a rabbit if they’re not looking like they’ll bond with your current bun.

[Beccalionsmom]

thanks for all the wonderful well thought out comments in this thread. I am in the same situation and im so nervous about making a decision best for our bun, bunny dates, and all of this.

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