Oh gosh, too many choices huh? It’s great all the candidates are shelter buns. With Patsy, I’m very tempted to point you to her as it’d be nice for a rabbit of her age to be out of the shelter….however, there are things that come with older rabbits. You should be prepared for health issues and the vet fees. Like all of us, aging has it’s complications.

I’m wondering if you might look at fostering one or two rabbits for the shelter? That way you can experience having house rabbits without the 100% commitment yet.

When Freya came into my life I knew I wanted a bunny and was ready for a long term commitment. What I was not prepared for was the way she would steal my heart. While it serves a dual purpose, both to be a short term commitment for you and great that Patsy would find someone to love her in old age it could lead to very serious heartache in the near future. I’ve lost dogs and cats over the years but I’d be a complete wreck if I lost Freya. If you can handle the heartbreak of losing her, I’d definately be rooting for her. I couldn’t do it and think that people who can take animals into their lives on a short term basis are heroes.

I would avoid getting an older bun unless your able to pay potentially extensive vet bills should anything happen.

If your a first time bunny owner, don’t be daunted! Many of us got our 1st bunny on impulse, knowing nothing but learning a lot along the way. Go for the bunny that you have the strongest bond with. I had my Charlie for about 18 months before I bonded him, and I managed ok with a lot of help from BB and a ton of research, so don’t stress about the binding right now.

I am confused though at why you can’t provide the recommended amount of veggies everyday. Is it a location issue, or a cost issue?

So here are my thoughts, after having a couple of rabbits and working at a shelter.

My first impulse would be to buy Patsy. I feel that older buns deserve a great ‘retirement’ in their golden years. However, if you’re not good with the loss of pets, that may not be a good idea as Patsy may have only a couple of years left. And like others have said, you’ll probably be making some trips to the vet near the end.

My next choice upon reading was the bonded pair. It is often hard to adopt out two bonded rabbits as most people are looking for just one bun. However, caring for 2 rabbits isn’t all that much harder than one – it just requires some more frequency in such things as litter changing – plus costs will be doubled.

Now, after reading your choices, I would go with #3 – Raspberry. Why? Because you seem to feel the most affection towards her. And although most people will love any rabbit they get, getting the one that you really want works best.

This is a difficult decision. Adopting (and picking JUST one or two) is always tough when there are SO MANY that need homes…

I would also encourage you to look into fostering first… after a month (or two or three) when the “newness” wears off, you might decide that the daily bunny upkeep and cost is too much for you… or you might fall head over heels in love, and then you can adopt your foster…

As much as I would love for sweet Patsy to spend her golden years in a loving home, as a first-timer, I worry that the eventual (and possibly SOON!) health decline might be too much for you. You could compromise and look at buns that are seniors (about 5-6 years old) and well-past the teenager stages.

I ditto the fostering suggestion – that is a great idea. That offers some short-term experience and then if you happen to fall in love, well you can adopt! Or even if you don’t make a connection with the foster bunny, you are least getting hands on experience as far as how much care goes into it, and then that can help you decide whether you want to start looking for a bunny you connect better with. A win/win.

Also, I have found, MY experience has been that older bunnies are easier – less chewing, less destruction,liike to sit still longer for snuggles, (Jack who used to only sit still for 10 minutes, now could be pet for an hour straight)….. but many can have more health issues to look out for (not all) but you do have to be at least financially prepared for that.

I wonder if you could foster the older bunny? Older bunnies are harder for shelters to adopt out so they may be happy to have someone foster.

So tough!!!

I completely agree with Markbun-I’d love you to take Patsy but probably not a good idea unless you have the money and time and a good vet for the extra care. And Raspberry sounds like she stole your heart already