We Might Have Found A Playmate for Heffie, But Need Advice

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This topic has 6sd replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 8 months ago by Roxygirl.

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- 03/06/2011 at 8:55 PM
  Roxygirl
  Participant
  69 posts
  Hey Everyone,
  
  My husband and I were in Petco today looking for bunny toys for Heffie when we spotted an ADORABLE Holland Lop female up for adoption with the Hawaii Humane Society. (so sad, someone released her and she was found by the side of the road!) They let us hold her and she didn’t struggle or anything and there was a puppy class going on right beside the cage they had her in. We love her and we’d like to see if she and Heffie might get along together. The store employee said that they would allow us to bring Heffie to the store and put them in a neutral pen together for a little bit to see if they get along (or at least ignore eachother) before we bring her home to see that she and Hef would be a good match. I just have a few questions:
  
  1.) Is it a bad idea to try to introduce them for a few minutes first to see if they might get along when they are slightly stressed? I know that I’ve read that you should try to let the bun choose its mate, but I don’t want to put either bun in a bad situation.
  
  2.) She was treated for mites with ivermectin on 2/20. Do I need to be concerned about Heffie contracting mites from her?
  
  3.) I also noticed that she had some very minor crusties around her eyes. I know that can be a sign of infection and I don’t want Heffie to get sick. Should we just bring the new bunny home and keep them separated for awhile and take her to the vet for a full check-up and not let them meet first to avoid getting anyone sick? I’m happy to do that, I’d just feel really bad if they didn’t like eachother and we had to find her a new home.
  
  4.) Heffie is a mini Lop at 3.5 pounds and she is a full sized Lop. Has anyone ever had any trouble with different sizes? Hef was neutered roughly 3 weeks ago and she has been spayed around the same time, perhaps a few days after Hef. I don’t want them to interact very much at all until they’ve had a good month to heal but I’d really like to know that bringing the Lop home won’t turn out to be a mistake.
  
  5.) She was brought in with a Lionshead that has already been adopted and they said that the two had been together before but they separated them because the Lop was bossy with the Lionshead. I don’t know if its because they hadn’t been bonded properly or not, but since I’m new to Bun Bonding, I want to have all the information I can before we start the process.
  
  Any and all advice and/or experiences is greatly appreciated. We would love be able to provide a home for an abandoned bunny.
- 03/07/2011 at 3:21 AM
  Beka27
  Participant
  16016 posts
  These are all very good questions! The unfortunate thing with bunny bonding: there are no guarantees. Even rabbits who’ve been allowed to “choose their own mate” can then turn around and say, “Nope, I was wrong. Don’t like him/her!” That being said, it’s usually best to allow them the opportunity in neutral space. And you still realize that with time and patience, they can bond eventually. Size and breed don’t matter with bunnies.
  
  “Getting a second bunny” people seem to fall into two camps:
  1. “I want a friend FOR MY RABBIT. We will meet dozens of bunnies until my bunny chooses who he/she wants. I may not LIKE the choice, but I will respect it.”
  2. “I want a new bunny! I fell in love with this beautiful (fill-in-the-blank) rabbit, and I can’t imagine MY LIFE without him/her. I’m hoping the two buns will bond, but if not, that’s okay b/c I really, really, REALLY want this bunny!!!”
  
  There’s no right or wrong answer. Many people have rabbits that live separately, but it’s all about what your expectations are and how far you are willing to go. Let’s say the meeting at the pet store doesn’t go well. Will you be able to walk away and not adopt the rabbit? Or are you so invested at this point that you would get the bun anyways, even if this meant months of bonding sessions or possible separate living quarters forever?
  
  If you want the rabbit regardless, I would skip the intros and adopt/quarantine/vet check the new bunny ASAP, BEFORE meeting your bunny. The mites may be gone, or they may not, so that’s a risk you are taking. The eye crusties are likely something simple that can be addressed with some antibiotics.
- 03/07/2011 at 6:21 AM
  Deleted User
  Participant
  22064 posts
  Try to decide if you are ready for a second rabbit. Two rabbits together are a very nice thing, because you know they have each other for company. It is not really a good idea, IMO, to introduce them preliminary because of the mites, and also because once you bring the new rabbit home you would see different dynamics anyways, when your rabbit will be confronted with the other rabbit invading his turf.
- 03/08/2011 at 9:09 AM
  Roxygirl
  Participant
  69 posts
  Thank you Beka27 and Petzy!
  
  We do want to get a friend, partially because we both work during the day and I would feel better knowing Heffie had a companion while we’re gone. We got him from a former neighbor who breeds them and had too many and he was in with his sisters (He was. Late bloomer we think. Our neighbor’s pretty experienced with rabbits and sexed him as a girl! He’s been an only bunny since we’ve had him and he’s kind of independent so I don’t think he’d be fighting for our attention. We’d like to give this sweet female Lop a good home where she won’t be confined to a cage for the rest of her life.
  
  Also, they don’t know how old she is, would a vet be able to tell us?
- 03/08/2011 at 4:07 PM
  Beka27
  Participant
  16016 posts
  If she’s young (under a year) they might be able to give a rough estimate. If she’s an adult, it’s more difficult. Age doesn’t make a difference as far as bonding (as long as all are altered). Keep us posted, she sounds like a sweet bun!
- 03/12/2011 at 10:22 AM
  daniellef
  Participant
  9 posts
  About 8 months ago I successfully bonded by little boy, Gizmo, with a little girl, so I can understand your concerns. I will say, “testing” the waters by introducing them BEFORE you bring her home is always a good idea. When we were ready to get him a playmate, we took Gizmo to the breeders house to introduce him to a few girls that she had. With the first one, they didn’t fight, but also didn’t seem thrilled to be in each other’s company. The second one, which eventually became our little girl, was a very different meeting. They immediately started sniffing each other and even cleaned one another. Of course when you introduce them you want to be within reach in case any fights break out. After we brought her home, we kept them in seperate pens that were right next to each other so that they could get used to each ohers scent. After a week, we slowly started letting them interact a little more each day. Now, they’re inseperable! I would definitely recommend doing it slowly like I did. It will give them time to get used to each other and it will also give you the chance to take her to the vet to get checked before she can give anything to Heffie.
- 03/12/2011 at 4:17 PM
  Roxygirl
  Participant
  69 posts
  Thanks for your input everyone! My husband and I have talked quite a bit and we would like to adopt this lovely female lop. Unfortunately we will be out of town off and on for the next few weeks so we are working with the Humane Society to see if they can hold her for us until we can both be there to supervise them as they are slowly getting used to eachother’s scent before we introduce them. I will definitely keep you all posted if we are able to adopt this sweet bun!
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