Adding a rabbit to a pair - Some questions

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

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 2sd replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 7 months ago by Sarita.

Viewing 2 reply threads

Author

Messages
- 04/24/2011 at 8:08 PM
  FluffyBunny
  Participant
  1263 posts
  So…to make a long story short, there’s a bunny at the Colorado HRS who I’ve entirely fallen in love with.
  
  It’s certainly not a done deal yet, but there’s a possibility that I might be able to adopt her in the next several months, if she doesn’t get adopted by then (which wouldn’t be a surprise; since she’s very cage-aggressive, she’s been at the shelter for about a year).
  
  I’m a bit worried about the implications of adding a third to my (male and female, both fixed) bonded pair. My male bunny, Mr. Bunny, is quite territorial and attacks my other rabbit, Ms. Rabbit, any time he smells a bunny who he doesn’t like. That always spooks her very badly, causing her to be afraid of Mr. Bunny for a few days – which significantly weakens their bond temporarily. I’m concerned that if I add a third rabbit to my pair, it might permanently weaken my pair’s bond.
  
  However, if theyr’e in a semi-neutral or neutral space, the “foreign bunny smell” doesn’t bother either rabbit. So, I’m not quite sure what to think about that.
  
  Does anyone here have any experience adding a female rabbit to a male/female bonded pair? If so, was the bonding process overall easy or hard? Do all three rabbits still have a close bond with each other?
  
  Thanks in advance!
- 04/25/2011 at 3:26 AM
  Beka27
  Participant
  16016 posts
  If their bond is so easily weakened, I do not recommend you adopt a third rabbit. Even the strongest pairs can get broken up over the presence of a strange bunny. It’s not worth it unless you are able to keep the third bunny entirely separate in a different area of the house, different exercise space, etc… If you can do that with no expectation of making a trio, then I would consider it. Don’t adopt a third on the condition that they all bond.
- 04/25/2011 at 5:56 AM
  Sarita
  Participant
  18851 posts
  I agree with Beka. For me, I wouldn’t want to risk my 2 rabbits weak bond – it wouldn’t be fair to them and I would not want to endanger the weaker rabbit who gets beat up.
Author

Messages

Viewing 2 reply threads

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.