Everyone tells me I need another rabbit to. But my bun seems very happy on his own. My bunny is not free roam all the time but has a big cage he’s in during the night and he’s free roam around my room in the day. We have a very good bond together. My bunny also does binkies when he’s out of his cage. Personally I think if your rabbit is happy on its own then keep it on its own. Sometimes rabbits won’t bond together and it’s stressful on yourself and the rabbits. Everyone says even know a bunny is happy on its own if you get it a friend it will be even more happier. (Not sure if this true). I think it’s up to you whether you get another rabbit or not.

Not sure how 2 rabbits and a golden retriever makes a zoo anymore than one rabbit and a golden retriever 

You’ll get disagreements on whether or not rabbits should have a friend but the fact is rabbits ARE social. Rabbits DO like rabbit companions. There are of course exceptions to this but they are just that – exceptions. 

It seems you’ve already decided you don’t want another rabbit but personally, I think all rabbits should have a bun friend. 

Not all rabbits like other rabbits and not all rabbits enjoy sharing their space, toys, food, litter, ect with other rabbits. Many rabbits much prefer to be solo than with other rabbit friends. It also sounds like he is very much bonded to your dog, which is adorable As long as you give your rabbit the social attention that he needs (and it sounds like you and your pup do) then you dont need to get another rabbit until you want to

Not interacting all the time is part of being bonded My two bonded buns are the best of friends, but they only really spend about 2 hours together, outside of sleeping and meal time. Bombur likes to play with toys while Blue likes to explore. I would say your pup and bun are pretty bonded

I do have one solo bun, but he is solo because he is disabled and needs extra care. If your single bunny is happy, you give them a few hours of attention (hand feeding, grooming, petting, playing, ect) per day, they get atleast 30 hours of exercise per week, ect, then I wouldnt really worry about getting a second bun unless you want one. Alternately, you can go to a bunny shelter and speed date your bun as trial. Getting another bun isnt guaranteed to work out, either, no matter how much prep and research you do.

I had one dog one cat and one bunny and their presence was enough for each other to not be lonely…. dont worry about what other people want.
Its what is right for you and your furry family that matters….

Def don’t let anyone make you feel guilty or pressure you.
Rabbits are social – but it’s not true that they need another rabbit – a owner who has a bond with the bunny and puts the time in is company too.
I’ve had bonded and unbonded and no matter what anyone tells me to push me into having bonded bunnies again I know from my past ones that bonded ones do not mean happier ones. My singles where just as happy. But I put the time in – they were not just outdoor hutch bunnies ( as no bunny should be in my opinion ) as they need companionship with their owners.

I currently have two singles who hate each other.
If you choose to get another don’t do it on the pressure of others making you feel guilty. It’s not as simple as get another and all is dandy most of the time. They need seperated till desexed -healing time of at least 4 weeks probably longer – pre bonding – then bunny dates – before looking at being together. And even then some just don’t bond – then you could have two singles – then the guilt will start from others of “you need two more bunnies – one to bond with each” .., and the cycle could begin again. If you get two it needs to be because you feel two is right for your situation – you feel your bunny needs it based on your bond / time and bunnys loneliness ect. And you need to be prepared it may not work and you have have two seperate cages to clean , two seperate bunnies taking a split in your current bunny time

Your first post sounds a lovely house. The fact that your bunny can walk on your dog when the dog is laying down is just lovely and your 3-way chemisty sounds perfect.
If you get another bun and you can’t bond them, you’ll have a cage somewhere and all that will change… so if YOU are happy as you are, the animals sound happy. Don’t change that.

If YOU want another bun, then 3 animals under one roof really isn’t a zoo…
You’ll just live in their house rather than the other way around… hahaha.

Of course things will change. For the better or the worse is up to your bun and new member. If you get a new bun and they dont get along with your current bun, you would need to work around schedules (which bun gets free roam time first, for example). You also have to hope that the new bun likes your dog, and that your dog likes the new bun. If your current bun and new bun bond successfully, theres a chance your current interactions with your bun will change (like, your bun might prefer playing with the new bun and the dog, over spending time with you for example). Theres also a chance interactions wont change as much with your bun if your bun prefers to stay pretty independent.

Ditto Mikey. Not saying it would be worse, or better. Noone can tell you that now.
But things will change.
You may have to adapt.
Or things will be twice as good…
Its a roll of the dice.
Are you willing to risk your current bliss….?

Sorry, didn’t want to leave it there…..

I meant to say are you willing to risk your current bliss? Or work really hard to make it work?

Example, extra dog training – bunny bonding – maybe putting them in a bunny boarding camp like I did – keeping bunnies apart if all else fails.

I truly believe if you want it to work, it will…. but you may have to go to extremes to do so.

You have to ask yourself, do you want to ?

I have had bonded pairs, I have had singles. I had a pair that would not bond. (Tried everything for 8 months, I wanted it to work, they didn’t and it ended up just causing too much stress on them). They were content to be separate. There are positive aspects in all cases.

I had a bunny, Jack, the one in my avatar, who I could tell was really lonely. He wouldn’t play as much and he would sit by his reflection (closet mirror). He wasn’t just a bored bunny, he was one who seemed to be searching and wanting a friend. I called the shelter to find out his back story, and animal care and control had separated him from his mate. (sad). So he had been used to having a friend. So we took him bunny dating at SaveABunny. But bonding wasn’t easy, as he was a little too enthusiastic. But it finally worked out and he was much happier. But it took patience and time back at home too.  And Jack did not ignore me. He was just as affectionate and fun. 

My current bunny is “single”. She was actually at a couple of rabbit rescues over a five year period. (She was a bit territorial that scared many adopters away). The last rescue she was in, they do try to bond long-term bunnies that are harder to adopt out, so they have a pal, and yet Aria was still single, and I wasn’t encouraged to try and bond her with another right away. So I took her home and she was just… happy and content. Happy to have control over her own space. Loved to play give/get snuggles. Now years later, almost every single day, she does binkies and zooms in her bunny room. I know she is content. I won’t disrupt that.

There are many bunnies out there that need homes and it really is wonderful if one of them has found a loving human in a forever home. They are social, for sure, as they live in groups, and do need interaction. I think as long as you give attention and love, can provide enough play and exercise time out, then all is fine.  And it sounds like your bunny has all of that!

Don’t get a bunny out of guilt. Sounds like your bunny is happy.   So just continue to do what you are doing, and if you feel like you can and want to possibly find a “friend” to bond with later, then great. If not, your bunny has a loving safe forever home with you and that’s a lucky thing to have these days. So many bunnies sitting in shelters right now would be fortunate to have that.

When we got Blue, he latched onto me pretty quickly. He became my shadow following me around everywhere and really looked up to me, especially when he was nervous. A few months after, we got Bombur and decided to bond them together. As they started to cement their bond, Blue started to follow me less and less often and would start spending that time with Bombur. It was a little sad at first, but once the “newness” wore off and they each got into their own groove as a bonded pair, Blue started becoming my little shadow again. He still doesnt follow me as much as he used to when we first got him about 2 years go, but he does still follow me and he shows his affections in other ways now instead Our relationship changed, but it is still just as great

As for how to tell if a bun is independent, I would guage it off of how much attention your bun tries to push from you

Interactions with you are going to change if you get a new rabbit, theres no way around that. But sometimes its a small change, and sometimes the change is ‘equal but different’. As for what he would prefer in a new friend, you wont know until you try. I recommend if you plan to get another friend for him when you move out, you visit shelters that let you test. If you want another dog, go to a dog shelter and ask to meet dogs that are good with small animals, have no hunt drive, and are relatively calm. If you find a dog you like, ask the shelter to put the dog on hold, and bring your bun to meet the dog. Your bun will decide if the dog is worth getting or not. Reminder that this can be a stressful event since shelters can be loud. If you decide you want a bunny friend for him, itll be a similar process. Take your bun to a bunny shelter and ask to meet with a few rabbits one at a time. He will decide if he wants to bring any of them home or not

Posted By senatcha93 on 6/18/2017 3:15 PM

Thanks! Appreciate your answer. Did you feel like you relationship with Jack changed after you got him a friend? BTW what breed is he? He looks so fluffy and cute!
Yep, I definitely feel guilty…Trying to do the best I can but I am always afraid I am not meeting his needs…
How do I know if he is independent? How do I know if he wants a friend?

Sorry for my delay in replying. 

Jack didn’t change that I recall- he always liked getting attention and that didn’t stop. If anything, he got more pushy to be pet. If I gave my other bunny, his bonded friend, attention, he’d come running over to say, no pet me!   He’d even try and push the other bunny out of the way, by nipping or shoving his head of the other bunny with his head.   I know that may be unusual.  But in all the cases where I have had multiples, I just have more bunnies to pet and so even if they cuddle with each other, I can cuddle on the floor with them too.  Not a third wheel, just another big goofy bunny in their eyes.  I was invited into their bond no problem. 

I think when you are deciding on getting another bunny, you have to be careful not to project how you would feel if you were a bunny.  We can easily anthropomorphize.   

From the what you describe, it sounds like your bunny is happy.   So sometimes if you see a bunny just sitting or lounging around by himself, you may assume he’s bored and lonely. I am not sure if that is what is happening, but bunnies do a lot of  “listening”. That is an activity for them.   As prey animals they know the normal sounds and they listen for new ones.    Of course they need exercise and enrichment and it sounds like he has plenty of room.  If you want to add something new, get a box and cut a couple of entry holes, hide some treats, and he’ll get up and explore. But they don’t have to be moving all the time to be happy. 

You seem to still have concerns though.  What in HIS behavior makes you concerned?  And try to see if you can tell the difference between his behavior and what you are reading into it.