Yumi and her first husbun never met before I brought her home (circumstances didnt permit it) I took a total gamble, and thank the heavens they were an instant bond!

I think you are right to not bring him-its pointless and stressful if he’s just going to behave like that-especially as he hasnt been well; I wouldnt bring him.
You have the choice to try “temporary” adoptions, where you adopt and if it REALLY doesnt work return the rabbit and try a different one(but by the sounds of it I think this option wont work out at all)

You could take one of Lukes stuffies-let some of the females have a sniff and see if any are STRONGLY opposed and rule them out, and if anybun choses to give it a clean then that might be the bun for Luke!
Also ask about their personalities and if they have interacted with other rabbits before etc. that might give you some insight to how readily they might accept Luke.

In terms of the experienced person to help you assess- the only thing you have to really worry about is instant and crazy aggression (bunny tornado type things)

Tbh I don’t think even an experienced rabbit bonder would be able to say what would be a good match for Luke seeing as he totally changes when in a new environment. I think ‘speed dating’ can be great but not if the rabbit or rabbits behave differently to normal. I would just adopt a bun and do plenty of pre bonding and see how Luke reacts. There’s no guarantees, but then there’s no guarantees after a ‘successful’ speed date either.

I really believe that most bunnies can be bonded. Some just take a bit longer. I would adopt new bun and put her in a separate room. Let her settle and then start swapping items and see if Luke is okay. If so, I’d then move new bun into the same room and continue swapping items. I’d just take things very slow to make sure Luke isn’t afraid.

I bought both of my buns on the internet, which wasn’t ideal for bonding. I took a gamble too, and I believe I lost it. Luckily, a spay (which cost me a hour and a half trip one way and 308$) and seven months later, my bunnies have bonded, though it is probably not the strongest bond. Sometimes they are best bunnies and sometimes my female will hump my male, which can lead to them pouting on different sides of the cage. My point is, getting another rabbit without knowing if they will get along is a totally risk. You can take it, and be left with two single bunnnies, or a happily bonded pair. I took the risk, and am relatively happy I did.

This forum, and others are amazing at helping you look for the good signs and the bad signs when introducing them, but like Sarah I kinda think that most bunnies given time will bond, with patience (oh lord does it take patience!)

Im happy to see that you’re feeling less apprehensive about it!
I remember after Yumi lost her mate she was so so unwell. It was awful
When I brought home Peep she HATED him. Id never seen her so angry at everything. But-it worked! She ate again, she was active again she was so distracted into hating Peep she seemed to forget to be in mourning

(I actually took Yumi to meet Peep, but it was a shelter with dogs and she was so terrified that she just let him do whatever) when we got home she was enraged. lol
It worked out though-after 3-4 months of bonding ) ha!

Please keep us updated with any progress you make !

I agree with Sarah, I think done properly, (eg very slowly) the majority of buns can be bonded (of course there are exceptions, like BunNoobs, where even when everything is done correctly you have a super stubborn bun).

I did it the stupid way with mine – bought a baby and brought him home to wait to be neutered before introducing him to Luna. She hated him with a passion for months before he was neutered (through neighbouring cages), but after he was neutered, and another couple of months of pre bonding, I managed to bond them.

I agree that it’s not worth taking Luke on a super stressful journey – it wouldn’t reveal what their true relationship would be like anyway, and if there’s a possibility of it making him ill then it’s definitely not worth it. Has he been bonded before? If so, I would call and ask around for a bunny with a similar personality, then take it very slowly from there.

Posted By Dee on 1/05/2018 2:11 PM

Sarah, thank you for your reply- I hasnt seen it yet when I responded to Dface ☺- I really appreciate it!!

You’re right, it’s impossible for even the most experienced bonder to tell how Luke would get along with another rabbit when he isn’t act ing anything close to his normal self. That makes the whole bringing him along deal nothing but stressful. Maybe he will react more positively to another rabbit when he doesn’t associate them with an upsetting trip to a scary place!

Good advice about taking it slowly too. The whole thing must be as relaxed as possible for my little bundle of nerves bunny ☺.

You’re welcome

Definitely don’t want to stress out your little Luke. He sounds adorable btw. I just want to snuggle him and tell him everything is okay 

I have bonded 5 pairs of rabbits in my home over the years, and none of them met beforehand. These bondings were all quick and easy. Maybe I’ve just been lucky, who knows? It may be that taking a rabbit to a rescue to pick out the best companion works well in a lot of cases, but I’ve always thought that you are very possibly not going to get a true reading from a rabbit who has been taken from their home, put in a carrier (which usually means a vet visit) then brought to a place with a lot of unfamiliar, possibly scary, sights and smells. I would never dissuade anyone from trying speed dating at a rescue, but I know that it’s very possible to successfully bond rabbits who are meeting for the first time in your home.

I hope that Luke will have a loving bunny companion soon.

None of my 3 rabbit pairs (involving 4 rabbits) have ever met their mate before I brought a new one home and eventually they all have gotten along just fine. I’d definitely keep your current rabbits personality in mind though when picking out a new one and base the choice more on that than how adorable a specific one is to you.

I’ve briefly skimmed some of this but I just want to add that going slow over time also helps with your own confidence. I know for some people bonding probably doesn’t worry them in the slightest but for me I was a bag of nerves. I’d had a bad experience with two males before I bonded my current male and female pair so I was terrified that something would go wrong and I felt under so much pressure. But each day that went on I got more and more confident and it was such a buzz to see each new interaction between the two of them, no matter how small. It gives you a sense of achievement each time you go a little longer with sessions. The more time you can spend just observing them even when they aren’t in the same space is just so beneficial aswell. I had my Trixie living side by side with Daryl for about 5 months (she was waiting to be spayed during this time) so I think this worked in my favour because you get to how they settle in to the environment and learn their behaviours and personality. Obviously how long people spend on bonding varies but it helps so much to not feel like it needs to be rushed. Bonding my bunnies is one of the best things I’ve ever done, as cheesy as it sounds, but it just feels so rewarding. In a sense I’m lucky because I have a wrong way of bonding to compare with a right way and it really helps to see the difference taking it slow can really make

Blue and Bombur didnt meet at all before we brought Bombur home. They clicked almost instantly as Bombur was very submissive and Blue was very dominant. A few dominant humps and a few “get in your place” nips and the two grew inseparable. Wherever Blue goes, Bombur shadows behind him. Whenever Blue wants to cuddle, he nudges Bombur then flops on top of him. Theyre little love buns