Adding a third or not adding a third

[SophiaRayen]

Hi Everyone,

We have two bunnies who are in the bonding phase right now. Nova (buck), and Ginki (girl) had played together when they were babies. To get both of them fixed we separated them to avoid the excessive chasing, mounting and general irritation they caused each other. They are living side by side in separate pens since then.

They are in love (ar least that’s how us humans see), and get a lots of energy and happiness from the bonding sessions. Nova binkies, and Ginki always flops to the side after the session. Overall, it looks like they will be able to move in together soon.

The thing is, we have a foster bunny. He is called Shaman, he lives in a cage in a separate room. He is 8 months old, a buck not neutered yet. He cannot be until his treatment for coccidia is over. He is looking for a loving home. But he is such a cute, lovely guy who constantly gives kisses (something our own bunnies see beneath them to do), that we struggle with the thought of giving him to someone else. We want him to be happy but we cannot stop thinking about being happy together.

I know the rule for including another bunny in our family is considering how our own bunnies would benefit from the change. I don’t think they need anybody else, especially another buck. Keeping Shaman in the guest room seems unfair as we spend way less time there. It is good as a temporary place to stay, but not as a forever home.

I would love to hear your thoughts on bonding three bunnies, or any experience you’ve had.

How do you cope with trusting someone else to give your bunny everything?

[DanaNM]

Ahhh I too am guilty of the foster fail!  I started fostering Bonnie (who was a terrified and cage aggressive bun who had been at the shelter for 3 years). Of course we fell in love with her and she was doing so well. Decided to try to bond her with my pair. The girls didn’t get along, but there was no way we were sending her back. Tried to have a quad, but the boys didn’t get along (although the girls started doing better). So now I have 2 pairs LOL. Shaman is super cute, I can see why you are having trouble letting him go!

I have had other fosters that went on to loving homes, and I was really happy when they got adopted. You just have to trust the people placing the buns into homes that they are doing a good job.

Since your girls seemed like they bonded easily, they might be a good candidate for a trio, but trios (in my experience in failing at one) are much harder than pairs! There’s really no way to know how it will go until he’s neutered though. If you are willing to wait, I don’t see any harm in waiting till he’s neutered (and hormones have settled), and then trying a few dates with all three buns to see how it goes. You might know right away if you want to proceed or not. And if it doesn’t work out, you can decide from there whether to adopt him out or keep him as a single (or get a 4th bun, as I did lol).

There are cases where a new bun can upset the current pair’s bond. But since they are already used to smelling him in the house I think that is probably less likely to happen.

 

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[SophiaRayen]

Hi DanaNM,

Thank you for the story, I have read your post aloud to my partner and we have discussed the possibilities in lenght. We have made a list of pros and cons to see what would be the best choice for our own bunnies and Shaman as well, and unfortunately cons far outweighted the pros. We are afraid of bonding three of them, as we cannot start right now, due to Shaman’s illness (and he is unneutered yet). We see our limits and it is not possible for us to keep tending to three bunnies separately, we have been doing this for almost a year now and we are tired XD We wish to be a happy family with bunnies let loose in the house and this is only possible with bonded bunnies. Keeping one separately seems cruel, I always think of how he is being left out of all the fun.

We decided to give a chance to those who wish to adopt him – problem is, nobody applied yet. I am afraid of him staying through Christmas, I will most likely be so overwhelmed with feelings that I will want to keep him XD

Shaman is not my first foster, and I also volunteer at a cat shelter, so it’s not like I have fallen in love with the first animal I see. I have some experience in setting boundaries and knowing well that I personally cannot save every animal. But Shaman makes me weak ;D

I am just ranting here, please excuse me ^^”

[DanaNM]

Awww no need to apologize at all!

I know at the shelter I volunteered at there was usually a bit of a pulse of adoptions before Christmas. He is such a cutie I bet he will get adopted once he’s available (they may not even have him available yet since he’s not neutered?). In any case, you know what’s best for your family and I’m sure it will work out in the end!

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

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