Bond my brand new bunny?

[McKJagger93]

Hello Everyone!

so I got my boy BonBon at a shelter, he is one and a half and neutered.  Two weeks before I got him, his buddy passed away and he was lonely. I have had him for two months now and I think he is less lonely, but I can tell he is often frustrated with being alone so much. My local pet store does adoptions through a different animal shelter and they have two neutered male bunnies about 6 months old. I think it might be too early to bond him with another buddy, as I just got him. On the other hand, he is displaying some signs of loneliness, such, as excessive chewing on cardboard (thankfully all safe for him to eat but the dude eats cardboard like it’s the only food around), licking stuffers, thumping at me, and hiding all the time. He hasn’t done a binky or a zoomie in 3 weeks and I’m just concerned.

[BoandBuns]

Hi there, I am new to this group and I don’t have an answer to your question, but I can say that when we introduced our two bunnies they did not like each other at all at first and fought a lot. We introduced them in neutral territory like we were supposed to but it took a few weeks before we could actually leave them alone together. Now they constantly snuggle and groom each other. I just thought that might be helpful for you to think about researching when you decide it’s the right time to introduce a new bunny.

[pinkiemarie]

If he was bonded before then we know he’s a normal bunny (there are the odd bunnies who just don’t want a friend). I would say it isn’t really too soon as long as the buns you’re looking at are neutered. If not maybe the shelter can neuter one and keep him for you for a couple/few weeks until you can bring him home to do prebonding? If not it’s not the end of the world, you can still bring one home and do the neuter after but it might aggregate the one you have more to smell the hormones on him while he recovers.

You might also see if they would allow your boy to meet them first to see if he has a preference for one rabbit over another, as long as they have been quarantined from other rabbits or vaccinated depending on where you are to be sure there is no risk of rhd.

Your bunny sounds like he has been through a lot but he might really be happier with a friend to help him adjust!

[DanaNM]

I think if you are ready for the process, then it’s not too soon. Even if you don’t bond them right away, he might benefit from having a neighbor and a long pre-bonding period. This will help you bond a bit with both bunnies individually before starting the bonding process.

Do you know if he was previously bonded to a male or a female? Two neutered males is possible, but you might have a slightly easier time if you can find a spayed female. Not to say that all M-F pairs are easier, but it seems like on average it is a bit easier. It depends more on the rabbit personalities though, so if you could do some speed-dating to find a good match that would be helpful too.

. . . 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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