Do bunnies do better with a friend?

[Nat]

    I’m not sure if this goes in the bonding section or not, so sorry if I’m wrong.

So. Just  a brief intro- in a while (I’m talking quite a few years!) I’m going to move into an apartment.  Hopefully there I will have a bunny. The question- one or two? Hmmm…

When I’m at work (7 hours tops- at first anyway), will a bun be lonely by itself? I would plan on bun proofing the whole apartment and letting it out of the bun room whenever I’m home. Would it simply be better to get a bonded pair instead of one? Do male pairs get along?

Thanks

[Elrohwen]

Plenty of bunnies do ok on their own. For 7 hours a day, I think a single bunny would be ok if you spent a lot of time with him when you got home. For someone who works 10+ hours a day, I think a pair is better, but even then, the bunny will sleep most of the time while you’re gone. Otto can sleep from 10am to 8pm every day – he was perfectly fine as a single bun. I got a second as much for me as for him. He likes having a buddy, but he was happy before too.

Male pairs do get along – conventional wisdom is that they are harder to bond than male-female pairs, but easier than female-female. In my experience, males are more laid back, so for certain pairs it might be easier to bond two boys.

You could also adopt an already bonded pair, which would save a lot of work doing the bonding yourself.

[Beka27]

Adopting an already bonded pair is a great option. A pair isn’t any more work than a single bunny. You still have litterboxes to clean… double nail trims, but that’s not a big deal. It will cost twice as much to feed and litter. And vet care for each bunny (but by adopting an altered pair, you’re saving between $400-800 on doing surgeries yourself.) And as your first bunny experience, you wouldn’t know any different than having a pair. The only issue is that you may find you don’t bond as strongly to an individual bunny, b/c they always have a companion. You may end up more of a spectator in their relationship. So there are pros and cons to consider.

[Nat]

Yeah, I would def. get adult bunnies that were already bonded, litter trained, and spayed/nuetered to save a lot of work and money. But Beka27 – do you have a bonder pair of buns? (looks like it from your siggy, haha) Did you find you haven’t bonded with them completely cuz they already have a buddy? People, please share. This worries me..

[Elrohwen]

I know Beka had her Meadow for a while before getting Max, which is what I did as well. I have bonded with my second bunny quite well though, despite her coming into our home and being bonded with my boy almost immediately. Though it may have helped that she was a single bunny with a loving owner for 3 years before we got her – she likes people and understands how to be bonded to them, even if we’re new to her.

A friend of mine has had bunnies for years, and her most recent were an already bonded pair when she got them. She said she has bonded with them less than her single bunnies in the past, because they do have each other.

I think a lot of people spend less time with their bunnies when they have two, and this could be the reason they haven’t bonded as much. It’s easy to let the bunnies do their thing together and just watch them, so I make sure to spend a lot of time sitting on the ground with both of them, like I did with Otto when he was a single bun.

Sorry that’s not the most clear answer!

[RabbitPam]

Beka’s Meadow came first, and I think we all bonded with her. Then there was great Joy in Mudville when she found Max, who seemed tailor made for Meadow.

I would either have a single bunny, who will be fine alone with a day job since that is their deep sleep time, to get to know the whole experience of having a bunny, or I would rescue two bonded altered bunnies. If you spend time with them individually as well as all together, you will learn their different personalities and discover how they relate to you in their own way. It is much, much easier than trying to bond two yourself later.

[Beka27]

Yes, we adopted Mead at about 4 months old and she was a single bunny for almost a full year, before we adopted Max (an approximately 3 year old boy). So I bonded very, very strongly to Meadow. Max and I are cool with each other, but I don’t have as strong of a bond with him as I do Meadow. When we brought him home it was immediate bonding sessions. 3 weeks later they were bonded. Max is still a litter more skittish around us. It may be his history, or it may also be that we don’t have a ton of time to spend with him (I’m a full-time student, my husband works, etc…) I sleep much better knowing that no matter how crazy our schedule gets, they have each other.

[Jenna, Chubs & Comet]

As a first time bunny owner, I thought one would be just fine and then I found my Chubs and fell in love with him. BUT after a little while, I reallly wanted a friend for him and now that I work so much, I’m very very very glad he has somebunny to play and cuddle with! Here’s the thing…I thought the bonding process was the BIGGEST pain in the butt and very stressful for both me and the bunnies, not to mention messy! Haha. It was totally worth it in the end but had I known in the slightest…I would have started with an already bonded pair. I would highly recommend that if you think you ever might want more than one, start off with two and save yourself the stress! Lots of rabbit rescues have pairs and trios waiting to be adopted Give those a try!

[Jenna, Chubs & Comet]

Oh and I don’t love my Comet any less than I do Chubs! It took me a little longer to feel as attached to him but now, I feel equally attached to both of them!

[Nat]

Okay…still nervous…about the bonding process. As I would be a first time bunny owner I would most likely want one, but at the same time…oh, why is this so hard? If I fall head over heals for bunnies, then in the end I guess the bonding process would be worth it…I dunno. I’d still love to hear opinions, but this sounds like one of those things where only time will tell.

[jerseygirl]

I’m sort of inclined to urge you to look at a bonded pair… As a first time bunny owner, I don’t think it’d make a difference if you got 2 (bonded, litter trained) at once. As long as you’re aware of the costs – especially vet care for 2. By adopting already altered rabbits, you do offset some costs.
As to bonding with you, by adopting you really are at an advantage as you can take your time to pick 1 (or 2) that have personalities that will work in your home. Even if it’s a pair, rabbits are generally social and curious and will still seek out humans and other pets. I really believe how much they were handled at birth and then at various homes (ie 1st home/shelter/ foster care) will come into play how they interact with you. If they were handled positively in the past they should bond with the human family well enough despite having a bunny mate.

If you’re more inclined to get just 1 at this point, some of the advantages still exist. You can still pick an outgoing/easy going adult bunny. Then at a later date, do so again to bond together and to you also.  Once any new rabbit has had time to acclimatise, become established in a strong routine, gain sense of security in the home, you should see them interactive with you.

[Jenna, Chubs & Comet]

I stick with my original and agree with Jersey. Bonded pair from a rescue! Having two is no harder than having one (aside from cost) and you’ll love that they have a friend. Plus, if you get one it’s only a matter of time before you want another and this saves you the trouble of bonding!!

[BinkyBunny]

I’m also in favor of adopting a bonded pair from a rescue. Though I know everyone’s experience with pairs will be different (as bunnies have such different personalities), the current bonded pair I have is affectionate. I have to say that both Jack and Vivian do love to get attention from me even though they have each other. Many times they will compete for it so I know they want my attention (and they also want to prove to themselves and each other who’s the biggest king or queen bunny! LOL)

For me, I can get into busy cycles (especially this year) and I do feel better that Jack and Vivian have each other. Normally I’ll spend the evenings with them. Either they will come out and hang out with us in the living room while we are watching tv or lounging, or I’ll go into the bunny room right after the webcams are turned off and lounge out in there.

Lately, though because I’ve been extra busy and working late in the home office, they have begun to come out and sit either in the office or go to the living room and wait for us to go in there. It’s a wonderful reminder to their human slaves to stop working so much and pay attention to them.

Normally I will add tunnels and toys in the living room for the evening and they have a good time, but if I’m sitting there, they will come over to say…”Make yourself useful—pet me!”

I enjoy having the bonded pair because I do work many hours and I am glad to have the best of both worlds. That they have each other, but I am not excluded when I do join the duo.

[Karla]

I would say go for a bonded pair as well. Once you see them together, you will understand why! I have three, and I think my bond with them is just as strong as when I only had one. I do spend less time on them compared to when I only had one, but they are perfectly fine and when they see me, they come running to get pets. I just get to do a whole lot more petting and snuggling now that I have three than when I only had one.

And I don’t have to feel guilty for going out in the evening and leaving one bunny all alone to itself, which is against its nature.

Bottom line, I would like to agree with everything that BB wrote

[Beka27]

I just went on a mini vacation (5 days) and it was the first time I’ve been away from my pair for longer than one night in the 3 years since we got Meadow. (I know, I don’t get out much… lol!) I have to tell you, I was SO relieved knowing they had each other for company while we were gone. SO… that is another thing to keep in mind. Some people’s lifestyles take them away from home more often than others. It’s a very individual decision you have to make.

[wendyzski]

Most bunnies do better with a companion, but not all.  My little beotch-bunny attacked pretty much every bun she dated, so I gave up.

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