Don’t know whether or not to get my bunny a friend

[April]

Hi everyone!
So I would appreciate some advice on the following:
I got x2 baby bunnies (sisters) in 2014 (Lily & Gracie)

They seemed to get on well apart from Gracie used to constantly hump Lily and Lily was half the size of Gracie she was a lot weaker and skinnier but because there was no obvious signs of bullying I assumed she was just genetically smaller (the vet said she wasnt unhealthy either) although she frequently got gut stasis requiring a trip to the vet and special care for a few days at a time. The vet was confused about this but had no medical answer… she suggested separating them for a while so i did separate them for months to see if Lily would gain weight and she didnt so I thought I had ruled out bullying.

Anyway, in 2016 i got them both spayed and unfortunatley Gracie passed away a few days later i was devastated and especially devastated for Lily… i put Gracies little body in with Lily so she knew she wouldnt be coming back etc..

But amazingly in the weeks and months after Lily gained loads of weight and never showed any signs of missing Gracie…

Lily would be a little short fused but very friendly at the same time and therefore I didnt bother trying to get her another companion as I felt she might not accept another bunny as she seemed happy on her own..

Lately i am beginning to get paranoid that she is lonely though and i would love her to bond to a neutered male but i know nothing about bonding rabbits and what if i get a male rabbit and she simply isnt having it? I dont want another rabbit if she isnt bothered obviously so any advice would be appreciated????

Because Gracie was clearly bullying her before maybe she just wont do well with another bun because to be fair Gracie was seriously placid you wouldnt believe she would be capable of bullying Lily, as Lily was the wilder one especially!

Also she is kept in a large garden shed all to herself with a massive hutch in the middle of the floor that she can freely go in and out of… i bring her in the house every other day for a run around!

Thanks in advance and apologies for waffling on I just felt the more info I give ya’ll the better you can give me an answer

[Sirius&Luna]

Hi and welcome to Binky Bunny!

I’m sorry about the loss of Gracie.

It sounds like Lily has thrived without Gracie, but that doesn’t mean that she wouldn’t want any rabbit companion. I’m a bit concerned that if she only comes into the house every other day she isn’t getting enough interaction, so perhaps a friend would be best for her. Rabbits really do need a lot of interaction and companionship – it doesn’t have to be from other rabbits, but if you’re not able to spend at least 6 hours with her a day, then she probably does need a friend.

Are there any rabbit rescues near you, where you could perhaps take her on some ‘bunny dates’ and see how she gets on?

She might do much better with a boy than she did with Gracie, as boys tend to be submissive towards girls. You could try and find a calm and friendly bunny that would suit her personality.

Unfortunately you can’t just put two bunnies together, it’s a long, and sometimes stressful process of bonding, but it can be worth it if you end up with two happy bunnies! I advise that you read some of the threads on here about bunny bonding, so you can fully understand the process that you’d be committing to. It takes at least 2 months – a month of pre-bonding (swapping them between cages) and then about a month of short to longer ‘dates’ before you’re satisfied that they are happy and safe together.

If you’re not able to commit to that, then perhaps you can work on spending some more time with her so she doesn’t get lonely outside by herself

[Deleted User]

Sorry about the loss of Gracie.

If you never went through the bonding process with them, Lily probably hated Gracie to be honest. Mounting is a dominance display and bonded pairs shouldn’t really be mounting (with some exceptions here and there to reestablish dominance, but should not be frequent). I wonder if Lily got stasis often from the stress of living with a partner that she wasn’t properly bonded to.

It’s entirely possible though that she would have some disdain for other rabbits because of Gracie. Really there’s no way to tell besides trying for a bond

[DanaNM]

So sorry for your loss of Gracie

I don’t think Lily’s relationship with Gracie will predict how she might be with another bunny, especially a male. Usually females are dominant in male-female pairings, as in wild bunnies the females hold the territory and decide whether to let a male join them.

It does sound like she was being bullied, so she might even loooove to be the boss in a new pairing.

Is there a rescue near you that would let you take her on some speed dates?

Dating isn’t a guarantee a bond will work, but it can help weed out pairings that will definitely NOT work (sometimes two rabbits just immediately hate each other for reasons unknown to us humans).

If bonding her with a new bun isn’t possible or doesn’t seem like it will work for her, you might consider bringing Lily inside permanently so he has more interaction with you.

. . . 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.  

[Author]

Messages