Friend for Ringo

[EveryPossibleWorld]

Ringo is my 6 yr old Mini Rex. I simply adore him! We adopted him from as shelter 4.5 years ago and he has been our only bunny since. I am really considering adopting him a new friend. I am considering this because we work full time and he spends 8+ hours a day alone in his room, also he is very naughty and chews my walls and furniture (you can only bunny proof so much) despite having every toy is little heart could possibly desire. I think he chews because he gets bored and just wants (constant) attention. I feel like adding a friend would make him happy and keep him a little more distracted. This is not to mention that I love the idea of growing our little family. But I have a few concerns:

1. Is it always necessary to have your rabbit “date” to find a match? I found a sweet shelter bun but the shelter will not allow me to bring Ringo in for a brief meet and greet. My only option is basically to adopt this bun and see if it works.

2. Is there anyway to tell if your current bun is craving a friend? Ringo has a bunny stuffed animal who he grooms and flops next to, I feel like he is telling me he would like a real friend?

3. The shelter bun I would like to adopt isn’t neutered (Ringo is). Knowing the health benefits of getting him fixed that is definitely something I will do for the new bun. I realize this may put a damper in the bonding process. How long should I wait before getting the new guy fixed?

4. Do you think there is less of a chance that Ringo would bond with a friend given that he hasn’t lived any other bunnies for almost 5 yrs and is getting older? The new bun is less than a year old. Will this matter?

I guess I am just very concerned about disrupting the status quo of Ringo’s castle as he is my main concern and I want to do this right. Any thoughts would be appreciated!

[MoxieMeadows]

Hi there! I thought I would try to answer some of your questions.

1. No, it is not always necessary to do a bunny date. Although a lot of people will recommend it, it is not a major problem if you can not do one. There are benefits to it though, like finding buns that have a suitable temperment for your bun, or seeing if they have a special connection.

2. I’m not sure, maybe somebody who knows more will come on answer that one. But how he is alone a lot he might really enjoy having a companion.

3. Many people on here are going to tell you that it isn’t safe to bond a bun that isn’t fix because they’ll be extra territorial, hormonal ect. I personally would wait until the new bun is fixed and healed before introducing them.

4. I’m not sure it will. I think personality matters more.

One thought which you’ve probably already worked out, but if you are so busy, will you have enough time, effort and patience to bond them? It takes a lot of time and hard work, and possibly even stress on your part when bonding.

I hope this helped some.

[EveryPossibleWorld]

Thanks so much for the input! I have decided to take him on a few dates with shelter buns that will be visiting a pet store for adoption this weekend. I think I should watch how he reacts to some buns before I decide. I am totally dedicated to the time/stress/expense of a new bun, but want to make sure that this is what Ringo wants too. It helps so much talking to other rabbit people and getting their thoughts! Thanks again!

[MoxieMeadows]

Oh no problem, I’m glad I could help you out!
Good luck with finding a friend for Ringo!

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