Getting another bun?

[Tay]

Hi everyone, long time no talk – I love this site but sometimes start to get really paranoid and concerned for Charlie’s health when I read everything going on with other people’s buns. It’s just better for my sanity (and let’s be honest, Charlie’s happiness ) if I stay away from the heart wrenching posts on here – I’m a bit of an anxious mess (as you’ll tell from the number of times I use the word ‘worry’ or some variation of it in this post) 

I have a question, or rather a few questions. I’m going tomorrow to meet some bunnies as I am considering potentially getting Charlie a friend. Charlie seems happy to me, she’s the perfect blend of playful and lazy , and we have a great bond, but I always feel guilty because I know they do well in pairs, and I obviously can’t be here with her all day every day (though i would love to be). 

I’m torn on this. I want to get her a friend so she doesn’t have to rely solely on me, BUT I’m TERRIFIED of the bonding process. I feel like everything I read is how bonding is going poorly, or how the bond was broken, etc. of course I know there are plenty of rabbits who DO bond to each other, it’s a bit daunting. 

Charlie is my world and I’m scared that if I bring another rabbit into the house she’s not going to be happy about it. Whether the bonding goes wrong, or she feels betrayed that I brought another one in, I just would feel awful if it didn’t go well. 

I’m totally open to the idea of getting another rabbit – it’s more Charlie that I’m concerned about. She’s brought me so much joy, so I just figure twice the fun, right  

As selfish as it may be, I’m also worried getting her a friend will ruin our bond as well. 

I guess I don’t really have a question so much as I’m wondering if any of you have bonded rabbits successfully, (or unsuccessfully), and wanting to know if you can share a bit of your story. If you have any advice, I’m all ears. I want to do right by her, but also am taking things very slowly to be sure I make the right decision. 

Tomorrow I’m just going to meet some rabbits to get an idea of size and temperament so I can determine how I think they’ll do with Char, and then I’ll go from there depending on whether or not I decide to get her a friend (speed dating, visits, etc.)

I think I’d be most apt to get a male, as I’ve read that the bonding seems to go more smoothly male/female. She’s been spayed for over 6 months now and I know the male will need to be separated until fixed and then for a couple months after being fixed. 

If you made it this far, thank you! Sorry for the longwinded post – just need to get my thoughts down and hear some other people’s opinions.

And just for fun, I’ve attached a few pics of my girl 

[Sirius&Luna]

Sorry if my broken bond post added to your bad impression about bonding bunnies! I’m pretty sure that by bringing another rabbit into the house i de-stabilised their bond, so I don’t think it would’ve happened otherwise, but of course you can’t ever know.

The first thing to say is – no one comes online to post ‘my bonded bunnies are super happy!’. People come when they’re seeking help for problems, so just because there’s less posts about happy bonded bunnies, it certainly doesn’t mean they don’t exist, just that people don’t need to seek help when something’s going well.

I bonded my bunnies myself, and for a time I thought it would never work, but with patience and persistence I got there (before I ruined it!). I will be giving a trio a go in a couple of months time, which i’m not looking forward to, but if it works it will be amazing.

If your girl is used to having free roam of the house and all your attention she might be put out at first. You have to weigh up the benefits. If you think she’ll be happier overall with a friend then maybe its worth trying.

Bonding is stressful, time consuming and hard work though, so you are right to be a bit apprehensive. But, when you have bonded bunnies and see them snuggling, it all seems worth it!

[sarahthegemini]

What a gorgeous girl she is

Bonding is definitely a tiresome process. I was completely unprepared for it because I had no idea you couldn’t just keep rabbits together. I’m so thankful I found this site. It was so overwhelming tho, like you – I read tons and tons about the difficulties people faced and I worried so much. It was terrible because I knew I didn’t have the space to keep 2 bunnies separate long term, so I’d have had to rehome one. I tell you, I was anxious almost 24/7 from the moment I seperated my two (they are litter mates) to the day I could begin bonding.

Mine went pretty smoothly though! We’ve had a few issues since (they’ve been bonded almost a year now) but nothing major. If you’d like to give my bonding journey a read (I made a thread) I’ll find the link for you

It was stressful – despite being pretty easy but oh my goodness, seeing two rabbits happily laying together, flopping against each other. It’s the sweetest sight. It makes it all worth it.

https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/152741/afpg/2/Default.aspx

[Floppyhoppybunnies]

What a cutie bun!! Your posts sounds exactly like me a few months ago. I was just as worried – and had a great bond with my female bun, and read so much that I worried myself into a hole! But the worry was for nothing. Two buns ARE double the fun!

My male bunny was given to me by a family who could no longer keep him. He has a few health issues and the moving process was very stressful for him. I am lucky that I have a large house and was able to house the buns in separate pens. The first night I brought him home I did let them meet as I had heard some bond at first site. The male adored the female, but she was too nippy with his bum for my liking. So they lived in pens separate from each other but where they could see each other but not reach, they also could get hide away not to see each other. I had read so much saying not to put a male in a females territory but the female had already claimed the entire house so I had no choice! They did have fences between them though. I let them free roam at different times but the male did have a lot of problem learning to use the litter box and how to hop wood floors, so his time out was limited. He lost quite a bit of weight in the process but has recovered well, his diet was completely overhauled joining us here and he had mites. It was a hard time for him.

The female did get annoyed, she tried to bite him a few times through the cage bars. There was never any blood drawn or bad fights. They were fed facing each other and I threw poos about in both their pens. I started letting them out together in the bathroom. The female could get agro and the male was always trying to hump her, but it wasnt scary as I was right there (with gloves on) and could grab her if she got too naughty. He doesnt have teeth so even when he tried to grab her neck to mount her, he was unable to. I think my female figured out he is a bit disabled and started to cut him some slack. I moved her pen closer and closer, some nights I had to put a blanket over the pen walls so they didnt see each other. We did some swapping of pens and toys. Slowly slowly I would notice them laying by each other, sharing hay through the bars – but the bathroom dates were still uncomfortable.

I would try and have “human cuddle time” at the same time with them on opposite sides of the fence. My bond with my female is very strong too and I was worried she would stop giving me beautiful kisses – but as it turned out – I now have 2 giving me beautiful kisses! The male kissed my forehead before he ever kissed the female, I felt so special.

I think it was about 8 weeks in, one night I heard a ruckus. The female had escaped her pen and was in his. I knew they were sorting things out, so I left them and listened from another room. There was no growling or screaming but a bit of running about. Once the noise settled I snuck in to check on them and they were happy lovers. I then put them in a carry cage together in an attempt to stress-seal the bond, while I re-did their whole living area. SInce then they will have a few little chases – but it looks playful rather than aggressive to me. They spend hours a day cuddling and kissing each other.

– if you know your bun well this isnt as hard or scary as it sounds to do. I was terrified with all I had read, but I know my female very well and it was really just a matter of observing her and what she needed. She communicates well with me, I never realised how incredibly smart these animals are!

It really is double the fun and love. Goodluck!

(PS. I found the rescues to be condescending and trying to get a bun from them was really stressful, They made me feel like I was incapable of caring for rabbits at all, and because I didnt do it their way with play dates, I couldnt adopt a bun. My female doesnt travel well and I am so thankful I got he male when I did – he was very close to being dog food. The bond I have now with my buns is wonderful, and they are both happy things. I love them so much! ).

[tobyluv]

Over the years, I have bonded 5 pairs of bunnies, all male/female combinations. Maybe I’ve been lucky, but all of the bondings were pretty quick and easy. All of the bunnies met at my house, there was no speed dating beforehand. I usually use an x-pen to bond. Even if you don’t have a room in your house that is neutral, an x-pen makes a small neutral space on it’s own. You can place a sheet or large towels down underneath it to mask any scents in carpets, you can even drape sheets over the sides to block out views of known rooms, although I have never done that. My husband and I get in the pen with the bunnies, to break up any fighting or excessive humping, which we’ve never had. Some scuffling and humping is normal. We start with a few minutes a day and increase the time each day.

There is always the chance that a bond won’t work, so you do have to be prepared to keep the rabbits separated for the entirety of their lives, unless you re-home the new one, but fortunately that doesn’t happen often.

[Author]

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