How do you know?

[Battie]

I read so often that bunnies do better in pairs, and I often wonder if Quincy would be happier if he had a friend.  However, there are major cons to me having a second rabbit:  My place is small, I don’t have a lot of money, and my work keeps saying they’ll send me on travel a lot (even if it doesn’t actually happen).

Quincy is a hyper, mischievous thing and I wonder if he is too independent to even want a friend.  But sometimes I feel bad that I can’t always keep up with his antics and I occasionally work long hours.

How did you all decide when it was time for another bun?  Am I being mean to him by keeping him as an only child?  Did you find that it became much more difficult to pay/care for a second furry friend?

[Beka27]

it needs to be right for YOU. i think in most cases, rabbits benefit from having a friend, esp. if their human cannot spend a lot of time with them. if you had to travel, that would provide some stability for your bunny if he had a mate (but possibly double pet-sitting costs). i have found that a second bunny has calmed down my first (not totally) but to a noticeable degree. and it’s pretty much proven that two are easier than one b/c they cause less trouble, are less mischievous, and not as bored.

i don’t think your place being small should be a huge factor once they’re bonded, but you need to keep in mind that during the bonding process you need a separate cage set-up and this might be for a week, or it might be for a few months. however long it takes. i bonded an hour a day for 3 weeks straight to get my two together, so it does require a consistent time commitment.

i have noticed an increase in cost. others say they have not, but i’ve noticed. i go thru double litter b/c we have two pen litterboxes, double hay, more than twice the amount of veggies a month. we get nail trims at the vet every month. to be on the safe side, you need to calculate what you spend in a month ON ONE and if you can afford to spend double what you are doing now. this is not counting an emergency vet situation either… if you cannot do double, i would seriously evaluate if it’s the right time to add a second bun… it might not be good now, but you can always get another in the future when things are better for you.

also keep in mind the set-up cost. you need a second cage, litterbox, food/water dish, toys, etc. plus the cost of the adoption fee. you might end up spending 200 bucks just to get the bunny home. maybe try to save some money each month with the goal of getting a second in 6 months?

[Battie]

Thank you! This is good advice.

Luckily, I do have a second cage because I bought a dog pen before I built the NIC condo. Six months seems like a good wait period, regardless. It would be great for Quincy to have a friend to calm him down, so I will see how often I get sent away and if my financial situation improves. I hope I can bond him someday!

[MarkBun]

Maryann was quite happy being a single bun. In fact, she considered it a personal affront that I was taking her on dates and even began to bond more with me – sort of like saying, “I don’t need another guy! I love YOU!”. I went through a lot of work to get her bonded because I felt bad that I was out of the house more than 75% of the time. But I think she would have done just fine being on her own. It is about what you can manage because if things become overwhelming, it helps out no one.

[Beka27]

also, in the meantime i’d recommend that you read the bonding threads in this forum (even the older ones). that will give you an idea of how the easy and difficult bondings progress and what works for people and what does not…

[MooBunnay]

I think that the most difficult part would be the bonding period. Once the two bunnies are bonded, if you are on travel frequently, it would probably be better to have two than just one. The bonding period however does require quite a bit of time and work, every once and awhile there is love at first sight, but it doesn’t happen very often, and you can’t count on that happening (even if the first date goes well). Read about bonding and consider how you can fit it into your schedule, and once you are confident that you can fit bonding into your schedule, then I would go forward with dating.

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