Lonely Bun?

[Sarah]

Hey guys, I wanted to get a second opinion on my possible lonely rabbit. I’ve had my bun Penelope since she was a kit and now she’s 3 years old. Well, now I’m away at college, and she hasn’t really taken to any other members of my family (she actually lunges to attack my dad whenever he goes to feed her). I’ve heard that pairing rabbits can really help them, but I’m worried about her accepting another rabbit since she is more on the aggressive side (she’s extremely territorial when it comes to her cage and her outdoor pen). I was wondering if anyone had any adivce or any suggestions. Thanks in advance!

 

(Here’s a picture of my adorable Ball O’ Floof Penelope laying in her favorite spot. Right under my desk)

[Rookie]

Can you not take her with you?

[Thumper]

Since your bun is lonely try to leave it some simple toys just to keep them entertained (:

[Sarah]

No, unfortunately where I live doesn’t allow pets  I’ve been searching for somewhere else but of course it will take time and I hate that she won’t let any of my family get close to her. She needs a companion while I’m away and I’m just not sure what to do.  And she’s not a big fan of toys.

[Rookie]

Do you rent or live in residence? Cause here in Ontario a landlord cannot prevent you from having a pet.

You might be able to look into landlord and tenant acts in your area and you may be surprised what you find out.

That’s a toughie on the companionship. is anyone of your friends or family have a decent relationship with her to the point where they could probably get her to trust them over time?

My rookie would lunge and growl at my sister but he was fine with the rest of my family and friends.

[Sarah]

Rookie, I rent and my signed agreement only allows service animals. I’ll nonetheless look up those tenant acts to see what I can find! And no, she’s not very accepting of anyone else (I’ve raised her basically from birth). I just hate her not having anyone or anything else

[Rookie]

Rookies was an only bun as well from 7 weeks old he was mine.

That’s too bad. Here in Ontario even if you sign a lease that says no pets under the Act you are allowed to have a pet. A landlord can’t prevent you from having a pet unless the pet disrupts other tenants or damages the property severely.

She is a tough bun then. I hope you find a solution. Try and look into registering her as a service animal. That may help.

With her if you do want to get another bun for her you may have to take her with you to the shelter or place with the bunnies you are looking at so she can choose. You don’t want to risk getting another bun and they reject each other and can’t be together.

[jerseygirl]

I know you’ve recently had her desexed, so you may see some changes in her over the coming months. Perhaps they’ll find her more open to interacting with everyone at home?
Does your family have other pets? Some rabbits have a sense of companionship with the other animals in the household.

If you do bond her to a rabbit companion, is the plan then to live in housing where you can have 2 pets? This might be a problem for some landlords, so do specify that it is just one habitat. With rabbits, they are often allowed on leases as thought of as caged animals. So even if places have “no pets” it may be referring to cats and dogs but they’d be fine with goldfish, hamsters, rabbits (that may or may not happen to hop around outside of the cage…: )  

If your family are prepared to look after 2 rabbits (or you are if they are to live with you for the long term) I suggest looking into Rescues that offer a bonding service. Some of these are done at the rescue centre and then the rabbits sent home as a pair to share the habitat. The advantage of this is there is none of the territorial traits to deal with early on when bonding.

[Author]

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