Looking for a pal for Lucy

[MissPinUp]

I’m looking for a pal to bond with my dwarf, Lucy.  At this point I’ve seen a few, a Rex, Angora, and baby Lionhead.  The baby will be ready in a week.  I’m thinking the baby might be best because she’d be a little easier to bond with Lucy.  What do you guys think? 

[Sarita]

Actually I think an altered adult is the best. Now that is not to say that the baby won’t work too but sometimes when babies go through their puberty and adolscence they can get very dominant and territorial.

Is Lucy already altered too?

Honestly the best is to let Lucy pick her new friend as well. Take her on bunny dates and see how both respond to each other.

[Sarita]

http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/introductions.html

This is a good article to read as well so you know what to expect.

[tabalab]

i learned my lesson i would deff rather an adult. Esp one who is used to being around people and interacting then you dont have to go through all those horrible bunny phases

[RachelB]

I would highly recommend taking your bunny on dates to pick out their mate. I fell in LOVE with photos of two different bunnies that I just HAD to have….. only to find out that one was very agressive towards Samson and the other was very skittish around him. It took about a month before we found someone that Samson liked and that liked Samson (actually they more just ignored eachother for the first 20 minutes before a quick sniff, some grooming, and mounting) But compaired to the others this was the best fit for us. Ivy would never have been my 1st or 2nd or even 5th pick but after less than a week I am just as in love with Ivy as I am my 1st bunny Sammy. The bonding was much much easier too because beforehand we saw that they were able to tolerate eachother. The first day was a little rough (mostly just breaking up backwards mounting, and giving lots of pets) but after only 2 1/2 days Id consider them to be bestest buddies. They follow eachother around, groom one another, play games together, and sleep curled up together…. its adorable!!! The first bunny you got YOU picked out but to make it fair you should give your bunny a chance to pick its own friend. Trust me… it will make it all much much easier in the end!!

[MissPinUp]

True. Lucy has an appointment to be altered on August 25th, the first I could get in with my vet :/ Should I wait until after she’s altered to take her on play dates?

[Sarita]

You definitely need to wait at least a month after she is altered. She needs to heal completely before you do this.

[RachelB]

Definitely wait for her to be fully healed and back to her normal self before going on the playdates. Sometimes the dates can get a bit harry and you wouldnt want her to already be in a compromised state going in. Also her hormones will be all outta wack for awhile (i assume) so it would be better to wait a bit. I know its hard to wait but in the mean time you can start contacting shelters to see their policies on bunny-dating.

[Beka27]

I would also encourage you to wait and then do some bunny dates (at least a month post-spay). It might be possible to pick out a friend for her and they may get along, but the bonding process could take longer and nothing is guaranteed. The problem with a baby is that by the time Lucy is ready to be bonded, that baby bun would be entering puberty and then you’d have to wait even longer to bond, and still have to spay/neuter yourself. With a rescued bunny who is already altered, you could start some short bonding sessions the very first day and have a bonded pair within a couple weeks. Plus you give that new bunny a second chance at a great life!

[Author]

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