matchmaking

[prince dorian the bun]

I have been thinking of getting a friend for Dorian for a while, but there have been very few unbonded girl buns (or really any buns) available at the closest shelter, and the one they do have is know for not being into other buns and being a bit of a spitfire, not really best match for him. They finally they finally got in a little girl bun and I have sent them an email about them meeting. Not sure if they will let us, but now I am panicking about how to tell if it’s a good match or not? I don’t have much space and though I can make it work for a month or so during bonding, but can’t really do the two separate housing long term. I don’t want to be unfair to her and adopt her to send her back if it doesn’t work out, but basically that’s what I would have to do. Probably getting way ahead of myself, but is there any way to know? I figure if they go straight for blood, or straight to grooming each other that is pretty obvious but that it’s probably mostly more subtle? Can you tell by their personalities? Are their behavior questions I should ask her foster family?

I thought of putting this in bonding… but right now I don’t even know if they will get to meet so wasn’t quite sure that was the right place! Also why do I feel like I am some old school match maker 😀

[DanaNM]

So, there is some data on this! The UK rabbit welfare association did a huge survey on bonding success rates:

https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-care-advice/further-reading/owner-rescue-centre-and-veterinary-professional-experiences-of-rabbit-bonding/

There is no way to know for sure, but the vast majority of bonds do work out:
“For male–female pairings, owners reported 2396 attempts, of which 95% (2278/2396) were successful. For groups of three or more rabbits, owners reported 566 attempts, of which 84% (474/566) were successful. For female–female pairings, owners reported 391 attempts, of which 89% (346/391) were successful. For male–male pairings, owners reported 382 attempts, of which 86% (330/382) were successful.”

This matches my experiences as well, most pairings work out if you are able to put in the time for bonding. It’s super rare for love at first sight, and similarly rare for them to immediately hate each other.

For dating, I usually just look to make sure they don’t immediately attack each other. Buns can behave pretty differently in speed dating, so it’s not always the best gauge of how easy the bond will be, but does tell you when you do NOT have a good match. Even when the first date is great, bonding can take some time.

You also might consider looking for another male. The success rates aren’t quite as high, but plenty of members here have happy male-male pairs, and it might give you some more options to choose from.

The rescue I volunteer at will usually have the person come and pick out 3 rabbits they like and would like to try, then they do a round of speed dating with those three. Doing too many more dates in a session isn’t usually that productive because the rabbit starts to get a bit overwhelmed.

It’s really hard to tell based on a buns personality with humans, the only thing that could possibly help to know is if the bun had been bonded before or had ever lived with other rabbits.

You also still might want to try a date with the “bad match” bunny if you like her. You never really know how the personalities will mesh together!

My only other tips is to also make sure that YOU like the bunny as well. 🙂

 

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[prince dorian the bun]

the bad match bun has had I believe two unsuccessful bonding, so I think the shelter is looking for her to be a single bunny or at least with someone who could handle two separate buns if it didn’t work out. There aren’t really that many boy bunnies at the shelter right now either, 3 bunnies total and they are all in foster homes. The one I asked about is a very young girl, she was just neutered and all white with red eyes. She is supposed to be small, but not sure when she will reach max size. I would ideally love to have more choice for Dorian, speed dating seemed like a good way to get an idea.

I am thinking though seeing how he reacts even if she is not the one for us may give me a bit more idea in future. Honestly it may be easier to bond in the summer when I can use the deck as neutral space. That all said they may not even get back to me, so I should cross that bridge first!

[DanaNM]

hah! You might inquire about doing “foster to adopt” for bonding. They may not go for it, but since they already have a foster program they might.

In any case, I think just doing some dates and not rushing it is a good strategy.

I do love REW (red-eyed-white) buns though, if that wasn’t obvious!

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[prince dorian the bun]

I do too, and I hear they don’t get enough love as people find them creepy 🙁  I have a fiend who is in the foster system, I was trying to convince her to try and get her as she lives next door and it be super easy to do dates.

yeah I really didn’t think finding another bun would be the challenge! Even the local bunny rescue doesn’t seem to have many right now. There is one that will even help you bond, but they only seem to have a couple pairs right now. I am hoping it’s because the area has responsible pet owners. I have a feeling if I looked outside the city there would be more choice.

[BZOO]

At six years old, my first Guinea Pig was a PEW, Gina, followed by my first rabbit, a PEW Netherland Dwarf, Tiny Tim.  So, I’ve always loved them.  Don’t understand the “it’s creepy” thing!

Now I got my Boo!

[DanaNM]

Man I wish you could come to Santa Barbara to adopt, the rescue there is fully at capacity. The volunteers are struggling, and they’ve had to put in a wait list for intakes for the first time ever!

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[prince dorian the bun]

We ended up not getting to meet the bun, she had a list of people wanting to adopt (& I applied only a couple days after she went live). There are 3 new buns in, but they are a bonded trio and adorable as the may be, that’s more buns than my small place could handle! I did consider it 😀

@DanaNM I wish I could help, I know with puppies and kittens they often get them shipped from out of state as our numbers tend to be low (we have high spay & neuter rates), but not sure if the trauma for the buns would make that worth it.

Dorian did meet a stuffed donkey that was given to me for Christmas… it looks a bit like him. He initially ran from it and hid under the couch, but then came out when I told him it was safe and went straight to grooming it. Makes me wonder how he would behave with a real bun. He’s such a sweetheart. There is a local rabbit rescue that I may reach out to… they don’t seem to have a lot of single buns either, but maybe they just aren’t up to date. Only thing there is they are a bit of a drive to get to and since I don’t own a car that makes it a bit of a hassle. That and it would mean a long car ride for Dorian, so he would be more stressed.

@BZOO I don’t understand it either! And Boo is adorable and so fluffy!

[Cinnimon&Ollie]

I would check Petfinder and adoupt a pet for bunnies lots of shelters put them on that site.

[prince dorian the bun]

I have looked at petfinder, often they aren’t 100% up to date. One of my friends is a volunteer at the shelter and she usually gives me a heads up of eligible lady buns before they go public, but right now there aren’t really any single ladies in my area. The closest private rescue has a little girl, but she’s just a baby & not spayed yet.  We will find the right friend for Dorian one day 🙂

[GlennTheLionhead]

Sorry your having trouble finding a match! I know what your going through, it took me about 3 months to finally find the *perfect* match for my boy and I couldn’t even speed date them because she was a 1.5 he drive away. I would just like to say hang in there, it might take time but you will find the match! I think one day I got so frustrated it was taking so long and ended up emailing like 10 shelters in one day lol.

Also if your having trouble finding a match nearby it might be worth considering finding a bun you like a little further afield and skip the speed dating. Like others have said most bonds do work out, my previous pair never speed dated and they bonded deeply and pretty quick after spaying and my new pair didn’t speed date either, the bonding has gone pretty well so far.

I think in terms of travelling, if you travel a bun properly and it’s not too far, the reward of a lifetime friend far outweighs a stressful couple hours of travelling.

Good luck!

[DanaNM]

There are also tons of very happy male-male pairs, so that might help you find some more candidates.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

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