Pros and cons

[Bunbun101]

Lately, I have been considering getting my rabbit Winnie a buddy. I am not there for a lot of the day and I feel bad leaving her home alone. She is a healthy and happy bunny but she seems lonely and desperate for attention. She isn’t free range because when I let her out she pees on everything. I let her out supervised though for short periods throughout the day(in the morning for about 5 minutes then I’m off to school and then in the afternoon/night for 1+ hours). She is spayed and about one year old. She lives in a 2×4 foot cage and isn’t very litter trained. She is very spoiled with lots of enrichment in her cage. It took me 4+ months to presuade my parents to let me have one rabbit so I don’t think they’ll let me get another anytime soon. In the mean time I want to get all researched up about bunny bonding. I need to know pros and cons of the bonding process. Do you guys think 2×2 is too small if I split the cage or should I just get a temporary cage? If I get another I want to get a neutered male because I think it seems to work out better like that. What is the process that you bonded your rabbits? What is bad about having two rabbits? Does it cost a lot? What is good? Does it always work out(bonding)? How long does it take?

[LBJ10]

Is there a reason you’ve had difficulty with litter training? How is her cage set up? Is the litter in the litter box and nowhere else?

As for bonding, it would be better to have a temporary cage. 2×2 is just too small and 2×4 is small for a pair. You could make a larger area for your bun (and potential friend) using NIC grid panels to construct a condo.

No bonding does not always work out. There are a few cases where the bunnies in question just aren’t compatible. Most bunnies can be bonded, but it isn’t always easy. That’s why we recommend adopting an adult bunny from a shelter so their personality is known. You can take your bun there to pick out her own friend. That sets you up with the best chance possible for getting a good match. I wouldn’t only look at males since you could potentially miss a perfect match that just so happens to be a girl.

I’m a firm believer that bunnies do better when they have a friend. Mine have both benefited tremendously from having someone who can speak their language. Wooly is somewhat timid and Leopold has made him more outgoing. Leopold is deaf, so Wooly has helped him understand what’s going on in their little world better. They rely on each other and do things for each other that I simply cannot. That being said, two bunnies means twice as much food, hay, veggies, treats, and litter. Oh and poop, definitely more poop. And vet bills, definitely more vet bills. To me, the cost isn’t that much, but it different people might see it differently depending on their circumstances.

There are a ton of different methods for bonding two bunnies. What methods are used will depend on everyone involved and how difficult the bond is. Mine were relatively easy to bond, but that isn’t always the case. I simply allowed mine to spend time together during bonding sessions and they took to each other pretty quick (after Leopold was finished humping Wooly every which way). They worked out their relationship and that was that. Other people will likely describe to you a completely different experience because every bun is different and every bonding situation is different. And that brings us to your last question, the amount of time it takes will vary widely. Sometimes its in as little as a week or two. Sometimes it is MONTHS and sometimes bonding sessions have to be put on hold to give everyone a breather before continuing.

[Bunbun101]

Posted By LBJ10 on 3/01/2015 4:43 PM

Is there a reason you’ve had difficulty with litter training? How is her cage set up? Is the litter in the litter box and nowhere else?

Here is how her cage is set up. I just cleaned it.

[LBJ10]

Okay, I see that there isn’t anything on the floor of her cage. That’s good. What about a larger litter box? Also, is the problem just when she is out of her cage or does she miss the box while in her cage as well?

[Bunbun101]

Posted By LBJ10 on 3/01/2015 5:29 PM

Okay, I see that there isn’t anything on the floor of her cage. That’s good. What about a larger litter box? Also, is the problem just when she is out of her cage or does she miss the box while in her cage as well?

The only reason there was nothing is because I cleaned her cage and put some new hay in. She is actually really good about not pooping out of her cage but the problem is pee. Inside her cage she is ok with pee but not very good about poop. I’ll look for bigger litter boxes when I get more litter.

[Peri and Poe]

I just thought i should mention another side to bonding you should be aware of, especially if you’re rabbit is not litter trained. When they initially bond, there may be a lot of territorial marking (poop and occasionally peeing) everywhere from both rabbits. My rabbits have been bonded for about two months and they are still doing the ‘poop wars’ so i’m cleaning after them both everyday. So just make sure you REALLY want another rabbit and are prepared to deal with the extra cleaning this may require.

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