Questions about introducing a new rabbit

[BunnyBuns7]

Hey fellow rabbit lovers. I’ve been thinking about getting another rabbit in the future. Thinking… maybe in the next year or so. I have a ton of questions about it first. First of all, I’m a little worried about My netherland getting jealous that I have another rabbit. She get’s jealous really easily like if I pet the dogs or even when my husband is with me. I want her to have a friend to play with and bond to, but I’m also worried about her bonding less with me. Are these things I should be worried about or will they work themselves out. I think that she would really love having a buddy because she does try and play with the dogs, but obviously they don’t play like another rabbit. Actually they ignore her and walk away try as she might to get them to do otherwise. Also, once they are bonded, can they be housed together. How long does it usually take to bond them? Can I get a fixed male to be with my fixed female or do they both need to be females? I’m also concerened if they can’t be housed together because I don’t have the adequate amount of space to have two exercise pens in my house. LIly  is housed in a large exercise pen. How do you start out bonding them? I’m thinking about getting the other rabbit from a rescue. Do they let you bring your other rabbit with you and see how they do together before you adopt? Sorry if my questions are all over the place. I’m just writing them as they come to me. Um… that’s all I can think of for now. Any help is appreciated. I like to be well prepared before I do anything with my animals. I run a zoo in my house. lol. Thanks ahead of time.

Kayla

[jerseygirl]

Hi Kayla, Firstly, here’s the link to the bondong info on this site.  That should answer some of your questions.https://www.binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/Bondin…fault.aspx

I’ll try answer some of your others… It’s great you’re preparing youself so well! 

Rabbit rescues are a great way to go because some offer bunny dating so you can take Lily there to meet some of the bunnies and see who she likes.  You may be really lucky & find she and a bunny just click and that’s that!   A rabbit choosing it’s own friend will make the bonding go much easier most times.   Also, some places offer a bonding service so if room or time at home is a problem, that’s an option that might work for you.  

Also, once they are bonded, can they be housed together.

  They should be. Bonded rabbits should stay together always.  It can stress them when their mate is not there.    Prior to bonding they are housed separate so maybe you could put a divider down Lily’s pen? 

Can I get a fixed male to be with my fixed female or do they both need to be females?

Male to female bonds are said to be the easiest but it’s not limited to this.  It really depends on who the rabbit chooses. 

How long does it usually take to bond them?

  This is variable!  It can be instant, 1 week, 2, 3,4, up to several months.  My own pair took exactly 30 days.  Alot depends on the individual rabbits and the time you can put in to bonding sessions.  

Hopefully, the bonding info page will cover some of your other qu’s. If not, ask away.

[Beka27]

Welcome here! We love questions before acquiring a second bunny! Too often people get a second and then they realize they have no clue how to proceed.

Rabbits do so well in pairs. They are very social and a bunny companion offers comfort, esp. when their humans can’t always be around.

My favorite bonding article is from House Rabbit Network… it covers everything in great detail… read it, bookmark, print it out, whatever you have to do, but keep it close at hand.

http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/articles/bond.shtml

I started with a very opinionated female bun and a shy guy… they did fight a lot for about 2 weeks, but at the end of 3 weeks, they were inseparable. Like Jersey said, you must have a second area or cage for during the bonding, but after that they must be housed together.

I’d do some research and check out local shelters/rescues (Petfinder is great for this!) but also go there and see the buns they have (bring your Nethie!) Not all rescues update their site when buns come and go, so who’s online may or may not be who is available. Definitely try to bunny date. It’s not *absolutely* necessary (I didn’t date my buns so it can work out) but you’d be saving yourself some potential headaches if they hate each other.

[RabbitPam]

I think it’s excellent that you’re doing your research now, while you wait a bit. Read through some of the older posts in the Bonding section to see some personal experiences and advice given. As jersey said, the Bonding sections here, as well as on the HRS site are very, very helpful.

[BunnyBuns7]

Awesome! Will do! Thank you so much for your help. I really appreciate it. I’ll save the websites and start looking into them more. Anyone who has resources, keep posting ’em! I love gather as much as I can.

[MooBunnay]

It is a great idea to be doing research before you get a second rabbit. I have introduced several pairs of bunnies and while it can require a lot of patience no matter what the pair is – allowing your bunny to go on “dates” to figure out what kind of bun your girl would like. I generally have more luck with male/female fixed pairs, however, I think the most important thing is that the bunnies can decide which one will be dominant and which one will be the submissive one. I also have a netherland dwarf and she was pretty easy to bond, but they think that was because she was living in an outdoor feral colony and therefore more accustomed to living with other bunnies. I’ve seen a lot of Netherland Dwarfs with BIG mates, so don’t think that you need to necessarily pick another tiny bunny.

[Jenna, Chubs & Comet]

Research is deffinitely good! It helped prepare me for how tough bonding can be- for bunnies and people! Patience is a requirement!! Also would highly recommend bunny dating- Chubs attacked the first bunny he dated on site! Haha. Here’s a link that I am finding very helpful http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/articles/bond.shtml Also, reading these bonding threads is a good idea. It shows how different every bonding is and what worked for some people. I am still going through the bonding process and trying different things, but I found these threads very helpful! Good luck It’s fun having two!

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