Second rabbit?

[Shadow13]

I have just recently got my first rabbit (if been around rabbits basically my hole life though). I got him at around 7 weeks and he’s now around 12 weeks. I was wondering if I need to get a second rabbit in the future. If I do how can I convince my parents (as I’m still living at home)?

[BanditCamp]

For me o would only cpnsider a second rabbit if i was not going to be able to provide the social attention he needs. Most rabbits are ok as solo buns as long as your there to socialize with them. If your not going to be aroind a friend might be beneficial however you will have to double food and litter costs as well as fix both bunnies, bond them, and let them interact. You also run the risk of both bunnies not willing to be friends and then you will have to have two seperated cages and areas for tour bunnies but that’s a at worst case risk but it does happen

[Dface]

Rabbits are social creatures, and are happier in pairs as a rule of thumb. Occasionally you will come across rabbits who would rather live alone, but this isnt the usual case.
Rabbits like 24/7 companionship. Humans simply cannot provide that, and its wrong to assume we can adequately cater to a bunnies social needs.
Say you get 8 hours sleep, and work/are in school for a further 8 hours, that’s 16 out of 24 hours your rabbit is alone. This leaves 8 hours, in which you will presumably do human things-shower go out with friends etc. So you’re rabbit will receive less than a third of your days worth of attention. This isn’t fair on a bunny.

Aside from that, rabbits have urges to groom and be groomed that we cant fill in.
Rabbits alone in a human world tend to be more destructive out of boredom and loneliness

I dont believe in keeping single bunnies unless the rabbit does not accept any other rabbit (but that isn’t actually all that common)

So the things to consider about two -they both need to be neutered.
Bonding can take time and be stressful.
While bonding you need to double everything (Both rabbits need to be kept apart)

Most people advise adopting from a shelter-many shelter buns are already neutered and they allow for “dates” to let your rabbit pick out who he would like to be his partner, so you dont end up with incompatible rabbits.

[sarahthegemini]

I absolutely agree with everything Dface has said. We humans try and provide the best we can but we simply cannot provide them with what a rabbit friend can. I believe there is a bunny companion for every bun. It’s up to us as responsible rabbit owners to find ‘the one’ It can be difficult, but do we become best chums with every individual out there? I really think rabbits are happier in pairs.

[Boston's Mama]

my opinion is different – you will find lots of opinions here and you just have to trust your gut in the end and base it off s consense of knowledge you will receive and from there find what works for you.
I have had both single bunnies and bonded bunnies ( mine bonded instantly so I had no issues like you can have bonding thankfully )
All of mine were happy – and I def wouldn’t say the bonded ones were happier or better off than my single ones.

You also need to take into account if you can provide seperate living qaurters for 2 bunnies. If they don’t bond or their bond breaks or similar – you will then need it. BUT you will need this set up eitherway as you can’t just get a second bun and put it straight with your first bunny… it’s a process. You would need to have them both desexed first , and then allow 6 weeks for hormones to go before even looking at bonding. Then pre bonding is a great idea ( I won’t go into that now but allow a month at least for that ) so you’d be looking at 3-4 months from now before bonding if you get a second now – and if that second bun is a girl she needs to be 6 months before getting desexed and her hormones take between 6weeks and 6months to go after desex before the prebonding..
in my opinion lots give pro advice to getting two bunnies but it isn’t an easy thing to do nor is it right for everyone.

I’m not pro nor against- I’m pro everyone finding the right thing for themselves and their bun(s) and asking qs here is def a great start

My advice would be do lots of research on bonding , on bonding two bunnies and on bonding yourself with your bunny – make your bond strong with him , spend lots of time with him ( as they def need lots of social interaction )

[Shadow13]

Thanks everyone! I do need to consider another rabbit as I’m not very sure at this point. I know I would like another rabbit on my behalf but my bunny right now doesn’t seem very interested in another friend and seems quite happy on his own. And when I got him he was the runt of the litter and was disliked by his siblings so he was kept in a separate cage once he stoped drinking from his mom. My parents do NOT want another rabbit so it would take a lot of convincing but I know if Shadow absolutely needed a friend they would let me get another one. Shadow seems very independent just because he was fine not living with his siblings and never wanted to play with them he was always happy on his own. After everyone tellling me his cage is to small I have used his old cage for a cage I put him in when I’m cleaning his cage and when he’s free roaming my house I keep his litter box,food,etc in it. He now has 2 pens attached together forming one huge cage. He gets about 7-8 hours out every week day and around 14 hours out of his cage on weekends when I’m home and watching him. I spend at least 2 hours with him each day snuggling and playing with him. He loves snuggleing but honestly is a very independent bun and prefers me leaves him alone even know we have formed a very very strong bond.

[DanaNM]

My two cents: keep an eye out for “lonely” signs. For me, I thought my bun was perfectly happy, until I bonded him, and then I saw his true potential for binkies, bunny 500’s, megaflops, and overall adventurousness.

Lonely signs (though each bun is prob different): skittishness, obsessive/destructive behavior, not many mega flops, no binkies.

I think the only way to really know if your bun would prefer a friend would be to take him on some speed dates and see how he reacts. If he attacks every bun that he meets, then yes he may just prefer to fly solo.

Now, convincing your parents is an entirely separate issue, but perhaps showing them some videos of happily bonded bunnies snuggling and grooming each other would be enough.

Think of it from a human perspective: a dog can be a great companion to a person, but most people do crave and need human interaction! Not all people, but most.

Sounds like you are doing a good job so far, and it’s really good that you are giving this careful consideration, because bonding is a lot of work! And two bunnies is definitely more work than one! But it’s so worth it to see them so happy together, and it’s amazing to snuggle two bunnies at the same time. It’s also amazing knowing when you are asleep or at work they have company.

. . . 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.  

[DanaNM]

My two cents: keep an eye out for “lonely” signs. For me, I thought my bun was perfectly happy, until I bonded him, and then I saw his true potential for binkies, bunny 500’s, megaflops, and overall adventurousness.

Lonely signs (though each bun is prob different): skittishness, obsessive/destructive behavior, not many mega flops, no binkies.

I think the only way to really know if your bun would prefer a friend would be to take him on some speed dates and see how he reacts. If he attacks every bun that he meets, then yes he may just prefer to fly solo.

Now, convincing your parents is an entirely separate issue, but perhaps showing them some videos of happily bonded bunnies snuggling and grooming each other would be enough.

Think of it from a human perspective: a dog can be a great companion to a person, but most people do crave and need human interaction! Not all people, but most.

Sounds like you are doing a good job so far, and it’s really good that you are giving this careful consideration, because bonding is a lot of work! And two bunnies is definitely more work than one! But it’s so worth it to see them so happy together, and it’s amazing to snuggle two bunnies at the same time. It’s also amazing knowing when you are asleep or at work they have company.

. . . 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.  

[Love4Bunny]

Hi Shadow13, I do think the most important thing is getting your parents support. I have seen threads where members rushed out and got a second rabbit, and were so stressed because their parents had a different idea of space requirements, financial commitments, and bonding best practices. Your folks and you should be on the same page about the major stuff before you bring home a second companion. In the end, being at odds with your parents does not make for happy life for you or your rabbit/s. A bonded pair is awesome, but I get to make my own decisions and do what I want with my money and house. Not every member on the forum can do that yet, and it’s okay. Just do what is best for your situation. Just make sure your parents really support you and understand everything before you make that commitment. Until then, you can keep the dialogue open with your parents: discuss the misconceptions and facts about rabbits, have them interact with your current rabbit regularly, discuss what you need to bond, and how long it may take (and include worst case scenario’s). That’s my solution to what to do in the meantime. Also, sometimes rabbits don’t bond with other rabbits. This does not make one a bad owner for keeping a single rabbit (rabbits in the wild can be brutal to each other). It seems like you are doing a great job so far, so keep it up. Best of luck!

[sarahthegemini]

I have to say, solo rabbits might seem happy enough but imagine how much happier they’d be with one of their own kind?

[Sarah]

We had a rabbit for around six months alone. As I only work part time and my husband works from home he got a lot of attention and time out of the cage (house bunny). However once he was a more mature lad and had been fixed I noticed he seemed very lethargic and bored a lot. We got him a friend from the RSPCA and that was a great route to go down as they offer “dates” at the centre to see if your bunnies will get on. Having said that, bonding was not an easy process and took over our living room for well over 2 months (you need space to double up on and we have them pens next to each other to try and help. There were times when I wondered if I had done the right thing as they just didn’t seem to be able to get on once they were living here. Stress bonding was out great breakthrough, we read a blog about putting them in a (dry) bathtub together, and it worked a treat. Within days they were living together. But I guess the point I am trying to make is bonding takes a lot of time, effort and commitment. Having done it I am so glad we did, Storm and Sky are very happy together, but it isn’t easy.

[Shadow13]

Shadow has not been neutered yet so once he is he might not be as active as he is. Where I live they don’t let you take your rabbit to meet another rabbit I’m not sure why. It’s also very hard to find a rabbit under the age of 6 unless you find a breeder or buy from a pet store. In my perspective I think you should not but a rabbit from a petstore especially dwarfs since they normally turn out being baby bunny that end up not being a dwarf. I got shadow from a breeder but if I decide to get a second rabbit I would like to get a rabbit from a shelter older then 6 or so months just because it would be a lot easier cause they could be fixed and I wouldn’t have to wait a while. The reason I don’t want a rabbit older then 6 years is because that’s already pretty old and I don’t want her to die soon and shadow be lonely and sad. Could I get another rabbit for shadow once he’s older then 1 year?

[Love4Bunny]

Yes, you can Shadow13. Closer in age, and neutered is what you’d want. Thor was about as active as he ever was after being neutered but the only difference was he wasn’t humping the chihuahua’s anymore. If anything, age has slowed him down a tad, but that’s about it.

[Author]

Messages