Should I bond?

[Darwin]

I am a new bunny owner, I’ve had Darwin for about a month now and am already considering getting another .

Currently I am only working a part time job, so Darwin currently receives a lot of daily attention from me (perhaps more than he would like hehe), however, I am preparing to start a  full time position in the fall and am worried that my change in free time  will leave Darwin lonely.  I also think the amount of free time I have now would be benefitial for the bonding process. 

I have read many of the forum posts about bonding and the article here on binkybunny, but, I still would like to ask, what do you wish you had known before you started bonding? What should I consider when deciding if I want to introduce a new rabbit? (My question is kind of in the same vein as the “you shouldn’t get a rabbit if..” topic, but instead “you shouldn’t bond your rabbit if…”) 

Also, I am worried that it may be too soon to introduce a new rabbit in the house when Darwin has only been here a month.  He seems pretty settled but, a month seems like a rather short time to introduce a new source of stress.  Also, it might be helpful for you to know that Darwin is 2 years old and already neutered.  I would most likely look for another adult rabbit that is already neutered or spayed (if not I would of course get the procedure done before attempting to bond).

Thank you for taking the time to read and offer advice! 

[MoveDiagonally]

Welcome to BB!  I’m going to jump right in. 

As long as you’re willing to make time for your bunny every day I don’t think you have to worry about him getting lonely. A lot of members here work full time and take care of one or more rabbits. I wouldn’t get a second rabbit purely because you think Darwin needs a friend. I think you should only get a second rabbit if you want one (and of course the means, space, etc… to take care of another one),

 

Here’s my You Shouldn’t Bond a Rabbit If….”

– You’re not prepared to house two single rabbits for their entire lives. There’s always a chance that in the end they won’t bond. You can increase your chances of success by taking your bunny dating but there are no guarantees. 

– You’re not able to take two bunnies to the vet for injuries. Rabbits can be vicious when they fight and really do some damage to each otheer.

– You’re not mentally prepared for the stress/emotional drain of bonding. I think a lot of people underestimate how exhausting bonding can be. Sometimes people are blessed with easy bonds but when it’s rough it can take it’s toll.   

– You’re not prepared for a partial or complete loss of litter habits pre, mid, and post bond.   

– You can’t commit to keeping a bonded pair together for their entire lives. Once bonded it’s cruel to separate them. 

 All that said,  it can be really fun having bonded bunnies. I’ve never regreted bonding my rabbits and I’ve seen a lot of wonderful improvements in them because of it. If Darwin is your first bunny I might wait a bit before bringing another rabbit into the situation. Just to give you time to work out the kinks of bunny ownership and give you time to bond closer with him. That has always been my preference. I like to bond individually with my bunnies before introducing them to each other. 

 

Wow, that got long! I hope it was at least somewhat helpful (and didn’t come across too negative). Best of luck! 

[LittlePuffyTail]

Welcome to BB! Is that Darwin in your avatar? If yes, he is so adorable and looks just like my Bindi Loo!

I’m glad that you are doing some research before getting a second bun. My suggestions to you:

-Keep in mind that you will have to keep them separate for as long as the bonding process takes. This can be weeks or months. If your bunnies do not bond by the time your new job starts, will you still have the time to work on it?

-For the best chance at an easy bond, you should bring Darwin somewhere where he can do “rabbit dates”. Most rescues and some shelters will offer this as a way for your bunny to pick his own friend.

-There is always the possibility (unusual, but can happen) that your bunnies just will not bond. Are you prepared to keep them both separate?

[Darwin]

This is exactly the kind of information I was hoping for, thanks for the great responses! I have one more question, how much (if any?) should I expect my bunny’s behavior to change while bonding/once bonded?

Yep, that’s Darwin in my avatar; they are very similar! I love Binidi Loo’s red eyes. Darwin happens to be a BEW but I love the REWs as well

[Beka27]

My female was very bonded to me before we got our second bunny. Bonding them made her lose interest in me. I became the feeder, litter box cleaner, and “casual observer”. They did their own thing for the most part. I don’t regret bonding them because it was clear how much they loved each other, but it was tough to lose our close relationship.

This doesn’t happen in every case, but sometimes it does. I usually recommend that people wait AT LEAST 9-12 months before getting a second bunny. Don’t rush into it. Enjoy your one on one bunny time first.

[tanlover14]

I’m going to pop in with my experiences of having a bonded quintet!

ALL five of my rabbits are still INSANELY bonded and interested in us humans (my boyfriend and I). Every time we come home, they run to the x pen door for attention and when we are with them, they soak up every pet they can get. SO I think it really depends on the rabbit when bonding. My theory is: a lot of times the human stops giving the rabbit so much attention because he now he has a “buddy” to keep him company as well as you – so many stop spending as much time with their bun which will obvoiusly hinder and hurt the relationship you have with your buns. I will warn you though – my five were interested in only each other the whole time I was bonding but after bonding – they came back to being just as interested in me.

No offense, Beka! Beka is a fantastic bunny momma but I wanted you to see a different side of having bonded rabbits and how the situation really can depend from rabbit to rabbit. It has helped my less social buns socialize more as they learn to be more comfortable with us watching the other rabbits.

Per usual, MD gave GREAT tips so I wont’ bore you by repeating what she wrote!

[Darwin]

Thanks for the info! Definitely important to know all the potential outcomes, and I’m glad to hear bonding won’t necessarily result in a loss of interest towards me. Thinking I’ll spend some more time bonding with Darwin before I venture on to growing our bunny family.

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