Should I get her a friend?

[GiggilyPuffBunny]

Hello, 

I have a few friends that would be happy to get rid of their bunnies and i’d love to take them because they aren’t getting enough attention . Should I? I am in college right now but still living at home (yeah yeah, make fun- but I’m savin’ money ya’ll) and I have a HUGE cage for my baby (cuz well, she always gets the best ) but I will be doing things during the day, but I usually give her a big chunk of my afternoon and evenings. Should I get her a friend? If so, what gender? I wasn’t going to because I have to spay/nutter again and ahhh $$$ too much. 

What are your recommendations?

[Tessie]

So, sorry I’m not sure I understood.
They have more than one bunny they don’t want anymore? Are they bonded? If they are you can’t split them up.

And they aren’t neutered?

I think its great for bunnies to have a friend, but its not essential, and bonding can be stressful.
It’s a good idea to take your bunny to meet these buns to see if she likes one/them.

[Sarita]

Well if you don’t plan to spay and neuter them then it’s not a good idea to get her a friend..it’s a pretty bad idea :~)

[Tessie]

Yes, that too! Haha

[GiggilyPuffBunny]

Its a few friends with one bunny per friend. Sorry that was kinda jumbled. I have one, my other friend has one and then another has 3 or something that I’m not too familiar with. And I think Becka meet my friend’s bunny (the friend with one bunny LOL) and they kinda just ignored each other. Although it was only for a few hours. That other one was a girl as well. SWEEEETEST thing. I’m not sure what kind though. But, yeah- if mine is spayed and the other isn’t that’d be a problem hu?
And should you have 2 normally?

[tanlover14]

BOTH need to be spayed/neutered before introductions. Rabbit fights can get extremely vicious and rabbits that have not been altered are more likely to fight. Leaving even one unaltered can be extremely dangerous to both rabbits.

The main thing you need to consider and think about is: do you have the time, energy, and patience to bond them? AND will you have the time and energy to commit to a 2nd bunny if you cannot get them to bond?? Rabbit bonding can be very stressful and I would definitely urge you to research more about what it takes to bond before committing to a friend for your rabbit I also need to comment that if you do not have the money to alter another rabbit – are you sure you are financially stable enough to care for another rabbit and their potential vet bills? Not saying you don’t… just something you definitely need to consider before making a final decision!

I will add – ignoring each other during bonding is actually a good sign! If you think you can spay the other girl as well, she MAY be a good candidate for bonding to your current bunny. I will also add, you may need to inform your friend that an unspayed female has an 85% chance of developing uterine cancer before the age of 4. Spaying is essential to ensuring a healthy, female rabbit. It’s incredibly important for females!

As for having multiple rabbits…. rabbits with friends is amazing! I have a bonded group of six and I absolutely love the connections and relationships between them. However, rabbits can be happy rabbits single AND it’s much more important that you ensure you have the ability and funds to care for your first rabbit AND the money and time to commit to a 2nd. You will be doing NEITHER any good if you find it’s much more difficult to care for and more money with two!

[GiggilyPuffBunny]

OOhh, my goodness- 6 bunnies. WOW. But yes, that is exactly why I got mine spayed when I got her. I have plenty of time for them I suppose the only issue would be the bonding part :-/
Thank you so much for your advice! I’ll check it out!

[tanlover14]

You can go slow with bonding – it just takes time and patience. A lot of people don’t have the time or patience and eventually give up – leaving them with two single bunnies. I’m a firm believer that any rabbits can be bonded if you keep with it & change up your situations until you find something that fits your pair/group.

 I have a blog (edited — you can PM me for more info) as well that has articles discussing a lot of bonding and a series on how I bonded each of my own into my group. It may give you guidance in whether it’s something you would like to pursue or not. Binkybunny & rabbit.org also have a lot of bonding information & you should definitely check out the bonding threads

[GiggilyPuffBunny]

Hey tanlover thanks! Im still thinking about it but, it’s so much money with one… haha. BUT if I ever do decide to cross that road I will definitely contact you! 🙂

[NewBunnyOwner123]

If you do decide to get a buddy and bond you can also post to this forum and get free advice as well but spaying is pretty vital before bonding to get hormones out of the way. And of course the whole cancer thing.

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