what to do?

[ea hurse]

right, i’ve been lollo’s mum for 1 week now. i am loving it. i was in town today and popped into a pet shop to look at toys / food etc like an over-excited parent when i noticed they sell rabbits. they had a few, some older than others, but one really caught my attention. they got it this week, it’s going on for 7 weeks old. don’t know the sex as they said they don’t check- this probably says something about the quality of their expertise or lack thereof. anyhoo, i fell in love.
This became pie in the sky when a little girl et famile turned up, they had also fallen in love with it earlier and had come back to get it. needless to say i couldn’t see the girl so upset and did the dutiful and grown up thing and bowed out. i’m left feeling quite broken hearted… !
it has got me thinking though. would it be best to wait until Lollo has had his ‘little operation’ (huh-humm, cant say it out loud as little (long) ears are listening) and then get another bunny or get one (welcome suggestions re another boy or this time a girl?) and just keep them seperate until said op has been performed then introduce them…..
WHAT WOULD I DO without this site to post all my questions on?!!

[Deleted User]

Awe how sweet of you! : ) Sometimes it isn’t easy being the better person but ya know, it really pays off. My hats off to you. But anyway, in regards to pairing. I would wait until after the operation as you would need to wait anyway (or it would be adviseable to). Normally at the HRS they wait until they are both fixed in order to introduce them, plus you have to wait until all the *ahem* swimmers are gone too. Ask your vet about that as well. : ) Don’t worry, the right bunny will come along. = : )

[BinkyBunny]

Sorry for my delayed reply!  I had to go out of town for an emergency, and now I am playing catch up!

I can tell you that it may have been a good thing for you not to have gotten the bunny. But they are soooooo cute.  It’s almost impossible to pass up, so you are one strong bunny mum!!

But the reason I say it was a good thing that you did that is because when bunnies reach sexual maturity, around 3 months, they can fight OR they can mate, and in as little as 3 months a female can get pregnant. 

So either way, you’d have to separate them very quickly until they could both be altered. 

Also, baby bunnies are a mess, and even if they become litter trained at a young age, when they reach that infamous stage of maturity, all hell breaks loose,  they can become territorial, messy, spraying, and/or pooping everywhere, and you it’s hard enough to deal with that with one bunny, when there is more than one, those behaviors can increase.

I do think bunny companionship is wonderful.  Most rabbits do crave companionship.  (even though most will need to go through a bonding process to prevent fighting)

Some will even bond with a toy.  So if you are looking for a companion for you bunny in the future, check out the bonding section of this site. 

[Gravehearted]

it sounds like it was for the best to wait anyhow. After Lollo is fixed it will be much easier to try and bond with another bunny.

I really do hope you’ll consider going to a rescue to adopt a second bunny. Bonding a pair very often works best when the two bunnies can pick each other. Most rescues do help with rabbit dating and can help your bunny pick a friend, plus help you through the bonding process. Bonding still takes some time, but is so rewarding since most rabbits live happier and healthier lives when part of a pair. Plus adopting through a rescue is often less expensive since the adoption fee includes spay / neuter too!

Good luck!

[BinkyBunny]

I agree with Gravehearted.    The best and easiest match I ever made was through speed dating at a local rabbit rescue.  Plus you get the benefit of rabbit savvy people to help you spot the signs of success.

Gravehearted,  do they do rabbit bonding speed dating at the rescue you volunteer for?

[Gravehearted]

Posted By BinkyBunny on 07/31/2006 1:13 AM

Gravehearted,  do they do rabbit bonding speed dating at the rescue you volunteer for?

~~~

yes – we do matchmaking and dating with the Rabbit Haven. Since we host our adoption shows at PetSmart, we will initially put the bunny & his/her “date” in a shopping cart lined with a blankie and wheel the  cart around the store.  If we see any aggression we  jostle the cart, if it seems clear they’re not getting along – we’ll try a different bunny date.  Once we have several potential matches, we’ll usually let them play in a space to see how they get along.

[BinkyBunny]

That’s great.  I love the shopping cart technique!

[lilmizzsnickerz]

aww how sad when i went back to the petshop to get domino and his brother his brother had alredy been bought even thou i said i would be back in a hour for both of them

[Author]

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