Wick is single, but is he ready to mingle?

[Wick & Fable]

Technically yes, he’s ready to mingle, as he’s been neutered for over 8 months now. But I would like some thoughts. I’ve thought about this for a very long time, but bonding him with another rabbit hasn’t been necessary because of our bond and time together. So this is a light curiosity sort of post.

 

The main reason I’ve considered getting Wick a friend is because Wick seems to get separation anxiety when I’m gone, even if his other parent is home with him. When I’m gone, Wick becomes “a jerk” (inflammatory). He’s not actually a jerk, but it seems he doesn’t feel as secure without me there, so behaviors like nibbling the carpet, cords, and hands. Also peeing. Wick was actually closer to his other parent in his earlier months, but the coin flipped as he grew up. If I’m gone for a day and something goes awry (i.e. Wick hears a bag and doesn’t get a treat), Wick will pee on the bed or something, his other parent will get upset, and their relationship is on ends. I imagine that if Wick were bonded with another rabbit, he wouldn’t be as perturbed when I’m gone.

 

The main reason I am hesitant about getting him a friend is because of Wick’s teeth issues and general lower health status. He goes in once a month for teeth maintenance, plus other things, which means frequent visits to a vet office with different scents (which I heard can affect bonds, plus potentially always needing to bring the bonded mate to the office with him? Unsure if that’s true.). In addition, ramping up to teeth-time, Wick gets frustrated (behaviors stated above). I am unsure if this would translate to him having routine bouts with a bonded mate because his teeth are bugging him, and how this would strain a relationship. He gets nippy with me when his teeth bother him, so no one is really immune to that frustration. 

 

 

So those are my thoughts. At the end of the day, our schedules are actually flipping where I’ll be home majority of the time and Wick’s other parent will be at work, but I do not want this to exacerbate the issue that when I leave for something, Wick gets upset. Again, I stress that Wick’s parent follows the same, body-language-reading and interactions that I do with Wick. We discuss his body language and cues together, so we both understand his mannerisms.

 

Any input is welcome! Admittedly, I also wonder if the effort to bond two rabbits is worth alleviating about a dozen days per year of Wick’s upset-ness, plus the additional finances. It’s a “constantly thinking about it” idea, so I’d like some other voices in my head as I continue to think. We’re moving in August, so it seems like now would be a good time to consider these ideas.

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.

[Sirius&Luna]

OOooh, I was so excited to see this thread!

It sounds like if you were to bond Wick, he would need a pretty chilled out bun friend that doesn’t stress about the vet. I personally do think you need to take them both/all at once. If you look a couple of threads down, Pete had a bonded pair break up and refuse to rebond over a vet visit. I don’t know the likelihood of bonds breaking over vet visits, as some people (Sarah I believe) have done it before and they’ve been fine, but it’s definitely a possibility and not a risk I’m willing to take, even though I know Luna hates the vet.

Since Wick does get so much human attention, I don’t think it’s essential at all, but agree that it could potentially calm him down. I also think perhaps because he’s so used to humans he might not even be interested in another bunny. Perhaps it’s worth a couple of shelter dates to see how he reacts… Then you can decide if you think a bun friend would actually be positive for him.

Would a new bun catching ringworm be a risk that needs to be considered too?

[Wick & Fable]

It makes me happy you were excited!!

Thank you for your input S&L. I’m moving to Washington DC, where there is a larger rabbit rescue (I believe), so doing a quick into is definitely possible.

In terms of ringworm, I don’t think so, because Wick’s vet and I think he’s just very susceptible to it and his immune system can’t fight it, versus a large majority of rabbits get over it or never contract it once they past their “young” months. My hope is he stops getting it (just finished treatment for the latest bout; 4 days treatment free!) once we move, since it could be something that is just laced within our current dwelling now. We’re getting pretty much all new furniture and carpets, so there’s very little carry-over.

… and worse case scenario, I can treat two at the same time, haha. I’m so used to it at this point. I’m sure Wick would communicate to his mate that the moment the cell-phone flashlight turns on, they should both run and hide.

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]

I got really excited when I saw this too! :p

So, we went through a bit of this with Moose. If you recall he had tons of dental issues among other things, and we didn’t know he had so many issues when we got him.

Regarding the vet thing, I always take both buns in the carrier with me, and bring them both home in the carrier together. My vet wouldn’t allow me to leave Bertha with him when he actually had his procedure, and they said that even if I did, they would be separated during the procedure and right after wards so they could monitor his poop. I was worried about the bond being strained, but I would always bring Bertha with me to pick him up, and never had an issue. The vet (who sees tons of bunnies as they work with our rescue) said it is more rare than people think for the vet to affect the bond, especially when you bring both in the car to and from. It does happen though… so it’s a risk you’d have to consider. I do wonder about the thing with Pete’s buns that S&L mentioned was from the vet, or more from one bunny falling ill, or maybe they weren’t truly and tightly bonded to begin with? Their bond was fairly new when all of this happened, so it’s hard to say for sure.

Regarding Moose and Bertha’s actual relationship, I did notice sometimes Bertha would get a bit bossy when Moose wasn’t feeling well. I think this was because he wouldn’t groom her as much, but she didn’t understand why. I often did preventative “couples therapy” sessions with them, where I would put banana on their heads to encourage more grooming. It is also more challenging to monitor poop from a sick bunny when you have two (especially when they are the same size), but since Wick is so tiny, I’m guessing you’d be able to tell which were his poops!

My personal experience in terms of buns that love human attention is that they are even happier bonded. Bertha and Bun Jovi loooove people, but obviously I can’t be petting them on the floor all day, so now they have each other in those times. And often they both come up and get cuddles at the same time, and then we are all just so happy.

I second that it’s prob worth taking him speed dating. I would wait until you find a bun that fits what you would like and that he gets along well with.

This is not something you asked, but you’ll also have to up your bunny proofing game! I know Wick doesn’t chew much if I remember correctly, so be prepared for that! Sometimes two buns mellow each other out, but other times they get into more trouble together because they teach each other bad habits! Partners in crime!

All that said, I think it’s great that you are open to it, and if the right bunny comes along I think you’ll be able to decide if it’s worth the risks.

. . . 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.  

[Wick & Fable]

Thanks for the reply Dana! So much excitement indeed!! You bring up a good point about bunny-proofing… I am very pampered with Wick, whose “nibbling on cords” when he’s upset is literally nibbles that would never actually break a cord. He requires no rabbit-proofing, so that’s a good thing to remember…..

It’s good to hear that a vet says the bond strain is rare in terms of vet visits. If I get another rabbit, I’ll be able to see how they react to Wick before and after a vet visit during pre-bonding I assume. Since bonding takes several months, there will be plenty of vet visits for Wick to see how it may affect the second rabbit’s opinion of him.

I do love the couples therapy idea, haha. Wick would love that too much. Banana when he’s grumpy? Automatic cheer-up, though it also can catalyze him being grumpy because he only gets a small piece! I will keep this in mind. Wick’s dental maintenance is so regimented, from how long it takes for his poops to shrink and regain size to when he begins showing frustration symptoms, so scheduled couples therapy is definitely plausible.

I really love the idea of Wick having someone who can constantly give him the attention he wants. It’s a 50/50 split on who stops petting sessions between us currently, so I’d like him to get more comfortable with a forever-friend so he gets all the cuddles he wants.

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.

[Poppyhani]

I’m pretty new, but I read more than I post, and I have to say that I was excited to see this thread too! Wick is a spoiled single bun, his humans clearly give him the loving he needs.

In regards to Dana’s post – with Wick having medical issues, I always heard having another bun is best anyway, because another bun figures out faster when something is escalating than a human does! My local shelter had a bun who looked pretty fine, but they didn’t realise something was wrong with their eye until their bonded partner started to act up, and they later found she had a tumour.

I third speed dating! Sounds like Wick needs a relaxed partner who is willing to groom a lot.

[Wick & Fable]

Ah, thanks for the added enthusiasm Poppy!

You bring up a really good point. I’d like to say I can always figure out what the little man is thinking, but I am no rabbit. Having an extra set of eyes and bunny ears to gauge his health is a valuable insight indeed… Maybe it will reduce Wick’s daily butt checks to weekly, haha.

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.

[kurottabun]

I don’t normally read the bonding forum, but I saw the title on the main forum page and got excited over it too so here I am lol!

Just wanted to ditto the speed dating part and wish you all the best in whichever decision you end up with!

[CinnamonPearl]

I’m excited too!!! A friend for Wick would be so cute. Whatever you decide, I support it!

[sarahthegemini]

Add me to the list of people excited about this

I’m very much an advocate for every bun having a bun-panion. Regardless of the bond between bun and human. I just think humans cannot provide everything a bun needs, although it’s obvious that you and Wick have an incredible bond

In terms of Wick’s health causing issues, it’s hard to say. I suppose he might get a bit irritable towards his bonded pal when his teeth start causing him discomfort. I guess the only way to combat this is to get him sorted as soon as you notice he’s becoming uncomfortable. But then you basically do that already. I would definitely take both buns for vet visits. I’ve only ever taken Buttercup to the vet by herself once and that was because after an hour of trying to lure Peanut into the carrier, he was becoming increasingly more anxious and on edge so we just had to go without him. It was very early into their bond so I was worried but as soon as we got back (we were gone an hour) Peanut just sniffed her and they both retreated to under the sideboard and he groomed her. I wouldn’t recommend splitting them for vet visits but sometimes it has to happen. There are precautioms you can take if you need to take Wick alone. For example you could rub a used blanket on Wick when he gets back so that his bun pal recognises his scent

[tannr]

i can’t give any bonding advice but i saw that you’re moving to DC and wanted to recommend friends of rabbits (where i got my bunny, they’re a really great and helpful rescue) and also collins animal hospital (in georgetown) as some good resources for you in your new city!

[Wick & Fable]

Thanks for the encouragement and support Sarah! I’ll keep the blanket trick in mind for the future.

Thank you tannr for the specific resources! I’ll look into Collins. I’ve been searching for a vet that matches Wick’s vet most in dental procedure so it’s a smooth transition for him. I’ll also look into friends of rabbits! I’ve heard of them a few times on these forums actually, so I’m excited to get some more information.

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.

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