Will bonded rabbits still seek me out for cuddles?

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

I have a very important question for experienced rabbit owners: will the buns in a bonded pair still seek me out to cuddle?

It’s a question that’s haunting me and Bas now that we have to think about the future. Shelters refuse to place single rabbits, no matter your circumstances. Not even when I’m always home and the rabbit can sleep in my in bed, not even when the bunny has been born behind bars and has spent all his life there. I’m pretty through with shelters right now, because they are so aggressive and quick to call anyone an abuser. One of them even had the nerve to say that Breintje could never have been happy 😥

We’re basically down to 2 choices: getting a bonded pair or not getting rabbits.

Of course I don’t expect a new rabbit to be just as cuddly as Breintje, because that’s a bond that grew over many years. But I’m hoping that at least one of the rabbits would want to connect with me over time. What I’m looking for in rabbits is company and fun in our home again, but I have mobility issues, so getting down on the floor with them won’t be easy.

A friend of ours has a bonded pair of shelter buns that refuses to interact with humans, they just stick together in their play area. Is this common?

One of our options would be to look into a responsible hobby breeder and to get a pair of brothers/sisters from them. Is it possible to raise rabbits so they like to interact with you when they grow up?

[LBJ10]

I really think it depends on the rabbits in question. Some are just not all that interested in their owners. They like each other and that’s just the way it is. Then you have the bonded pair where both rabbits seek attention. This was more my experience. Most rabbits are not super cuddly. Breintje was very special indeed. But many bonded rabbits will go to their owners for pets, etc. And then they get into shoving matches because one is apparently getting more pets than the other. 🙄

Are you able to foster any bonded pairs? I know you said you didn’t want to foster. But I think fostering would give you a better idea of their personalities. If they seem like a good match for you and Bas, then you can make the arrangement permanent. If not, then you can try a different bonded pair.

[DanaNM]

My pairs still seek me out for cuddles for the most part. 🙂 Then you get the benefit of cuddling two bunnies at once!

The only exception is Bonnie, who wasn’t cuddly to begin with. She’s bonded with Cooper, who is exceedingly cuddly, and still comes to get snuggles from us constantly. I’ve never had a cuddly bun become less cuddly after bonding.

I think sometimes when people adopt a pair, they might find it harder to initiate bonding with them, because you see them happy together and don’t feel as inclined to go sit with them? And yes every pair is different, so if both bunnies were not very interested in humans, it would take more work. Bonnie had a really tough time in the shelter, so it brings me joy just to see her happy and relaxed, even if she’s not seeking me out for attention. But then I get plenty of attention from my other three!

 

. . . 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.  

[Bam]

Maybe you could foster a bun thats too young to be spayed/neutered? Then you could get to know that bun properly before you tried bonding him/her? My bun was 3.5 months when I got her. She turns 6 months next week, which is the earliest my vet wants to spay her. (I’m quite nervous about this, of course).

[Cinnimon&Ollie]

When I was bonding my rabbits, I took time to learn about the bunny I just got. Ollie doesn’t want cuddles, but my other bunny Cinnimon loves cuddling.  After I bonded them Ollie actually was okay with being cuddled and petted sometimes. Cinnimon still cuddled but less than she did before… she only wanted to be cuddled before. Overall my bunny Cinnimon seems so much happier ( Ollie I only had for a month so I couldn’t tell if he was happier but I know he was happy ). You could find a bunny at another shelter that doesn’t do good with other bunnies although I don’t know how difficult that is.

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Thank you for the answers and advice everyone ^_^ I’m really new to this, and never had to think about bonding because Breintje stayed super possessive of me after his neuter. He didn’t even mind if there was another rabbit in the room, as long as I didn’t touch it or give it attention. If I smelled of another rabbit he aggressively claimed me by scent marking me for a week. When I gave attention to another rabbit he thumped wildly, gave me the butt and started revenge peeing. Point taken…

 

To be honest, we won’t be looking at shelters anymore after the amount of abuse that they gave me for having owned one rabbit. Their aggressive attitude really put us off: they act as if there’s only one way to care for bunnies, and that’s theirs.

I asked several shelters if they had a small rabbit that would do well as an indoor solo bun with us, which started off a string of angry lectures at every shelter that I called. I might as well have asked if they were already nice and fat for Christmas… One even had the nerve to say that Breintje could never have been truly happy 😥

 

They keep on saying that no rabbit is happy as a solo bun, and they won’t see nuances. I’m home all day because of my disability, and the bunny can free-roam here all day and even sleep in my bed.

There were bunnies there who’d been born behind bars and spent their entire life solo in a small shelter’s hutch, and yet they still refused to place them solo. It’s so sad for those bunnies, and it really p!sses me off.

Some of the happiest, oldest and best cared for bunnies were solo bunnies in the loving hands of people on the forum here. Many shelters in other countries would be happy to place just one bun, as long as long as people take good care of it. It looks like animal welfare organisations here in NL have collectively decided that “one rabbit is no rabbit” 🙁

[DanaNM]

That’s really so sad. I’m sorry you were treated that way!

. . . 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.  

[LBJ10]

I know it sounds terrible… but what about a breeder?

[DanaNM]

Good point @LBJ10, or a private rehoming (not sure if there’s an equivalent of craigslist in the Netherlands)?

. . . 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.  

[Cinnimon&Ollie]

That’s really sad that they did that. Maybe find a person trying to give away their bunny?

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