Woohooo!!

[Alicia Conklin]

So Tucker has finally won my husband over! I asked him again today “so I think Tucker needs a friend once he’s neutered” and he said ….. “sure why not he’s got a big enough pad” YAY! So, I need to start calling vets and make him an appt to get his snip snip and then we’ll wait the time recommended..what is it two months? And then start looking for a friend for him.  I was wondering…and I am thinking this is probably a no go..but if let’s say he gets neutered and I see a bunny that seems like a good pair…would it be ok to bring her home and then keep them separated until he was ready to start the bonding process?  Or is it impossible to tell which bunny would be a good pair and he’d have to go visit the rabbits to choose his own?

 

 

[Floppy]

The best situation would be to let him heal which is usually a month but 6-8 weeks is probably
better…and then to go to a shelter and let him meet some buns and see which one he picks.

[Scarlet_Rose]

That’s great news Tucker! I would defiantely wait until after he has healed up and ideally, let him pick who his mate will be. Otherwise it can be a shot in the dark if they get along if you just bring anyone home. They have such individual personalities, just like humans, it’s best to set up dating to find the best match.

[Alicia Conklin]

That’s what I was thinking would be best too..I was reading up about bonding and I think it’ll go much smoother if he gets to meet his mate. Looks like he will be neutered the beginning of June and then maybe in August/September we will start looking for a friend for him

[rabbitsmba]

I think when choosing a mate, knowing personalities is super-important. What kind of bunny is Tucker? Playful? Dominant? Snobbish? Easy-going? Goofy and loveable? Then you need to pick a bunny who is opposite. Rescues are great for this because chances are, their rabbits are in foster homes so the bunny’s foster parents can let you know what their personality is like.

Good luck! I am so happy for Tucker! There isnothing more precious than two bunnies in love…..(melt)….

[Alicia Conklin]

Ahh really? That is good to know, I never thought about choosing the opposite! Tucker is pretty easy going, he’s a bit playful but he’s usually just lounging around. He’s a little shy but easy to win over. I am honestly not sure if he is dominant or not. I think it’ll be a good thing that we are not adopting another until August/September it will give me some more time to get to know his moods and personality. I hate waiting because he so obviously wants a friend! He wants to play with my cats but the one is afraid of him and the other has no need for any other person/animal other then me and so he just looks at him and walks away LOL. So poor Tucker seems lonely. I have a stuffy in there for him and the kids and I visit him often to keep him company but I think he’ll be happiest once he finally gets to have a mate!

[Beka27]

awww Tucker! he sounds like such a sweetheart. it is easier to bond two altered adult bunnies of the opposite sex. currently, i am looking into getting my rabbit a friend. she is about 14 months old right now. isn’t Tucker still pretty young? another option you have is learning as much as you can about him and his personality (and get a solid foundation in proper rabbit care… we’ll help!) and wait a bit to get a friend. even if you waited until his 1st birthday to start looking, that would allow you to bond with him (as you’ve obviously been doing already).

[Alicia Conklin]

Hmm ok, I was thinking that it’d be easier to bond them when he was younger…like before he got set in his ways?  He’d be about 9 mos when I was ready to start looking from what I was previously considering..but if that is too young I don’t mind waiting.  My main concern is that right now he really seems to want a friend and I’d hate to wait too long and then have him not want a friend when right now he seems lonely and wants one from waht I can tell.  So it’s more about what is right for him and making him happy then it is for me to have another bunny!  LOL I also don’t have alot of options around here as there doesn’t seem to be many rescues in the area and it might take quite a bit of time to find a girl bunny for him as almost all the buns I’ve seen seem to be males.  I’m not in a hurry or anything, I just want to get him neutered ASAP for several reasons and one of those being so that it’s done and over with so if  a perfect match happens to pop up we can see about going for it

[Beka27]

the easiest bond is two babies before they reach puberty. next after that is two altered adults. if you get him neutered in June and then wait two months for healing and hormones to decrease… that will take you until his first birthday (when i posted initially i thought he was younger… like 4 months or so). your plan sounds perfect. you’ll need neutral space for bonding and two separate cages/set-ups until they are officially bonded. this might take as little as a week or as long as a few months. while you’re waiting take some time and read up about bonding. it’s said that any two buns can be bonded, but it makes it easier if the rabbit gets to pick who they like.

have you been checking out petfinder? if you enter in your zip code, you can search local places for female bunnies. there might be small privately run rescues in your area which you’re not even aware of. some of them don’t even have a place, they operate out of homes. you can click on the rescue info and it will tell you a little bit about their operation. you might have to drive an hour or two out of your way to reach the rescue, but it’s worth it when there are bunnies there needing a home. if you do see some good rescues try contacting them and get info about their adoption process. tell them you’re not ready just yet, but that you will be looking for a spayed girl to bond with your soon-to-be neutered boy, they might even be able to give you a head’s up as some suitable ladies make their way in.

[Alicia Conklin]

He actually won’t be 1 until November, and waiting two months will put at about probably September by the time it gets done. But like I said, we’d then have to find the match for him too. If let’s say though we found one in September do you think that would be too early? I was thinking that at first I would put them upstairs which is completely neutral since Tucker has never ventured upstairs (and actually isn’t allowed upstairs as it is not currently bunny proofed)

I did check out petfinder and there is one place that is an hour away, and then a few that are about 2-3 hours away. We’re ok going the 3 hours away if it’d be that we only had to go once or twice!, but beyond that would be a bit much for us. I emailed the shelter that is an hour away and let them know what I was looking for basically to see if they would allow him to come in and see the bunnies so that they could choose each other, and I let her know I wouldn’t be ready for atleast a few months since he is not neutered yet..which is the other reason I emailed her..I wanted to know which vet she recommended to neuter him since we will be going down there for that as there is no vets in the area that seem to do bunny neuters!

[Beka27]

oh, i misread your post, i thought you meant he’s 9 months right now. it really is your call. you can wait until he’s a little bit older, and chances are the application process and finding a friend will take some time anyways. i think you should be good if you started in September. if he’s as laidback as you say, then it porbably won’t make a big difference anyways. that was excellent emailing the rescue to get some info from them.

[Alicia Conklin]

Yea right now he is really laid back, I think maybe when he’s about 10 mos I’ll start looking and if we find a girl bunny I’ll take him down there and see how he does. It’s hard to tell if he’d really be laid back with another bunny, he definitely is with the cats, the kids and my husband and I. He’s even laid back with the pug..it’s the big dog he’s a bit uneasy about..but I don’t blame him there lol..she’s a big oaf.

[Beka27]

if they allow you to take him down there, i would do that right off the bat and see if he can meet several girls all in the same day. who knows… you might have a match immediately.

[Alicia Conklin]

That’s what I am hoping for…though I think that they might be in foster homes, so that might make it difficult..they might have “adoption days” though where they all come in?  I looked at their website at past adoptees and they seem to do alot of bonding matches….so hopefully they will be able to help me with that? 

 

The other place that is 3 hours away has I think two or three rescues up there.  Luckily it’s a place that we wanted to visit too since we are new to the state and it’s actually one of the big cities down here….sooo…I think I could convince my husband to maybe spend a weekend up there lol and go to a few different places if needed?  I dunno…I’m still hoping that the one that’s only an hour away works out as that would be ideal for us

[Gravehearted]

the rescue we work with does adoption fairs, so many of the foster bunnies come in to be shown. It sometimes can be helpful to give a call first and talk to someone there – explain to them Tucker’s temperament. They may be able to think of some bunnies that are possible matches. That way they may be able to arrange to bring them to the show when you take Tucker. But, with bunnies – my theory is you pick the first bunny and then your bunnies pick any subsequent bunnies. I think having an open mind is very important – since he may pick a bunny that surprises you.

[Alicia Conklin]

Yep LOL, that’s what I told my husband I said that I’d love to have a lop, he said “ok so we’ll get him a lop” and I said that it wasn’t really our choice LOL and that we would love whatever rabbit he chooses for whoever he/she is LOL he said “wow you talk about him like he’s one of the kids bringing home a girlfriend or boyfriend” hehe. I emailed a rescue today to do their prescreening adoption application and let them know that we were not looking now but let them know how Tucker was. I figured I’d get the prescreening out of the way atleast!

[Scarlet_Rose]

Great idea! …and well, yes rabbits are a member of the family and my goodness, you can’t just have anybunny hanging around with your precious little Tucker! : )

[skunklionshow]

Tucker gets a girlfriend!!!! Nah nah nahhhh nah nah!  Awesome.  It’s funny b/c my Jess is kinda standoffish & aloof and Leo is a super friendly, loves people bunny.  They were an excellent match for each other.  Don’t forget that the regular animal shelter also has rabbits for adoption (i.e. SPCA & Anti-cruelty).  Unfortunately, those buns are often overlooked for the shelter’s dogs & cats.  I’m also wondering if fostering w/b  a good option to get an idea for the bonding process.  Maybe some more rescuers can chime in on that idea.  I guess I was thinking that if distance was a problem and finding the best match will likely be a process, this might be a good opportunity.

[MooBunnay]

Yay for Tucker! He must be super excited Picking out a nice girlbun is so much fun! Do yoh have a local city shelter? You could get in touch with them to see if they have any rabbits come in. Often city shelters do not care for their bunnies properly or do not know much about bunnies in general, so it would be great if Tucker foun a friend there. I’m so happy for you and Tucker!

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