Do rabbits need to have a companion?

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Crystalroborovski

Crystalroborovski

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Hi there!

as I've mentioned in my introduction thread, I am doing a ton of research on keeping rabbits as pets and putting together a formal report in a binder full of all the information that I gather. I plan to show my parents my notebook in December on my birthday. Anyways, as I've been doing research I've read a few articles and watched some YouTube videos on keeping multiple rabbits. All of the answers seem to contradict each other! :confused: I watch a video and it says that rabbits will do just fine on their own, but then I read an article that says rabbits get bored, destructive and depressed if they don't have a bunny pal.

I am completely open to getting two rabbits if it would be better than getting one, but if it's unnecessary I don't think my parents would let me. Back in the spring I persuaded them to let me get a pair of robo dwarf hamsters. Having two hamsters in the same cage worked out for awhile, until they started maturing into adult hamsters one started bullying the other and they had to be separated. Given this, I'm pretty sure my parents would highly discourage me from getting a pair of rabbits unless they do better if they live with another of their kind.

Just looking for some advice and opinions from well experienced bunny owners! :)
 
I researched rabbits for 1.5 years before diving in. The evidence for higher quality of life with companionship seemed to outweigh any downsides to having more than one.

Now that I have a pair of house rabbits, I do think they are happier having another of their own type, even though they're not always snuggled up together. I can't "talk" rabbit, I can't groom them like another rabbit can... I'm just not a rabbit.

The biggest challanges with more than one rabbit are (1) increased costs, mainly veterinary, and (2) bonding challanges. My two rabbits were sort of pre-bonded, as they were friends and played together at the shelter, but I have read stories of other people who had to deal with fighting, injuries (more vet costs), and months and months of work -- and sometimes two rabbits would simply never bond.

In my opinion, if you have the means, space, patience, and time for a pair of rabbits, then I think it's generally better for them to have a friend of their own kind. :)
 
I've had several pairs of bonded rabbits and several single rabbits. I do not believe it is necessary to have a pair. In fact, in some cases, it is better to have just one. Of course this depends on the individual rabbit too. I've had a single that needed to be single. I've had a single that needed to have a bondmate.

For a first rabbit I would say it is perfectly fine to get a single rabbit. Though I would strongly suggest getting one that is already fixed (like from a rescue -- their rabbits are already fixed). A baby rabbit is not recommended for a first-time bunny owner -- many reasons for this which I won't go into right now. You can look here for further detail.

It's just as fine to get an already bonded (and already fixed) pair instead. That is certainly an option and many rabbit rescues have already established pairs ready for adoption.

Bottom line, in my opinion, is that the choice is yours. Nothing wrong with getting one to start. If the one you get is already fixed (as suggested), you can always consider adding a second one later down the road.
 
http://rabbit.org/faq-should-i-get-a-second-rabbit/

Read this. And all the other articles on the website. This is the best source of info I've found on rabbits.

Uh... I've never had hamsters but even I know that it's a species that has to live alone. You can't put hamsters in the same cage. Ever. So what happened was completely normal. Did no one tell you beforehand?

In the wild rabbits live in warrens with other rabbits, so the situation is completely different. I personnally think most rabbits do better in pair. BUT you NEVER put intact rabbits together - not even for five minutes! They have to be desexed (BOTH OF THEM) which cost quite a lot of money. If you get a female, you'll have to have her spayed even if she lives alone. It's not something you can just not do because it's expensive, it's for health reason and cost over a hundred dollars. DON'T get two babies thinking they will get along if you just leave them together because they are siblings. Being siblings means nothing to rabbits.
Last but not least, not matter what you do, don't take two bunnies of the same sex thinking you won't have to neuter / spay. It won't go well and you won't have enough experience to manage it - you could end up with rabbits that will never be able to live together (considering a rabbit should be out of his cage as much as possible, if he's in a cage at all, it's a real pain to manage).

I agree with Blue eyes that, whether you go for a single rabbit or a pair, going to a rescue is probably your safest bet. It will be a lot cheaper because the rabbit(s) will be already fixed and if you want to get a pair it's a lot easier to get one that's already bonded rather than attempt to bond one yourself which can be quite an ordeal, especially if you get intact rabbits that you have to get fixed which can stretch the process over several months (which means 2 cages which are at least 1m long, alternate outings...)
 
Aki said:
In the wild rabbits live in warrens with other rabbits, so the situation is completely different. I personnally think most rabbits do better in pair.
Click to expand...

Says the European :)

I think that over here in the US, we tend to think of rabbits as solitary creatures because we only see the wild behavior of cottontails or other American wild breeds. Even if we know better from reading and research that pet rabbits are a different genus, it can be hard to visualize how nature looks in your neck of the woods. If Crystal's over here in the US, I bet her parents don't know they're different (mine sure didn't), so maybe that's a good educational topic for the binder.

BE's comment about getting just one rabbit initially is a good idea, too. That's what I did, then got his old shelter friend a month later.
 
Aki said:
http://rabbit.org/faq-should-i-get-a-second-rabbit/

Read this. And all the other articles on the website. This is the best source of info I've found on rabbits.

Uh... I've never had hamsters but even I know that it's a species that has to live alone. You can't put hamsters in the same cage. Ever. So what happened was completely normal. Did no one tell you beforehand?

In the wild rabbits live in warrens with other rabbits, so the situation is completely different. I personnally think most rabbits do better in pair. BUT you NEVER put intact rabbits together - not even for five minutes! They have to be desexed (BOTH OF THEM) which cost quite a lot of money. If you get a female, you'll have to have her spayed even if she lives alone. It's not something you can just not do because it's expensive, it's for health reason and cost over a hundred dollars. DON'T get two babies thinking they will get along if you just leave them together because they are siblings. Being siblings means nothing to rabbits.
Last but not least, not matter what you do, don't take two bunnies of the same sex thinking you won't have to neuter / spay. It won't go well and you won't have enough experience to manage it - you could end up with rabbits that will never be able to live together (considering a rabbit should be out of his cage as much as possible, if he's in a cage at all, it's a real pain to manage).

I agree with Blue eyes that, whether you go for a single rabbit or a pair, going to a rescue is probably your safest bet. It will be a lot cheaper because the rabbit(s) will be already fixed and if you want to get a pair it's a lot easier to get one that's already bonded rather than attempt to bond one yourself which can be quite an ordeal, especially if you get intact rabbits that you have to get fixed which can stretch the process over several months (which means 2 cages which are at least 1m long, alternate outings...)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info!

You are right and wrong about hamsters living together. Syrian hamsters and Chinese hamsters are solitary species and will fight to the death if they are housed together. So you are right about that. However, there are three dwarf species- Campbell's Russian dwarfs, Winter White dwarfs and roborovski dwarfs. These hamsters can live together in pairs or even numbered groups of the same species. But, sometimes as the hamsters begin maturing into adults they can fight and fall out or some hamsters will bully their cagemate. One of my robos started bullying his brother so I separated them because the one who was being picked on became very stressed and nervous.

I have decided that I will definitely rescue a rabbit (or rabbits) from either my local pet shelter or from somewhere listed on Petfinder. There is one local pet store near me that has young rabbits for sale, but I wouldn't want to be getting a baby mainly because I'd have to pay for the spay/neuter surgery and for some other reasons. Besides, I love rescuing animals from shelters because I'm giving them a better life. I don't know if I will get a pair of rabbits or not, but if I come across a pair of bonded rabbits up for adoption I'd definitely go for that.
 
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Crystalroborovski said:
I have decided that I will definitely rescue a rabbit (or rabbits) from either my local pet shelter or from somewhere listed on Petfinder.
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Be sure to google for "rabbit rescue" in your area. There's a good chance there will be one. These are different from generic pet shelters. The rabbits from rabbit rescues are preferable (imo) because rabbit rescues know their rabbits. They know their personalities, they know about bonding, their rabbits have been vet-checked by a truly rabbit savvy vet.

Plus, they typically have lots of choices!

If you are comfortable with providing your state or area, we may be able to help you find one.
 
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