Friend for bunny

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Lauraeli

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Mar 17, 2015
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I haven't been home a lot lately and I don't want my bunny to be lonely when he is home by himself. I want to get him a friend. He is neutered. Is it ok to get a baby bunny (girl) as a friend? What are the chances they wont get along, if so?
 
Getting a baby is a risky way to go. You have no way of knowing whether or not they will get along. Sure, they will likely get along while she's a baby, but that will all change when hormones kick in. She will need to be spayed once old enough. Not sure the prices in your area, but in my area a spay runs around $250!

It's not until she's spayed and healed that the true bonding attempt can begin. They may bond, they may not. Are you ok if they don't get along and you have to house them each separately?

If a bondmate for your boy is your goal, then the only way to ensure a bond is to let your boy choose an already spayed female. This can be done through a rabbit rescue. He can "bunny date" some spayed females to see which one he seems to click with. The rescue can help walk you through the process. Then, if after trying at home, they just don't get along, the rescues typically allow the girl to be exchanged for another potential.

This method is by far the surest way to be sure you wind up with a compatible bondmate. The baby route is total hit or miss -- and a miss means a 10 year commitment with a rabbit that has to be housed separately from your current boy.
 
Youre right, Im thinking it might be a better bet to find him a friend through the WHRS. I will be moving soon so maybe I can set up some playdates before then, and move them both into the new place together.
 
Yes definitely a plus that you are moving. It will be so much easier to bond them as your new place will be completely neutral territory. It shouldn't take you very long at all if you get a good match at the shelter. I'm jealous ;)
 
I just remembered I have a friendly aquaintance who takes in rabbits. Youd never guess that guy has a soft spot for rabbits but as soon as I mentioned I had a rabbit, he lit up. He asked me a while back if I was looking for a friend for my bunny. I may take him up on that. If I go that route...suggestions for bunny dating? What to watch for etc
 
With a spayed female, your odds are pretty good. Having a neutered buck and then taking a spayed female is the best combination as males are often quite welcoming of the opposite sex on their territory. You can't know how it will go till you try. You have to introduce them in a small neutral territory where no one can be cornered (the bathroom generally works pretty well - or even the bathtub if you are really paranoid). You give a pile of vegetables and yummy thing to make this a great experience (like 'Look what Thumper brought you! Isn't she the nicest rabbit?' XD).
Keep a spray bottle with water with you in case it doesn't go well and try to stay relaxed even if it's not easy ^^. A bit of humping or even some fur flying is normal and you have to let the rabbits establish the hierarchy (spoiler : the female will probably end up top rabbit so having her hump your rabbit is normal and if your rabbit lets her you have to let her do it, once she feels like your rabbit gets it she will stop... and do it from time to time to remind him she's the boss). If they look like they get along well you put them in a pet carrier together and release them in their territory, that you washed thoroughly before (vacuum and vinegar where it's possible, clean litterbox, clean bowls...) to remove the smells. It worked for me everytime.
You keep an eye on them and make sure there are escape routes in case one of the rabbits would feel like a fight is in order.
Just in case you were considering it, I don't think 'dating' outside of your rabbit's house is a good idea. I know a lot of people let their rabbit 'chose' by introducing him to several rabbits at the rescue / breeder 's place but I advocate against it. It's only my opinion, but I think it's stressful for both parties and that it gives no reliable information considering your rabbit is shaken by the process (new place, new people, new smells... he probably will barely look at the bunnies) and certainly doesn't get that you'll be bringing home the rabbit he kinda sniffed for 5 mn in some strange place to live with him on his territory for the rest of his life. It also multiplies the risks of your rabbit catching something.
I've bonded rabbits several times and it always went very well even if some rabbits clicked easier than others. I've had a pair fall in love in 5 seconds (they were ideally matched with a very dominant female and a mega submissive male and they LOVED each other), whereas my current pair weren't really all that taken with each other when I put them together. I think Aki found Tybalt dirty and annoying (he was both)... they've been together for 3 years now and they get along great! Tybalt was even a great comfort and help when Aki went blind last year.
 
I thought letting the bunnies meet beforehand was the best way to go? Does anyone else have experience doing it both ways and want to weigh in?
I can see how going to a new place and meeting new bunnies would be stressful. But doesnt that play into the concept of stress bonding, anyway?

My bunny is pretty good about going places, usually when we get home he flicks his feet at me and runs to sit in his litterbox for a few minutes so I guess he doesn't prefer it. But he stays calm and semi curious about new situations until we get home. I use a diaper bag as a carrier and he peeks his head out. He feels safe in it. :)
 
Stress bonding is a last resort solution you go for when the bonding failed the normal way (I might add that it often fails... once the stress is gone, rabbits that hate each other will remember they hate each other - IMO if the bond takes after a car ride it means it would have worked at some point the normal way). It's generally not necessary and I personally never resorted to it. Stressing a rabbit is never a good thing and should be avoided as much as possible - some rabbits are more sensitive than others but I've had a rabbit go into stasis after a stressful experience and I'd rather not have the new rabbit associated with any bad experiences.
Other members might have a different opinion, of course.
 
For bonding rabbits, I've only gone through a rescue where I bring my single rabbit in to a rescue to meet other potential mates. I think it can help weed out the "this bond isn't going to happen" rabbits. The bunny date method is really just a way to pre-screen for potential compatibles.

That said, it's not a guarantee, but is less risky (imo) than buying a rabbit and hoping for the best. Unlike Aki, I have had a few bonds that absolutely would not take. (I've also had ones that were easy.) One has to experience the fur-flying, end over end, vicious attack-mode, with-no-end-in-sight fighting, to appreciate just how stressful bonding can be.

In my case, it wasn't my current rabbit that behaved differently at the rescue, but the potential mate. He seemed great with my girl at the rescue but turned vicious at our house. It was no holds barred. We exchanged him for a different boy who bonded with my girl the next day.

On another occasion with a different female, she rejected lots of rabbits at the rescue. As for the rabbits we thought showed potential for her and actually brought home, she rejected two before finally accepting the third. (spaced out over time of course).

If I had not gone through a rabbit rescue, each of those failed bonds would've meant having to house the rabbits separately. That was something I didn't want to risk. For me, it isn't worth it to buy a potential rabbit and just hope like heck that they eventually bond.

I don't know if a rescue would allow you to bring a rabbit home to your rabbit (and not bring your rabbit in to them). That might be ideal for the rabbit owner but not so much for the rescue. It's not the norm for rescues but you never know.
 
Yea I definitely wouldn't house two rabbits separately. I'm getting another rabbit for his sake, not mine! What's the advantage of doubling the problem- two bored/lonely rabbits, rather than one? Granted my bunny does not seem unhappy but I love him and being home alone while im working can't be his favorite thing. I wouldn't adopt a rabbit from someone who couldn't take them back if it didn't work out
 
I'm in a similar situation. We did adopt a male from a rescue but I have been housing the two side by side for just over a month now. We decided to wait to introduce them on the advice of the rescue, to let the new guy get adjusted to his home. So this weekend we will probably start bonding them. It better work out because we have invested time into him. He is a rather unfriendly little guy but seems keen to get acquainted with our female. He always lies as close as he can to her enclosure. She doesn't seem as keen but hopefully he will just submit to her and get it over with. There's no way she's going to be submissive to him.
 
We brought our Whiskey home just over a year ago as a potential friend for my female Brandy. Turns out she hates him- they will try to kill each other when they have access. But they seem to like having their cages next to each other when we are gone all day- they even lay next to each other so long as there are bars between them! We couldn't exactly return him, since he was on a euthanasia list for his aggression (this is the main reason we picked him!). So I have the double housing situation going on for my buns, but at least they can annoy each other when I'm in class and work all day. :)
 
Lol whiskey sounds like a treat. My bunny seems pretty laid back but from what I was watching on youtube today, bunnies are rather vicious and terrible at making friends. I am almost changing my mind about forcing a 'friend' on him. :p Do bunnies always fight when they meet another bunny? Is bunny dating actually about picking the bunny they hate the least?
 
They often fight, but not always. I've had 2 cases (of 5 total introductions) where it was 'love at first sight' and there were NEVER any issues, and 2 cases which worked after a few scuffles (this is pretty common) and my current pair- who will probably never get along (but I won't stop trying so long as I can keep them from getting hurt!).
 
They say it's harder to bring a male home to a female because does are so territorial. But I think it also has a lot to do with personality. Like my doe right now is just kinda mean so I'm sure she will give the new guy a hard time. Hopefully your guy is just a sweet peaceable fellow.
 
I'm in the same boat as you. I want to get a friend for my bunny Bc of everything I've read about them being social, I have even read that some vets go as far as calling single rabbits "neglected" by their owners because of how much they value time with their kind. So I feel pressured a little and I just want my bunny to be happy.

But my rabbit is a female with a bad attitude and I think she will bully another rabbit. But I only want a second rabbit IF they will bond... ahh it's frustrating so I get it.
 

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