Should I rescue a third?

Hello, I have two bonded rabbits, one male and one female, and they are really happy together. Sometimes I look at ads online just to see what rabbits are being given away and my heart breaks because I see pictures of rabbits living in cages that are barely big enough for them to turn around in. My rabbits live in their mansion with 6 levels and enjoy running around the house. Their cage has more than enough room for another rabbit, so I have been thinking if I should give another rabbit a home who needs one. Does anyone have 3 rabbits living happily together? Im just a little worried that my bonded pair may not accept another rabbit that easily. And Im not sure if I should get another male or female. My female is quite dominant and has more of a demanding personality, whereas my male is very docile. So I was thinking maybe a male?

Thanks!

If you have the time and money and feel like you can handle another bunny, go for it! I know a member who has three males bonded and that is quite an accomplishment! If you do get another bunny I agree it would probably be best if you got a male. And if things don't work out, you can always try to find the bunny a better home. Chances are the bunny would get a better home than with the people who were giving it away.

I wouldn't attempt a trio but that's just me Trios scare me.

Trios are difficult and rarely work without some problems along the way. Also, there is the chance that your current bonded pairs relationship could sever or be strained.

They aren't *impossible*, i have heard of them, but more often I hear of failed trio attempts. Our RO member with 3 males has even had scuffles along the way. They are caged seperately as well (by seperately I think 2 and 1...but they don't all 3 live together in the same condo like you want yours too) They get along fabulously and she is amazing with her boys but my point is it hasn't been complete harmony with her trio.

So long answer short, if you are willing to re-bond and cage seperately if need be and willing to work through the challenges a trio offers than do it but just be aware it is a big task to take on.

Best of luck deciding! I see rabbits for adoption as well and it breaks my heart. I know I won't ever have more than my pair but I still look for some reason. Why I do that to myself I'll never know

Okay thank you very much for the responses! That gives me alot to think about.

Trios are difficult to bond and keep bonded. I have a bonded pair and an odd man out.

I worried a long time before adopting him. He is just fine being the odd man out and prefers human interaction than that with the other rabbits.

He's housed separately from my bonded pair and it is a little difficult staggering free range times and what not. He's also had some major scuffles with the other two and it's always my fault for letting my guard down.

However 90% of the time there is harmony in the house and my bonded pair have not stressed or lost their bond at all. There are lots of people on here with multiple rabbits. It's alot to think about but if you have the means, resources, time and patience it could be a nice addition.

You could end up with a very difficult bun or a very mellow one that blends in very well. Best of luck to you.

Trios are indeed difficult to maintain. One male with multiple females is the more likely scenario for success. Two males will compete over the female.
I speak from my experience. I attempted to bond 2 brothers with my female. The brothers were both so mellow and already got along well (though were not bonded). The dynamic of having a female caused continued jostling over a 4 week period to see which bun would be boss. In the end, the 2 brothers finally had it out and became irreconcilable.
I ended up with just one of the brothers with my girl (the rescue knew it was a long shot and took the brother back).

Here is some more info on trios at this site. I actually emailed her along the way in attempting my bond of three. Scroll down a bit to the section on "possible combinations."
http://www.cottontails-rescue.org.uk/matchups.asp


If you want a third, it might be best to keep the third separate so as not to risk destroying the existing bond. Or you could even get an already bonded pair if you want more bunnies.

From the looks of it, it sounds like it will be a difficult process, and I really don't want to risk losing the bond between my male and female. I think I will hold off getting another bun, but if I so happen to come across one that's really in need, then it's worth a try! Thank you for the replies. This helped a lot.

as others have said, trios are very tricky and even if you bond them, the bond can break inexplicably... sometimes it can be repaired, but there's no guarantee (the same is true of same-sex bonds). if you decide you'd like another rabbit, my advice would be to save two rescue bunns instead of one and bond them into a second pair

I had a trio. My pairs were easy to bond but when I tried adding a third it was much harder and a lot of fighting took place in the beginning. Eventually they all got along but had arguments fairly often. The male liked the original female but was not too crazy about the new one. The two females got along okay for the most part but had occasional fights. This may just be my bunnies but their potty habits got a lot worse and they no longer were good with the litter box. Also they lost all interest in people and were very antisocial towards me (initially only one female did not like people but the other was very friendly and the male was friendly as well, once all three bonded they became almost wild towards people). I lost both females last year, one to disease and the other to an accident, not a good bunny year. Now the male is on his own and for a while I felt bad for him but he seems to be doing well and is much more friendly plus totally litter box trained.