another bonding ?

[napagirl]

Hello my rabbit friends,

I have a 1yr old female (recently spayed) who we've had since 3mos old. She is totally bonded to me, and gets jealous, even of a popcorn bowl! when I've been petting her. She will attack anything I show attention to in her presence. She attacked a smaller male rabbit on a play date, and was VERY upset afterward.

I love her more than anything, and was recommended by vet to get her a companion. I have an opportunity to get a great 3mo. old male. I can keep them separate for awhile if necessary. I am worried, tho, that Dimi won't like any other rabbit that I am affectionate with, and I DO want to be affectionate with the potential new rabbit. Should I just keep her solo? I am afraid she will hurt the young rabbit. She attacked my neighbor's adult dwarf, but I intercepted. Is this a hopeless deal? I am ok to have her be a solo rabbit, but want her to have a companion during the day that I am at work. ANd I really want this baby that I have an opportunity to get... I would love some advice.

 

[agnesthelion]

Rabbits don't just casually play with other rabbits on a playdate. That is more than likely why she attacked your friends rabbit. Not because of her personality or anything. Bonding rabbits takes alot of time.

Both rabbits will need to be fixed in order to bond so if you get a baby you will have to cage them seperately until he is neutered, then hormones can take 6-8 weeks to dissipate after a neuter, so you are looking at quite the process if you go that route.

Another option to consider is looking at rescues who will have already neutered adult rabbits. Also that way, you can take your girl to the rescue and do bunny dates and she can help pick out who she likes. Rabbits can be very particular on a mate

After that bonding requires daily bunny dates on neutral territory. Mine took 30 days to bond. It's tedious and alot of work but worth it in the end.

As far as your girl being jealous, for the most part a rabbit can seperate it's relationship with their human from their relationship with another bun. My girl was my first bun too and she is very attached to me and very bonded to me. Getting my male did not change her in the least and it brought out no negative reactions in her at all.

Best of luck!

 

[napagirl]

Thank you, Agnesthelion. Good advice, I will take it! I think I am going to have to pass on the baby male, but will explore finding her a friend in a more gradual manner. There is a local rescue, and I can contact the person who runs it about finding a good match with a rescue rabbit. My vet thought Dimi would do best with a male. You brought up a good point about the hormones after spay- Dimi went through a total hormone storm about 2wks after her spay- attacking us and trashing her cage. It's been about 5 wks now since her spay, and she's calmed down a lot. I think I will give her more time before initiating any bunny dates.

Thanks again for your advice!

 

[agnesthelion]

Thank you, Agnesthelion. Good advice, I will take it! I think I am going to have to pass on the baby male, but will explore finding her a friend in a more gradual manner. There is a local rescue, and I can contact the person who runs it about finding a good match with a rescue rabbit. My vet thought Dimi would do best with a male. You brought up a good point about the hormones after spay- Dimi went through a total hormone storm about 2wks after her spay- attacking us and trashing her cage. It's been about 5 wks now since her spay, and she's calmed down a lot. I think I will give her more time before initiating any bunny dates.

Thanks again for your advice!

You are welcome and yes I agree that a male would be the best option. Generally the "easiest" pairing to bond are m/f, both altered of course. Same sex bonds do work as well so you don't have to completely rule that out if for some reason your girl seems to really click with another female, but I would first look at males to see if you can find a match there.

Best of luck in your bunny hunt. Let us know how it goes!