Does having two bunnies make them bond with you less?

[Sarah&lions]

Hey everyone

So I recently just got two baby lionheads. One doe and one buck.
They're about eight weeks old. They're in the same cage for now, I will seperate them when the buck is about four months old.
I do plan on breeding them later. I love baby bunnies and want to give people nice, healthy, friendly beautiful bunnies in the future. I hope to get another doe here soon once I find the right one .

Anyways, does having more than one make them bond with you less?
I know that them having a friend their same species can make them not need your attention or want it. Cause they already have a buddy.
I know this is the case with birds, I made the mistake of getting two parrotlets...and now they want nothing to do with me cause they have each other .
Is it similar to rabbits? I mean my bunnies dont hate me. But I know you can get a strong bond with your bunny eventually, is this not the same if you have more than one? I know their social animals that live in groups...so its good to have more than one. But not sure if it effects them eventually bonding to me?

Let me know what you think

Sarah

 

[Tweetiepy]

I'd be interested in this answer as well.

 

[Sarah93]

Hey,

So this is actually Sarah&Lions.
Its not letting my sign into that account for some reason, and when I go to change the password it says error everytime?
So I dont know.

But I posted this twice by accident, and someone else replied to that one.
So if you want to check it out you should

 

[yramnot]

I'm no expert, since I'm still with my first pair of rabbits, but I haven't seen any of that so far. I have two male Holland lops, and although they do have a very strong bond with each other, they're still very affectionate and social with people.

 

[Violet Crumble]

You are correct in your assumptions, Sarah, sort of. I often tell people that rabbits to not need a "friend" in the form of another rabbit in order to be happy. This is true. Domestic rabbits will typically bond with anything that does not try to eat them. This might be a cat, dog, or human in the household. They are also territorial when it comes to other rabbits.

The thing is that when pet owners get more than one rabbit, they tend to not play with it (translation: socialize and practice handling it properly) as often as they would if their rabbit had no one else to play with. That is what leads to problems such as the owner not feeling confident in handling his rabbit or shying away from handling a rabbit that shows any kind of disapproval when touched. That leads to the owner not feeling such a bond with his rabbits which leads to less play time which leads to neglect and ultimately releasing them to a shelter to be someone else's problem or worse.

However, if you understand that handling your rabbits if you have one and especially when you have more than one is extremely important - even directly proportional to the amount of enjoyment you get from your rabbit and the relationship that you have with them, then you can get by just fine with having more than one rabbit in regards to fostering a good relationship with them. Just put that understanding into practice.

Handle your rabbits ever day. Play with them. I don't mean just watch them play on the floor while you roll paper balls with them. I mean handle them. A lot. Learn how to do it properly (Google 4H rabbit showmanship) and practice, practice, practice. You'll learn how to pick them up, put them down, get them in and out of their cage (with out any issues), walk around with them (even in an unfamiliar, crowded room), flip them upside down so they feel comfortable and you can do nail trims, etc., etc.

If you are committed to creating a good relationship with more than one rabbit you can certainly be successful at it but it takes more work than if you only had one.

A little OT but since you plan on breeding (and showing?) your rabbits, I'd separate your rabbits into their own side by side living quarters now and just allow them supervised play time together outside of their 'own rooms". Co-habitation can lead to one chewing the fur of the other (and ruin a good show coat for months) or accidental pregancy. One study showed that, while it does not occur often, female rabbits as young as 12 wks have been able to become pregnant. It's an odd occurrence but possible.

 

[Sarah93]

Yeah, I agree.
It would be harder to bond with them more than one.
But I hold these bunnies every day, at least like five times each.
And I always pet them and get them used to me.
I dont let them run around a ton cause there are a lot of places for them to hid and then I cant catch them.
And I have dogs, they typically ignore them but I want to be safe.
I also read that for the first two weeks your not supposed to let them run around a lot because then they get headstrong.
I think I've let them run around to much, cause the buck jumps out of my hands sometimes lol I've never seen a bunny jump so high...lol
And the doe nips me to get down...
=/
I do want to get leashes though. So I can walk around with them outside
They can be out in the grass and get some exercise.

And I dont know about showing. Cause some breeder told me I cant show mine or let people show their babies because the buck is a vienna carrier and I'm trying to get a broken doe that has BEW, blue eyed white in her to get more variety in color.
but she claims no one would want to show them?
I dont...it all seems kind of weird to me.
Why wouldn't I be able to show them?
I dont know, but the doe I have now is just a normal sable point. So her and the buck I have now, vienna carrier, what would be wrong with their babies?
I guess my breeding ideas dont match the "perfection" of what other breeders are going for...**roles eyes**
lol

Anyways, they seem to be getting along fine. No bitting or pulling out eachothers hair.
I do want to separate them as soon as possible.
I should have had my parents get two cages...but I already owe them $200 because of these bunnies..lol
I'm seventeen. The only problem is I dont know when i'll head back up to the Denver area?
thats where the women who makes these in door cages are.
they're really nice indoor cages though, 36"x24" indoor with great trays beneath for $60

 

[Myia09]

I have always had at least 2 rabbits, and it has never interferred with bonding.

My first rabbit, Chewy, still is more bonded to me than her last partner (He passed away) or her current partner. She grooms me on site, ect ect.

Her partner is still fairly young and I am working with him to bond.

My other rabbit who is kept sepearte from the other two is bonded to me.

The thing is, it just takes time and interaction. I have to give seperate time outs with each rabbit, so it is possible!

 

[Violet Crumble]

Showing rabbits is not as up-ity as one might think. lol. The SOP (Standard of Perfection) is just that - a standard. It sets a goal and a bottom line for health, genetic soundness, and quality.

The answer to why you probably won't be able to show your rabbits' offspring is simply genetics. Color genetics so be specific. It's a subject that can be fun, fun, fun and drive you nuts, too. For the most part, it's easy.

There is a booklet (or rather a portion of a book) you can buy called Color Genetics of the Netherland Dwarf by Bobby Schott. It's an easy to understand basics of color genetics that applies to all breeds. To put it simply when you learn a bit about color genetics, you'll be able to look at two different rabbits (same color or not), and their pedigrees, and make an educated guess about what colors they'd make if you bred them. This is important to know because a black rabbit x a black rabbit does not always = black kits. With some color and pattern genes, you can really mess up good color and even produce some really crazy things.

In your case, if you breed your VC to your Shaded (Siamese Sable) the baby's colors and patterns may be funky or "unreconized" by the ARBA for your breed. If you get rabbits that are compatible with each other as far as color genetics go you'll be more happy with what you see in their litters. They'll be more uniform and follow the "rules" of color genetics will be easier to follow. You won't paint youself into a corner genetically.

I'd look for a doe that is a BEW, not a carrier or marked but visually a blue-eyed white. You'd have a trio and can work on producing good BEWs.

If you want more variety, expand and get rabbits you can use for another color project that will produce more variety in your breedings.

A BEW color project takes more space and time because you get those VC and VM in the process. They can be used in the project but it can take longer to see the results you want.

Beside color, type (or the structure) of the rabbit is most important. You build a house before you paint it. Get it? You gotta work on the quality of your rabbits structure (plus health and temperement) before you worry about color. You can make a few exceptions when working on BEWS. lol. Am I thoroughly confusing you? Sorry.

To simplify, yes, you can show (your doe) but the offspring you'll get from breeding her to your buck will produce kits that do not have a "catagory" in which they can be shown at an ARBA show. They will be "unshowable". If they do not conform to the colors and patterns accepted by the ARBA for your breed, they will be disqualified when shown. It's not a snobby thing, it's just a good way to teach and encourage sound breeding practices.

 

[Sarah93]

I see what you're saying and no you're not confusing me to much :wink.
I've had to go over genetics with breeders with tons of questions until I was blue in the face lol
But I see what you're saying.
I dont know, I guess I'm trying more for unique beautiful rabbits than for show.
I dont think a lot of lionhead owners show lionheads anyways because they cant get any legs because they're not recognized by the ARBA yet.
I'm mostly breeding for temperament above all,good structure of the rabbit and then beautiful colors.
The odd colors are what interests me. I suppose I'm not breeding for perfection. But as long as their build is right and they have good temperaments I'm not to worried about it.
I suppose I'm just doing this as a hobby and want to give people beautiful sweet bunnies as pets.
Showings to complicated for me anyways
I just like the different colors...for example theres a women in Colorado that bred a BEW to a harlequim VC buck. And she might have a broken in the litter. Its that kind of diversity that intrigues me.
So, the harlequim, vienna carrier, BEW and broken all in one rabbit is what interests me. I want a rabbit like that to pass those colors onto their offspring. Because thats what I like...lol
I suppose I might be off on the color and not breeding for perfect BEW colors.
I just want a diversity I suppose. Want as many unique colors in my litters as possible.
I dont know. It all gets to complicated for me anyways.
I just want to give people sweet, good looking pure bred beautiful, colorful lionheads lol
Is it wrong I'm not breeding to ARBAs standards?
Well this breed is brand new...so I think the more colors we can get from them the better. The more beautiful diversity with their beautiful manes.

Do you get what I'm saying?
I dont know, maybe I'm weird :wink

 

[Violet Crumble]

Lol. Yeah, I'd say that'd be unique. It might not exactly turn out as you picture, though, and people might look at you and your rabbits in a different light than expected. I'm thinking byb/designer-rabbit-scam-artist but that clues you in that my opinion has been developed by personal experience.

Back to color/pattern....you can work for interesting colors and patterns and still do it in an orderly and deliberate fashion.

On another note, do you know how many certificates of development (COD) have been issued for color/pattern varieties for Lionheads? lol Quite a few. And, starting with the 2011 breed and variety presentations, each COD holder can have 5 people on their COD team and need 5 more affidavits from other exhibitor saying that they are working on that color/pattern variety. There are dozens and dozens of already recognized color varieties and dozens more unrecongnized color/pattern varieties to choose to work on. There is no shortage of variety when it comes to Lionheads. It, is in fact, the great diversity and lack on consistency that has kept this breed from being accepted. That and poor work on the part of the last COD holder.

I focus on one pattern in two colors with my rabbits. Yet, I can get 18 different cominations of pattern and color. That does not sound so boring, huh? A good color project really doesn't have to be bland.....at all.

My point is that you don't have to mess up good genetics to get something that will catch the eye and keep you interested. I tell anyone who thinks they'd like to breed their rabbits that to do it right, you must breed with a purpose, a plan, and with knowledge. You have to have a darn good reason to do it (wanting to experience the miracle of birth is not one of them), you need to not only have a plan for husbandry, vet care, emergencies, plan and map out your breedings, and use the best candidates, but you have to be responsible for the outcome - good or bad. And, of course, you need to know what you are doing. I can't tell you how many times I've counseled people who ask me "I think my rabbit is about to have babies. What do I do?!". It makes me want to smack my head against a wall.

I like showing because you don't have to breed to learn. The showroom is an excellent classroom for anyone - new or veteran. I mean, you can't do better than a huge room full of expert judges, knowledgeable exhibitors, and one thousand examples of their work to learn from.