Friend for bereaved bunny?

[lagomorph]

We have two 5-year old bunnies, one neutered male netherland dwarf, and one spayed female angora. They are VERY attached to each other, and I am worried about what will happen when one of them dies. I am sure the survivor will miss the departed one, terribly. Should we get another friend for the survivor when that happens?

How readily will a neutered/spayed adult bunny accept a newcomer?

What about getting a kitten as a friend, instead of a bunny? Our rabbits "free range" all afternoon with our chickens in a 1/3 acre fenced in yard. The rest of the day and night, they live in a 5 x 8 ft shed, with a 10 x 8 ft outdoor enclosure (totally enclosed and predator proof). My thought would be to have the kitten spend the nights with the bunny, and let it be an indoor/outdoor cat during the day.

My reason for thinking about a kitten instead of another bunny is that I don't want to keep rabbits forever. My daughter will be going to college in a few years, and I am not very interested in them myself, but I plan to have cats forever.

 

[lagomorph]

I should add that our bunnies are used to cats, since we currently have four, and buns and cats all get along well. I know a kitten would not freak out either bunny, and would be too small to hurt them. I am just wondering how well they will bond. Would a bereaved bunny enjoy having a kitten for a friend?

 

[I_heart_Fraggles]

I have a single bun who is more then happy being single. I have heard though of people getting another bun when a mate is lost. I would say it would most likely be OK to get another bun in this event. I would take the surviving bunny to a shelter that way he/she can choose there own friend. I think a new bunny would be better then a cat.

 

[plasticbunny]

Hopefully you won't have to worry about this for another 5 years or more! If one passes, and you don't plan on having bunnies forever, I would keep the survivor solo. Another cat will not give anything to the bunny to replace what it has lost. Only another bunny can do that.

I would suggest either keeping him/her solo, or finding someone with another bunny looking for a companion, and rehoming. Your remaining bun will very likely be fine on it's own, after an expected grieving period, but if not, I'd try the rehoming idea.

 

[lagomorph]

I know it can be particularly hard to integrate two adult rabbits, but does anyone have experience introducing a young rabbit to a neutered/spayed adult? Is it any easier? Would love to hear what you did, how it went, etc.

I have read about and seen cases of very close cat/bunny pairs, so I know it is possible. Does anyone have experience introducing a kitten to a spayed/neutered adult bunny? Would love details.

After seeing how much my 2 bunnies enjoy each other, I really don't feel it is a good option to let one live solo after the other passes. It might be fine for one that has always lived without other animals except people, but mine are not adapted to that. They sleep together, groom each other, and play together. I think one would be terribly bored and lonely without the other.

I hope I don't have to worry about this for years, either, but found this forum and figured I might as well seek some info. They are 5 yrs old now, and I know many die by age 6 or so.

 

[bennibunny]

I think it really depends on the personality of the older rabbit. Benni was spayed months before meeting Harley. They were fine at first, but their relationship has deteriorated and Benni is not nice to Harley at all now. I'm hoping it'll get better after Harley is neutered, but the older bun being fixed doesn't necessarily make it easier.
But, as I said, it depends on the personalities of the bunnies. Benni is undoubtedly the bossier of the two, and I think she'd have issues with any bunny.

 

[lagomorph]

Thanks. I am beginning to think I'll be better off getting a kitten for a bereaved bunny. Kittens are pretty good at bonding with whatever other animal you put them with, and it seems like a rabbit will have little reason to get territorial against a feline. Both my rabbits are friendly towards, and curious about, our adult cats. The cats ignore them for the most part, but they haven't had a chance to bond with them, not having been with them since kittenhood, and having contact with them only when the bunnies are free ranging in the chicken yard.

 

[bennibunny]

Benni has been mean to Harley for a couple weeks now, but of course after I posted this, they are both out and behaving like the best of friends. Harley was out first and begged me to let Benni out too, and they haven't had even one chasing incident in the past half hour, which is a miracle for them.
I swear they just wanted to prove me wrong.

 

[lagomorph]

Sounds like their relationship is evolving, and perhaps they will do very well together. I spent quite a long time integrating my two. It was not love at first sight, but for almost 5 yrs now, they have been super close friends. I must say, it has been amazing to watch. They show more concern for each other than any other pair of animals I have seen.

 

[plasticbunny]

It is important to note that, since both of your bunnies are altered and smaller breeds, you can expect them to live until they're about 10 years old, not 6.

Like I said, a bunny will not get out of a cat what he can get from another bunny. Just because animals get along and are even friends, does not mean it will "fill the hole", so to speak.

My two rabbits are not yet bonded (Molly just got spayed, so another 5 weeks and we can start). Right now, Molly's best friend is my 4 year old Chow mix, Leela. Molly loves Leela, and Leela loves Molly. Their interactions are adorable to see.

They get along very well, to the point that I am comfortable leaving them alone together. But, Leela could never replace what Gus will hopefully be to Molly in the future. Because, simply, Gus is another bunny, and Leela is a dog. They don't speak the same language. They don't have the same sleep cycle, or share the same food, or play the same way.

And a kitten and a rabbit will be very different as well. In fact, although they may get along well with older cats, a kitten may be too rough for your surviving bunny. It is possible that you may not be able to have them together for awhile, even supervised.

But, as I said before, I think your survivor will be just fine by themself. And if you do get a kitten at that time, great. But do it for yourself, not for your bun.

 

[plasticbunny]

Oh, and if getting another bunny IS an option, a baby of the opposite sex is the easiest. I have hadexperience bonding four different babies to altered adults, and it is by far the easiest!

 

[lagomorph]

Good info, to know that someone has successfully integrated young rabbits to altered adults...thanks! I have much more experience with cats than rabbits, and it is exactly the same with them: A young'n is always less threatening to a resident cat than an adult, and far easier to introduce.

One of our rabbits is a large, mixed breed angora, so might have a shorter life expectancy than the smaller one. Yes, I realize a kitten will be much more playful and play differently than an adult rabbit, but I think it could work well in our setting. The barn has mice, which would be tremendously entertaining for a kitten. And a kitten will usually bond, groom, and sleep with any other mammal who will accept him. That is what I would want for a bereaved rabbit who is accustomed to that frequent, close physical contact. I am not saying it will fill the hole exactly, not even another rabbit would be exactly the same, but I think it is far better than no buddy at all.