Just got a my first rabbit, but does he need a companion?

[buddytherabbit]

My gf and I just got a dwarf rabbit and love him. We let him roam around, play with him, and give him as much attention as possible. However, in our book "My Dwarf Rabbit" it says rabbits need companions, and if they don't they will develop social problems. My question is do rabbits need companions, or is a rabbit ok being the only rabbit? We want to make sure he is happy.

 

[Luluznewz]

My rabbit doesnt have a friend. Some day I would like to get her one, but I think there are a lot of single rabbits out there. I know there are plenty long time rabbit owners on here who have unbonded bunnies.

 

[buddytherabbit]

We have a friend who has a single bunny and she seems fine, we just want to make sure he happy in the long run.

 

[elrohwen]

I think a single rabbit can live a very happy life if he's given a lot of attention. A bunny friend is nice, but I would only get one if *you* really want a second bunny. Sometimes bunnies don't bond, so you would have to keep two separate buns with twice as much work.

I would recommend all first time bunny owners to keep their bun for a year before getting a second. I think it's just important to really know how much work a bun is and really get to know your bun before jumping right in with a second. I know waiting for a year isn't for everyone, but, personally, I find it a good general rule. Even when I get a girlfriend for my bun, I will keep her separate for months so I can really bond with her myself and get to know her.

 

[GorbyJobRabbits]

I would never agree with everything out of a book for a pet rabbit.

I've never had rabbits that shared hutches or anything. They were kept seperate and lived happy healthy lives. You guys giving her a lot of attention should be good enough! You're her friends.

 

[AmyBunny]

Rabbits are social animals, but as long as you are giving him attention and love, then he won't develop social problems without a buddy. He might like one, most rabbits do, but that is double expense, and the work of bonding, which can be rough and might not work out in the end. I'm sure that without one he will still be very happy with you!

 

[Zyzra]

I think that as long as you are able to give him lots of attention then it is fine to just have one. If you do decide to get another rabbit just know that they dont always get along well together. Bonding them can take weeks or months even so be prepared to house them separately for a bit. Some become friends right away though You have a male right? so then i believe the best choice for a companion would be a female. And they will get along best (and be healthier) if they are both fixed. Im sure either way your bunny with happy and it sounds like you are giving him plenty of love!

 

[ntwhelan]

I really must speak to this based on my experience. We, my wife and I, got our first bunny early this spring after doing lots of reading about keeping them as pets. We aren't interested in showing or breeding, just as pets. We had read that if you have a bonded pair they are a lot of comfort and company for each other as well as their humans!

I wasn't sure where we would get our first bunny from and were looking into breeders and any other sources. I happened to find our first bunny on Craigslist ( I know how many people here feel about that source, but anyway it turned out to be a person who worked for a vet and had too many other animals to give this particular bunny the attention she needed. So she was giving her away for free but only to someone who could explain how to take care of bunnies and what sort of home she would be going to. So it turned out that our home fit the bill and the bunnies owner let us have her. However being a vets tech she first had our bunny spayed. So after we got Nala, a lionhead female we then heard of the HRS. So we took Nala to an HRS adoption session and let Nala pick her bunny friend. As it turned out the bunny I saw advertised on the HRS page was not a good match for Nala. We were told by the experienced members that WE get to pick our first bunny and NALA gets to pick her friend. So she picked a lovely gray neutered mini-lop male and they hit it off pretty well from the beginning.

One of the experienced bonding HRS members lives near us and so she took Nala and Halsey home with her for two weeks. When they returned to our house they were BFF. It's so lovely to see them sitting side by side, nose to nose and other adorable postures nuzzling each other and grooming each other.

We found from the very beginning that caring for two bunnies is no harder than for one. They both share a large indoor pen, share the same food bowl, water bottle, have a nice large cardboard three level bunny cottage to sleep and play in. And when we are away during the day they have each other for company. I'm convinced that I'll never have a lone bunny

For what it's worth.

Nelson

 

[Bentley]

They don't need a companion, Bentley lives just fine by herself, though sometimes I wish I had another rabbit to keep her company but its to expensive and I can't dedicate my time to having two rabbits when I barely can with one

 

[Torchster]

I'll give my two cents. I think that most bunnies, but not all, will do better with a partner. But, you really should let your bunny pick out its mate. Nothing is 100%, but if you let your bunny find the one that it wants to be with, and one that wants to be with your bunny, you have a much better chance of a bonding. If you go pick out a bun and bring it home, there is a chance that they just won't get along. I have see a couple of threads about people doing bunny dates.

When I got Bert, I knew that I would end up with two. I really probably should just have gotten a bonded pair. I don't really understand the whole bunny bonding process. When I got number 2, I just gave Bert back to the rescue I got him from and said I wanted another. For the first days they had him, it was mostly bad news. Girl after girl wanted nothing to do with him. They actually said that they may not have one for me, that is how bad it got. But, they did find one.

As far as the expenses go, the only real expense that is that much extra for a bonded pair is the vet bills. The extra amount of hay and greens, the extra amount of litter I use isn't really that much. Those are pretty small incremental costs.

 

[cheekynj]

Congrats on your first Bun bun. :apollo: