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carlyanne

Active Member
Joined
Jan 10, 2014
Messages
31
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Location
Victoria, Australia
Hi everyone,
So I was going to be getting my first bunny in a few days and I was so excited but unfortunately he had passed away so now I'm on the look out for another bunny.

I have the option of buying an adorable brown mini lop with a white nose but her owner has yet to contact me still (she's probably at work and most likely will reply later)

Or I can adopt from a shelter but they will only let you adopt if you get two. So I'd be getting a desexed male and female. They are $55 each and come as desexed already.

Is it better for a first bunny owner to just get one bunny or buy two? I'm unsure whether two would be overwhelming at first or not.
Any help is overly wanted !!
Thank you all :)
 
In my opinion, if the bunnies are already bonded (it sounds like the pair you'd get are, and they're fixed already too!), then it isn't any more work than just getting the one bun.
If the two buns from the shelter are not bonded, that will be quite a learning curve for you as a first time bun parent. Still do-able, but more difficult.

When I was looking at whether or not to get one or a pair, I had to consider how much time I'd realistically have with them. I'm gone most of the day, so having a pair keeps them entertained and they don't get lonely. My sister only got one bun, though, and is home a lot more often to interact.
 
That's so strange that they only let you adopt a pair, maybe they've only got pairs at the moment...

If you get two that are already bonded, you can keep them in the same cage, they can share a litter tray etc, so it probably wouldn't be a lot of extra work, but just more food and probably more mischief :p Bonding can be quite difficult and time consuming, so getting a pair already bonded is beneficial.

That being said, if you're not sure you could handle two straight off, don't get two. I'm assuming the brown mini lop isn't desexed yet or anything?
 
They said they will only be sold if they know there's another bunny because they need company of the same species which I kind of understand.
But right now I'm unsure whether the two of them have bonded or not.

But the brown mini lop is not desexed or anything.
 
I am thinking of getting two only because in a few weeks I'll be back at school and so during the day if I had only one it would become lonely but of course I would spend time with the bunnies when I get home and on weekends.
 
If they're not already bonded, I wouldn't be getting two. It's twice as much work because you've got two separate cages and twice as much time to clean them and spend time with each bunny and let them out to run around separately. Most bunnies do well on their own as long as you have things to keep them occupied during the day like toys and chew things and you spend time with them on a daily basis. And if you're going back to school soon, it would be very difficult to get two separate bunnies to bond before then.

You could get one, and if you've really got your heart set on getting another, when you've got the time to dedicate to bonding, find another one that's a good match for yours (shelters often do bunny dates) and then introduce them. I personally wouldn't be doing it right when you're about to go back to school.
 
I've heard from several others (not on this forum although perhaps it's happened to someone on here) that they adopted two "bonded" rabbits from a shelter only to realize that the rabbits truly weren't bonded. The shelter was either inexperienced in bonding and simply thought the rabbits were compatible; or, in the interest of getting two rabbits adopted, the shelter said they were bonded when that wasn't the case. I don't want to discourage you from considering a bonded pair but maybe just ask questions and make sure they are truly bonded before bringing them both home. Good luck! :)
 
They'll probably bond them for you, if they aren't bonded, I would ask. A lot of shelters do keep their buns in pairs and only adopt them in pairs because of the reason you just stated and because it saves cage space when they're already crowded.

Two desexed buns at $55 is a bargain, and one of the reasons I love shelters lol. If you bought the brown lop, and then later on decided you wanted to get him a friend, you would have to alter him (the cheapest I have EVER heard an alteration was $97, in my area it's about $110, I've heard up to $350 in many places, and that doesn't include the first visit) and then you'd have to get his friend altered, too, most likely, unless you're willing to adopt 2 out from the local shelter anyway and then attempt a trio.

If I could go back, I would have adopted 2 rabbits in the first place instead of 1. As already stated, they aren't much more work.
 
Yes, ask if they are bonded. If they are bonded, I'd say go for it. That is such a bargain. You won't have to deal with the stress of surgery (or the cost), and you won't have to worry about the bonding process (which can be a nightmare). It's even highly possible that they are already litter trained too.

You'll also have the peace of mind knowing that they are not lonely during the day.

I've adopted pairs from rescues on several occasions and it's always worked out well.
 
If they are bonded, I would get the two. I see info from lots of shelters in the UK and a good majority of the buns they give out for adoption are in pairs and already bonded. If they are, it makes things so much easier, gives you two buns who are already friends and who can keep each other company when you´re not there. Plus you´ll still only have one cage to clean but two mouths to feed. Hope you are successful and let us know what you decide.

Good luck
:wiggle
 
I am thinking of getting two only because in a few weeks I'll be back at school and so during the day if I had only one it would become lonely but of course I would spend time with the bunnies when I get home and on weekends.


I started off with two a brother and sister so I would say go for it.
(Actually that is after the other two died.. but that is a different story.. so for the sake of brevity... I started with two!)

Do you know if the two are siblings? If so there is a lesser chance that they will mate (I'm waiting for a plethora of comments on this statement but will tell you yes, the vet even told me that and they/mine have not been fixed and are close to 2 years old and Chica has not had any babies... if she has they are invisible bunnies!)

The chance for boredom and doing nutty behavior like pulling fur out etc is lessened when you have two buns together. So I would go for the two for one!

The price for the adoption is good also if they have been fixed/desexed/cannot have more little bunnies running around also. Here my local vet was going to charge me $450 a rabbit to get them fixed! So you are looking at a good price!

Go for it and please keep us posted and please post pics!

All the best
Vanessa:magicwand:
 
Hi Carlyanne,

Sorry to hear the rabbit you had in mind has passed away :(

However, as others have mentioned on your post, I would also go for the bonded pair, if that is an option. It doesn't cost much more to feed one rabbit than it does two, especially if you buy most of their food in bulk sacks.

Hope all goes well for you with a bonded pair :bunnyheart & we look

forward to seeing a few pictures when you are all set up :hug2:
 
If the non-shelter rabbit is a female, be aware that females *need* to be spayed for health reasons (unspayed females live, on average, half as long as spayed females due to their proclivity for cancers of the reproductive system) even if they're your only rabbit [males are primarily neutered for behavioral reasons, so if you only get one rabbit and it's male, neutering can be avoided if you can tolerate his hormonal behavior]... and spays are more expensive than neuters. I payed $30 each to get Nala and Gaz from a breeder (couldn't find a shelter in my area that had rabbits other than a rabbit rescue that refused to adopt them out because "too many got returned") - when they were 5 months old, I coughed up $465 for two spays... by comparison the male I got a couple weeks ago, Norman, set me back a "whopping" $30 adoption fee and came already neutered (I've moved since getting my girls, hence the sudden availability of shelter bunnies).

Between the stress, worry and expense of spaying/neutering and how obnoxious teenagers of *any* species inherently are, there's a lot to be said for adopting an already fixed adult rabbit from a shelter!

That said, I think you should pressure the shelter for more information before making a decision. Most rabbits prefer the company of another but there are exceptions and unlike some animals (rats, GPs, sugar gliders, etc.), most rabbits *can* do just fine on their own if they get plenty of attention and interaction. Also, the idea that M/F bonds are vastly superior to same sex bonds is a bit of a myth, albeit a wide-spread and partially truthful one - personality is what really matters. To be fair, the odds of randomly picking two rabbits with compatible personalities does seem inherently higher if they're opposite genders... but if the two personalities are compatible, that trumps their genders - my girls are proof of that, and many others here have a happy, same-sex bonded pair.

What I'm getting at is that, while I don't see any actual red flags, I do see some signs that make me question the shelter's knowledge in pairing/bonding rabbits - they could be following conventional wisdom (rabbits in pairs, only M/F bonds, etc.) because of personal opinion regarding what makes bunnies the happiest and because they've been bonding rabbits for a long time and are sticking with what's easiest/most reliable as a means of expediting the bonding process since they bond so many pairs... or they could be oblivious to the fact that every rule has exceptions because they're not actually as rabbit-savvy as they might think. It could very easily go either way and the only way to know is to ask a lot of questions.

Ask if the two rabbits are bonded. If they say yes, ask how long they've been living in the same cage together, if there have ever been any problems, fights, etc. Tell them you're new to rabbits and ask "Out of curiosity, what methods do you use to bond two rabbits?" (if you're unsure that their answer is a good one, feel free to ask us!). You could also mention that you're worried that going to a new home might upset their bond and ask if they would be willing to guide you through repairing the bond if the rabbits were to start fighting within the first week or two. If they can't offer a detailed explanation of HOW they bond two rabbits and/or indicate that you're on your own once you adopt them, that's a huge red flag and indicates that there's a good chance the rabbits aren't truly bonded even if the shelter swears otherwise. (Keep in mind, just because the shelter employee/volunteer you speak with may be clueless, that doesn't mean there isn't someone else there who knows what they're doing - if they can't answer and explain that someone else handles that aspect of things, ask them for the contact info for whoever bonds the rabbits and then track that person down for questioning.)

As for getting one vs two your first time, I jumped in head-first with two and I actually think it's a little easier that way (IF they're either fully bonded or are babies (since babies automatically get along) - having to bond rabbits right off the bat would be far more challenging than just dealing with one!). It's no harder to care for two than it is for one if they're living together. Having two rabbits gives you a basis for comparison - you're less likely to get worried about weird behavior, since if they're both doing something, it's probably normal. Also, most bonds have a dominant rabbit and a submissive one - a submissive rabbit on their own is often extremely timid, skittish and difficult to win over... but when they've got their dominant friend to show them the way, it helps them be more comfortable and outgoing. A dominant rabbit may be less likely to desperately want to be the boss of YOU if they have a companion, because they get to be the boss of the submissive rabbit - being in charge when she's with Gazzles definitely helps Nala accept that she can't be in charge with the humans!
 
Lots of fantastic answers and advice here. :) It's hard to tell someone else what they should do, because we can't know what's right for you, but I think the advice here is the best, and personally, if they are truly bonded, there's not much of a reason not to get the two.

:)
 
Good luck, and i will just say as the rest have.. two bonded as long as they are properly bonded or there could be lots of problems.. but we got two bonded rabbits as they are mummy and baby and they kept each other company and were really good companions.. sadly mummy passed away not long ago so i have got a little boy who i will bond with the baby now they are spayed and neutured... I hope it all goes well and let us see some piccies when they or he / she is settled.. good luck..
 
Hi everyone, good news!
So the boy is bonded with the female rabbit and I've been told that they groom each other, eat together, sleep together and stuff like that.

It turns our the female still needs to be desexed which is happening tomorrow but they are going to keep the male bunny around her so they don't lose the bond.

Later this week I'll be going to the shelter to make sure they are the two I want (which I'm sure they are) and then I'll be able to take them home!

So I'll patiently wait this week and get their homes sorted out and if I do get them, you'll all be seeing a whole lot of photos!
 

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