Share experiences of going from one bun to two?

[briemommy]

There's a myth that with dogs, two are better than one, cause they'll keep each other company. Truth is, two means more work and more destruction. I'm wondering if it's the same with buns, or if two really means they'll keep each other company so Brie will stop looking for things to destroy!

Any stories supporting or debunking this theory of more than one rabbit = less destruction? Specifically looking for experiences of those who went from one rabbit to two, as we're about to do it in about a month of so!

 

[Moochyesh]

Its awesome! I think having 2 keeps you on your toes more, I clean ALOT more and stay on top of things better now that I have 4 instead of 1.
However going from 1 to having 2 was not that bad, After they are bonded it has been a breeze.

 

[rpuckett]

I have mixed feelings going from one to two. It does vary by situation. I started out with one rabbit. Got him when he was still young, bonded well with him, and he was quite friendly. We moved, I got more space, and my weekly visits to my shelter introduced me to a beautiful (if somewhat chunky) netherland dwarf doe. She was somewhat friendly, but more reserved, and hated being picked up more than anything. She hadn't had the best care before me, and for whatever reason, I decided it was supposed to be me who made it all better for her.

So the shelter spayed her, and we brought her home. So began the bonding process (after the recuperation and adjusting to new places process). My boy thought the sun shone for her, but she didn't want anything the least bit to do with him. She'd bite him, box him, run from him. He would just take it and chase after her. She is still mean to him, less so over time. She still isn't great to him, but they live together now. The groom each other, and and sometimes she still boxes him.

Long story short, just bear in mind that no two rabbits will have the same personality as the first one you have, they will (mostly) bond, which is good, but also a bit sad, as in my scenario my boy Pippen isn't as close to me as he used to be. Because, really, if you could be friends with your own kind instead of a big monkey, why wouldn't you? I recommend if you are able, invite your current bunny to bunny dates before you commit to trying to bond rabbits who may never like each other. Also prepare for the fact that they might never bond and you would have two bunnies with no bondmates in two different cages.

On the other hand, more bunnies can't really be a bad thing, right?

 

[agnesthelion]

If you are specifically talking about cleaning and such, I don't think there is much of a difference between 1 and 2 IF they are bonded and in the same cage. I still clean the litter the same and there is only one cage so the cleaning is the same. My two are dwarfs so neither eat alot so I didn't even notice a change in more food that much.

As far as being less destructive, there is no guarantee there and experiences are simply going to be individual. There are theories that a bonded rabbit is less bored and less bored=less destructive. But also, bonded rabbits teach each other things.....so that can be bad habits too But again, just like chewing and destruction varies from rabbit to rabbit, it will from pair to pair as well.

I will say though that the previous posters experience that their rabbit "no longer liked them as much" once the new rabbit came along is unique and not the norm. It is even documented in popular rabbit bonding articles that the addition of another rabbit will not change your current rabbits feelings towards their human slave as rabbits have a different relationship with humans than they do with fellow bunnies. And that has most definitely been the experience for me. My female, and first bun, changed in no way at all towards me

I thunk the biggest challenge to going from one to two is the bonding. It took 30 days to bond mine and it was a time consuming, daily and tedious ordeal. I personally enjoyed then experience but it was alot of work. And when you first bring bunny home you need to of course house them separately and do alot of bunny dates on neutral territory so it's a bit of a process.

But once my two were bonded, it has been a breeze and I thoroughly enjoy having two mine aren't too bad destructive wise. My female and first bun is not a chewer or destructive at all and she has remained that way. Archie on the other hand, is a bit of a chewer but for the most part is still pretty good.

Here is my favorite article on bonding. This woman believes you can bond any two rabbits. I think bunny dates are a definite need. If they don't all out brawl during that first meeting I think the chances of them bonding is very high. Now, how long it will take who knows, could be days, could be months. But this article covers most scenarios that can happen. I reference it alot as it helped me quite a bit.

Good luck!

http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/articles/bond.shtml

Oh and I wanted to say that i was VERY nervous about getting a second rabbit too I was even having doubts as I drove home from just adopting him! Haha. But I had done my research and was prepared for the work involved and I am SO glad that i did. It has been so fun having two.

 

[briemommy]

Ah, as far as becoming less affectionate towards me goes, I'm not worried. Brie doesn't care about me at all. She is very willful and it has really disappointed me since she's the first and only rabbit I've had so far. She'll let me pet her, and she even flops down for me to do so, but all of you talking about bunnies requesting pets? What fantasy land is that in? I'm hoping rabbit #2 will enjoy my company and want to snuggle. So sad... :sigh:

 

[agnesthelion]

Ah, as far as becoming less affectionate towards me goes, I'm not worried. Brie doesn't care about me at all. She is very willful and it has really disappointed me since she's the first and only rabbit I've had so far. She'll let me pet her, and she even flops down for me to do so, but all of you talking about bunnies requesting pets? What fantasy land is that in? I'm hoping rabbit #2 will enjoy my company and want to snuggle. So sad... :sigh:

Every rabbit is different. That's how my male is. He'll come up for head rubs once in a blue moon or if I have banana. My female is like a dog and never leaves my side! Two complete opposites

 

[kmaben]

Haha I agree. My first rabbit really wont have anything to do with me. At night she would accept ear massages from me but that was it and then it was bed time. She still wont have much to do with me even though she is loosely bonded to a german giant. I was like these people be trippin when they say their rabbits come to them and want cuddles. Once the big baby slows down enough he wants his nose rubbed and that's about it. However upon recieving Franklin my third rabbit I understood what they ment. Cuddley rabbits do exist. Cleaning is a bit of a challenge with three. Two are very large and poop ALOT. However their negative behaviors ie big baby chewing on the phone cord! did not change at all when he got a bond mate. I think who they are is who they are going to be for better or worse

 

[Troller]

I'm a week into a second rabbit and at the moment they are seperate. My cleaning time is about 30min more then it used to be do to having to coordinate seperate cage cleanings. The second rabbit is a bit more of a chewer, but so was Conan when he first got here so maybe it will calm down. I'm using a bit more litter then I used to, but then I buy wood stove pellets so it's pretty cheap so more is no big deal. Vegetables have increased, but frankly that's a good thing since it means we're exposed to more and eat better for it. Pellets, well you have to keep pellets fresh and change them every two months. Since I buy in bulk I'd actually have to donate or toss the extra, so with Xena now around there should be no excess. All in all financially I'd hav to say adding the second rabbit has cost me maybe about 2 hours extra a week in clean time, and about $30-$50 dollars a month. Negligible really, and I expect things to get a bit better and cheaper after I bond them. Of course Vet expenses have increased so here's hoping for very healthy rabbits! Oh, I should add I own Flemish Giants, the biggest type rabbits so my expenses are a bit greater then owners of smaller breeds.

Emotionally having a second rabbit can be stressful, but I have yet to encounter that. It's been a great joy for me. Conan is friendly, but he's not a cuddle bunny. I think he likes humans just fine but isn't dedicated to them so having a second rabbit around might be benificial so he can have someone that speaks his own language. Xena on the other hand has been real fascinating to have around. She's friendlier, and dare I hope she has the potential to be a cuddle bun. She also seems to like having a rabbit around as well so maybe we all benifit from the experience. Either way its a great joy in experiencing two rabbits with different personalities and likes/dislikes. YMMV.

 

[kkiddle]

Your best bet is shelter dating. If your bunny chooses a rabbit that you approve of (meaning one with a snuggle-ly personality) then both of you will be happy. To be honest, it's very rare that your rabbit will greatly prefer one over the other if there's an indifference with dating, so sometimes the choice is up to you between a couple different buns--that's what happened to me.

As to cleaning and such, I haven't noticed a difference. The litterbox may need to be changed more often, but it's not much more. I have noticed a difference in food only because Millie is such a foodie! Before, Cheeto didn't really care about food, but now when they see that I'm about to feed them, they both go nuts! It's a trip!

At first it might be a nightmare. I remember pee being everywhere, and the poop! Oh my gosh! They may mark until they've determined dominance, but after that it's much better. Make sure if you're considering this you set some time apart to do the bonding. I did mine at the end of my summer break when my summer classes were over and my fall ones hadn't begun yet. I am so glad I did that as I could keep an eye on them and ensure that no one escaped to eat the other one! I probably overreacted, as their bonding was short and smooth, but better safe than sorry.

Anyway, good luck. I find that everybody is happy because Millie is here with us. I would definitely recommend a buddy if you're heading in that direction.

 

[cassnessxox]

I couldn't be happier now that I have two bonded buns!

I think I maybe have to change the litter a little more often but that only makes sense and it doesn't take a whole lot of my time. Neither of them are destructive now, they never were monsters before but they would both get behind the tv and chew the cables, eat our phone cords and Cleo ripped up a small patch of carpet before. Nothing like that has happened since.

I feel better about it because they are never alone. I used to feel bad because my girl used to sit on the top of the stairs for hoooours at a time. She still does it but much less. I feel like she has opened up and become happier since we got Bambi. I love walking in to their room in the morning and feeling like I have interrupted a grooming session or something! And I really love sitting outside and just watching them interact.

 

[Elliot]

My experience was a disaster. Elliot is neat as a pin. The two females we tried, not so. One was ripping his fur out.