Should I get a playmate for my 3-month-old bun?

[cheezling]

Hi everyone,
I am very new to rabbits. On February 26th I got my bunny from a pet store (I know, many would think this is horrible and I understand. However, the place I live does not have any bunny shelters or rescue groups. These only seem to exist for cats and dogs).
Anyway, I've been reading that bunnies are very social creatures and that they should ideally live together with a bonded bunny. My bun is around 3 months old. He hasn't been neutered yet as he is obviously too young so I was wondering if I should get a mate for him (a bunny around the same age) while they're both babies, or if I should wait for him to grow a bit older, neuter him, and only then consider getting another bun?
Any advice would be useful. Right now I am not working full-time so I spend as much time with him as possible; however, this may not always be the case and I'd hate for him to get lonely.
Awaiting some advice from more-experienced rabbit owners. :imstupid

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

If you get another rabbit now, you should not put them together until both are fixed. Since the best pairing is a spayed female and neutered male, you would have a young male and female if you got one now. Rabbits can breed before they are old enough to be altered, so they would not be able to be together. Getting one now means that you are hoping they will get along, not all rabbits will even if they are altered.

I think it would be better to wait until you can get your rabbit neutered and allow him to heal, then look into getting another rabbit. Even without a shelter or rescue near you, you will get a better idea of how he responds to another rabbit if he is neutered. An intact rabbit is more likely to want to hump and breed and will not be focused on more social behaviour.

One thing to consider is that not all rabbits will get along. Even with altered and introduced properly, some just don't like each other. This means that you either have to commit to having 2 separate rabbits or decide to rehome one.

 

[Troller]

Your going to hear a lot of good opinions on the matter but I'll share one that focuses on you the owner and not the bunny. A rabbit can be perfectly happy alone if attention is given, and better if the right mate is chosen, but truly do you want and can handle two rabbits? Expenses aren't really doubled except for vet bills, time cleaning and playing is about the same (except during the bonding process) so the real decision rests with you. If you want another rabbit then you'll manage all right, but if your getting a second one purely to make your first one happy then it might make for a frustrating experience over all.

 

[existenziell]

I agree with what was said before.

Let me also add that bonding bunnies can take a lot of time and patience (on both your part and your rabbit's). Some rabbits, unfortunately, will never get along. If/when you do decide to get another rabbit (wait until your boy is neutered though), I would suggest taking your bun to the pet store with you. Look for a female rabbit. And then test them out together in the pet store. If they ignore each other, that can be a good sign. If they start grooming each other, even better. If there is fighting or any humping going on, you may want to try a different one. Keep going on this process until you find a suitable match. It's a good idea to do it at the pet store because both rabbits are on neutral ground (do not place your rabbit in another's cage but rather try to get a play area established somewhere in the pet store for them to interact).

 

[BunnyWabbit]

I agree with most of what has been said already.

If you're prepared to get them altered, spend the time to properly bond them, and have the space to keep them I think bonded bunnies are a great thing. If you're not ready for to do those things I think your single bunny will be fine with your love and attention

 

[Nancy McClelland]

We have had some that were not bondable to anything including a pet rock, so you need to be very careful. I know people that have a very happy solitary bunny so getting another is not mandatory.

 

[holtzchick]

I agree definitely be careful in making a decision.

I chose to get another bun because I love rabbits BUT I also thought that my bun would be happier with another bun in the house. I was wrong, I know she is just as happy as she was and now I've been bonding them for 4 months and I still don't know how it will turn out but I'm hoping for the best. It's a lot more than I bargained for, but I'm still happy I went through with it!

 

[cheezling]

Thank you for all the responses, everyone!
You're definitely right and I'm going to wait and reconsider this later. Right now I am very happy with just one bunny and he seems to be doing great. I was just worried about him being lonely and I know that, for example, guinea pigs should almost always be housed with another pig. I thought that getting a playmate at a young age would help them bond (I know that it does for cats and dogs, but I am really new to rabbits so I didn't think it's not quite the same).

 

[LakeCondo]

It's too bad that there are no rescue/shelter places there for rabbits. The best way to get a 2nd rabbit is to have your spayed rabbit meet other neutered rabbits & find out who might be compatible. Many shelters/rescues in the US etc have such meetings.