Preparing to bond my bunny

[Gimli]

Now I’ve had my bunny for about 6 months, and I just expanded his got rid of his smaller cage, and replaced it with a 42″ x 28″ condo with 2 shelves. (The old cage was 36″ x 20″, and essentially one level.  He grew out of it quick.)  I’ve been thinking about getting another rabbit since shortly after I adopted Gimli, and now that I have the condo, I feel much more comfortable with the idea.  

Once he has had a bit of time to warm up to his new cage, I would plan on visiting a few humane societies and rescues with him, and see if there are any that he gets along with very well.  I’m a bit worried that he won’t care about any rabbits, though.  We’ve had some cats and other small animals in the same room as him before.  One cat in particular would follow him, and swatted at him once, before they were separated.  He has been completely oblivious to everyone, besides people.  Is that a sign that he wouldn’t get along with a companion?

Also, I’m fairly certain that my condo is big enough, but his litter box is the perfect size for just him.  Would I need to get one that could hold both bunnies at once, or would they just wait for the other bun to get out?

A few other little things that need confirmation:

-I’ve heard that size isn’t a huge factor, but I just wanted to make sure that he would be ok with anything from a dwarf to a Flemish giant.(I would probably avoid larger breeds, but if he gets along really well with one, I’d make adjustments on the condo for them.)

-Would putting a mirror in his cage now help him get used to having a companion later on?

-He’s neutered male, so I’m assuming a spayed female would normally be a better option, but let me know if I’m wrong.

[mia]

Your bun may be oblivious of other buns but another bun can get him out of his shell. Also, you bun may also reciprocate affection from another bun. Another of their own kind is very different from the bond they can form with other species.

Yes, you’ll need a litter box that can hold two together or at least put two boxes side by side.

I heard buns don’t care about size and have seen giant buns with tiny buns. That said, you’ll need to make sure they don’t hurt each other which can happen unintentionally with dramatic differences in size.

Not all buns react to mirrors and those that do may figure out who the other bun is. I’d think a stuffie would be better.

Spayed female should be easier but don’t limit yourself to that. Same sex pairs also work.

[Gimli]

 Thank you for that.  He’s had a stuffed animal in his cage since I’ve had him.  He loved cuddling with it for a week, but I don’t think he’s touched it since.

[MoveDiagonally]

The minimum recommended cage size for two small – med rabbits is 4′ X 4′ (a second larger rabbit would need more space). I agree with miaeih about the litter boxes.

Best case scenario in a bunny meeting would be grooming. Ignoring is also a good sign. Humping is alright if a fight doesn’t break out. Gender doesn’t really matter once everyone is spayed/neutered, personality is what’s important. I would try both male/females and see who fits best with your bunny.

If you haven’t checked out the bonding section of this page I would give it a read:
https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/tabid/53/CategoryID/9/PID/940/Default.aspx

One thing I think is really helpful when you actually start bonding is posting a thread about it here with updates on your progress. People can give you advice as you go.

[Gimli]

Thank You

My cage right now is Smaller than 4′ x 4′, but I’ve got the two shelves that make it about that surface area. Will that be alright?

Also, I was thinking about changing them from two shelves, and making it a full 3 levels. Right now it’s basically two squares on opposite sides, so he can climb up, but I would put up ramps with full levels. Gimli’s never used ramps, and always just jumped where he needs to go, so I didn’t bother building them. I was planning on doing that Right before I put both of the buns in the same cage. That way it’s newer to both of them.

I will probably make that thread, when the time comes.[code] [/code][code] [/code]

[MoveDiagonally]

Your current cage is about 8.1 sq ft (3 grids X 2 grids) which is .1 over the minimum for a single small – med rabbit. Even with levels I don’t think it will be big enough for two rabbits.

How much room do you have to work with and how much out of cage time would your bunnies be getting?

[Beka27]

Multiple levels are not taken into consideration when figuring cage area. You would need floor space of 4×4 feet, or very close to it, for two rabbits.

[Gimli]

Ok, between my girlfriend and I, we normally let him run around the house for about 6-8 hours a day(closer to 10-14 on weekends). About half of my work is from home, so it’s pretty easy to have him run around, and I normally take breaks when he tries to get my attention. He can run around the kitchen, living room and bathroom. All the cords are behind the entertainment system, which he can’t reach. Also, most of our furniture is hardwood-handmedowns. He doesn’t chew on it, and we wouldn’t mind if he did.

I really prefer keeping him in the bedroom, so there’s not a whole lot more room to work with. Possibly a 3 x 3, which would be around 12 sq. feet.

[MoveDiagonally]

Don’t get me wrong, your set up sounds great for a single bunny! It’s just not big enough for two. :/

[Beka27]

I agree with MoveDiagonally. Maybe just keep things how they are now. He seems to have it really good, and since you’re home often, he has the additional companionship. If the situation changes in the future and you can allow more space, then you can look into getting another bunny.

(You would also need neutral space for bonding, and sometimes bonded pairs CANNOT live in the original bunny’s territory. If you only have one suitable place to house them, I would wait for that reason as well.)

[Gimli]

Ok, I’ll wait, and consider it later, then. I was planning on moving into a 2BR house after I graduate next year, and use the second as a pet room. Have my geckos on shelves, so the rabbit(s?) can’t reach them. I would put a cage in the room, too.(Either the one he has now, or a new setup.)

If I’m still thinking about getting another rabbit when I move, would it be a good idea to try and bond them right away? I would worry that a new house, and a new rabbit would be a bit stressful for Gimli all at once. I would probably want to change his cage around if I did that, too, so he wouldn’t be so territorial.

If I would do that, I would:
-Keep him in a cage, and have another cage for the newBun.
-Let them get used to the cage, and let the buns out in the room one at a time.
-Let them play in the room together for short periods, and wait until they are cuddling/ignoring each other before putting them in their cages.
-A little car ride together, if they start fighting a lot.
-Once it’s been a few days without fighting, and they get along, they would be pretty bonded.

Could someone verify that that’s the general scheme of things? Also, Would I want to combine the bars from their cages, and make a new cage for them, once they are bonded? Or would it be better to leave both of the cages in the room? Either way, I would plan on leaving the cage(s) open.

I like to prepare everything, so I’m sorry about all the questions and the wall of text.

[MoveDiagonally]

You’ll want to give the bonding info page a read:
https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/tabid/53/CategoryID/9/PID/940/Default.aspx

In a nutshell:
You can house them near each other so they get used to each other’s cage/presence/smell. Swap litter boxes or use bunny surrogates to help them get used to each other. Introductions and early bonding should be done in completely neutral areas (somewhere they’ve never been). Trying to put them together in the room right away would likely cause fights, especially with a territorial bunny. After they get along in neutral territory you can have bonding sessions in semi neutral areas. This is a place the bunnies are allowed but haven’t “claimed”. Once they get along in semi neutral you can try the room their housed in but I would NOT use on of their cages for bonding.

Once bonded they will need a completely new set up. You can’t really use their existing cages for this because it can negatively affect a new bond with territorial behavior. It need to be re-arranged and made “new”. One cage large enough for both rabbits that neither has lived in and everything they’ve used before should be cleaned and de-smelled as much as possible.

[Author]

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