Should I bond my bun?

[abbynormal43]

So, we just have Ellie. She’s about a year and a half old, and we’ve always had just her. She’s our baby. But we both work full time, and I feel bad that she has to be enclosed all by herself while we’re at work. We’ve been carefully considering getting her a buddy, and have been doing a lot of research on it. I know it’s quite a process, and if we decide to do it, we’ll do it properly. What I want to know is have/do any of you had a single bun and decided to bond her or not? What are some of the pros and cons of bonding? I want her to live a long, happy, healthy life and I don’t want to do anything to risk that. Anyway, please tell me your opinions! We want to make the right decision for our bun and do what’s best for her. Thanks!

[tophdade]

Posted By abbynormal43 on 12/18/2014 10:15 AM

So, we just have Ellie. She’s about a year and a half old, and we’ve always had just her. She’s our baby. But we both work full time, and I feel bad that she has to be enclosed all by herself while we’re at work. We’ve been carefully considering getting her a buddy, and have been doing a lot of research on it. I know it’s quite a process, and if we decide to do it, we’ll do it properly. What I want to know is have/do any of you had a single bun and decided to bond her or not? What are some of the pros and cons of bonding? I want her to live a long, happy, healthy life and I don’t want to do anything to risk that. Anyway, please tell me your opinions! We want to make the right decision for our bun and do what’s best for her. Thanks!

I always think the decision to bond can be a double edged sword for people who are working and don’t have enough time for a single bun at the moment, dealing with it myself at the moment. The pros are that, if bonded, both buns will have a loving buddy who they can entertain and be entertained by while you’re away. To me, the cons can outweigh the pros in specific instances. For example, if your bonded pair will be kept separated while you’re at work, there’s no reason to bond. (Not saying this is the case for you but happens fairly commonly). To me the biggest possible issue for your scenario is that the buns turn out being unbondable, creating double the hassle for you. In my own scenario, I work full time and my girlfriend is in school but will also be working soon. We have a pair that are unspayed but will bond (they already love each other) and another unspayed girl who will probably be a single. The key here is segregation of duties for you and your partner. However, I do encourage you to try bonding, but make absolutely certain that you do adequate research and spend a lot of time selecting the right bun. This experience will be very rewarding for you, I think.

[abbynormal43]

If we did bond her, they definitely wouldn’t be separated while we’re at work. If we get another, we’re gonna build them a bunny condo out of wire cubes (1″ grids, of course).

[theshrew24]

I was in the same boat. I am a full time student applying to law schools and just took on a second job. I just felt so guilty leaving my bun alone all day and then some nights. Ultimately decided to get a second rabbit and bond them.

If you do decide to bond, definitely take your bun to check out others. Get a feel of different rabbit personalities and see which one would go best with your rabbit. I did not take nearly enough time in choosing my second, and although this pair is not doomed, I can tell that my first bun is not enamored with the second. 

Also, bring the second rabbit home either a week before a holiday or during the holiday. I brought Wally home a week before Thanksgiving break, and that was a poor decision. I did not have a plan in bonding them, tried to go too fast too soon, and I got extremely frustrated. My advice would definitely be to wait until you have a 2-3 weeks period of holiday or a down-period so that you can be relaxed and patient and consistent. They definitely work better on a schedule.

Make sure you keep their individual hutches for the initial bonding period! Mine had to be housed separately for about a month. Now they are still housed separately, but I created a hutch out of the grids so that they are as close as possible but with their own separate room.

Bonding is work, but if things work out, it is worth it.

Good luck!

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