Considering a friend for Bramble

[kirstyol]

When we first got Bramble we had no intentions of getting another bun, one of us is in most of the time and he gets more than enough attention from us. However things have changed recently and although one of us is still here a lot of the time there is the odd day where we are both working and I have noticed a definite change in Bramble, he just doesn’t seem as happy. I know that might just be him having a wee huff because we aren’t at his beck and call all the time but its got me thinking about getting another rabbit to give him some company.

Problem is I have never bonded rabbits before, all my previous buns have been lone buns and I have no idea what to look for in a friend for him. We are currently waiting on Brambles condo to arrive so my plan would be to keep the cage he is currently in for the new rabbit (if we go ahead) until they can live together then the condo would be big enough to house them both (I hope so anyway the size guide on the website was confusing, if not I can buy extra panels to expand it).

I have had a read through the bonding forum and I think I can handle most of it, its just how to choose a friend for him. Bramble is neutered so that’s not problem but would he be better off with a spayed female or another neutered male. What about the age should I try and adopt a bun around Bramble’s age (he is almost one) or does it not really matter? I have heard of a shelter in my city that lets you go and choose a bun which they then bring to your house to see if it gets on with your current bun but I would still have to do the choosing part.

Bramble is quite a social wee dude, he is always trying to make friends with the dogs in the waiting room at the vets and he pesters the life out of poor Freddie the hamster wanting to play with him so I think he would really like to have another rabbit but he has been a single bun since he was six weeks old so I am a little worried about how he will take having to share his space with another bun.

[Peri and Poe]

Hi kirstyol,
We had the same experience when we thought our year old female rabbit Peri was lonely, so we decided to get her a friend. Unfortunately, we underestimated how difficult bonding can become.

First things first, make sure YOU want another rabbit and not just for Bramble. Single rabbits can be happy on their own so don’t feel inclined to get another one. We felt we had to get Peri another friend because we thought she might have been lonely but looking back has made me realize that she enjoyed being a single bun but we don’t regret getting Poe (our second bun) because we love him and she’s just as happy with him as well.

Second, be prepared for the bonding process to take a while, It may be love at first sight or it might take a while (weeks/months) so i suggest doing bonding when you have long extended time to work with, maybe a holiday or something.

About the bunny condo, if you plan to house them together in the condo, i would suggest not to let him live in it beforehand so it’s neutral territory for them both when they move in.

Lastly, i think choosing a bun from the shelter is a good idea as not all bunnies are compatible so taking a bun on a trial period would make the bonding process easier. It’s typically easier to bond a female to a male rabbit and from my personal experience i strongly advise against getting a baby/teenage rabbit because of the wait to neuter/spay and hormone issues otherwise age isn’t really an issue (older rabbits tend to be more laid back)-Although you may wish to have them close in age so one doesn’t significantly outlive the other.

[kirstyol]

I worry about taking a bun on a trial period and falling in love with it, then the bonding doesn’t work out, that would break my heart. I think I should have enough free time if I do it soon because I am on holiday for a few weeks then in uni for a few weeks just for a few hours a day then I am only three days a week for the eight weeks following that so I think I would be ok in that front.

I don’t really have much choice other than to move him into the condo, well maybe on second thoughts I could do something with his existing pen, that point I will need to do some thinking about. Bramble was supposed to be a free roam bunny but he hasn’t learned not to chew things!

I would love another bunny, to be honest I would love a house full of them if only that were possible. I do worry though that if the bonding doesn’t work out I am not sure I have room to give two bunnies adequate separate living space. in the short term while they are bonding I could make it work but for the long term I have no idea what I would do for space other than have one bun in the living room and one in the spare room but then whoever is in the spare room is getting less attention and that doesn’t seem fair either.

[RabbitLegion]

Hello! I went through the same thing this year with my rabbit, Hugo. I’ve had him since he was a baby, and was worried about him feeling lonely because A) he never really seemed to see us as anything but food dispensers and would rarely come to us for affection unless we had treats and B) I plan on getting pregnant sometime soon, and knew that he would have a bit less attention when a new baby came and/or I become too pregnant to get on the floor with him.

At first, I did what it sounds like you are planing to do. I went to a (no-kill) shelter and found a gorgeous rabbit who was so lovey, she gave us kisses right away! I took her home to meet Hugo and…she went insane. She wanted him dead. I don’t think they ever would have bonded, at least not without severe injury to my rabbit and I wasn’t prepared to let that happen. I felt horrible, because she was great with people and I would totally have kept her as a single bun, but had to take her back as I didn’t have room for two large cages. I’ve spoken to the shelter since and she has reacted that way with all other bunnies, so I guess there is the occasional rabbit that is ‘humans only’.

What I then did, and would encourage you to do, is set up a ‘bunny date’ with a local rescue or shelter. Sounds like the shelter you are going to knows about bunny bonding, so they may let you do this as well.What I did was bring my bunny to the rescue and introduced him (through an x-pen at first) to a few other rabbits. I could see which ones seemed very aggressive to him, which ones he seemed comfortable with, etc. Within the first three meetings, he met the rabbit we adopted. On their first meeting there was no lunging, no nipping, no growling. Just a bit of humping, which ended in grooming! With this good match, their bonding took only 5 days. I think it would have been a lot more stressful for us and Hugo if we had taken another rabbit home without having them ‘meet’ first.

So to save yourself some anxiety over bonding two bunnies who may not easily bond, I would ask the shelter if your bunny could ‘meet’ a few of the shelter rabbits there, maybe in an x-pen in another room so it is ‘neutral’ territory for the shelter bun. I’d also recommend having an x-pen between them (at first) in case one is very aggressive…that saved my rabbit a few nips I can tell you!

 

[kirstyol]

I am still really undecided on it to be honest, on the one hand I would love another bun and most of the time think Bramble would love it to just because he really is a social wee guy, but since I moved him into his pen instead of his cage he has been going nuts! to the point where I have actually just put him in his cage for half an hour to calm down, he is usually only ever in his cage at night. I think I might have to move the pen back into the hall which means he cant stay in it overnight and will have to keep using his cage till the condo arrives (or I cancel the order and get another one instead, they have till the end of the week before I do that).

The rabbit rescue I am talking about mostly uses foster homes so I don’t think you can take your bun to them, I think they have to bring one to you but I plan on calling them when my exams are over next week to discuss it. then when I have all the info (and hopefully the condo) me and the other half can make a decision. I definitely can give two separate buns adequate living space so I need to do something to maximise the chances of them bonding. In the short term if I go ahead I plan on getting another pen and putting them both in separate pens in my spare room to start with then gradually move them through to the living room once I get them bonded (hopefully).

[Tessie]

Peri and Poe: “First things first, make sure YOU want another rabbit and not just for Bramble. Single rabbits can be happy on their own so don’t feel inclined to get another one. We felt we had to get Peri another friend because we thought she might have been lonely but looking back has made me realize that she enjoyed being a single bun”

RabbitLegion: “Set up a ‘bunny date’ with a local rescue or shelter. What I did was bring my bunny to the rescue and introduced him (through an x-pen at first) to a few other rabbits. I could see which ones seemed very aggressive to him, which ones he seemed comfortable with, etc. Within the first three meetings, he met the rabbit we adopted. On their first meeting there was no lunging, no nipping, no growling. Just a bit of humping, which ended in grooming! With this good match, their bonding took only 5 days. I think it would have been a lot more stressful for us and Hugo if we had taken another rabbit home without having them ‘meet’ first.”

^These are the main points I would make, and great advice.
I would also add that two bunnies is twice the expense in terms of food, vet bills, etc.

It sounds to me like you’re pretty decided on getting another bunny if you can make it work. I really recommend doing bunny speed dating if you can, where you take Bramble to a shelter to meet some potential candidates. Lots of rescues offer this. If the rescue you’ve been looking at doesn’t offer it, perhaps you can find another that will.

Once you’ve found a bunny who Bramble gets along with okay, you’re half way there. Bonding will be much smoother if you can find the right bunny first.

[RabbitLegion]

“The rabbit rescue I am talking about mostly uses foster homes so I don’t think you can take your bun to them, I think they have to bring one to you but I plan on calling them when my exams are over next week to discuss it.”

 The rabbit rescue I went to is the same, I went to two different foster homes to meet 4 or 5 different buns, as the foster homes usually (in my experience) have more than 1 bunny. As an added bonus, you get someone there with you who is also experienced with rabbits and probably bonding to some degree. I bet foster homes would be glad to set up a ‘date’, if that is indeed what you decide to do. I will say that my rabbit was much happier when he got a little pal to groom and snuggle with, but it is another rabbit to care for, which can be expensive if they need to go to the vet.

[kirstyol]

I am not too worried about the expense, I have insurance for Bramble and I would get it for the new bunny as well hopefully, I might have to pay more for it since I likely wont know its full medical history mind you but after my experiences with Bramble I definitely wouldn’t go without insurance. The extra day to day expenses would be manageable.

I am definitely going to call the place I have been looking at and ask them about me taking Bramble to them rather than them coming to me, Bramble is not keen on the car mind you but I think that would be the best option as he would be able to meet a few bunnies which would be nice. My stepmother works for the SSPCA (but not near where I live unfortunately or that would be ideal) and she said that they let dog owners who are adopting another dog bring their dog so she thinks they might let me bring Bramble, she said she would ask her boss and see what he said but maybe best to call the centre closest to me as they might all have different policies. Bramble not being vaccinated is a worry though for me taking him somewhere, we never got his jags because we live in an urban area and he has never been outside other than in his carrier in his life so the vet said he really didn’t need it.

The reason I am looking at the centre I am looking at is in part because they are experienced in bonding and so know what two rabbits getting along looks like, I wouldn’t have a clue having only had lone buns before now. I will definitely call them and also see if there are any others near me, I have a car so can travel a little if needs be, not too long mind you because Bramble really isn’t keen on the car but a short drive would be fine.

I finish my exams tomorrow so plan on looking up places on the internet over the weekend then make some calls on Monday, if we decide to go ahead I can get a new pen etc ordered and hopefully start doing visits the following week while I am still on holiday.

Its weird, I never thought any of my previous buns were lonely but for some reason I really feel that Bramble is. Maybe he is just young and energetic but I really think he would like a friend to play with when we are not about.

[Author]

Messages