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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum BONDING A companion? Or no?

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    • cinnybun2015
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        This is merely a question. It is definitely not set in stone.

        Recently, I’ve been thinking about Chomondeley being a lone bunny. He’s going to be neutered in about a month or so, and for now, he’s getting more mischevious. For example, he digs up his carpet and chews on things he is not supposed to chew on at night, or during the day while I’m away. I assume this is normal adolescent-bun behavior, but I was reading up about companion rabbits, and wondering if this is because he’s lonely. After all, the only times that his digging and chewing on forbidden items happen are while I am away for long periods of time.

        Chomondeley was born with several rabbits around him. He spent the first 3 months of his life in a Mini Lop breeder’s barn in the same cage as his mother and his two sisters. I know this is what it would be like for almost every rabbit, but sometimes I think Chomondeley misses that surrounding comfort. I know that I couldn’t have taken his siblings home too, but I was thinking of his mother today. I know that does are only bred for about two years before they become pets, and my daydreaming mind was wondering if Chomondeley would like the comfort of another rabbit again.

        Just a thought, keep in mind. I have questions for myself about space, money, time, etc., etc. But I was hoping for some suggestions from fellow bunny loving people.

        Thank you!!


      • cinnybun2015
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          Is everyone gone?


        • Q8bunny
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            I have these same thoughts every single day when I see Chewie in a lone bunny loaf. It breaks my heart that he doesn’t have a friend besides me (and to be fair, we have A LOT of quality time together). But he just won’t tolerate other rabbits. Has Chom shown friendliness toward any fellow buns?


          • cinnybun2015
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              Chomondeley has not been exposed to other rabbits (except for the time he was living with this sisters and mother, of course.) He’s getting neutered in about a month so I’m thinking of taking him to meet a friend’s pet rabbit after that (once he’s recovered and is doing well) just to see if he’s okay around other buns. Like you said, Q8, Chom and I do spend lots of time together but it still worries me that he’s alone….


            • Bam
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                It does come down to how Chom reacts to other buns I’d say. In general I think most buns benefit from having a bunny friend, but then there are the odd few that go Monty Python on prospective friends. In nature buns live in colonies and that means there are always somebunny who can spot a predator when some other bunny is eating. Safety in numbers as another factor. Rabbits haven’t been domesticated for very long, so they still have most (but not all) of their wildtype behavior.
                If you could take Chom bunny-speed-dating at a shelter so he can pick a friend himself, it’d be great.


              • cinnybun2015
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                  I would love to take Chom bunny speed dating, but I don’t think my local rabbit shelter allows it….
                  I would just love a friend for him. Someone who’s not completely bonded to him but they can spend time together. Even if there was a bunny meetup in my town; that would be lovely. I know of two people who have rabbits, and I know that one of them is definitely neutered, and i think I’ll be taking Chomondeley to see if he gets along after he gets neutered.


                • LittlePuffyTail
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                    I know how you feel. It’s hard not to feel guilty about having a single bun even if you know they have it pretty good. I always felt bad that Bindi and Olivia were not bonded, although they did live side by side. Olivia was definitely the Monty Python type bam mentioned and I think she preferred being alone. Bindi, however, was always friendly and curious toward Olivia.

                    Best of luck if you take Chom to meet another bun.


                  • Sr. Melangell
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                      There are a few good things about having just the one bunny, you can spoil him and no other bunny will be getting jealous, there are no fights over food, no accidents like accidental bites and chewed ears, because things can go wrong, even if they are the best of friends things can happen unexpectedly, for example you give them a new toy, but one of them turns into a bossy bun, he wants it first, then you have a fight on your hands and when the other one gets to play with it he climbs up on top of his cage and drops the toy on bunny’s head, also having the one bunny means less poop to clean up, if he is an indoor bunny then no fleas unless someone brings an animal to your home.


                    • Aki
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                        I really wouldn’t risk play dates with another rabbit for no reason – it won’t tell you much considering that it won’t be on your rabbit’s territory and that the stress of traveling and of a new environment will probably make your rabbit behave differently than he would in a normal setting. Besides bonding is a process, it’s not just putting two rabbits together to see if they fight – the fact that rabbits ignore each other one day doesn’t mean they won’t fight the next (and vice versa).
                        Especially don’t do it if your friend’s rabbit is a male, it might end up with injuries and remember you have to wait between 4 to 6 weeks for your rabbit’s hormones to be gone after the neuter

                        I personally prefer to keep rabbits in pair (ALWAYS male / female both desexed especially if you aren’t experienced with bonding, two males is really risky to attempt and you might find yourself with ten years of managing separate rabbits on your hands) as rabbits are social creatures and living with others help them to deal with injuries, anxiety, loneliness…

                        If you are wondering about adopting a second rabbit, I suggest you read those articles which are very thorough on the pros and cons not to forget the how:
                        http://rabbit.org/category/behavior/multiple-rabbits/


                      • cinnybun2015
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                          LPT- yes, I understand the Monty Python type that you’re talking about. I don’t believe that Chomondeley is like that, but he could be. Thanks for the words of personal advice! (Hopefully Bindi and Sterling will bond without a problem!)
                          Charlies Angel- yes, I completely agree. However, I do think that some rabbits love to flop and binky and spend time with other rabbits, and I’ve been wondering if Chomondeley would like that too.
                          Aki- thank you very much. I didn’t take those things into consideration- I will now. Thanks for the article too, your response was quite helpful.


                        • Thekillergreece
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                            If you play often with her, at least 2-3 hours a day, she will be fine and really happy about it as long as you add some toys for her to play as well. I do not know how it will look like if you adopt a second rabbit though.


                          • Alyssa
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                              I want to get another bunny friend for my guy, but bonding is a challenge. Weeks worth to success. Possibly months. If your bunny is happy with his everyday thing, you should be good. I used to see bunnies in the wild since I went to college where bunnies were EVERYWHERE, they are often on their own. Having their own adventures enjoying life. Just keep him busy, I found fun activities to try on pinterest to keep bunnies busy if your interested we could pm?


                            • Gina.Jenny
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                                I have two bonded pairs, and there is a time every afternoon where you will see each pair sat apart, so I would say its normal for a bunny to spend time each day on their own, this is usually followed by a time where each girl grooms her husbun.

                                Bonding Jenny was straight forward, but I think only because she was struggling to pull through after her spay, and Pippi felt so warm and safe to snuggle into. He welcomed her grooming him while he grieved the loss of his bonded friend, Rusty, so they both needed each other. We had Gina for 8 months before I decided to get her a husbun, as up til then, she made it clear no one and no bun was welcome in her personal space, but then she made it clear something had changed, and she wanted to be with Jenny and Pippi, but Jenny wasn’t willing to share Pippi. Gina and Podge took 4 days to bond, but she had made it clear she now wanted a bun friend, and Podge made it clear from the start he was comfy around Gina. I think trying to bond Gina when we first got her would have been a nightmare, or bonding Jenny, if she hadn’t been so poorly.


                              • Dface
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                                  I got my boy Sampras a companion about 2 months ago.
                                  He was like yours- I was his only companion and he started getting into more and more mischief (lucky for me he cant chew things!) And like you I spent a lot of time thinking about whether or not he’d like a companion. In the end I realised that I felt I was obliged to give a naturally sociable animal a companion that was better for him than just me.

                                  She’s an unneutered female, and it was so stressful and upsetting for him at the start , and I honestly thought i’d made an awful decision in taking her in. Turns out I fretted for nothing

                                  Now they spend all their time together, and love each others company.They flop and lounge and groom and she’s been amazing in helping me cope with his chronic runny eyes, which she diligently grooms before they get too bad!

                                  Unfortunatley I did not find that it helped with the destruction, if anything, two rabbits unattended will double the damage ( I think they goad each other on if I’m honest-“dare you to chew that”.. “okay but only if you dig that”)
                                  I feel you know your bunny better than us though, and keep in mind they do have to be socially compatible rabbits to make it easier! Hope this is somewhat helpful to you

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                              Forum BONDING A companion? Or no?