so i've had my first bun, bonnie for a while now. she's spayed, and is about a year old. and i was thinking about getting a second bun so she could have a friend, and because there are so many buns out there that need a forever home, and i have room for another and enough love to give

so anyway, i have some questions. i know nothing about bonding rabbits, and have been lurking around this forum for a bit reading and stuff, but i guess i'd just like any advice everyone is willing to give.

what would be most compatible with her? does it make a difference if it is a male or female? i fell in love with the most adorable 1yo dalmation rex male at the animal shelter by my house. he's nuetered and is just the most adorable thing, so i'm hoping getting him would work out?

how do i bond them!? i'd appreciate any help and advice! THANKS

 

hehe...man, am I nosey! I just had look at bunny I think you're refering too. Don't worry, they'll be no competition for him - I'm halfway round the world from Jersey Shore! From what I gather, male to female bonding is easiest.  How long ago was Bonnie spayed?  Females hormones can take a while to settle.

You've come to the right place, there's much experienced people to help out. I'm not one of them, lol, but just want to wish you luck.  Fingers crossed another needy bun finds a home!

 

well i was going to post his link but i wasn't sure if that was going to be weird or not. haha this is him:

http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/di...d=11666603

and i met him the other day and he is just the most precious little bun ever. he's been there since july! poor guy!

Bon was spayed at the beginning of august, so she's all settled from what i gather. or at least she idn't mad at me anymore, which certinaly took a while. haha. thanks for wishing me luck

Yep, that's the one I saw. If you do get him, DO NOT change his name - would be much fun to have a pair named Bonnie & Bonkers!

oh good! i would continue reading the bonding threads. every pair is different and some pairings will be easier and some are very difficult.

the easiest pairing is male/female. the general consensus is that female/female is the hardest. size and breed do not matter, just make sure any mate is altered of course. you will probably want to adopt *around* the same age within a few years. so for a one year old i wouldn't personally adopt a second older than 3-4 years. you want to make sure they will have some quality years together. others opinions might differ on this, but that's my viewpoint.

my favorite bonding article is the House Rabbit Netowrk's... http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/articl...bond.shtml

i actually printed out a copy and reread it every day as i was bonding.

if you can, take the bunny dating at the rescue and actually follow her signs of who she is compatible with. it might not be the bun you choose, but the pairing may go much easier. if you cannot take her, you can adopt a bun of your own choosing, but be prepared that it may take much longer (even a couple months of every day bonding sessions) to make it work.

you need a separate housing set-up and neutral territory.

Well as for the name, I was initially planning on finding her a mate and naming him Clyde. Get it? ha! but Bonkers is so cute! So if I end up with him, it stays.

And thanks for all the tips. Beka27, That article is helping me so much. Luckily, the rabbit I'm looking at is about the same age as my rabbit, only a month or two older. And I called and asked about the dating thing and they were such jerks about it saying they didn't want my rabbit there becuase she could bring a disease or something. -_- Thats what I get for going to the animal shelter, and not to the closest rabbit rescue (which is about a 2 hour drive from me) And I feel like they were also being complete jerks to me steriotypically becuase I'm a teenager. ughhh.
But I did get to meet Bonkers and he's a little charmer.

oh that's frustrating. yes, some shelters won't allow dating. i did not date with my girl, i adopted Max from a rescue that was 90 minutes away and with 90+ degree temps i didn't want to additionally stress Meadow with a 3 hour car trip. it worked out for me, it took 3 solid weeks of 1 hour or longer sessions per day. and now they are in bunny love. so it's not impossible if you pick one yourself. i'd still get info from them to see if they know his temperament and how he relates to other animals. what his background was if they know...