Is my bunny lonely?

[Kellybelly]

Hi Everyone,

I see so many of you have more than one bunny.  Can my bunny be happy alone?  I really only intended to want one and I want her to be happy.  She seems to like playing with my one dog and she really likes my daughter.  Does she actually need another bunny friend or is this just a preference for multiple bunnies?

[Sarita]

Many rabbits like having a companion however bonding can be very difficult and this is something that you will have to work on most likely with your rabbit and another companion.

I do think rabbits can be happy if they have plenty of attention from their family though so really the bunny is not alone.

Really it’s a choice that the bunny owner with just one rabbit makes.

If you decide that you would like to get your bunny a companion though it is best to get the companion from a rescue – one that has already been altered (if possible) but that depends on the rescue/shelter – that way you are giving a rabbit a second chance and saving a life.

[MooBunnay]

I think that the decision whether or not to get another bunny really depends on a lot of different factors. I would say that in my experience that in general bunnies like to live with companions, and this comes from the nature of bunnies to live in colonies, where they live in large groups. The benefits that the bunny gets is someone to play with, and someone to groom them, and I’ve personally noticed that my more nervous bunnies calm down a lot when they have a companion.

There are, however, some exceptions where bunnies prefer to not have a rabbit companion. If you feel that you are able to spend adequate time with your bunny, and that your bunny is enjoying the companionship of your daughter and dog, I don’t think your bunny NEEDS a bunny companion. I jut think its important to make sure your bunny gets attention each day, and also petting or grooming every day just to make sure she feels included in the family!

[Beka27]

you might also want to consider how often your bunny is left alone. if she’s alone for 8+ hours a day, i would definitely consider it. i’m a brand-new second bunny owner, so i can’t really vouch for the effect it will have on my first just yet. in time, i’ll know better how it improves her life. i think the general consensus is that bunnies like to have a friend of their own kind. but you have to be able to do the bonding process, and be able to provide everything they need, including vet care.

[Toki+Pumpkin+Elmo]

There definitely are benefits to adding a companion. My bonded pairs likes to groom each other lot. But it’s really upto whether you have enough time and money to commit to more than one bunny.

[MarkBun]

This is one area where you need to think of yourself first. Can you afford another bun? What about the additional work? A bun can be quite happy on their own as long as they get to bond with you. It sounds like your bun has also bonded with your dog so she’s probably happy with him.

[Hannah]

I agree with what everyone has said, most certainly. However, there are also some bunnies that just prefer being solitary rabbits– In my household we have three, but my mom’s bunny HATES other bunnies– he gets anxious and grumpy if his cage is placed near another bunny’s, if we’ve gone to pet stores or something and touched other bunnies he’ll sniff us up and down and chin us all over like NO, MINE!, and he tried to attack our other buns when we attempted to introduce them. He was our first rabbit, and we bought him (read: rescued him from becoming snake food) from an AWFUL pet store where he had been for weeks and weeks and weeks while tons of other smaller “cuter” bunnies had been bought. He was very skinny and sickly and had not been given very much attention, and I think that he had convinced himself that other bunnies didn’t stay around long enough to get attached to, so he learned to really only trust humans. He’s actually okay with my chinchilla, though, and he’s very lovey with humans (even people he doesn’t know), so it’s not like he’s just aggressive– he just hates bunnies! So some bunnies are just plain better off as onlies– I think that if we ever did try to bond him, he might eventually *get used* tp his new companion, but he’d probably never really like him.

[Beka27]

^^^this is another great point. if you did adopt another bunny and they could not/ would not bond, you’d have to be committed to keeping both of them separately forever. that’s double the cage space, alternating runtimes, separate boxes and vet trips… and poop wars. i think most bunny people would be more than willing to do this b/c the alternative is the second rabbit being euthanized (and you just don’t take on what you cannot keep) but it has to be right for you and your family.

[Hannah]

Oh, also, in my case I had originally PLANNED on having only one bunny– but then I left Monty home one weekend during college and when I came home my mom announced that he was her rabbit now (in fact, I came back to a poorly written note that said “I iz runned away. Dont bodder lookin for me, I iz happie heer.” where I had left Monty’s cage, and she had smuggled him into her room!) As a deal, she said I could go adopt a bunny of my own (aw, thanks mom) and I ended up with Humphrey, which I assumed would be enough, but after a while he got all lethargic and started to lick my stuffed animals and stuff so we realized he was lonely and had to buy him a mate. So, um, yah, all of our rabbits were kind of accidental.

[skunklionshow]

HJ:  That’s a really funny story!  You totally made me smile.

I think that many of us “ended up” w/ more than one rabbit.  I know that w/ me, I really had no intention of having one and due to a bunny battle, Jessica had to come live w/ me.  When I was leaving my job, I had grown so attached to Leo that I just couldn’t leave him.  I had to take him w/ me.  So I really just ended up w/ multiples…similar story w/ my 4 cats.

So if you think through all your options, pros/cons, etc., you will be able to make the right decision for you and your bun.  You might want to do a “trial bond” w/ a foster rabbit.  I know PAWS in Philly is always desperate for foster homes b/c they are over crowded and not a good place for rabbits (all those dogs and cages-yuck!)  It might be a good way to see if your bun would like a mate.  W/ the foster you can check it out and see w/o feeling “stuck” with an extra bunny b/c the bond didn’t work out.

[Hannah]

SkunkLion, yeah, my mom’s pretty silly. n__n I don’t think I’ve ever heard of another person having their parent kidnap their pet! It’s really funny, because Monty is so totally her bunny now. In fact, he’ll misbehave and be bratty when it’s just he and I, but as soon as she comes in the room he’s all puppy eyes and good behavior. It’s like having a little brother!

[skunklionshow]

HJ:  I’ll have to share your story w/ my mom and lil’ sister.  We’ve made jokes about stealing each other’s animals for years.  One thing I’ve noticed is that they are always much better pets when someone else is watching them.  I swear my IBS cat never pukes & craps everywhere when the pet sitter is here or when my mom visits, but otherwise he’s a poopin’ pukin’ monster!

[Hannah]

It’s so true! Animals are like little kids– mommy isn’t going to punish you, but you best be on your best behavior in front of relatives. ><

[Timber5]

I am glad to see the spectrum of answers and the questions being posed about having the resources to care for a second bunny – whether they do or do not end up bonding. We adopted a solitary male, neutered bunny. I have no idea if he would like a companion but we will keep it in mind. Right now I figure he has a second lease on life with a family that loves him and kids that pay him lots of attention. Based on the the more territorial than social nature of some of the bunnies I have experienced, I did some research and found that though some rabbits live in groups in the wild, others live alone. The Eastern cottontail seems to be one that nearly always lives alone. Food for thought.

[Sarita]

Timber5, this post is from 2008 – do not reply to old posts. Going to lock this.

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