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Forum BONDING Rabbit welfare: is having only one rabbit really as bad for them as is said?

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    • Ellie from The Netherlands
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        This thread is about a sensitive topic and is by no means meant to offend or to lead to heated discussions. If it does offend, please remove it.

        There is a question what has been bothering me for years now: is having only one rabbit really as bad for them as is said? I want to know for the sake of Breintjes welfare and happiness: are we holding out on him?

        Breintje is a Netherland dwarf and has always been a solo rabbit. When my boyfriend picked him up, he was in a cage with 2 of his brothers. The brothers were bonded, and he was clearly the third wheel. He has bite marks on his ears, so we strongly suspect he was bullied. Bas adopted Breintje as a solo rabbit, and Breintje has been people-orientated ever since. Now Breintje has moved in with me he has human contact 16 hours a day. He’s a strictly indoor bun who has free range of the living room except at night. He greets our friends and visitors, and snuggles up to both us and them, all in all he’s a cuddly rabbit who loves his servants well.

        I’ve been reading up on rabbits since Breintje moved in with me, and nearly everywhere I looked said: “Rabbits should always live in pairs, because human attention can never fully satisfy.”. There were also some sites who claimed the opposite: that some buns prefer the company of humans, that rabbits who are used to living solo will resent having to share attention, and that human interaction can really be enough for some. Hmm, it seems like even the experts are on the fence about it.

        I’ve heard good stories about bonding here, and saw some incredibly happy cuddle pics. But I also heard bad stories about bonding, where it only lead to fighting and drama. Breintje is 4 years old now, and is used to having all the spotlight for himself. He can be very demanding regarding to attention, and he’s strongly opinionated about things. I’m worried that he will reject a bonding attempt.

        There are of course also the practical considerations to having multiple rabbits: 2 rabbits cost more than one to maintain (vet bills!), sometimes you don’t have enough time to spend with your bunny because of work, living space sometimes is very limited and it’s more difficult to transport 2 rabbits if you don’t have your own vehicle.

        But all practical considerations aside: is it really so bad for them to keep a rabbit solo? Please give me your opinions, you can select multiple options in the poll.


      • Muchelle
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          When I asked this question to my vet, he said that he didn’t agree with the “buns must have bun buddies” idea. He said so because they are territorial animals and, taken away the purpose of mating, they don’t really care to have their territory shared with others. He would also evaluate his clients’ buns’ behaviour before advicing to get a second one. For example, he told me to absolutely not get another bunny because mine is very territorial and aggressive towards food, probably due to traumas in his early life. Instead he suggested us humans of the household to bond with him and spend as much time with him as possible.
          This one is a happy bun, very friendly to people – even those he never seen before. As for animals… K does “hate” other animals. So I guess the vet was right.


        • Dface
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            Shortly after getting Sampras I started working a lot more, and had less time with him. He was obviously lonely and I knew a social animal could not lead that kind of life. He would be spending up to 10 hours a day alone while I worked, and then there was the time when I was eating showering and sleeping that he didnt get to see me(in the end I’d sit in my room while eating dinner to make him feel less alone.)
            I became antisocial trying to give him time and it meant I never got to spend time with people…which wasnt healthy.
            His behavior was becoming difficult because he was trying to get exercise and adventure and affection into the same timeslot .

            I also knew I was going to be going back to college and there was a possibility that he wasnt going to come with me, so for me I knew he’s need company, because I simply could not provide it for him.

            I did a lot of animal behavioral courses in college and as such I cant help but feel rabbits shouldn’t be alone. But I figure that its like the dog thing-dogs are pack animals and should technically be kept in a group,but most people keep one dog that leads a fulfilled and happy life.
            I figure that rabbits fall into the same category.
            There are plenty of strong independent buns here that dont need no mate.(As long as their human slave provides them with the right amount of treats and attention and general company)

            Is there a reason that makes you think he might be lonely?
            Also I have found transporting bonded rabbits is way more convenient-they go in the same carrier and keep each other feeling reassured so stress is low!


          • Gina.Jenny
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              Hi

              Our first bun was kept as a solo bun and seemed happy, she was rescued from living in a cage in a garage alongside umpteen ferrets and cats. I didn’t really like her being a solo bun, but didn’t feel she would cope with any further stress, and I think being solo probably was the best for her.

              We currently have six buns, in boy-girl pairs, but bonding hasn’t always run smoothly, and for a while Jenny lived solo, though alongside the others. None of our girls get on with each other, and Podge and Mini don’t either. Everybun does or would get on with Pippi.

              So, we have gone from one extreme to the other, with a few variants in between!

              Snickers has clearly been bullied too, and she lashes out at all the others at times, even poor Pippi and until recently, Mini too. She was adopted with Mini as a bonded pair, but they were far from properly bonded, and it took maybe 10 weeks to cement their bond. From all you’ve posted about Breintje, my thoughts are that he is happy as he is, and unless you want another bun for your sake, there is no need on his behalf. If he ever started showing signs of being lonely you would know. The first 10 months we had Gina, it was clear she would attack any other bun bought near her. Then she started trying to lie near Pippi and Jenny every day. Jenny wouldn’t accept Gina joining her and Pippi, so Podge came on a date, and was happily bonded with Gina in only four days, but I think this went so well because Gina had made it clear she wanted bunny company.


            • Ellie from The Netherlands
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                Yes Muchelle, I can see where that advice comes from, it’s good having a vet who dares to look further than texbook stuff. I’m happy that your bunny has found his place in the household
                I fear that bad things have happened between Breintje and other animals in the past as well. He gets nervous around dogs. For some reason he also has a strong dislike of children, he cringes and tries to flee whenever they start to scream or squeal. (Who said pets don’t take after their owners? )

                You make an intestering point there Dface with comparing rabbits to dogs. I usually use the analogy the other way around when I’m making my case for indoor buns. I keep telling people: “You wouldn’t buy a dog just to leave him alone in a kennel in the garden all day, so why would do that to a rabbit? They have comparable social needs.”. Dogs can be kept solo, but they will develop destructive behaviours if they cannot unleash their energy. This happens when they’re left alone too long without anyone to interact with, or if they’re not exercised enough. This analogy also works for rabbits.

                It’s not that I think he is unhappy, but I’m not an expert on rabbits by far, there’s still so much to learn about them. Sometimes it really bothers me that I can’t simply ask him about his opinions and needs. What we see is that he wants to join in on everything we do here in the house. When my boyfriend and I are cuddling on the couch he wants to join in as well, when we’re having breakfast he’s there with his cutest begging face, and let’s not mention what happened when I left the door to the bathroom slightly open when I went there… So, is this a group-related behaviour, is he jealous of us being affectionate with eachother? Would he like a snugglebuddy too? It’s difficult to tell.

                Thanks for sharing your experiences Gina.Jenny Aww, poor bun, being in a garage with predators all around must have left her so scared, it’s great that she found a loving home with you. The bonding stories are the one I was really worried about. Some rabbits just won’t bond, and it will only lead to more stress. What would you say the signs could be that a bunny wants bunny company?


              • vanessa
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                  I’ve seen my bunnies single, and bonded. Bonded definitely adds a level of enjoyment to their lives that they wouldn’t have had otherwise. But I don’t think they were happier one way or the other. Perhaps a little more bored while they wer single, ut still happy. So I suppose I wouldn’t say they are happier or less happy with being single or bonded, rather – they are more or less bored. And that is subjective. I agree with what I read – that I can only imagine they woudl be bored on their own. But with enough toys and variety, that coudl easily be overcome. I am not more or less bored when I have a boyfriend or not. I am also happy regardless of whether I have a boyfriend or not. But that is very anthropomorphic. I prefer my bunnies to have a pal. I prefer ALL my aimals to have pals, because I am not home 24/7 with them.


                • Barrett
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                    I have only kept single bunnies at a time. Never seriously considered bonding before. That covers my American Chinchilla, Checkered Giant, Holland Lop and now French Lop.

                     

                    I stick with single rabbits because I don’t want to be encouraged to spend less 1-on-1 time with my rabbit and at the same time, I want my bunny to focus on me. I believe that is why I’ve always had very close relationships with my bunnies. Now that I have children, this one rabbit is getting even more human interaction and affection, so I believe he is happier than any of my previous bunnies. 


                  • kirstyol
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                      I think it very much varies rabbit to rabbit, the last bun I had would absolutely not have tolerated another bun in her space. She was so ridiculously territorial that I used to have to get her away from her hutch to put her dinner in (she had an outdoor style hutch in my bedroom that was left open) when cleaning her hutch I had to lock her out of the room, she would not tolerate anyone or anything in her hutch. Outside of the hutch she was super friendly, she loved being petted and would happily sit on the bed with me for hours she was just ridiculously territorial of her Homebase.

                      When we got Bramble as a baby there was no intention to have a pair, we were happy with one bun and there was only very rare times when one of us wasn’t here, he was happy for around a year when we had a change of work circumstances and there were periods of time when there was no one home. he got frustrated, just not as happy and I swear he resented us because he got less friendly towards us. Getting Ron was the best thing we could have done for Bramble, they bonded almost instantly (which to be fair is the exception to the rule I know) and are best buds, they hang out together all the time and Bramble gets lots of grooms from Ron which seems to make him happy. They are both friendly with us and Bramble just seems generally happier with Ron in his life.

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                  Forum BONDING Rabbit welfare: is having only one rabbit really as bad for them as is said?