Should you always bond your bun?

[Heaven]

Hi everyone! I’m Heaven & my bun Sam is a 3 month old lion lop a total delight, friendly, curious and playful.

I took him to the vet today who said I ought to get him a companion. I work 7 hours a day but I’m at home with him in the morning, a visit during lunch, & all evening, during which he is free roam. He goes in his cage while I’m at work, but I’m aiming for him to be fully free roaming before long.

Should I definitely consider another bun in future? Sam receives lots of time & affection from me, my boyfriend & my room mate. I understand that bonding can be a very time consuming procedure & not always guaranteed they will get along. I would be prepared for that in the future if it was essential for Sam’s happiness, but at the moment I am quite content with one! We have a close relationship and I spend a lot of time growing our human-bunny bond, he even tolerates being picked up for cuddles!

Would love the advice of some more experienced owners – I don’t want to deprive Sam, but I’m curious to hear from others with a single bun.

Thanks guys! <3

Heaven & Sam

[Deleted User]

Hi Heaven! Welcome to the forum! It sounds like your bunny has a great life, being able to be free roaming!

The short answer: bun will probably be happier with a friend of his own species that he can communicate with.

Long answer: Both buns have to be spayed/neutered, even if both boys/both girls. They have to be housed separately while you prebond and bond. You’ll need neutral territory, so an area that neither bunny has ever been in, and lots of time on your hands for this process… All of which you seem to already know!

From my experience, a single bun can still live a happy life. I tried to bond a male to my female last year…it failed. Perhaps they could have gotten along, but I had been trying to bond them with long sessions every day for almost a month. They had a really great start together and were grooming and snuggling during the first session. But I think that the male wouldn’t let the female be dominant, and they kept fighting more and more toward the end. I work full time and I am a full time student, so all of that extra stress just pushed me over the edge. I kept my female and rehomed my male through the local rabbit rescue.

My Ophelia is very happy, I think. I’m not a social person so I spend all of my time at home so she has company every night and all day on the weekends. At night, she will jump up on my bed and nudge me if she wants snuggles. And I’ll pet her until she’s had enough and she will go do something else. She does zoomies around my apartment and binkies all the time, has a pretty big sandbox inside for digging in, and she gets totally spoiled with all kinds of things.

So, I think it’s nice for them to have a friend, but if you can provide him with lots of attention and care, I don’t think it’s absolutely essential

[Wick & Fable]

If you perceive he’s happy and he’s getting adequate attention, in addition to him being 100% free roam soon, I don’t see the need.

The preference is to bond, but if that’s not something you can accommodate, it’s better to focus on how to make your solo bun happiest.

Positively speaking, your rabbit is probably sleeping from when you leave in the morning until lunch, so it may not be as bad, but fixate in your rabbits behaviors and see whether you perceive loneliness or unhappiness. This can come from inactivity, destructive behavior, and just general sedentary behavior.

Wick is a solo bun and I work, and I know there was a period of time I’d get home and Wick would be noticeably sad, as well as get separation anxiety when he’d notice I’d leave. After some time, he realized I’ll always come back and he also became more comfortable in the environment (100% free roam), so now he’s pretty content, though when I move, I do plan to look into companionship options. After having him for a year now, Wick developed into his personality which is having a very low threshold for attention and social energy. So it works with my life.

Again, observe your rabbit and consider what makes them the happiest, as well as what’s best for you. Rabbits are quite social. Wick is a runt so he most likely grew into this because he was ignored by his litter mates and mom, and so too much interaction wigs him out a bit. A partner is typically always preferred, but for some reasons, it may not be possible at a certain time or at all. The best thing you can do is, if you think loneliness is occurring, seriously consider a bonded partner or finding a way to spend more time together.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Heaven]

Posted By Wick on 1/15/2018 11:45 AM

if [bonding] is not something you can accommodate, it’s better to focus on how to make your solo bun happiest.

Thank you! Great answers both 

I’ll keep an eye on him over time then. Perhaps it could be done in future if I move, but at the moment there is no unexplored territory in my apartment which presents a problem from the outset. 

[GarfyTheLop]

Hello!

You sound like you have a very similar situation to our bun. I work 9-5 and my other half works shifts so some days Garf is alone 4-6 hours, someday’s he’s constantly with my OH.

I personally think if your bun seems happy, then a solo bun is completely fine. If you’re not ready to put attention into another bun then yes you should just make your buns solo life as best as it can be

Our little guy seems perfectly happy for now, but this doesn’t mean he’ll stay solo forever.

[DanaNM]

At the risk of playing devils advocate I do think bonded buns are (in general) happier, and I have never found it to detract from my relationship with either bunny. Rather, it was enhanced, because bunnies feel safer when they have other bunnies around. And bunnies that feel safe are happy and relaxed. Plus, you get to snuggle two bunnies at once, watch two buns zoom around, and watch two buns snuggle each other off to sleep.

Even when you spend a lot of time at home, they still sleep alone (unless you are one of those rare lucky people who can sleep with their bunnies without them peeing on the bed and chewing the blankets!). Figure at work 7 hours a day, plus ~8 hours sleeping, leaves the bunny basically alone for about 15 hours a day. Wild buns are never alone.

That said, no need to rush into it, because you are right, it’s a lot of work and not a guarantee. I had Bunston for about 2 years before we bonded him. It was really tough, but totally worth it.

There are some bunnies that genuinely do prefer to be alone (I believe Q8 has tried several times and Chewie just hates all other bunnies), but most are happier with a friend (just like humans!).

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Heaven]

Thanks @Dana! Sams only 3 months which makes me a relatively new bunny owner so maybe in a year or so I can look into it

[Deleted User]

I would say only if you can. I am trying to bond my bunny Finn because i am at work for 9 hours a day, but I have always had single bunnies and never had an issue. Dogs are happier in Packs, but can we always have 2 or 3 dogs? I think what makes a bunny happier is a happy home, and if you don’t have the space, time, or facilities to have 2 bunnies or bond them then that will result in 2 unhappy bunnies.

[DanaNM]

Sounds like a good plan, no need to rush!

Our rescue said they’ve noticed buns around 1-2 years seem more willing to bond, so it might be easier if you wait anyway!

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Q8bunny]

Hi and welcome. Bonded bunnies are lovely, but they’re not a must for all buns.

Bunnies are highly social creatures who thrive in good company – but sometimes that company can be non-lagomorph. And in rarer instances, some buns prefer being lone wolves.

My little one was not properly socialized as a kit – he was taken from his mom and littermates almost as soon as he grew fur and could nibble on a pellet. As a result, he’s not good at communicating with other buns or being physically handled by us hoomins. He’s had opportunities to be around other buns, since I used to foster, and we’ve tried bonding again and again, but he just HATES rabbits. And weirdly, likes people. He’ll come out to say hi to practically every stranger when we’re out shopping or whatnot.

So you have options.

[Author]

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