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I want to get my bun a companion...

Grin

Wise Old Thumper
... so how do i go about it, what's involved and what are the costs?

I thought of getting a small female for Lucky because i've been working loads lately and i hate him being left alone for so long - especially now the girls are back at school.

Lucky is a year old and was neutered when we first got him in February.

My main concerns are that we dont keep him in a hutch - he's got one but we've taken the door off and he has the outhouse to play in. If we got another bunny and they didnt get on, we'd have nowhere to keep the new bunny.

Thats the only reason we've not got Lucky a friend yet.

We dont live anywhere near a rescue so it's not as simple as popping to one of those and asking for advice.

I wondered if anyone can help advise us?
 
If you are looking for a partner for your bun, I would still contact a rescue who is on your side of the country where you are prepared to travel to, explain the situation. Many rescues will bond your bunny with one of theirs, when the rescue is happy with the start of the bond take them home to a outhouse you have thoroughly cleaned.

All the rescues I know want the new owner and both bunnies to be happy together and will take bunnies back if the bond does not work and will support you in finding a suitable partner for your bun.

Another option would be to see if there is someone reasonably local who would help you bond your rabbit to anther for you.

If you were nearer me I would offer to help as I often bond bunnies for people. I am bonding 3 bunnies this weekend for someone on the forum.
 
It's the travel thing thats a problem. I dont drive and hubby works a lot (14 hour shifts) - and there's nothing local.

I've been on the newport RSPCA site but it seems to be down at the moment.

How do you 'bond' them? Is it a case of introducing them together for a certain amount of time and then increasing their time together?

I think Lucky is a happy bunny (he cant talk so i cant say for sure :) ) but i think he would be happier with a friend.

We wanted to do this before but hubby was unsure about the commitment but now he agrees that its important for Luckys social welfare.

I'm just so tempted to nip over to town later and pick up a bunny and see if they get on but then what happens if they didnt. :shock:
 
It's the travel thing thats a problem. I dont drive and hubby works a lot (14 hour shifts) - and there's nothing local.

I've been on the newport RSPCA site but it seems to be down at the moment.

How do you 'bond' them? Is it a case of introducing them together for a certain amount of time and then increasing their time together?

I think Lucky is a happy bunny (he cant talk so i cant say for sure :) ) but i think he would be happier with a friend.

We wanted to do this before but hubby was unsure about the commitment but now he agrees that its important for Luckys social welfare.

I'm just so tempted to nip over to town later and pick up a bunny and see if they get on but then what happens if they didnt. :shock:

I always bond in one session as I feel it is less stressful for them as the process is not drawn out over weeks.

When I bond I use a totally neutral spot which is approximately 4-5 x 2 foot, put both bunnies in it and then respond to what ever occurs. If they start fighting I use my special foam broom and pull them apart, count to 10 slowly and then release them back together. I sit up with them for however long I need to, I dont go out and I sleep on the sofa for however long I need to. I dont use a food bowl and sprinkle or hand feed food.

I dont use a water spray as I feel that my foam broom is more than adequate and I believe that spraying water at rabbits whilst it may stop them in their tracts is actually very stressful for them.

I do not increase the space for at least 48 hours after I am confident that they are ok and no fights / chasing / nipping has occured in the 48 hour period. Any space that they get must be neutral and also must be introduced slowly.

I would advise against just picking a rabbit up from a petshop or a breeder as they will not offer a follow up support service and most will not take the rabbit back if it does not work.
 
I always bond in one session as I feel it is less stressful for them as the process is not drawn out over weeks.

When I bond I use a totally neutral spot which is approximately 4-5 x 2 foot, put both bunnies in it and then respond to what ever occurs. If they start fighting I use my special foam broom and pull them apart, count to 10 slowly and then release them back together. I sit up with them for however long I need to, I dont go out and I sleep on the sofa for however long I need to. I dont use a food bowl and sprinkle or hand feed food.

I dont use a water spray as I feel that my foam broom is more than adequate and I believe that spraying water at rabbits whilst it may stop them in their tracts is actually very stressful for them.

I do not increase the space for at least 48 hours after I am confident that they are ok and no fights / chasing / nipping has occured in the 48 hour period. Any space that they get must be neutral and also must be introduced slowly.

I would advise against just picking a rabbit up from a petshop or a breeder as they will not offer a follow up support service and most will not take the rabbit back if it does not work.

I totally understand and agree with your advice about buying from a pet shop.

The bonding thing is time, vigilance and hard work then. I think i could possibly do this - i may wait until i can get time off work then. But i also like the idea of getting a rescue bunny.

I may try ringing the RSPCA centre later and see if they can help.

Thank you janice-arc
 
omg, i'm either stupid or overly tired, but i read the title of this thread as "I want to get my bun into a competition"... I thought, "That doesn't sound Grin", so I had to come and read and was getting ready to say ":censored:don't do it!", then realised my mistake. Sorry! I don't have anything to add, but best of luck!:wave::wave::wave::wave::wave:
 
Lol stargrrlclaire - nooooo Lucky wouldnt do competitions well. He'd run away or nibble the toes of the judges!! :lol:
 
Just a thought janice-arc but have you ever had any failed bondings? Are there some rabbits that are just destined to be single buns or some rabbits that just have a personality clash and wont bond with a particular bun but will with another one?
 
Are there some rabbits that are just destined to be single buns or some rabbits that just have a personality clash and wont bond with a particular bun but will with another one?

Yes absolutely. I think it is pretty rare to have an unbondable bun although it does happen from time to time, mostly it's just a case of the bun needing a different partner or a different approach to bonding. I have also known occasions where owners have tried to bond and failed but a rescue has managed to bond the same buns with relative ease - sometimes it's just a case of being able to read the situation and know whether it is normal or not. It's pretty easy as an owner to see a little 'aggression' early on and assume that it's not going to work, whereas with appropriate intervention a couple of hours later things can totally change :)

If someone says they've got an unbondable bun I only really believe them if the bun has been tried with several different partners AND by someone other than the owner themselves :lol:

I would also try and find a rescue that will help as with a pet shop or breeder bun you run a huge risk of them not getting on either initially or when the bun turns teenage. Although you don't drive is there anywhere you could get to that is accessible by train?
 
Just a thought janice-arc but have you ever had any failed bondings? Are there some rabbits that are just destined to be single buns or some rabbits that just have a personality clash and wont bond with a particular bun but will with another one?

I think in all the many years I had done bondings I have given up on one rabbit called Chissy who we tried to bond with about 6 different partners, she is the only one that the rescue I am linked to has let go by itself in the past 5 or 6 years. This isn't bad as although I dont actually count how many buns I have bonded but it is well over 1000 pairs / groups.

I do on a number of occassisons stop a bonding if I dont think it will work, these have always gone on to find a more suitable partner with another rabbit. I dont believe in forcing someone to live with someone where they could have a better relationship.
 
Good old Chrissy. :lol: She is such a lovely girl, but just doesn't want a bunny friend. She has a lot of lovely bunny neighbours to watch now, though. So she won't feel alone. :)

Helen (The Duchess) also has a girl who is very fussy with partners and who has said no to quite a few of them. But I haven't heard of many failed bondings where there were just two bunnies involved. Groups can sometimes be more difficult.
 
Yes absolutely. I think it is pretty rare to have an unbondable bun although it does happen from time to time, mostly it's just a case of the bun needing a different partner or a different approach to bonding. I have also known occasions where owners have tried to bond and failed but a rescue has managed to bond the same buns with relative ease - sometimes it's just a case of being able to read the situation and know whether it is normal or not. It's pretty easy as an owner to see a little 'aggression' early on and assume that it's not going to work, whereas with appropriate intervention a couple of hours later things can totally change :)

If someone says they've got an unbondable bun I only really believe them if the bun has been tried with several different partners AND by someone other than the owner themselves :lol:

I would also try and find a rescue that will help as with a pet shop or breeder bun you run a huge risk of them not getting on either initially or when the bun turns teenage. Although you don't drive is there anywhere you could get to that is accessible by train?

When the bunnies (a single and a pair) I had delivered for bonding last night arrived were put together they had a few not good 'interactions'. The owner did ask if I wanted her to take them away and abandon the bonding. They stayed with me and overnight things have definately improved we have less chases and negative interactions and they are definately more settled. I am more confident that they will go home together, it may just take longer than my 'normal' bondings I do.

I am a firm supporter of bonding bunnies off their home territory, with the option of swapping partners. I do also believe that if owners are very nervous of bonding bunnies, this nervousness is passed on to the buns and bonding can be a lot harder than it could be with some one more confident.
 
Just a thought janice-arc but have you ever had any failed bondings? Are there some rabbits that are just destined to be single buns or some rabbits that just have a personality clash and wont bond with a particular bun but will with another one?

Alvin didnt bond with 2 of the 4 buns he has been tried with, not his choice really he loves buns a LOT but they object to his humpy ways :lol::lol:

after Jubilee refused to be submissive they got into a huge fight (about 2 days after appearing totally loved up) and he ripped open her ear and the last one Butterfly just didnt like him at all and Lou didnt want force a bond that would be very rocky at best.

Both Pearl and Holly were dream bondings and both bunnies Lou knew early on they matched but obviously with it bein Alvin they stayed longer at the rescue just incase :lol::lol::lol:

I highly recommend you put out an appeal for transport help so that a rescue can do the matchmaking and bonding for you, especially as you do not have a back up plan for two possibly single rabbits.

good luck :wave::wave::wave:
 
Thanks for your responses. It is a lot to think about. I knew it would be - thats why i turned to here for advice. :) I dont want to take it lightly but i'm starting to think is it worth it? I dont want to stress out Lucky and i dont want to put him in a situation where things could go wrong.

The more local RSPCA that takes in rabbits is in Newport and Dave has said he would drive as far as that. What about homechecks and things though? Is that asking too much of them?
 
I've contacted Newport and Swansea rescues.

Does anyone know of any that are local(-ish) - we'd be willing to go for an hour in any direction from Cardiff.

I've googled and came up with those 2.

ETA: Just spoken to the Swansea one - we can go there anytime with Lucky to see if he likes any of their little girls. It's a £20 donation and we have to get her spayed but she will be health checked before we bring her home. :D

Soooo excited! :)
 
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And they are about an hour and a half away but hubby said he's off next weekend so we can go then. :D
 
Thank you!


Hurry up next week!!!

I'm worried about Lucky travelling for so far though. :shock:
 
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