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How many on here keep a single rabbit?

pepperpot

Warren Scout
I've been pondering this for a few days now, after reading many many threads and posts.

There's a lot of advice given on here to a variety of problems, to 'get another rabbit', and many rescues only allow pairs. Or occasionally a single can be adopted because they don't have a good nature.

I have kept rabbits for many years and know all the pros about having a pair. However, sometimes, as in my own circumstances, it is just not possible.
The vet's fees for a starter, large accommodation which can be cost prohibitive or there is simply a lack of space.

I have always kept a single rabbit, outside. My first came from Warrington RSPCA with never a question about where he would be kept or the suggestion of a homecheck. My second came from PAH and was a beautiful gentle bunny. My rabbits have been well cared for and loved. They have had regular supervised free run with my dogs and cat and I have had no problems apart from the odd dental.

I would be very interested inwhat people on here think :)
 
Hey :wave: i Have one Trio, One pair and a single bunny. My single boy Justin loves being on his won and wont have it anyway. :lol:
 
I have a single rabbit, tried to bond him 3 times but he's just not having it! That said, he is a house rabbit, so gets loads of attention from us. I would worry about a single bun outside being lonely.
 
I don't know - these are my first two rabbits. At least your bunny has some animal company and plenty of attention. Still, once you've seen a bunny grooming session or two buns snuggled up together, obviously in heaven with each other....... I'm not sure I could deny any bunny that - it's something no other creature could provide for them. I think also that one of the 5 freedoms quoted by the RSPCA is that animals should be free to behave naturally with their own kind Personally, not judging anyone, but I don't think I could own a single bun after seeing how two buns interact with each other. Nothing else speaks 'bunny lingo' like another bunny. :love:
 
I personally think unless in rare cases where the rabbit refuses to be bonded or can't be bonded for a good reason (health etc) then they should have company of their own kind. Even more so if they are outdoors. Rabbit are social animals and as pet owners we must meet all their needs - one of which is company.

If some people are say waiting till he/she is neutured/spayed or just saving up to get the right sized accomadation there is no problem with that :)
 
I'm not clear what exactly you are asking? Are you asking if it is okay to have a single bun? I guess it depends on whether the bun gets much interaction and whether or not it will be lonely on it's own. Some buns do get rehomed singly as you know because they just don't get on with other rabbits.

But if as you say your personal circumstances mean you can only afford to house a single bun then that's a different situation and if you haven't specifically adopted an unbonable bun, then it might be denying the rabbit of having that partnership and interaction with its own kind that it could otherwise have.

In the 80's I had a bun and he lived with a GP, then in the 90's I had a single bun, before I knew that rabbits could be kept together. This was probably before people routinely neutered and spayed bunnies and so it wasn't generally considered a good idea to keep bunnies together.

Of course things change, advice changes and when I started keeping rabbits again I learned that rabbits should have a friend of their own kind, even though at times they seem to fall out!

Hope this helps.

Jo x
 
I do have two singles.

Diego had various attemps on bonding by a couple of rescues without success so was rehomed as a single.

Honey lives next to Merlin and Wesley who I hope to bond them with in the summer. She was bonded with Wesley initially but they didn't get on as a pair.
 
I don't know - these are my first two rabbits. At least your bunny has some animal company and plenty of attention. Still, once you've seen a bunny grooming session or two buns snuggled up together, obviously in heaven with each other....... I'm not sure I could deny any bunny that - it's something no other creature could provide for them. I think also that one of the 5 freedoms quoted by the RSPCA is that animals should be free to behave naturally with their own kind Personally, not judging anyone, but I don't think I could own a single bun after seeing how two buns interact with each other. Nothing else speaks 'bunny lingo' like another bunny. :love:

I think once you've heard your rabbit scream, and had to treat him for three weeks following a bite, you know when to decide enough is enough.
 
Oggie is on his own and seems happy enough. He actually seems happier in himself than he was when Delly was here and when he was alone before that :?.

He is in my bedroom though and is extremely spoilt and gets lots of attention. Think I'd feel abit different if he was outside alone, but thats just me. He hates going outside for a few hours let alone live out there :lol:
 
I have 17 rabbits of my own. My outside bunnies are all with at least one friend (two trios, two pairs). My inside rabbits are a trio and four singles. Of the four singles, one thinks I am his bonded friend (seriously), one is now too ill to bond, and the other two just fought with whomever I tried to bond them with. They live inside and are very happy.

I also have three single RSPCA fosters who came as a trio but helpfully divorced. :roll: None of those will stay as single, they will either be bonded with pairs or singles in new homes, or I will (fingers crossed) make a pair here of two of them.

I think there are circumstances when its appropriate to have a single rabbits (comes back to knowing the rules of owning a bunny and then understanding when to break them).
 
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I personally think unless in rare cases where the rabbit refuses to be bonded or can't be bonded for a good reason (health etc) then they should have company of their own kind. Even more so if they are outdoors. Rabbit are social animals and as pet owners we must meet all their needs - one of which is company.

If some people are say waiting till he/she is neutured/spayed or just saving up to get the right sized accomadation there is no problem with that :)

I agree with this.

And as bensonlola says, once you've seen a bunny grooming session or two buns snuggled up together, obviously in heaven with each other, it's fantastic and i'd never deny a bun the chance of that. :love:
 
No....I'm not looking for advice....I know that I simply could not stretch to keeping 2 rabbits in the manner in which they deserve to be kept. I could not afford 2 lots of vaccinations each year or possible illnesses and I haven't the room for a hutch larger than 5ft. I consider that to be a responsible attitude but also that shouldn't mean that I cannot have a singleton :?

I love rabbits and feel that surely it's better to have one happy healthy bunny than to have bunnies in rescues for months on end waiting for someone who will take two.

I'm not trying to antagonise anyone here, but do feel that maybe someone may take on 2 bunnies and then find that there's a lot more to keeping them than first meets the eye :?

I know now that my next bunny will come from a PAH rather than give a lovely life to a bunny that has been unwanted :(
 
Benson and Lola would like to sing a song on this issue....

3001026-1.jpg


Take it away guys!

"We go together like wapbabaloobab a ramma damma ding a ling,
We go together like shobedobedobedobe bap shoo bab shoo bap,
That's the way it should be-eeeeee oh yeahhhhhh yeah!!"

Lovely peeps! Must get you the words of that one.

(There you go - straight from the bunnys mouth(s) :p
 
"We go together like wapbabaloobab a ramma damma ding a ling,
We go together like shobedobedobedobe bap shoo bab shoo bap,
That's the way it should be-eeeeee oh yeahhhhhh yeah!!"

Lovely peeps! Must get you the words of that one.

(There you go - straight from the bunnys mouth(s) :p

great, now i'll have that stuck in my head all day :roll::lol:
 
Spenser's on his own just now. I did a lot of research on my road to rabbitdom but still managed to end up with a single rabbit in a hutch that would need some modification to comfortably take two. I have a sneaking feeling Spenser might not take kindly to a friend, and I don't think installing a second hutch if bonding didn't work out would go down to well here.
 
Spenser's on his own just now. I did a lot of research on my road to rabbitdom but still managed to end up with a single rabbit in a hutch that would need some modification to comfortably take two. I have a sneaking feeling Spenser might not take kindly to a friend, and I don't think installing a second hutch if bonding didn't work out would go down to well here.

I didnt think Lucky would bond well either but i left it to the experts and took him to Windwhistle Warren who found him a perfect match and did all the bonding work for us. :love:
 
I have 2 single house rabbits.

They were bonded for a time but fell out. I tried bonding them again unsuccessfully and I am considering one final attempt through a rescue.

Radish and Waffle both seem perfectly happy as singles but I would like to see them together. Waffle is stasis prone and has a special feeding regime which makes things a little more difficult.

If they don't bond I unfortunately don't have the funds for another bunny really.
 
I didnt think Lucky would bond well either but i left it to the experts and took him to Windwhistle Warren who found him a perfect match and did all the bonding work for us. :love:

Not so easy when your hundreds of miles from the nearest rescue.
 
I guess... in a perfect world, rabbits would have company (actually for me, in a perfect world, rabbits would not be kept as pets - but that's another thread).

But it's not a perfect and there are lots of reasons why some buns may be on their own. There are a lot of lonely people out there who don't get as much interaction as some of our buns. I guess, if you have a single bun for whatever reason, the important thing is to spend plenty of time with them and keep them stimulated. (I happen to know that Susi Bun's Spenser is more often than not, to be found in his favourite spot under the couch in the conservatory!!! ;))
 
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