In your House Rabbit experience

Hi, as you maybe aware, i'm doing my homework before rescuing a bun (and of course persuading a reluctant hubby!) anyway, i'm finding that a lot of rescuers prefer rabbits to be rehomed as pairs (yikes). My question is... what is everyone's thoughts on single rabbits?

In my situation, the bun wouldn't be left on its own for long spells at a time, well, apart from the night time.

am i being naive? or would a single bun be ok?

thanks

Julie

I would get a male bunny as i have always found them to be more loving.IF you are giving them plenty of company they will be fine alone.

To be honest, a human being can NEVER replace the 24/7 company of another rabbit - however much we are at home! We can't cuddle up to them like they do, we can groom them like they do, we can't offer the comfort in stressful situations like they do! In other words, we can't be another rabbit, not even a second class one... There is no subsitute for a partner of the same species!

I have to disagree there.Our male house bunny has always lived alone as every bunny we tried to pair him up with he didnt like.Some bunny's must just like being the only bun.I dont think you can really say that bunnies like to live with other bunny's as this is not alwasy the case.Every bunny is different.I would still say a male bunny on his own.

Hello Julie
a bonded pair of bunnies is considered to be the ideal situation, but I do know a lot of people who have single house bunnies who have a very good quality of life, a single bunny has to be a house bunny ideally, having said that each situation can work as long as the owner and the rabbit spend plenty of time, and I mean plenty of time, together.

If your bunny is going to be inside on its own, but with you there the majority of the time, and the bunny won't be left alone for too long, then I think this can be a perfectly fine arrangement.

There are guidelines for what is considered best care for a rabbit, but of course not everyone can adhere to these exactly, and I do not think they then should not be able to reap the benefits of rabbit ownership, but of course, it does mean more committment on your part, than if your bunny was paired.

I think if you can provide a stimulating environment for the times your bunny is on its own, and then plenty of interactive playtime when you are home, I can see that your bunny will be happy.

Annie

I have to disagree there.Our male house bunny has always lived alone as every bunny we tried to pair him up with he didnt like.

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Of course there are always exceptions (I have got one of them too - although am now trying to bond him with my new girl), but as a general rule, they like company. So when considering "a" bunny, I would never get just one if given the choice unless it is known that this particular rabbit will not accept any others. This is the reason why most rescue organisations now refuse to rehome a single bunny unless there is already one in the family that it can be bonded with.

I think if the bunny is to live its live outside then I can understand the insistence of it having company, but if the bunny is to live inside as part of the family, I feel it would be a shame to deny this bunny the chance of its own home just because the potential owner is only able to take one. I know of many people who have single house bunnies and they do live happy lives.

Lazylops has got it right on this one.I couldnt have put it better myself.

LurcherGirl said:

To be honest, a human being can NEVER replace the 24/7 company of another rabbit - however much we are at home! We can't cuddle up to them like they do, we can groom them like they do, we can't offer the comfort in stressful situations like they do! In other words, we can't be another rabbit, not even a second class one... There is no subsitute for a partner of the same species!

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Totally agree.

Branwen has lived as a single bunny so far (more through circumstances than anything) and seems fairly content. She is alone sometimes though (whilst we are at school/uni/work) so it would be nice for her to have company. And we'd be rescuing two bunnies, which is always a plus.

I am afraid, I don't agree at all - but then I am pretty radical as I would never keep just one of a species that is meant to be sociable (unless there is very good reason for it). I'd have such a bad consions for denying them the company of their own kind... I even have two dogs partly for that reason!

One thing to remember is you don't have to get two at the same time. You can get a bunny that is single and introduce another one in a few months time.

Everyone has their individual setup and routine, just because one way of doing things is right doesn't make all the others wrong You need to decide what will work best for you and the bun(nies) you adopt.

Tam

I would just like to add that sometimes the bunnies dictate themselves whether they have a buddy or not :lol: ..we have Rosie, a gorgeous, and very laid back cuddly House Rabbit....BUT!! we have tried Rosie with almost every rabbit in our Sanctuary over several months and despite taking a lot of time to gently coax things along, Rosie is alright for a while and then just snaps :?
Rosie is adorable with us , but sadly not with other bunnies, and seems very happy and content in her own company.(and Ours)
We originally had the perspective that all bunnies must be bonded with a companion for their best interests, but I am no longer sure this is true in every case.
It seems to stress poor Rosie just at the thought of us introducing a buddy, so now I have decided to listen to Rosie, and try and read her body language ..she is so fearful of other rabbits, even the most laid back and gentle ones, that she bites them before they can bite her.
I cannot bear to out her through any more stress, so torn between keeping her with another rabbit,or leaving her in peace , albeit alone. ...I know what I am opting for.
Annie was right about solo bunnies requiring more time and attention though. It really depends our individual life style and what commitment we can give to spending time with the bunny too.

I think it is important that we try to bond bunnies as far as possible, but at the end of the day, it does not always work out (for whatever reason) and we have to read the bunnies body language to some extent too, as that is the only way they can tell us how they are feeling.

I think Tamsim summed it up eloquently when she said there is no right or wrong approach, just what feels comfortable and right for both you and your bunny.

I also think Tamsin put it very well, there is no right or wrong way, but what works best for your bunny and you.

hmm as i suspected. overall, the greatest scenario would be to adopt two bonded bunnies! double the fun. double the trouble and double the rescue. can't wait to slip this into the conversation tonight with hubby!!!! :shock:
jeepers though, i may be taking on a bit too much with this being my first house rabbit :!: :?:
so i guess i'll see if there's a bun that doesn't want to be bonded or if i'm brave and have indeed won hubby.... maybe a couple :wink:
julie
ps boy am i glad i'm doing my research!

:lol:

In my experience bunnies who don't want to be with another bunny, make wonderful companions. Thumper hated all other bunnies and was very happy to spend his time with me instead. I did have to leave him on his own for 10 hours a day while I was at work, but in the evening most of my time was devoted to him, whether it was sitting on the sofa watching tv with him or playing with him or just watching him hop about and occassionally binky. I didn't have a social life at the time, so could devote every evening to him. He often woke me at 3am wanting to be petted, that was the only problem we ever had and waking me at 6am by digging on the bed :lol: Thumper was a very special boy who took a bit of work to start with, he wouldn't trust us and often ran off as soon as you moved and simply was scared of us. I worked on him and the rewards were superb, I had a rabbit who snuggled down beside me and let me stroke him until I feel asleep, then he'd sleep at the foot of my bed on the other side, he kept me company on the sofa, helped me decide what to watch :lol:
If you have the time to devote and are willing to be there all the time for a rabbit, then look out for one who isn't keen on others. If there is likely to be times when you can't be there for bunny then 2 will be better.
Angela

Mubbys an only child :lol:

and he gets plenty of love and i can definately say that he is a very happy bun!! he gets jealous when i cuddle his teddy!! lol never mind another bun..

I can see when im all grown up and have a house ill definately have more then one bunny , but in the flat Mubby rules the place! :lol:

I have a male house bunny called "cheeky" and he is very happy without another bun , I can,t get another rabbit due to him having pasturella but he gets on great with the dog , and he is only left alone in the house for maybe 1 or 2 hours a day at most .
He has the run of the house and a litter tray in the bedroom , the hall , the living room and one hidden behind the plant in the dining room " he used to water my plant before that !!!" . He is a very clean rabbit but i,d
be lying if I said we don,t get the odd poo on the floor or the occasional sprinkle where he shouldn,t , apart from that he,s great .
What I have found is you will have a better bond with your rabbit if it is in the house and its true personality will come out , you also know when your rabbit is ill alot quicker . One thing to watch though is things like cables , bunny flaked out on stairs , in the larder stealing the biscuits, its basically like having a toddler in the house and you just have to keep an eye out for things that they will go for and get into mischeif .
One thing that I regret tho is when Cheeky was only a few months old he got ill and I took him into my bed , just until he got better , only thing is that he,s still there 5 years later !!!!!!! ha ha . I always get woken up at the crack of dawn by him sitting on my head and try as I might , he will not sleep anywhere else or he takes a tantrum " stamping his feet " .
I would go for it tho and if you have the time to spend with your bunny and there is always someone at home then I personally see no reason why you would have to get a pair .

Gina

Angela thank you for telling me about thumper. waking at 3am for a cuddle? sounds like my son!

Mubby - just how lucky are you. i've seen the paddling pool!

cheeky - what a great name. how long was it before you were comfortable with him having the run of the house? I'm not too fussed about the odd poo splattering I'm wondering about how tempting your wallpaper/furniture is as i guess you don't supervise his activity all the time? bed sharing - and i thought it was just my toddler i've to worry about and i'm used to tantrums with my little boy - wow how i'd love to your thumper's!

juliex

I have two bonded bunnies but sometimes I think that Treacle would like to be an only bun! I have to put his brother away sometimes to give Treacle some peace!!!