thinking about getting one more bunny

Hi

ok I am thinking about getting another bunny. she is in a pet shop. I know a lot of you dont approve of getting bunnys from pet shops, I dont really either. but I have fallen in love with her! she is so cute and has been in this tiny little cage for ages now. I go there every week to get litter and stuff, and she really has been there a long time. other bunnys have come in and been sold but she is still there

anyway I have 2 bunnys already and was just wondering how many of you have three bunnys together?

thanks

I've had 3 buns together, & am now up to a bonded group of 9.

But please don't get bun from a pet shop. If you do, they will just fill the space with another poor bun Theres loads of gorgeous buns on RR or Rabbits in need if you decide to get another.

Also, you need to make sure you have space to keep bun separate if they don't bond immediately.

wow a bonded group of 9! was that really hard to do?

If you do, they will just fill the space with another poor bun

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yeh I know thats why I dont really like the idea of doing it. I have been looking at all the lovely bunnys on RR, and would love to give one of them a home but Im in the channel islands.

I do have an empty hutch.

The two I have now arent actually together at the moment. I have a neutered male and an unspayed female. I have tried bonding them before and they were getting on really well but unfortunatly I had to seperate them because the person who was building my run let me down and 3 of my young cousins came to stay for a while (and wouldnt leave my bunnys alone!)

Anyway I have my new hutch and massive run being delivered this week so I have taken next monday tuesday and wednesday off work, so I am going to bond them again and put them in their new home.

the best thing to do is probably wait until they are bonded and settled in before introducing a new bunny right?

I have a bonded trio (2 boys and a girl).

They were originally a mixed pair who bonded almost immediately. The single male we had had for several years and found difficult to bond. He had seen the other 2 for over a year through wire mesh and it was quite quick to get him joined in once we decided to try them.

I have heard that a trio is easier to bond if it is 2 girls. But all 3 would be best off been neutered. Girls are as bad as boys when it comes to hormones!

If you feel it is the right thing to do to buy the bunny from the pet shop then do it. You kow you will be giving her a loving home! Just be prepared to have 3 singles if things don't work out or if it takes time.

Good luck!

yeh I know! my girl isnt spayed yet because even though she is very confident at home, once she is put into her box to go to the vet she gets very nervous. the vet thought that the best thing to do was bond her to my boy and then when she comes in to be spayed he could go with her and it might calm her down. she really does freak out so much at the vets.

I had no problems with them before they just fell in love, so I am hoping its going to go the same this time.

she will have a very loving home if I get her
and I have hutches for them all, I just wont be able to fit another run in the garden with the one thats being delivered.

when intorducing three bunnys do you bond two of them first and them introduce the other one or introduce them all at the same time?

the two I have now sit and kiss through their hutch mesh stuff, so even though its been months since they were put together they still see each other every day

You can bond 2 and then try and add another or go for all 3 at once. I think if you really wanted to get a 3rd bun it might be best to try all 3 together.

I am currently trying to bond another trio and am finding it difficult to introduce them into territory that the already bonded pair are used to.

When I bonded my other trio even though 2 were already bonded I moved all 3 into a newly built playhouse that none of them had ever seen.

I am currently trying to bond another trio and am finding it difficult to introduce them into territory that the already bonded pair are used to.

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thats what I was thinking about. the new hutch and run are going to be new to my two. if they are bonded in it and then I introduced another one they will be thinking its their home!

Im guessing bonding three at the same time is done the same as I would with two, neutral territory and supervising them for a week or two?

is it more likley there will be a fight with two unspayed females? I was thinking maybe I could get them spayed at the same time. My vet really wanted my girl to be brought in with a bonded partner to try and keep her calm.

how many of you have bonded three bunnys at the same time?

sorry Im asking loads of questions I just want to be sure

You have to consider what you'll do if bonding a third rabbit doesn't work.
I had Hobbes and Phoebe both neutered/spayed and then i rehomed Amber. After she was spayed i tried bonding them on neutral territory but Phoebe hated her and attacked her. Amber lost a piece of her ear in the fight so i didn't try bonding them again.
Some rabbits just don't like certain other rabbits so there is no guarantees that it will work out.
I decided to get Amber a male rabbit for company so I now have the two pairs living separately. I had problems with the pairs fighting between each other when the other pair went near them in their run so i have to make sure that they can't get anywhere near each other now when they run round the garden.

You have to consider what you'll do if bonding a third rabbit doesn't work

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if it doesnt work I have a hutch for her but no space for another big run, so if they arent getting on I will get her another hutch that has a run underneath it I think

sillyrabbit said:

You have to consider what you'll do if bonding a third rabbit doesn't work

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if it doesnt work I have a hutch for her but no space for another big run, so if they arent getting on I will get her another hutch that has a run underneath it I think

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Would you be able to get another rabbit to bond with her? Can you afford the cost of vaccinating 4 rabbits?

Because my four rabbits have free run of the garden both pairs tend to want to mark it as their territory so I have poo's and wee sprayed everywhere. When i just had Hobbes and Phoebe they only weed in the litter tray but now its all over the fence, the dustbin, the patio and i have to keep hosing it down because of the smell. I have to sweep up all the poo off the paved areas every day as well :roll: :lol:

I would go for trying all 3 at once! I intoroduced my 3 all at once by dumping them in the new cage I had made (so it was neutral) before that the male had fought with the other two. Every now and then there is a slip up among the heirarchy (the smallest female will mount her mum when the mum is a little off) and sometimes they growl at who gets to sit in the bucket etc. But there are always a number of play toys and furniture type items so they dont have to share unless they want to. It is really rewarding to see them so happy and having 3 cuddling up is the best feeling in the world.

I have another bun, who currently lives alone and I got him from a pet shop because, like you I felt sorry for him. He was in a tiny cage with "Clearance" written beside him and he looked sooo depressed. He was sitting in his own urine and there was seriously no air coming in or going out from his cage!!! When I found out he was a male I knew I couldnt get him, but the constant thought of him being dragged around by a small child or sitting in a small cage for 10years changed my mind. The next day my mum went to get him and when I put him in his new cage he just came alive. He is one very happy and friendly bunny. And although he hasnt had it as bad as other rabbits I still feel as though I have rescued him. This became more evident when recently he got sick and the vet told us some people wouldnt bother trying to get him better etc, so I know he's gone to the right home. What im really trying to say, If you want that bunny go for it. It will be very happy with you

please do not buy this bun..if you haven't really the space if the bonding doesn't work out what will you do..a small run under a hutch is not enough for a rabbit on a permanent basis
I understand you feel sorry for this rabbit..but won't you feel sorry for the next one they put in the cage..and the one after that...and the one after that?
If you get a rabbit from a rescue you are truly helping and you will get back up and advice with the bonding and any future problems you may have....but I still think you need to think about space :?

I have to agree with Jill - great sig by the way, love the buns on the right!! :wink: - I try to avoid pet shops cos I always feel sorry for the buns in there and feel tempted to get them out. I think the best course of action would be to bond the two you have, give them time to settle down and then add your third. I did this with both trios I've had, not pre-planned but it worked ok. I bonded them in a neutral place and, whilst they were getting to know each other, thoroughly cleaned out and disinfected the hutch the pair were living in so it didn't smell like home anymore. If you get your third bun from a rescue they may well help you with the bonding process in a neutral place and then you'll have an idea whether the three you have is going to work. - Good luck!!

I have 3 buns together, but they are mum and two daughters so have always been together. They have great fun together and keep each other company all day. I spend as much time as I can with them but I know if I'm out, they're happy together in the run.

Be careful with pet shops bunnies, they've been from 'home' to 'home' from a young age and may not adjust well to yet another new home. Plus one more will just replace that one if you buy him/her.

T
x

Would you be able to get another rabbit to bond with her? Can you afford the cost of vaccinating 4 rabbits?

Because my four rabbits have free run of the garden both pairs tend to want to mark it as their territory so I have poo's and wee sprayed everywhere. When i just had Hobbes and Phoebe they only weed in the litter tray but now its all over the fence, the dustbin, the patio and i have to keep hosing it down because of the smell. I have to sweep up all the poo off the paved areas every day as well

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yeah I could afford vaccination/spaying and stuff for 4 rabbits. Mine both have full run of the garden, and I could see how it would get messy with more rabbits :lol:

I would go for trying all 3 at once!

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Im not really confident with bonding two unspayed females right now. I have spent ages searching this forum and get there is more of a chance of them fighting.

please do not buy this bun..if you haven't really the space if the bonding doesn't work out what will you do..a small run under a hutch is not enough for a rabbit on a permanent basis

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I know its not enough room for a bunny and I cant believe I even thought about it for a minute . I hate the tiny hutch/run combos they sell in pet shops and always feel like telling the staff its wrong. I had a right go at the last shop that tried to sell me one my bunny wouldnt even have been able to stand up in :x

I was ready to forget the whole idea, them my mum offered last night to remove the garden table and chairs and kids play sand box thing (not taking it away from a younger family member or anything, my mum used to babysit a little girl everyday). That would mean I could put another run at the other end of the garden. Not a tiny one! A big one like the one I just brought.

Its made me start thinking again! now that I will bond my two again and get my girl spayed after they are settled.
Get the new bunny spayed. This is with the new bun living in a hutch with a big run attached now!
And once their hormones have calmed and they are both fully recovered, try bonding the three of them. And if that fails find her a boyfriend to live in the hutch and run on the other side of the garden with her.

I understand you feel sorry for this rabbit..but won't you feel sorry for the next one they put in the cage..and the one after that...and the one after that?

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I do get what your saying. But I honestly really really like this rabbit
And I know what you mean about feeling sorry for the next one they put there, but I wouldnt go and keep buying rabbits because I feel sorry for them and end up with loads that I couldnt look after or anything. Me and my brother have been playing with this bunny for about 6 months now when we go in and we really have fallen in love with her. She has the nicest personality even though she is in a tiny little cage

I feel sorry for all rabbits in pet shops but I havent just brought one before because I felt bad, so I promise its not something I will keep doing! And I am thinking really hard about it and getting lots of advice from you all before I decide

Thanks for all your advice by the way

Hi

I tried to introduce Violet to my bonded pair, Poppit and Peanut. Poppit chased and bit her and subsequent introductions didn't go well either. That scuppered my plans as I had an indoor set up OK for 3!

I have since found Violet her own man, Winston (free on the freeadds) so now I have 2 pairs living outside in a playhouse :lol: It is a lovely set up now, but not quite what I had planned.

yeah thats what I will be doing if things dont go well