A friend for my
bunny....Can I bond a pair?
Rabbits are social by nature. They crave interaction and
stimulation. In the wild, rabbits/hares live in warrens and dens and provide
themselves with a social order. Mates are generally kept for life. Intruders
to their societies are usually met with "war" or displeasure. Those cute
little animals on your front lawn in the morning have the ability to kill an
intruder rabbit. ;) They are not as innocent and helpless as you may think.
Rabbits protect their families and loved ones. They depend on each other for
companionship, food and safety. In nature they are team players.
As much as we may think we have domesticated them, they are not solitary creatures at
heart. Even Queen Enid needs a friend or two.
Rabbit introductions to other rabbits can be lengthy but well worth it.
It took several long days to introduce Duncan and Enid. They did not get
along at first sight. This is typical. Rabbits, as stated before, do have
structural hierarchies. Someone will be dominant and someone will be submissive.
That is where the relationship will begin. Duncan actually started off the
dominant one and Enid the submissive bun. After they became friends the rolls
changed. Enid was in charge but there was no fight leading up to that crowning.
Some days Duncan and I would both be hiding from her wrath!
You will want to make sure both bunnies are neutered/spayed. This
is IMPORTANT!!!
Slow introductions are best. They WILL generally fight the minute
they meet eachother. They need to establish their order. Some will accept
eachother within minutes....some will take days or weeks and others will seem forever
hopeless. You will need to use your common sense as to which catagory your duo
is fitting into. I suggest bringing your bun along on a scheduled blind date,
allowing them to meet in a neutral territory and not jumping in the minute you see them go
at it. This has to happen or you will never get anywhere. You will need to
prepare yourself for the difference between "wrestling to be king" and "I'm
going to kill you". The "I'm going to kill you" fight needs to be
broken up immediately.
If you believe it is a match that can work, go for it. In time the
buns will be so happy to have each other. You will appreciate their bond.
Placing them together in a carrier and going for short car rides with
them helps them to bond. Only go for a few minutes...as going in the car seems to
stress buns out. Allowing them to meet first through cages placed next to eachother
helps to ease the future interaction. Do not introduce them in a cage.
Introduce them in free territory. The cage can make them both feel nervous and they
may tend to over react.
One of my favorite bonded duos that we see very often, is the
relationship that happens between cats and rabbits indoors. They should of course be
monitored but we've seen a lot of friendships develop between the unlikely pair.
For more info on bonding...please visit....
http://www.rabbit.org/journal/3-4/two-rabbits.html
