{"id":606,"date":"2020-04-15T12:22:41","date_gmt":"2020-04-15T12:22:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bunnyparents.com\/?p=606"},"modified":"2024-01-07T15:34:39","modified_gmt":"2024-01-07T15:34:39","slug":"bunny-bonding-the-ultimate-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bunnyparents.com\/bunny-bonding-the-ultimate-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Bunny Bonding – The Ultimate Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Bunnies love to interact with their humans. They love playing and snuggling their fellow bunnies even more. Being highly social animals, bunnies should be kept in pairs. However, having one bunny is possible if you work from home or spend the majority of your day at home to be a partner for your bunny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bunny bonding is like dating. They need to learn to trust each other so they can live, eat, and sleep together without territorial fighting. A bonded bunny pair will play together and will support each other for life.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While bonding has been compared to dating, they may not get along straight away. Just like humans, it takes time for them to fall in love with their companion. Introducing bunnies should be done carefully as bunnies are territorial, which can lead to aggressive behaviour and fighting on the first date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What To Know Before Bonding Your Bunnies<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The first thing you should consider is if you can support more than one bunny financially. Food and shelter basics are generally small costs for a bunny. However, veterinarian visits can give you a big hit to the wallet especially if there are unforeseen complications with a bunny\u2019s health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your bunny and bunny friend must be fixed. It is much easier for them to bond if they have been spayed and neutered as it reduces the territorial behaviour and aggression that is often present before fixing with all the hormones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also prevents any unwanted baby bunnies if you are pairing a male and female. If your bunny isn\u2019t old enough to get neutered or spayed, do not get another intact bunny to bond for this reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wait at least a month before trying to bond with another bunny if your bunny has been recently fixed. For females, they need longer to recover from the surgery than males. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This gives her time to feel comfortable and not fight off a male companion due to feeling uncomfortable from surgery. It also allows any hormones to dissipate. For males, they stay fertile for several weeks after their surgery so can still get a female pregnant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make sure your home is prepared for an extra bunny. One bunny is \u201ceasy\u201d to handle. Two bunnies are going to require larger enclosures, litter boxes, and extra bowls. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sadly, you won\u2019t be able to place a new bunny in the same enclosure as your current bunny in the beginning so you will need something to create two separate enclosures that are next to each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your existing bunny is a free-range bunny, then you will need something to corner off an area of the room for the new bunny friend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, consider your bunny\u2019s personality before choosing a bunny friend. Is your bunny friendly, loves company, calm, and approachable? Or are they aggressive? Or perhaps shy, gets scared easily, and doesn\u2019t like contact? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding a calm, friendly bunny will make it a very easy process to bond with your friendly bunny. However, it may take much longer to bond if your bunny is on the aggressive or timid side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Considerations For Finding A Bunny Friend<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When finding a friend for your bunny, you need to consider what sex the bunny will be. Here are some general guidelines:<\/p>\n\n\n\n