Adopt or Not?

[namehere]

Adopt or not?

Hi everyone! I just had some concerns and didn’t know where else to take them to. My moms co-worker is trying to find someone to adopt a two year old rabbit, and my parents were interested in doing so. We’ve been doing research and I found many saying it’s better to adopt in pairs. I brought this up to them, asking if he was being sold alone for a reason, but it turns out he was raised around many other rabbits and has lived with them. I am not sure about my parents stance on getting another rabbit, but that is where I get confused.

If he is being given away alone, then if we do not get in due to not having another rabbit, he may end up alone anyways. Which worries me but I could not do anything about. Though, if my parents were on board with getting another rabbit, I have seen people saying they may not even like one another and this could cause more harm than good.

So I am just confused on what to do. Would it be better for us to just not adopt him at all? If we do, is it vital to get another rabbit? If we get another rabbit, could this have negative outcomes? I’d just like some advice on what to do so this rabbit wouldn’t have a bad life if he had been adopted by us already, thank you!

 

[Moonshadow]

Rabbits do not have to be adopted in pairs right off the bat. If you think you can provide a good home and you and your parents interact with him a majority of the time, he can have a great life as a solo bun. You can also always adopt another bunny later after he’s settled in, if you think he might be happier being bonded but there is no reason not to start with one at first. Also if you’ve never owned a bunny before, it may be easier to get used to having one at first before thinking about two.

Personally, I have had two bunnies. Both were/are solo (my first Bandit passed when I was 13) and my second Minyeong (Min-Min), I currently have 10+ years later. In both situations, my bunnies seem fine as solo bunnies and get plenty of human interactions. My brother and I still live at home, dad works from home, and mom interacts when she gets back from work. Additionally, we get customers who interact with our bunny.

My home environment is unique. We have a family woodworking business so the big front room is our “showroom”, the rest of the upper area is our home, and entire lower floor is our shop with machinery. Our current bunny, Min-Min is very social and the showroom is his room. When customers come in, he runs up to greet them and they are always delighted and surprised to see a bunny. After he’s “checked them out and approved” he usually allows them to pet his head and he sometimes starts digging at the clothes or nibbling at their shoes. Customers are too charmed by him to mind

In my opinion, if you and your parents are ready for a rabbit and think you can provide a good home for him, then go ahead and adopt him. You can learn to bond with him together and once you get to know him pretty well and are you guys and the bunny comfortable with each other, then decide whether he may benefit from a bunny partner. Some bunnies do better with partners, some can go either way, and some like it solo. If you do decide to get him a bunny partner, shelters can usually help to find compatible candidates.There is no need to rush, in the meantime you can create your own personal bond with him and see how he melds into your lives.

 

[JBun]

Also a consideration is if he isn't neutered yet, he can't be bonded with another fixed rabbit until he is fixed too, plus 8 weeks for hormones to fade before bonding can even be attempted.

Here's some info on how to get ready to bring your rabbit home, if you decide to adopt him.

https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/bringing-your-rabbit-home.html

 

[Jonas]

I think if you can spend much time with the rabbit early in the morning and in the evening, then it should be fine. Rabbits at 2 years are not very interactive and need less stimulation than young rabbits. I’m not a zoologist, but most animals actually live in pairs or herds, yet they can be lone pets. I’m not sure why this is always referred to rabbits. A lot of rabbit pet keepers only have one rabbit and they’re doing ok. I have more than one rabbit and they don’t spend the entire time together because they have different personalities, they don’t fight, however. Spaying or castrating the rabbit at 2 years results in less behavioural change since the hormones have already affected the personality.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

I think one by itself would be okay. Known quite a few that were solo's and they were fine.