Do they need companionship?

[serenz]

Hi, I've got a silly question. I've did a searchin the web and in this forum to check if rabbits need companionship butsomehow I can't find a straight answer and there's notopicabout itin this forum... I used to keep hamsters, guinea pig,dog, fish, chinese fire belly newts(new addition).Like forhamsters and chinese fire belly newts it'sbetter that they'realone.

Any clue?

And btw, do they pee alot? Mine seems to drink alot of water and peesmore than 10 times a day?I was wondering if it's thepellets(maybe salty?)that's causing her to drink so much.

 

[TinysMom]

The answer is yes / no / maybe.

Whether or not bunnies NEED companionship depends upon the individualbunny. Some of them enjoy having a companion and you can see many duosand trios on here that are bonded.

Others do fine alone and don't seem to have a need for a companion. They are just loners by nature.

So I guess the reason you won't find a definitive yes/no answer to thisis because each rabbit and each situation is so different.

Peg

serenz wrote:

Any clue?

 

[Mikoli]

Hey serenz!

My Ollie is a single rabbit and he's perfectly content living alone.However, some rabbits who don't have companionship might get depressed.As Peg said, rabbits can differ a lot from each other, and we cannotsay that one rabbit will need a companion and another won't.

Some rabbits (such as un-neutered males) should be kept alone, but ifyour rabbit is neutered/spayed and is lonely, then it would be a goodidea to get them a companion.

Rachel.

 

[lulu]

Hi,

I have only one bunnie, how would you know if it was lonely? my bunnieplays around alot, and relaxesalot (bunny flop), sheisalso a very loving bun, she sits on my knee and I strokeand cuddle her, she loves lots of loves, and follows me around, doesthis mean she is lonely

 

[JadeIcing]

Lulu your bun seems content with you.

I have 6 rabbits. One of them refuses and friends so far. She likesbeing alone. Or maybe she just hasn't found the right friend.

Each rabbit isdifferent so who knows.

 

[bluebird]

No,I think rabbits do just fine alone.bluebird

 

[jcottonl02]

My Benji is fine. He lives in a lovely big hutchjust outside the french windows with lots of toys etc, and i put him inhis run whenever I can. I see him every day for ages, bring him insideetc etc.
Yours is a question I ponder over regularly, but I've come to theconclusion that no, bunnies do not need another rabbit for company, aslong as they get lots and lots of love and constant attention from you.If you can't do that- like u are at work and noone else is at home togo out and see the bunny then yes another rabbit might be an option.That way your bunny would never be lonely and you wouldnt hav to feelguilty.
Jenny
xxxxx

 

[serenz]

ok.. I more or less get it.. but you guys haven't told me if your rabbits drink & pee alot? Is it normal?

Oh and my rabbit seems to pee every where! She doesn't pee in a coner,she just pees every where! Pissed man. How do you guys litter trainthem?

 

[Pipp]

Most rabbits are VERY social creatures and arerarelyall that happy ontheir own (although mosthumans can't tell how well they weredoing until they actuallysee themwith a companion).

But. They don't necessarily have to bond with anotherbunny. They prefer a friend/mate, be it humanoranother animal. Lots of storiesofbunniesbonding with cats, dogs, guinea pigs andin the wild, even deer. A bunny alone will evenbond with a stuffed toy (although that's desperation and never verysatisifying I'm sure).

I'm bonded with Pipp, and we're together pretty much all thetime. She sleeps with me, we have long pet sessions, we playtogether... (well, I type, she plays on my lap). Mybonded pairs, Dill (who has also bonded with me)and Sherry,and Darry and Radar, stick to each other like glue.

If somebody isfinding it hard bonding a bunny to anotherbunny, it'sa good bet the bunny already thinks its bonded tothe human and is being territorial.

serenz wrote:

Oh and myrabbit seems to pee every where! She doesn't pee in a coner, she justpees every where! ****ed man. How do you guys litter train them?

Bunnies should drink and pee a lot, that's good for them.They pretty much litter train themselves. If she's a baby,she just needs a little time.

Wipe the pee puddles up with paper towels and put them in the litterbox. Wipe the area where the spot waswithvinegar.


sasand the warren

 

[jcottonl02]

I think thats fine- I've never heard of neserious problems like that. I have to clean out my Benji's litter trayevery day cos there's alot of wee in there so dont worry.

When I first got Benji he was so disorientated his wee went the colourof blood. I was terrified. But I had it tested and it was fine andturned back to normal colour about a week later.

But unless your bunny looks very tired, or isn't eating or anything, i shouldnt worry.

As for litter training- you can't so much as teach them where to wee(some you can) but more like, see where they wee and poo most...theyusually pick a corner. My Benji does it in the corner of his bedroom-bit inconvenientbut i couldnt change it lol. Just put thelitter tray there, pick up the poo and dab the wee with paper and putit all in there. Put some nice yummy timothy hay there for her to munchon- it will encourage her.

Jenny

 

[m.e.]

I know I'mechoing what the previous posters have said, but the answer to 'Do theyneed companionship?' is yes. But it doesn't have to just beanother bunny Rabbits definitely crave bonded relationships withother beings, be they human or cat or otherwise. Not all will want tobond with another bunny, but they still need that social interaction,even if it's just hanging out with you

 

[Leslie102]

Iattempted to bondoscar with another bun.....it didn't work out.(buck rogersbun) I work midnights so i am home all day with him....i lethim out at dawn and he sleeps under my bed... when i get up he followsme to the living room and we hang out t-il 11 when i have togo to work. when we tried bonding oscar with ella he wasn'tintrested and just became even more cuddly with me....and so i thinkhe's happy with me as his companion...i hope!!!:bunnydance:

 

[serenz]

Pipp

Why vinegar? and do I have to clean it with water again or leave it?

Leslie102

It's so cool to have your bun run around.. Will he pee every where when he's out of the cage? or he's litter trained?

I tried letting Trixie move around but she pees every where.:XI'm hoping one day she's litter trained so I can let hermove around without me worrying.

Do you guys ever think they understand what we're talking about? Lol.. :tongutwo:

 

[Pipp]

serenz wrote:

Why vinegar? and do I have to clean it with water again or leave it?

Vinegar is pretty much the only thing that will keep a bunny fromsmelling the other bunny. Just use dilluted vinegaralmost like you would a cleaner, I think just a bit stronger.I forget what the usual vinegardillution is, but I think Iuse three or four parts waterto one part vinegar?Some others may want to chime in on this.

Although most of the time, actually, I just put some on awetcloth and start wiping. I doubt rabbits like thesmell of straight vinegar, but I justtell themIdon't like the smell of straight bunny pee.

sas :hbunnysmell:

 

[serenz]

Thanks Pipp I think it's working..

 

[serenz]

Pipp

I changed to using lime. I think it works too.. and it smells wayyyy better than vinegar. lol

Hmm.. If you(to all) were to get a companion for your bunny, what sex will it be?

 

[Leslie102]

serenz... Yes oscar is litter trained.When we first fot him he had quite a few accidents so we were justpatient with him. Afetr a couple of weekes he was littertrained. Although he still urinated on my bed until he wasneutered.(sneaky little guy) Since we had him neutered(maybe8 months ago at least) he hasen't had any accidents. I had toget a new matress though he used to love to hop up on mybed and pee just b4 i could get him down. He's allowed on thebed now though, just to cuddle. heheI'm sure there is a 101section on litter training u just have to start in a small area andnot give your bun the full run of the house right away. whenhe does have an acciedent wipe it up and put it in his litterbox. and of course be patient and don't yell at your littlebaby:bunnydance: