Finding your rabbit a friend

[Lionhead owner]

I bought a girl bun, Millie. I thought she might get lonely so very quickly bought her half sister (the breeder only had one half sister left). It went badly wrong…it was handbags at dawn and within a week Molly had to go back and the breeder has kept her, because she was a lovely little bunny but despite us starting to introduce them correctly they took an instant dislike to each other. Then Millie’s parents had one more litter before both being neutered. Only one little boy was to be sold but it was our only chance to get a biological brother of Millie’s.
We took Millie back to see her mum, who was living with her brother. They instantly adored each other.
Now they are both now neutered and having a great time. They play and share really well n look out for each other if one is upset. The moral of my story and I’m not a rabbit bonding expert is find another bun that your first rabbit likes (if you have the choice from a litter) and take it slowly. It’s really lovely to see them hug and care for their friend and I’m really glad I took the time to keep trying to find millie a friend although it was hard to begin with. It’s worth it guys if you can manage it.

 

[Blue eyes]

Glad you found a bondmate for your girl!

Even better for bonding is to be sure that one's current rabbit is first fixed and then let that one meet other fixed rabbits. (Having a blood relation does not have any bearing on success.) The reason I say to have them fixed first is because the relationship of those rabbits that happen to get along before being neutered can lose that "bond" with the onset of hormones. That possibility is avoided if both are already fixed at time of meeting.

As you stated, another key is to allow your bunny to do the choosing of his/her mate.

 

[Lionhead owner]

After Millie decided that Molly was awful, we tried to introduce her to a few other buns, both fixed and unfixed, boys and girls. She disliked them all. We almost gave up. As a last ditch attempt we took her back to the first breeder and we put Millie back with her own mum (to see if she saw all rabbits) and she was absolutely fine. We then re introduced her to her biological sister and again she was fine with her. But they weren’t for sale. But a very young brother would be eventually. Huge instant love. It’s taken a while but it has been worth it (coz we felt we needed to wait to get him fixed). We had abandoned hope to be honest but they love each other. I was only posting on this website because I hoped if it just inspired one other bunny owner to keep trying too that it would be worth it.

 

[littlebluejay]

After Millie decided that Molly was awful, we tried to introduce her to a few other buns, both fixed and unfixed, boys and girls. She disliked them all. We almost gave up. As a last ditch attempt we took her back to the first breeder and we put Millie back with her own mum (to see if she saw all rabbits) and she was absolutely fine. We then re introduced her to her biological sister and again she was fine with her. But they weren’t for sale. But a very young brother would be eventually. Huge instant love. It’s taken a while but it has been worth it (coz we felt we needed to wait to get him fixed). We had abandoned hope to be honest but they love each other. I was only posting on this website because I hoped if it just inspired one other bunny owner to keep trying too that it would be worth it.

How wonderful! I’m glad to hear that you found a good fit for Millie. It’s totally possible!!

 

[ElfNugget]

I bought a girl bun, Millie. I thought she might get lonely so very quickly bought her half sister (the breeder only had one half sister left). It went badly wrong…it was handbags at dawn and within a week Molly had to go back and the breeder has kept her, because she was a lovely little bunny but despite us starting to introduce them correctly they took an instant dislike to each other. Then Millie’s parents had one more litter before both being neutered. Only one little boy was to be sold but it was our only chance to get a biological brother of Millie’s.
We took Millie back to see her mum, who was living with her brother. They instantly adored each other.
Now they are both now neutered and having a great time. They play and share really well n look out for each other if one is upset. The moral of my story and I’m not a rabbit bonding expert is find another bun that your first rabbit likes (if you have the choice from a litter) and take it slowly. It’s really lovely to see them hug and care for their friend and I’m really glad I took the time to keep trying to find millie a friend although it was hard to begin with. It’s worth it guys if you can manage it.

Awe that is beautiful ending! Also, I love the lionhead bunnies but sadly in Australia we don’t have that breed.