Housing for unbonded bunnies??

[sh7]

Hey everyone! I have two male bunnies both almost a year old. They are both free roam and live in separate rooms with a gate between them in the hallway. The gate is very thick so they can’t attack each other but they can see each other and they lay down next to each other everyday on opposite sides of the gate. I spend about 20-30 mins directly playing with them a day and they have a lot of room/lots of toys. I am super busy most of the times though. So they are often home alone. I know it isn’t like having a bonded partner but they can still see and smell each other and know they aren’t alone. Is this enough social interaction for them, or do they actually need to be bonded with another bunny?

P.S. I have tried pretty much everything to bond them. Even spoke to a few rescue centers who attempted to help me bond them but they are both extremely dominant and just not compatible at all. Yet they are super calm with each other if there is a gate between them lol. I have the space to to get both of them a bonded mate (so 4 rabbits total) but I would really really prefer to not do that unless they are truly being socially neglected.

 

[dogwoodblossoms]

Rabbits are solitary animals. They don't really need a bond mate. If your rabbits are happy (binkies, zoomies, etc.), eating, acting normal, and you spend a decent amount of time with them, I wouldn't worry. It's hard to socially neglect a rabbit if you spend enough time with them each day. If you notice they run from you or are skittish around you, that probably means you have to re-socialize them (which I have had to do a ton of times so don't worry!).
Having two dominant rabbits, and both males at that is tough, I know the pain of that lol.

 

[sh7]

Rabbits are solitary animals. They don't really need a bond mate. If your rabbits are happy (binkies, zoomies, etc.), eating, acting normal, and you spend a decent amount of time with them, I wouldn't worry. It's hard to socially neglect a rabbit if you spend enough time with them each day. If you notice they run from you or are skittish around you, that probably means you have to re-socialize them (which I have had to do a ton of times so don't worry!).
Having two dominant rabbits, and both males at that is tough, I know the pain of that lol.

I had read that domesticated rabbits are really social though. I spend about 20-30 mins a day with them so hopefully that is okay. Both of my bunnies are super social with people and love to be pet, but they are vicious to each other lol. trying to bond two dominant bunnies is definitely hard!

 

[JBun]

Rabbits are solitary animals. They don't really need a bond mate.

I had read that domesticated rabbits are really social though. I spend about 20-30 mins a day with them so hopefully that is okay. Both of my bunnies are super social with people and love to be pet, but they are vicious to each other lol. trying to bond two dominant bunnies is definitely hard!

Yes, our pet rabbits are a social animal. Wild cottontails here in the US are solitary and don't live in groups, but this is completely untrue of our European domestic breed that we have as pets. In the wild, the European wild rabbits(where our domestic rabbits come from) live in colonies, in a warren, and have a social hierarchy.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5113872/
https://rabbit.org/group-living/
http://language.rabbitspeak.com/prove-that-you-love-me/
To the OP, are your rabbits both neutered?

 

[sh7]

Yes, our pet rabbits are a social animal. Wild cottontails here in the US are solitary and don't live in groups, but this is completely untrue of our European domestic breed that we have as pets. In the wild, the European wild rabbits(where our domestic rabbits come from) live in colonies, in a warren, and have a social hierarchy.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5113872/
https://rabbit.org/group-living/
http://language.rabbitspeak.com/prove-that-you-love-me/
To the OP, are your rabbits both neutered?

Yes they both got neutered last year

 

[Preitler]

Rabbits are solitary animals. They don't really need a bond mate. If your rabbits are happy (binkies, zoomies, etc.), eating, acting normal, and you spend a decent amount of time with them, I wouldn't worry. It's hard to socially neglect a rabbit if you spend enough time with them each day. If you notice they run from you or are skittish around you, that probably means you have to re-socialize them (which I have had to do a ton of times so don't worry!).
Having two dominant rabbits, and both males at that is tough, I know the pain of that lol.

Rabbits are social animals, with intricate hierachys and rituals to establish and maintain those. In the wild, your rarely see just one. When given the chance they cooperate, like keeping watch when out on the meadow, or when digging tunnels. They interact and cuddle a lot. They groom each other, and I'm pretty sure they even remove ticks sometimes. Here it's even kind of illegal (I don't think anyone cares much about that) to keep pet rabbits alone, but I think that overshoots the mark.

But the thing is, since they were domesticated (rather recently) they were bred to be able to cope with the stress of living in captivity, and to cope with being alone. But there are big individual differences if a rabbit can deal with all that, if a rabbit at least to some point accepts a human as company, and so on. Those are just tendencies and their instinctive behaviour is still pretty much what it was, and it needs a lot of practice to read rabbit emotions which makes it very easy to overlook all this.
Some are fine alone, or even happier than paired up imperfectly. It's rather lucky to have two males get along, and with intact ones that is way less likely. In my experience they make great pets though, more outgoing, carefree and open minded than many does.

I don't keep my rabbits solitary, not the breeding does and even my buck got a spayed cuddlebun (my two free roam house bunnies).

As for the question, well, I would trust your gut feeling. It's not black or white, and I do think that another rabbit around does give them a good feeling, even when they are mortal enemies without the barrier - my two pairs of does do not get along, but they will sit at the fence regarding each other, which takes up their minds for some time, makes them think about the others and so, they are occupied and not bored. And I guess it helps to not feel lonely in your case. Imho males on average are more relaxed about it anyway.
Getting more rabbits, well that would imo just replace current issues with others, or add to it, I wouldn't recommend it if it's not what you want anyway.

 

[JBun]

It's really only something you can determine, if your rabbits would be better off with a bonded companion. Some rabbits are perfectly happy on their own, and I would say they can do very well if they get alot of interaction with the humans they live with. Remaining a single bun can also be much better than if they end up with a bun companion that isn't a really great match, like Preitler mentioned.

But the other side is that many rabbits benefit a lot from having a bonded companion that's a good match to their personality. It's nice to see two(or more) bunnies snuggled up together, or happily munching on their salad together. It means they always have a friend right there with them, so you never have to feel bad if you're not able to give them much attention at times.

Since your two don't seem to mind being neighbors and it's not causing them to stress being next to one another, it does help for them to have that company, even though separated with a barrier. It's at least another rabbit nearby. But you'll have to look at their behavior throughout the day, to gauge if they would do better being bonded with their own bun friend.

Yes, it should be something you want and are prepared to deal with. As bringing new rabbits into your home can set off changes of behavior in your current two, and it can set off territorial marking. The new bunnies may have different habits than your current two; such as having a tendency to be more destructive or be more difficult to litter train. So these are just things you need to consider and be prepared for. Though, you never really know how it will turn out until you take the leap. It could end up being the absolutely best thing for you and your rabbits.

If you decide to go ahead with finding them a bun companion and bonding, I would suggest doing some reading up on the process(if you haven't done this already), as well as a having a good understanding of rabbit body language and the signs of escalating aggression, so you're better prepared to know when to intervene while bonding, before serious injuries can occur.

The best way to find a compatible bun companion, is to contact a shelter or rescue that allows bunny dates with already fixed rabbits, so that they have the best chance of finding a compatible match. If you aren't wanting to deal with difficult bonding, definitely shoot for a 'love at first sight' match. The rabbits basically bond themselves with those, and it's a lot less stressful for you and the rabbits.

https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/bonding-bunnies.html
http://cottontails-rescue.org.uk/information/bonding-bunnies/
https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Bonding_rabbits_together
http://language.rabbitspeak.com/
https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Understanding_your_rabbit

 

[John Wick]

I actually have two single rabbits who I am unable to bond in the current environment (tangent: I will be trying again when I move to a completely new home). That being said, they have been side-by-side neighbors and rotating-shift free-roameres for years at this point and I do believe, especially if there is no negative interactions across bars, that the other rabbit's presence is, at the minimum, stimulating, and the most, engaging. As others mention, it really is based on your judgement in the context of your understanding of their personalities and what their behaviors are day to day.

 

[rabbit_friend]

I wouldn't recommend getting more bunnies unless you really want 4 or more. I had two that weren't looking likely to bond, and the male was really down about it, so I went and got him a different female. Luckily, he liked her. But the other female didn't, and a few times got out and attacked the other. So I went and got her a new boy
partner, but they didn't get along, and I ended up getting the new boy's brother too (they were both on the euthanize list). Ended up with 5 rabbits in 3 separate areas! You could end up with even more if you keep thinking someone is lonely

I wouldn’t give up on bonding these two. The two brothers I got had been separated for only two weeks, but then wouldn’t get along. I kept trying whenever the bonded one lost a mate, with no luck. After 9 years, both were old enough and lonely enough that they didn’t want to fight anymore, and became the best of snugglebuns for the 8 months they were both still alive.

All my single bunnies have had a stuffy, though, to cuddle with and groom. Well, all except a stray we took in this year, who doesn't seem interested at all in a stuffy. I keep him and my one remaining boy in the same room, separated by a fence, and will attempt bonding them soon.

 

[TreasuredFriend]

https://rabbitats.org/