Secrets of Bonding Rabbits: Matchmaking for Bunnies, Part 1

Finding a friend for your altered (spayed or neutered) rabbit is one of the most rewarding things you can do for both of you. In the wild, rabbits mate for life and in captivity, the same applies. A pair of bonded rabbits are endearing to watch and care for. Care must be taken in the process of matching one bunny to another or serious injury or worse can result. In this article, I'll detail my experience as a veteran rabbit rescuer who has done dozens of successful introductions (bunny matches) and bondings.

The Purpose of Finding a Friend for Your Rabbit

Too many times I have had prospective adopters, people who have had house rabbits for many years, want to adopt a companion for their rabbit and they have no concern for whether or not their rabbit actually likes the other rabbit! They just have to have a certain rabbit and if their rabbit doesn't like the other rabbit, they want me to force the bonding. I no longer do this because of the trend I notice with these bondings which I'll mention later. What's the point of getting your rabbit a friend if...well...they don't even like each other?

Your goal in finding a friend for your rabbit should be to find the one rabbit whom your rabbit wants to be with. I have lived and live with rabbits who took a long time to find a friend because they were very selective. It's not that hard to understand the basics of what your rabbit's preferences might be if we remember a few simple rules of thumb.

1. Rabbits are heterosexual. After all the expression 'breeding like rabbits' isn't meaningless. Rabbits are characterized in mythologies all over the world as being a little too interested in procreation. So make sure both your rabbits are spayed and neutered before attempting any matchmaking!

2. Rabbits mate for life. This means that your rabbit's preferences in other rabbits are probably not going to change much over their lifetime.

Bugsy, the silver Dutch, was highly aggressive toward all other rabbits. He fell head over heels in love at first sight with Juliette, the golden Palomino.

Credit: Patti Henningsen

Copyright: Patti Henningsen