Secrets of Bonding Rabbits: Matchmaking for Bunnies, Part 2

When I went to my first bunny match, I didn't know if I trusted the rabbit rescue group. That was silly on my part because it was House Rabbit Society! I knew after my handsome male bunny picked out a bond mate, he was supposed to go spend a week at someone else's house to be bonded during a bunnymoon in neutral territory. That meant not at my house.

I had fears about the bunnymoon that proved baseless. The long time rabbit bonder who bonded my male bunny and his new little bond mate had done hundreds of rabbit bondings. The bunnies were in very good hands! I did call her often during the bunnymoon to see how they were doing. They came home earlier than expected.

I couldn't imagine what the volunteer was talking about when she described a bunny match. She said there would be x-pens set up all over the place and lots of bunnies everywhere. Who would introduce them?

Experienced volunteers did the introductions. When I arrived, there were puppy x-pens set up all over the house and on the lawn. In each x-pen was a volunteer who was acting as chaperone for that bunny match. Cat carriers with foster rabbits inside were stacked up along the walls. Volunteers would take the carriers to each x-pen so the foster bunnies and single bunnies could meet. We had to wait for our bunny's turn in the x-pen while a very selective rabbit met almost every foster bunny there before that x-pen became available.

Finally it was our rabbit's turn. Our big, strapping male, aged 7, was placed in the x-pen. One by one, he was introduced to different female foster bunnies. He showed no interest in any of them. At last, the volunteer conducting our bunny match announced, "Well ok let's go ahead and try Jenni." The volunteer who was Jenni's foster mom, sighed "Oh Jenni!" Jenni had been having trouble getting adopted because she would fight with every bunny she met.

Jenni was placed in the x-pen with our rabbit. She ran up to him snorting and ready to box. Our bunny slowly stood up and used his two front paws to push her under his chest. Then he sat on her head.

Volunteers at a bunny match supervise the rabbit introductions from inside the x-pens.

Credit: Patti Henningsen

Copyright: Patti Henningsen