Peanut and Maggie ... Bonded Bunnies
I have had bunnies since I can remember, but it wasn’t until I had Peanut and then adopted Maggie that I really started learning about what bunnies are capable of. I was devastated when my mini-lop Fuzz had to be put to sleep after having him as a loving pet for eight years. He was the one I could always rely on to make me smile; just watching him hop around the room made me laugh. I cried for a week after he was put to sleep, but the following weekend my sister came to visit me and to my surprise brought with her a white and brown Holland lop, who I named Peanut. She had contacted a breeder and she and her husband-to-be picked out Peanut. He couldn’t replace Fuzz of course, but I knew I could give another bunny a good life just like I had given Fuzz. To my dismay, as Peanut got bigger he started using my apartment carpet as a free area to go the bathroom where he chose. I talked with my vet and read up on why rabbits should be neutered — litter training and cancer prevention were all I needed to hear. I decided that was the best for my little Peanut. It was a success, and to my surprise, I was able to tell the difference right away. Peanut stopped using my carpet as a bathroom and started going in his cage almost instantly. Even when I moved into a new apartment a couple years later, Peanut took to it right away and didn’t even need to be retrained.
Then I started worrying that Peanut was lonely. He wouldn’t come out of his cage much and just wasn’t very active. I felt guilty for leaving him in his cage all day when I was at work. Not knowing much about getting another rabbit friend for Peanut, I started doing some research. I called a couple of breeders who said that you could not put two bunnies together because they would fight. Not taking no for an answer, I did some research online and found the MCRS website. There I found information on bunny bonding and that it could be done! I spoke with my landlord about getting another rabbit to make sure it was okay. After thinking about it, he agreed to it since he said I took such good care of Peanut.
So with the help of MCRS I made an appointment for Peanut to meet other bunnies, preferably female, since the male/female relationship seems to work best. Peanut had several dates, but it wasn’t until I brought him to the Golden Valley Humane Society that he found his match in Maggie, a young black female (she has the helicopter ears). It wasn’t love at first sight, but she was the best match so far, and I adopted her that day. May 4th was Maggie’s first year anniversary of her adoption, which I also made into her birthday. She just turned three and Peanut will be turning three in September. Ironically enough, Peanut’s birthday is the same day as my sister’s wedding anniversary!
The bonding process was a little slow. In the beginning I kept Peanut and Maggie in separate cages and let them out together in the bathroom since this was a neutral territory. For awhile I was a little worried that they weren’t going to get along, but it just took a lot of time and patience. After a couple months Maggie kept hopping into Peanut’s cage and Peanut didn’t seem to mind, so I let them hang out together in the same cage. Now they are buddies. When they are in the cage together they like to snuggle together and groom each other. They even like to groom me, which I love.
Both bunnies have very different personalities, but that makes it fun to watch them play. Maggie has been such a great addition; she has such a great personality and is extremely smart. She runs to the fridge when I open it because she knows the veggies are in there. She comes when I call her and puts her head down to be petted constantly (at which point I instantly hear her teeth grinding as a sign of happiness).
Maggie knows when her mom isn’t watching because she will jump on the couch and chew holes in it, and as soon as her mom comes back in the room she jumps off. Peanut has also come out a lot more since adopting Maggie; although he is still a homebody and doesn’t like to be petted as much as Maggie, he has fun chasing after Maggie. Maggie and Peanut love their cottontail cottage, boxes with holes to crawl through, wooden toys, grass mats, and phone books to chew on. Peanut really loves to throw around toys if you put them in front of his face. I like to watch Maggie flop on her side for a nap and do her crazy running around the room and binkys. Although I know Peanut is happy he doesn’t binky as much as Maggie, but when he does it’s so great to see his little personality come out. Unfortunately, they are in their cage during the day since they both like to chew on things they shouldn’t, like the carpet. But if I am home they are out and I try to let them run as much as I can.
It has surprised me that people say that having more than one bunny costs more money. I can’t tell the difference. I just buy their hay and pellets in bigger quantities. I don’t consider them an expense because they are so easy and inexpensive to feed! I also try to let people know how good bunnies are as pets. The most common thing people say to me about bunnies is that “I had a bunny but it went to the bathroom all over the place.” I let them know that if they are spayed/neutered they are very easy to litter train and they like to play just like any other animal. People are very surprised to hear that. I let them know that Peanut and Maggie are great pets and have never once stained my carpet because they have been litter trained.
I really wish I had adopted a bunny a long time ago instead of getting them as babies from a breeder, but I don’t regret having any of them and in the future I will choose to adopt. I would rescue more bunnies if I could, but at this point in my life I am very happy just to have Maggie and Peanut as my wonderful pet bunnies! Thank you MCRS for all your help!
