Casper & Strawberry Snuggle at the close of their bonding

RABBIT INTRODUCTION POLICIES

Please review our policies for conducting bunny matches.

Bright Eyes Sanctuary policies for rabbit introductions are as follows. To read more about how we conduct them, please see the articles on Bondings at this link and we will be adding more videos soon of typical bunny matches on our YouTube channel: http://youtube.com/brighteyessanctuary

All rabbit introductions are conducted by our veteran rabbit matcher/bonder, and we prefer a pool of about five rabbits of the opposite sex (in some cases, same sex pairs are possible but this is not the norm) to be ready to meet the adopter's single rabbit. We do not do forced bondings, an incompatible rabbit bonding can result in serious injury of one of the rabbits and should be conducted by a professional such as our veteran rabbit matcher/bonder who has been doing this for over a decade and has successfully matched hundreds of rabbits.

A pool of bachelors or bachelorettes is recommended based on the adopter's description of their rabbit's personality. Please provide a description of your rabbit's personality, i.e., do they seem jumpy, grumpy, outgoing, shy, etc. A properly matched mate can help your rabbit overcome social problems they may currently exhibit and become a friendlier, happier rabbit.

The adopter will be asked to provide proof that their rabbit is spayed or neutered (i.e., vet reference from where this was done). Simply providing the name of the veterinarian who performed the surgery is sufficient as we will verify this with them. All single rabbits must have been spayed or neutered at least 30 days prior to the match. This is because the hormones take a full 30 days to flush from the system and help the rabbit’s hormonal behaviors subside. For example, a male rabbit can impregnate a female rabbit for up to 30 days after neutering!

The bunny match is conducted at a volunteer's house and the location decided on by the adopter and the rabbit matchmaker. The eligible rabbits are set up in separate pens at the match to relax and play prior to meeting the single girl or boy rabbit. A separate match pen is used to introduce the single rabbit to the eligible bachelors/bachelorettes one by one (or several at at time if some of the eligibles are littermates who have never been separated). They are then reintroduced a second time and the body language of the reactions are explained by the matchmaker (see Bonding articles for more detail).

Immediately after the bunny match, the rabbits must be bonded, again by our veteran bonder (who has done this hundreds of times), at her residence, which is neutral territory. This usually takes the time span of about one week. Bondings are lots of work making sure everything is discussed in advanced and the adopter knows what to expect.

After the bonding or "bunnymoon" is completed, the happy couple is delivered to the adopter's residence and the adopter is counseled on how to maintain the smooth relationship while the rabbits adjust to their new life as a couple. This is a delicate time and instructions must be carefully followed or the rabbits may require rebonding. In the rare event that the bonding is mismatched, another will be conducted the second most preferred rabbit from the original match. Very rarely, but sometimes, we encounter a rabbit (and we have some in foster) who we feel should remain single rabbits for reasons of owner-guarding or simply have no interest in other rabbits. This is very rare, however, but we may make this recommendation for some rabbits.

The adopter must provide photos (email digital ones) of the housing accomodations for the rabbits - not photos from a website selling cages, photos of the actual housing where it is in the adopter's property prior to the match actually being arranged so that we don't arrive to find a situation totally unsuitable for a bonded pair of rabbits or potentially unsafe, unsatisfactory conditions. This is part of the 'home check' which ensures the safety of the rabbit we adopt to you as well as your rabbit and is for your benefit and a lot of work for us which we happily provide. But please help us save time by having everything ready before we arrive with the newly bonded rabbits, usually this involves a lot of travel time and gasoline expenditure out of our own pockets (remember, we're an all-volunteer animal charity) and we appreciate your help so we don't have to make multiple or wasted trips.

Please let us know if you have any questions after reviewing this information. We go to great lengths to make sure your rabbit is happy with their new husbun or wifebun and provide you with caring support for the life of your rabbit as caring for rabbits through the span of there is truly an artform.