What is the best age to get a bunny in order to form a nice bond with it? I am leaning toward getting an older bunny, but want to be sure that we can still become buddies.
All the adult bunnies I've had bonded to me no problem. Real lap bunnies. Sometimes, you can actually get a better feel for an individual's personality when they are already grown. As a note though, I've only owned males myself. I find they tend to not go through the hormonal craziness some does do. Some breeds have been bred for their temperament more than others as well.
A bun over 8-12 weeks old can be great pets if it's used to human interaction, depending on what your def of bonding is. Bucks generally make better pets, but both genders are usually fine pets if altered. Unaltered bucks have their own issues like does do. Bonding will depend on the individual rabbit and what you consider "bonding" to be. Some rabbits will never be cuddlers and will never enjoy being picked up or held even if you get them well handled at 8 weeks old. Others won't be able to get enough of it if you get them at 2 years old. So much depends on the individual rabbit. That being said , english lops can be such cuddle bunnie sweetie pies...altered, of course, like any breed.
Quote:Agreed!!! Bunnies need to be handled from day 1 to be lap pets. If not handled, then they are nippy and don't like handling at all.
If you want the odds on your side, I would say 8-12 weeks old. That having been said I have gotten some juniors and seniors that came to me very flighty and skitish, but with regular handling, LOTS of treats and soothing words they have all calmed down and bonded to me. Only a few make a complete turn around to lap bunny, but the others will let me pick them up, brush them, clip their nails and pet them no problem.
We've had lots of bun's. Three of them were rescues that were found running loose. My husbands old shop used to back up to a bad neighborhood and loose rabbits were common. One arrived at the shop one day, came right to him and sat on his boot! Another was purchased at a younger age from a pet store. Our current two were bought from a breeder at 8 weeks of age. All of these rabbits became very nice, friendly pets. Two of the adults that found were running loose were a little scared at first but they settled right in and were completely friendly. The two from the breeder are the same, very sweet, very friendly, you can do anything with them. All have been does except for one but the buck was friendly too. So I think you really can have a perfectly nice pet no matter what age you start out with unless the bun is a nasty, grouchy one to begine with. There's bad apples in every group but generally, with consistent good care and handling, you should have yourself a nice pet.
Yes they must be handled gently as soon as possible. As long as you do that a older bunny will be fine. Give them treats and hold them (but not too much) until they see you're not a threat but a friend. But take it slowly!
You can bond with a rabbit at any age as long a love and care is applied. Younger rabbits can imprint on you more though.
