13/10/2026
It can be really hard when the rabbits we’ve fallen in love with aren’t compatible and don’t want to be friends!
Oftentimes guardians really struggle with the idea of returning one of them to the rescue they reserved them from but equally don’t feel able to adopt a friend for each of the single rabbits.
The answer, as simple and idealistic as it may seem, is not side by side living.
Rabbit bonds are complex things and can look like a lot of things, but they need to be able to wander around together, forage together, groom each other and spend time together and apart whenever they want. Side by side living does not allow for a true, blended bond.
It also creates two separate territories, not a mutual environment for them to live together. This is one of the reasons we don’t do ‘pre bonding’ activities: separate territories which can cause antagonistic behaviours and stress - and side by side living does not indicate what a bond looks like once rabbits are introduced in a neutral space.
By adopting from ethical rescues you’ll be given the chance to find the right bond for your single rabbit, and the support in either finding a friend for the rabbits needing them and the emotional support if returning a rabbit has to be a reality. Ethical rescues do not condone single rabbits, which is what side-by-side rabbits are.
All rabbits deserve the love and security of a true, strong bond.
