If you know somebody who is considering adopting a bunny, it’s important they learn the pros and cons of being the parent of a house rabbit. I have just discovered the perfect educational tool that does just that. It’s a video Amy Sedaris made with the House Rabbit Society. It’s very short — less than two minutes long — but it does an excellent job of telling the house rabbit story in a nutshell.

It’s available from YouTube, and I encourage you to share it with others in the rabbit community. It really does cover all of the points that people need to be aware of before they make a big commitment…

“Many people feel guilty leaving their companion rabbit home alone all day, when they are at work.,” she said. “Adopting a partner bunny is the perfect solution. It’s not only good for your bunny; it’s good for you!”

According to Cotter, two bunnies are not twice the work of one, as long as they are bonded. “They share living quarters, food and water bowls, and even a litterbox – so the cleanup is essentially the same. And the bunnies entertain one another, groom one another, and keep each other company when their humans are not at home.”

“Introductions need to be done carefully,” says Margo DeMello, President of HRS, who lives with a group of bonded rabbits herself. “Rabbits typically can be aggressive when first introduced, and injuries can occur if they are not properly supervised.” She cautions that both rabbits must be spayed/neutered, not only to prevent breeding and health problems, but also so that their behavior toward one another is not determined by “raging hormones.”

“Rabbits, like people, need time to work out their relationships,” adds Cotter. “But a patient human caretaker will be well-rewarded: once they are bonded, there is just nothing more heartwarming than watching a bunny couple snuggle up to each other and kiss each other’s faces.”

HRS has chapters and representatives across the United States, as well as overseas, and most chapters offer bonded pairs for adoption, as well as single rabbits who can be bonded to a rabbit-in-residence. Many people new to rabbits prefer to start out with a single rabbit, and adopt a partner bunny at a later time.

“Adopters are welcome to contact any of our chapters at any time, for help in adopting or bonding rabbits,” says DeMello. “And there are several internet groups where bonding advice from HRS volunteers is also available, including a group dedicated to this topic only: groups.yahoo.com/group/bunbond/.”

The mission of HRS is twofold: to educate the public about these often-misunderstood companion animals, and to help rescue and “re-home” domestic rabbits. HRS advocates spaying and neutering rabbits – both for health reasons and also to help put an end to the animal overpopulation problem.

For more information on Adopt a Rescued Rabbit Month, log onto House Rabbit Society, or PetFinder. To find out more about adopting a rabbit, contact your local shelter or your your nearest HRS chapter. For more information on House Rabbit Society’s rescue and education work in your area, please call House Rabbit Society at (510) 970-7575.

The “Adopt a Rescued Rabbit Poster” may be downloaded from this page at the House Rabbit Society website.

Salad Lady and Tall Guy shot video footage while they were making the condo, and Tall Guy edited it into a video, which he also narrated. All his videos are now on the “Video” page.

Besides giving more details that didn’t fit into the video, this website also has other important information, such as how to support Vancouver Rabbit Rescue and Advocacy (VRRA), the kind people who rescued me and cared for me until I was adopted.

Hopefully, Salad Lady will write an article about bunny bonding, because every rabbit should have at least one other rabbit in their life. But bonding rabbits is a tricky business. Fortunately, Salad Lady and her friends have learned a lot about bonding, so I hope they will share those ideas on this website.

As well, I want to include links to other sources for information about how to care for house rabbits besides their shelter. We’re very different from dogs and cats, you know. Some of us may look cuddly and adorable, but we’re not stuffed toys. We have unique care requirements, and too many of my fellow lagomorphs aren’t as lucky as Red and me.

So, although this may be called the “Build a Rabbit Condo” web site, most likely it will grow to include other information about making sure you have happy, healthy bunnies in your house.