Bonding bunnies
Discussion
Hi all
I'm looking for some advice and opinions on the best way to bond some bunnies.
We are currently trying to bond a 5 month old spayed lop (lively but very loving) and and a 18month old neutered dwarf/lionhead cross (very chilled) At the moment the lion head has his own run but this is within the lops usual territory, I know this isn't ideal.
when they meet through the cages at the moment they often have have a nose to nose sniff, occasionally the lop will nip him and he will respond, both their tails are usually down and when given the choice they will lie down close to each others pen, although this is with a back turned to the other one. My gut instnt says they are curious but wary.
They have been incontact through the cages for around 3 days now and we want to introduce them. Does this sound promising so far? I've seen some bonding and I would hate to deal with fighting.
Thanks in advance.
I'm looking for some advice and opinions on the best way to bond some bunnies.
We are currently trying to bond a 5 month old spayed lop (lively but very loving) and and a 18month old neutered dwarf/lionhead cross (very chilled) At the moment the lion head has his own run but this is within the lops usual territory, I know this isn't ideal.
when they meet through the cages at the moment they often have have a nose to nose sniff, occasionally the lop will nip him and he will respond, both their tails are usually down and when given the choice they will lie down close to each others pen, although this is with a back turned to the other one. My gut instnt says they are curious but wary.
They have been incontact through the cages for around 3 days now and we want to introduce them. Does this sound promising so far? I've seen some bonding and I would hate to deal with fighting.
Thanks in advance.
kowalski655 said:
people get all pissy about Korean's or China eating dogs and vent their outrage on social media but it's fair game to take the piss out of how badly rabbits are treated or have been in the past. It's this kind attitude that they are lesser creatures that leads to them being bought as easter presents or not given the protection they deserve.
To bond ours we took an approach of letting them get on with it but ensuring neither looked stressed or there was any fighting.
The male chased the female a round for a little bit; we separated, let them share food and introduce. This quick approach worked really well for them as it let them arrange their own dominance hierarchy, the female is actually more dominant than the male now.
This may not work for every rabbit, so be sure to make sure there’s no fighting but other than that let them communicate between themselves.
The male chased the female a round for a little bit; we separated, let them share food and introduce. This quick approach worked really well for them as it let them arrange their own dominance hierarchy, the female is actually more dominant than the male now.
This may not work for every rabbit, so be sure to make sure there’s no fighting but other than that let them communicate between themselves.
I've done (I think) 4 successful bondings now - 3 between a male and female and the most recent between 3 males. All have been neutered. The process I've always used is as follows:
Each in a hutch with access to a shared area (run) with a mesh barrier dividing it.
At least a week in their respective area.
After a week, swap them to the other's hutch/run area.
At least a week in the other rabbit's area.
If there are no excessive signs of aggression, conduct introductions in a neutral area - I use another run on paving or grass.
Introductions should be carefully supervised - a bit of chasing, mounting and scuffling is fairly normal but you need to be ready to intervene/remove if they really start attacking each other. They can damage each other seriously very quickly.
If you have toys and/or food in the run, put several toys/bowls/piles of hay, so they're not competing for the same resource.
If they start sharing food and/or groom each other, that's a good sign.
You may not have success straight away, but if they don't absolutely hate each other, you can try again. I did this with my boys - the first introduction was okay but not great, so I put them back in their respective hutches/areas for another week then tried again. The second introduction went much better and I was then able to put them together permanently.
Once it seems they're okay together, it's a good idea to 'neutralise' the hutch and run they are going to be living in, using an animal friendly disinfectant.
It might seem a long and involved process, but it is worth it! Good luck.
Each in a hutch with access to a shared area (run) with a mesh barrier dividing it.
At least a week in their respective area.
After a week, swap them to the other's hutch/run area.
At least a week in the other rabbit's area.
If there are no excessive signs of aggression, conduct introductions in a neutral area - I use another run on paving or grass.
Introductions should be carefully supervised - a bit of chasing, mounting and scuffling is fairly normal but you need to be ready to intervene/remove if they really start attacking each other. They can damage each other seriously very quickly.
If you have toys and/or food in the run, put several toys/bowls/piles of hay, so they're not competing for the same resource.
If they start sharing food and/or groom each other, that's a good sign.
You may not have success straight away, but if they don't absolutely hate each other, you can try again. I did this with my boys - the first introduction was okay but not great, so I put them back in their respective hutches/areas for another week then tried again. The second introduction went much better and I was then able to put them together permanently.
Once it seems they're okay together, it's a good idea to 'neutralise' the hutch and run they are going to be living in, using an animal friendly disinfectant.
It might seem a long and involved process, but it is worth it! Good luck.
kowalski655 said:
To be honest I was just making a (piss poor apparently) joke about bunnies bonding/glue 
I would never condone the wrong treatment of rabbits, or any other animal for that matter!
Sorry rough day I can see it was meant as a joke. Just an update. Bunnies have met and think they did well. They Sat next to each other and did request fuss from each other. They did have a few spas but did separate and no injuries thankfully. I would never condone the wrong treatment of rabbits, or any other animal for that matter!
Another method a rabbit rescue person said was to put them together in a catbox and put the cat box in the car for a short drive or put it next to the washing machine. They will get a bit nervous and find confort in each other. Obviously you dont want to scare the s
t out of them but get them a little nervous in a confined space.
Thankfully not had to go through the bonding process.
t out of them but get them a little nervous in a confined space. Thankfully not had to go through the bonding process.
Edited by bazza white on Wednesday 21st February 19:42
bazza white said:
Another method a rabbit rescue person said was to put them together in a catbox and put the cat box in the car for a short drive or put it next to the washing machine. They will get a bit nervous and find confort in each other. Obviously you dont want to scare the st out of them but get them a little nervous in a confined space.
Thankfully not had to go through the bonding process.
I've heard of that method too, but personally I wouldn't want to be driving (or even a passenger) in a car with two rabbits in a confined space who might suddenly start fighting. It's much easier to intervene and separate them if they're in a run and you are watching them.t out of them but get them a little nervous in a confined space. Thankfully not had to go through the bonding process.
Edited by bazza white on Wednesday 21st February 19:42
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