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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

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Forum BONDING Advice with bonding

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    • Ano
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        Hi there,

        we are currently going through intros with 2 males.  Long story how we ended up with 2 boys!

        Anyway, we stared off by putting them in separate  cages for a while, and tried taking them for a drive etc. Despite some initially growling at each other, it died down fast and they seemed to begin to get along – sleeping at the same end of the cage and next to each other.  We then put them together in the bath, and all goes great! They groom each other, they share food and they sleep together. By all accounts, they’re getting on great. The issues lie at the next part. They’re house bunnies, so no area except the bathroom has been out of bounds for them. (except their respective rooms). So when we move it on, although no fighting occurs, they do just chase each other around and around to no end. So we move it back to the bath, and all is fine again.

        So, where do we go from here? Is it just a case of taking it even slower? 

        Any advice would be great, thanks!




      • Mocha
        Participant
        509 posts Send Private Message

          Even bonded bunnies will have some issues so keep that in mind. My bunnies have been bonded for their whole life ( about two years) and they still sometimes chase each other. When they chase each other, I would go in with a dustpan and gloves and make a border between them.
          As long as they are not biting each other, then their bonding isn’t getting to bad.
          Have you tried putting them on the washer while it’s running, or putting them in a carrier with the vacuum’s on?


        • Sialia
          Participant
          53 posts Send Private Message

            I was in a similar situation with my two boys – there wasn’t much of the house that they hadn’t separately had access to prior to starting bonding.  I managed to find a small corner of our office, which was pretty much the only place they hadn’t been since it wasn’t bunny proofed, and used that as the neutral area to move them to after bathtub sessions.  Beyond that, there was nothing really neutral at all.

            So when it was time to move them to a slightly larger area for longer bonding sessions, I cordoned off a section of the living room (which they had both been in separately) and scrubbed it down really thoroughly with vinegar (luckily it has wood floors).  Then I put an x-pen there that neither of them had seen before, added some new mats and litter boxes, and then hung towels all around the sides so that they couldn’t see out and realize where they were.  That seemed to work pretty well as it simulated a neutral area, gave them a bit more space but wasn’t too big.  They did a bit of chasing and mounting in there but it wasn’t so big that the chasing got out of hand.

            After they’d had several really long dates in there (ranging from a couple of hours twice a day, up to 14-15 hour stretches), I opened up the gate so they could explore the living room a bit.

            Here’s a picture of the pen:


          • LizziAnn
            Participant
            84 posts Send Private Message

              My two did the same, they were fine in the small cornered off area, which they were in for their first stage of meetings, and then when I gave them the entire bathroom for more space Neji would start chasing and nipping Luna. (my bathroom was nuetral grounds)

              I put it down to Neji asserting himself as the the dominant bun because he had done this in the small space when first meeting Luna.
              Even after they moved in permanently together, when I opened up more of the flat for play Neji would nip Luna.
              My two are newly bonded and all nipping has stopped now, they are very happy together :3 I am sure yours will be soon.


            • Usagi1618
              Participant
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                With my boys it was bromance at first sight, I didn’t have to do a darn thing. There are still some dominance issues here and there and a little chasing and humping will ensure but it does not last for 10 seconds or so.


              • LittlePuffyTail
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                  I’m assuming your boys are neutered?


                • LongEaredLions
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                    I don’t think I would move back because of chasing. Gently break them up when they chase, but try to intervene as little as possible. It sounds like they are doing well!

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                Forum BONDING Advice with bonding