Well, I would not want to put a baby that young in to bond.

Have you considered adopting a rabbit from a rescue that is already neutered and the rescue can give you bonding tips?

http://www.rabbitresource.org/

Here’s a group in Austin with rescued rabbits that need homes.

IMO I think you’ve gone about it a bit wrong – although I know you have the best intentions! The reason the fur started flying was because you were no longer in neutral territory and Alliya viewed the new bunn as an intruder.

Firstly, separate them. Take the new bunny into a completely different room. Not knowing for sure what the sex of the new bunny is (SO difficult to tell at that age, even for an expert) be prepared for more issues if you should find out if it’s a female, not a male which would have been optimal. Secondly, I would wait until this new bunny was old enough to be spayed/neutered so that hormones are under the best control.

Here is a good link for bonding….

http://www.rabbitrescue.ca/Rabbit%20Info/bonding.html

And for litter training….

http://www.ontariorabbits.org/diet/behavinfo4.html

Good luck! And remember, bonding takes time, consistency and patience, but the payoff at the end is well worth it!

I think at 9 weeks they are pretty fragile and they can get injured more easily especially with an adult and like you said she was threatened. Also I agree it must be done when the time is right in neutral territory. Alliya may eventually change her mind but it will take time – she didn’t get off to a good start but with time she could accept the new rabbit.

You are best to wait until the baby is old enough and is altered. I’m currently trying to bond a younger rabbit with an older rabbit – she’s been spayed (about a month) but she’s still a real spitfire and the male is at least 2 years old and he’s not happy either because I am changing up his routine and he’s a little lazy from being a cage for a long time at the sanctuary I help at. Cupcake is young and full of life and she is chasing him and I think wants to be top bun. I’m not certain how old Cupcake really is – she was a stray that someone rescued with a broken leg – she is young though, definitely less than a year old since she’s still growing.

My last 2 bonds were a breeze so I am having to be creative with this bond.

Once the new baby is altered you will want to start a short time in a puppy pen and try the car drives and such. At this point though I would hold off since the start was pretty difficult for both of them. I would take baby to the vet though for a thorough check-up and sexing too since she is new too you – always good whether you get your rabbit from a pet store, breeder, or rescue before you do anything else.

When was Alliya spayed and about how old is she?

Some bonding are just more challenging than others. I think you can keep the baby in the same room as long as they are separate.

homepage.mac.com/mattocks/morfz/rabcare.html#bond

Also, here an extensive amount of good articles on bonding that you can read as well.

Oh my, well it could take even more than a month for hormones to calm down – wonder if a part of her behavior is a result of the bizarrely underdeveloped reproductive organs – it’s certainly possible. Although some rabbits just are how they are :~)

Good luck and do keep us update!

i think you’re gonna be in for quite a journey. if the bun is 9 weeks as you say and she is a girl, she will not even be able to be spayed for at least 3-5 months depending on your vet. the ideal is that you adopt an already neutered male, after bunny speed dating, and work to bond them from there. it’s not impossible that you can bond those two, but you’ve made a difficult task (under the best circumstances) much harder. let us know what you decide.

just a point to consider… make sure their separate cages are apart enough that they cannot nip each other through the cage bars.  also, watch closely who ever is out for free roam time, as they’ll tend to hang out around the other’s cage and could possibly nip at each other then too.  wascally wabbits!  good luck suzanne

Wow alot to take in huh? Don’t worry, bbm, apanda and I are also going the bonding route right now (you can read about it in our thread “the bonding adventures of pinky and rupert”). Mine is definitely going to be interesting as my bonded females are not getting along with my new male…Anyhoooo from what I’ve been reading, you CAN make ANY two bunnies bond, just takes time (….lots and lots of time….LOL)

You should not try to put them in the same cage together for a while. A cage isn’t considered neutral territory if your bun can still see that she’s at home. You’ll want to put them in a larger, enclosed area (such as an X-pen) so that the bun has a chance to get away if she gets aggressive. You should also be in the X-pen in the beginning to quench any such attacks. Remember, mounting good, biting bad.

Personally, I’d keep baby bunn in a separate room but I guess a separate cage in the same room is okay, too. Baby needs to be altered so her hormones are also in check. A spayed female can smell an unspayed female a mile away and it can drive them bonkers – at least that’s what happened in my house! Remember, rabbits have an unbelievable ability to hold a grudge so their fight might be hard for them to overcome. This is why I think a separate room would be preferable – a chance to “forget” and be re-introduced later. Neutral territory needs to be just that – a place that neither bunn can call their own. I usually use a bathroom. It also needs to be big enough that they can be apart from each other so as not to feel threatened by the immediate closeness of an “intruder”.

Yes, you may have to wait a while to spay her, but in the meantime, it will give Alliyah a chance to get used to her scent. And once the spaying is done, you can try the steps to bonding. Keep in mind, female/female bonding is considered the most difficult, but it CAN be done. Here’s hoping all works out for you and the bunnies!