You can create neutral space by washing area over with vinegar and water. I did this by putting a pen in the kitchen and covering the sides with sheets after mopping floor with vinegar+water. So it was like a new unfamiliar area to them. Other areas you could try are bath tub if you have one, shower stall or laundy.

It is actually a great start if the bunnies are ignoring each other – it is rare for bunnies to groom one another on the first date. Ignoring each other is a sign that they don’t intend to hurt one another, and are trying not to pose a threat to one another. It sounds like the kitchen worked well for a neutral area, if it wasn’t neutral then I think one would have tried to show dominance over the other.

Two more neutral places could be a bathroom, especially supervised in a dry tub, and a hallway. You could block off the ends of a hall with baby gates.

Also, read up on the Bonding section for more tips. It’s in the green banner above under Bunny Info.

I have also heard of beginning the bonding with car rides together in a carrier. They bunnies are both in it, you drive them around, and for some reason the motion and neutral place makes them stay calmly together.

Beka had great success with a series of sessions by putting two bunnies in a laundry basket sitting on top of a running dryer. The motion had the same effect as a car. If you look at her thread in the bonding section, it makes a great story full of tips!

It’s just natural for rabbits to want to explore when they get in a different space so I say that you should let them explore the space and once they get past this then they can start working on bonding with the other rabbit – ignoring is fine too.

It is much easier if you can take them out of your own space, like maybe the hallway where neither of them have been. Or to a neighbors bathroom for maybe the first few sessions. I think taking my male and female to a shelter to bond played a huge role in my success. Also they were both aware of the other in my house – they had access to a family poop dish that had each others urine and poop in it. So it was familiar.

If the bunnies like each other (this happens often because most bunnies just like to be around other bunnies) then you shouldn’t need to stress them. I would try just putting them with each other in a somewhat confined area 4 x 6 feet or whatever will work and have a grease spatter screen (it’s metal and flat and has a long handle on it) with heavy gloves on in case you have to separate them. I researched for weeks reading everything I could and then got a video on bonding and still wasn’t prepared for the chasing, circling and nipping with my 2 females that hate each other. But the second male – female bond was a breeze for me…..good luck and keep posting here – these people really know what they are talking about…

You may actually want to try and bond all four at the same time. If you have pairs, jealousy issues could erupt when boy from group A goes to check out girl from pair B. It requires a bit more time watching but can work a bit better. If the foursome seems too much to handle though, pair bonding first is better.

All of those bonding session sound like really great starts. The only bad start to a bonding session really is an all out fight where someone gets nipped or injured. A few tiffs here and there are normal, so don’t worry too much about those, but monitor them very closely so it doesn’t get out of hand. Are you still using the kitchen or did you change locations?