Well, I did take Quincy back to the shelter, and it turned out that another rabbit was a better match. She’s a large, funny rabbit with one pointy ear and one lop ear. She also wasn’t going to take Quincy’s rudeness and is bigger than he is.

We put the potential matches into a crate and wheeled them around the shelter on a cart. With the first, the one I thought would work, they were quiet but very uneasy. The second rabbit curled up around Quincy, who snuggled against her. We stopped the cart and watched them for a while. They nipped a few times but stopped when scolded, and overall seemed pretty relaxed for a first meeting. Quincy’s nipping seems solely due to frustration at not getting the kisses he’s asking for, so we worked on petting both of them to make them feel loved. She would nip him back for being a jerk. 🙂

Even though the rabbit I’m adopting was my favorite, I feel bad for the first one. She’s been at the shelter so long and that rabbit I’m taking was newer and had such a good personality she probably would have been adopted soon by anyone. But she was also clearly better for Quincy, so I guess I need to stop feeling bad.

They think that even though she used to have people and her litter habits are perfect she’s not spayed, so I’ll take her home after that’s done. She can’t recover with them because they can’t hold an adopted rabbit for long, so I will definitely be back here for advice on taking care of a recovering patient!

Any other advice for bonding two feisty bunnies would be appreciated! 🙂

Well, I brought Beulah home today. She was spayed on Friday, and she’s doing well. But Quincy is so much more vicious in his own territory!

I have her in a separate crate right now. She seems content and is really easy to handle (unlike Quincy, who never lets me pick him up). I knew Quincy was a little bothered by this new development, but I figured I should let him run around a little like usual. He immediately went to inspect her crate, which I thought would be okay. He attacked right off the bat! He was biting at her and making sounds like a vicious little dog. I was stupid and swiped him away instead of putting a barrier between them, and got a very nasty chomp on the wrist.

I made it so he can’t easily get in biting range again and I’m watching how he behaves. I’m trying to keep petting him and get him to be okay with it. Do you think after a few days when he’s used to her presence I can let him approach again? I won’t put them together until she heals, like you said, even if they do by some miracle become friends that fast.

Edit: Okay, do rabbits fart when they get aggressive?  The first time Quincy attacked, he left a doot and a really bad smell.  He just got feisty again, and this time there was no doot but still a bad smell.  Normally I don’t think bunny poop smells foul but this was truly bad.

Thanks! I really like her. I hope he will someday too! I was tempted to snuggle with her on the bed and watch TV because it’s nice to have a cuddly bunny, but I figured if Quincy smelled her there he’d pee on it like he did when I first got him and he wanted my bed to be his. 😀

So it’s been a few days and I’m not sure how things are going. Beulah seems to be happy overall. She’s an eager explorer and celebrates with big binkies. Her wound is also way less scary looking than I expected and seems to be healing fast.

I feel bad that I have to give them separate play times, which means less overall for both, but I live in a studio and can’t give them different rooms. (It’s Beulah’s turn out right now, and she flopped in front of Quincy’s cage. He flopped over too. And they’re both grooming their paws. Is that progress?) Quincy is definitely very curious about Beulah and frequently approaches her cage. I let him do it to see what will happen. He doesn’t always bite at her. Sometimes he’ll just bump noses with her and run off. But other times she does something he must find offensive, and he bites and claws. I can break it up pretty quickly though, either with the barrier or a quick spray of water. How do I read these actions? Is letting him do this productive?

And does it mean anything if they eat each other’s food in front of the other, or is that just hungry bunnies doing their thing?

Thanks!

Her name sounds like “BYOO-lah.”

Thanks for the advice. I can block her cage with cardboard, but unfortunately since I’ve only got one room I can’t separate the run spaces. When you say the biting looks less than promising, do you mean that it’s a bad sign, or that it just can make it look like things won’t go well even if it turns out fine in the end (*hopes*). Does Quincy pick up on Beulah’s hormones even though he was neutered long ago? Beulah isn’t bitey at all. She only boxes back if Quincy makes the first move, as far as I can tell. She did leave some doots on his linoleum though.

How do I keep them from eating the stunt double? 🙂 I haven’t had a problem with Beulah chewing inappropriate things yet, but Quincy will shred anything he can get to (except for toys, of course).