Bonding two rabbits (male and female), need help!

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This topic has 9sd replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 2 months ago by Elrohwen.

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- 12/12/2011 at 8:44 AM
  ChuckandCinnamin
  Participant
  7 posts
  I have a little over a year rabbit named Chuck which is mini lop (though he is a big boy!) neutered male. He has never liked being picked up, and has some rabbitude, but has always liked coming up to me and licking my nose from time to time. Recently hoping he would be happier with a friend, I rescued a female spayed dwarf lionhead (very tiny), named Cinnamin. Cinnamin has a little rabbitude as well, but doesn’t mind being picked up, but is very very skidish. At first when I tried introducing them, they just ignored each other and then Chuck went over to her and started biting her and then they were okay and Cinnamin and Chuck were kissing each other.
  
  We have a huge homeade bunny condo, so we constructed another cage and set it up right next to Chucks cage so they could see each other and be near each other, but not in the same cage. They were doing great and were snuggling through the cages together. Recently however, whenever we try to get them together to run around and play, Cinnamin is terrified of Chuck and runs away from him, while Chuck chases her. Once Chuck gets her in a corner, he bites her. Cinnamin doesn’t want anything to do with Chuck and won’t get close to him at all. In the beginning, Cinnamin would try to be near Chuck and now she is just petrified of him and Chuck now bites her. I don’t know what to do, but I would like for them to eventually be in the same cage together! Any ideas??
- 12/12/2011 at 8:48 AM
  Sarita
  Participant
  18851 posts
  Hi Chuck, I am going to move this to the Bonding section.
- 12/12/2011 at 8:52 AM
  Rabbit lover
  Participant
  258 posts
  You should start bonding in a small area like a bathtub.
- 12/12/2011 at 8:58 AM
  ChuckandCinnamin
  Participant
  7 posts
  Chuck is such a big jumper and would jump out if I try to put him in the bathtub. Should I still try? How long do you keep them in the bathtub together?
- 12/12/2011 at 9:11 AM
  Rabbit lover
  Participant
  258 posts
  I would keep them in the tub for five minutes try to stress them out as much as possible turn on a vacume. Also take them on a car ride together they will get very stressed and will look to eachother for comfort.
- 12/12/2011 at 1:12 PM
  Stickerbunny
  Participant
  4128 posts
  You want a neutral territory, keep gloves on hand in case you need to break up fights. Don’t put anything they could/should fight over in the territory (litter boxes, etc). SOME nipping can be normal dominance, as long as they aren’t hurting each other… but don’t let things escalate to a true fight. If they won’t stay in the bath tub you could use the bathroom floor with the door shut, as long as the bathroom isn’t a place either bun usually goes and block off anything they can run underneath. Also, spray bottle of water helps prevent the aggressive bun from stressing the other out too badly.
- 12/12/2011 at 2:04 PM
  Bunniesandferrets
  Participant
  39 posts
  We adopted our two already bonded, however i do know quite a bit about bonding
  You said Chuck was a jumper. the reason that the bath tub is such a good idea is because rabbits have fur on the bottom of their feet, and a bath tub is slippery.
  Your little girl is afraid because he is a big boy and it is already his territory. you put another bunny in his territory and he wants it back.
  This may sound weird.. but he may try to hump her. this is a dominance thing so please don’t think he is not completely fixed my female does it to my male every so often!
  keep some leather gloves or even an oven mitt in case they fight, when a bunbun bites, sometimes it is HARD eep!
  start doing this for five minutes for a week. then after a week do it for ten minutes eventually they will get used to each other
  
  KEEP IN MIND
  once they are bonded you CANNOT seperate them for ANY reason. they will become highly depressed and will refuse food and water and eventually..die.
  I had to bring Mimzy to the vet and i swear we were gone for a half an hour(to get some reveloution for fleas) and when we came back and let them together Frank pretty much sat on her for how much he missed her. and hes so fat!!!! poor mimzy
- 12/13/2011 at 10:39 AM
  peppypoo
  Participant
  1945 posts
  Sounds like you might want to take a step back and try bonding them from the beginning again. Here are some great bonding tips:
  
  https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/BondingInfo/tabid/63/Default.aspx
  
  (p.s. Chuck is adorable!)
- 01/03/2012 at 10:37 AM
  ChuckandCinnamin
  Participant
  7 posts
  Thank you for all the suggestions and help! We have made some progress with them on my bed. Chuck will put his head down and was being very gentle with Cinnamin and Cinnamin stopped trying to run away from him and even gave Chuck a kiss
  
  Once they get back into their bedroom though, they ignore each other for the most part, and then when Chuck will try to get close to Cinnamin, she bolts for her life! Cinnamin loves going into Chuck’s giant bunny condo, and CHuck doesn’t seem to mind, but once he tries to get near her, she runs away in fear and will go hide so he can’t get near her!
  
  Do you think that I shouldn’t let them run around their bedroom because it is too big of a space and they haven’t bonded yet??
- 01/03/2012 at 11:12 AM
  Elrohwen
  Participant
  7318 posts
  Welcome!
  
  I think keeping them in a smaller space for now is a good idea. They have too much opportunity to ignore each other in a big space rather than really bonding. Even once they move in together it’s often recommended that you keep them in a small-ish enclosure full time for a couple days so they can really cement their bond.
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