Hi all,

About two months ago, I came to the forums looking for advice on adding a baby female to my pair. She had been rescued from a bad situation and I had her in a separate room in my home, but that wasn’t a permament solution. Initially I thought she was a boy but finding out she was a girl had me realize I was in for a tougher time….

My two resident buns were Moon (a 5-month old, spayed holland lop) and Pepper (a 4 year old rescue, neutered, standard chinchilla who came after Moon). Within about 3 weeks  of bringing home the baby, Percy, I had an affectionate trio. This is my story.

****PLEASE do not take this as a lecture or as professional advice. There are many opinions on bonding and there may be strong beliefs that I did something “wrong.” I just want to share this story to put the word out there that this CAN be done… quickly, and basically drama-free***

First, on a semi-regular basis, I would bring toys, blankets, and even used litter from Percy’s room to the main bun room to introduce her smell.

Second, I did a few intro sessions in the room adjoining the bun room. Moon would chase Percy, who would approach her cautiously and then dart away. Pepper would check out Percy but that’s it. Lots of chasing from Moon. I knew Moon/Percy would be the pair that needed the most work.

Later on, I tried hallway intro’s. This seemed to be the most stressful scenario for the females, and it affected Pepper. Moon would chase, and Pepper would ‘discipline’ her with a slap on the head. Moon marked a fair bit, but Pepper only marked with a pellet or two. Percy would continue to act skittish around Moon, somewhat egging her on by approaching and then dashing off. However, after not too long Moon managed to keep her space by hunching in a corner while the other two checked themselves out.

Once hallway intros were more calm (really, this only took about two sessions), I brought Percy to the bun room. Same business between the girls, with Pepper acting as referee-chief. When Moon would get too overzealous, I would block her and give her a gentle push on the nose, and she would calm down and back off immediately. 

After a few sessions, I put the girls in a tub on top of the dryer (which is in the bun room), to ‘stress’ them together. Moon kept up the friskiness but nothing serious. I held them next to eachother firmly for about 5 minutes, and then put them back on the ground.

My next step was feeding treats. They all ate side by side and took vegetables in turn without issue.

I felt confident extending their time together in the bun room, and soon brought Percy’s cat tent/”crate” down so that she could sleep in the same room but in different quarters. Within a few days, ALL issues between the girls had subsided completely. Within a few more days, they were eager to be near each other when Percy was caged separately. So, within a few MORE days, after some hemming and hawing, I caged them together. They were totally fine. Soon I realized it was safe to leave them overnight. And it was: there were no issues, and in the mornings they’d all be cuddled together.

This was all completed about 5 weeks ago. Now they are all the BEST of friends, especially the two girls, although Percy and Pepper will sleep side by side each night with Moon on her own nearby. Percy has been spayed and recovered fully without issue or behavioral changes in the group. They all groom each other and flop together or loaf in two or in the trio. Having three bunnies is a blast: the constantly shifting antics and dynamics are so fun to watch… it’s never the same. 

I think a major contributing factor to this easy success was Pepper. Having one totally chill, no-drama rabbit helped to order the social ranks and keep the ladies in check. Perhaps his experience moving homes and being in foster desensitized him a bit. Either way, it’s all said and done and life is happy in the bun room.