I don’t know where you live, so this is not a judgement or anything, just sharing from experience. When you get your aviary up, I would suggest putting solid siding around the bottom 24″. I had similar outdoor enclosures years ago, and if a fox or stray dog or something gets into the yard, it WILL try to pull your buns out through the fencing.

Another fun idea. Not sure which breed you have but, in one outdoor enclosure we had long lengths of that corrogated plastic black drain pipe. We wired it up round the sides and they loved climbing through it.

I have never had luck with male/male bonds. I’ve had luck with male/female/female bonds. I have found outdoor bonds were much easier and straightforward than indoor bonds.

Since the new aviary will be neutral territory, it would probably be best if they all get introduced at the same time to the new space, no one will “own” it.

That is my concern as well. I would be most worried about any animal being able to get to them, so really take extra precautions. Years ago when we had Thumper she was housed in a hutch outside during the spring,summer,fall time. Her hutch was probably about two feet off the ground, but that didnt stop a raccoon from trying to get to her once. Luckily there was no damage to her or the hutch. We had her very secure inside. Just be very cautious with that.

I just want to echo what BunnyLady said about raccoons. They can open a surprising number of things (including spring-hook type cage latches) and they WILL go after bunnies
The only thing I have found that they cannot open is snaps (like the clip at the end of a dog leash)

Ah I see. Yes that does clarify thank you
As far as bonding goes it can be successful yet it also may not be. This really goes for ANY bond. For the most part there are more successes than fails. I guess just be prepared if the bond will not take. Some bunns prefer to just be bonded to you versus another bunny. If the bond does take, will all three be housed in the same bedtime hutch?

I don’t know If you’ve gone to get your bunny yet. But I highly recommend that you do everything in your power to get the store to let you bring your current bunnies in for a “date”. I’m bonding a male/male/female right now and the buns behave very differently around each other than separate. Mine went on a date that went extraordinarily well (grooming and everything). But at home they turned into fluffy nutcases again. I can’t imagine trying to bond a trio that’s a bad match.

Henry will probably be very aggressive with the New Bun. With a completely outdoor situation you need to be cautious about making sure their living situation keeps everyone safe from the elements and each other. You mention that your pair had an easy bond. Erase that bond from your memory go into this third bond with the mindset that this is going to be the worst most grueling bond ever and these rabbits are going to try to kill each other. Sorry to say that about your birthday present, but buns can be crazy in trios. When there’s only two they are on some level stuck with each other. But with three, especially with an established pair they’re going to be extra territorial. It’ll help if you can keep their interactions to completely neutral territory for a while. You joke about a Flemish but getting a rabbit that’s the same size or bigger than your current buns might help keep them from beating each other up.

Be aware that your current pair will probably start fighting/humping more than usual and may come unbonded. It’s not likely to be a huge problem. But its worth it to be vigilant about checking the current pair for signs that something’s gone wrong.

Having three bunnies is wonderful. I wish you all the luck in the world with your bonding.

Well, that’s a pickle. I’m going to retract my suggestion for a date, because I’ve never done a date with an unaltered rabbit. They’d probably fight even if they’re a good personality match. I worry about bringing a male into a trio with a female with out the rabbits picking each other. If it’s your only option then pick a submissive male and make sure you have a plan to support the rabbits being able to live separately in case the bond fails or takes years to establish.

It really would be easier to bring home a female than a male. Especially since it sounds like Henry is the dominant partner. Honestly, I think you’re going to need a lot of luck with this one. It will be really important to keep the boys from fighting and they are almost certainly going to try. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen rabbits fight before. It’s relatively easy to stop it before it happens but once they get going they can do a lot of harm. After the new bun is healed from neutering, I’d keep him living separately while you introduce him to the pair. Do the dates separately with the new bunny and Henry then the new bunny and Mouse. You don’t need them to love each other but if you can make sure they don’t hate each other before you do a trio date that will help.

I’m in this situation. I have two buns who are bonded. Harley, a boy, and Sally, a girl. They’ve been bonded for a year now and Harley is the dominate one. I rescued a male bunny and I can already tell it’s gonna be a tough bond. But definitely doable. Harley and Bam (the new guy) will fight given the chance. I’ve been putting bam in the crate and letting Harley come around the crate. But I have to use the coriander to keep them from biting eachother through the grid door of the crate. It’s definitely going to be a lot of work to get bam and Harley to coexist. And I’ve noticed Harley is definitely reminding Sally he’s top bun. He won’t let Sally near the gate. If she gets to close he will chase and hump her.

I’m going to start bonding soon now since Bam is healed up from his neuter. We have no neutral territories as the house is pretty small so I’m going to try the bathtub, or outside. But I’ll probably jump right into stress bonding. Keep us posted on how it goes. I’ll be eyeing this since I’m in a similar situation.

That sounds like you’re in a great situation. I’ve heard wonderful things about the Georgia HRS. Sorry for the being super nihilistic about bonding. But I tried two buns who had an okay date and things got so ugly that there was no way to keep them in the same house without doing a disservice to the well being of both buns. If the bun I’d adopted to bond didn’t have a foster mom who adored her and was thrilled to have her back, then I would have been in serious trouble.

I think the reason trios tend to work better with two females is because they’re not in direct competition with each other reproduction wise (even though they can’t have litters anyway). In my group Amy’s the alpha and she’s been doing at least as much work as me to make the bond work and the boys are still being buttheads. It sounds like your guys will be able to bond with anybody eventually (Mouse sounds like the cutest thing ever).

I’m extremely jealous of you if you get a Flemish Giant. I’ve always wanted one, but never had enough room. I’ve heard they tend to be happier than other breeds living outside as well.

Please post pictures when you get him/her?

OMG she is SO cute! How could you let her little precious feet hit the ground? I’d have to cuddle and nurse her every minute of every day! LOL!

I can’t see the picture on my phone but I will have to check the lab top. She sounds so precious!

Poor LEL can’t see pic of adorable fluffeh baby lionhead. *cries*