?Difficulty introducing 3rd rabbit to bonded female pair?

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This topic has 3sd replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 8 years, 8 months ago by vanessa.

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- 06/04/2017 at 1:06 AM
  FluffyFluffle
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  4 posts
  I have a newly rescued male rabbit, around 3-4 months old, that I’m attempting to introduce to a bonded pair of dwarf rabbits that are both female. All 3 are fixed. One of the females (Lilac) took to him right away, but the other female (Nova) keeps attempting to nip him. Nothing to aggressive but enough that I wouldn’t let them run around together without me sitting on the floor while holding the male so that if Nova nips him, she only gets my hands instead of him. When I hold Nova the male will just groom her and try to cuddle with her but she doesn’t reciprocate.
  
  Lilac, the rabbit Nova is bonded with, loves the male though. They run, play, groom each other, and cuddle with no issues.
  
  Does anyone have any suggestions on how to help Nova bond with the new male? I’ve already tried slow introductions, always in a neutral area & I’ve tried putting them in separate crates with bedding, hay, and water for a couple hours at a time for the past few days and placing the fronts of the crates together so they could get to know each other through the wire doors of the crates. If anyone has any other ideas I’d really appreciate the advice!
  Thank you!
- 06/04/2017 at 4:40 AM
  vanessa
  Participant
  2212 posts
  How long have you been bonding them? It can take months. Assuming you did prebonding for at least a month, it could still take more time.
- 06/04/2017 at 10:02 PM
  FluffyFluffle
  Participant
  4 posts
  It’s been several weeks now. Probably 6 weeks. The thing is nova is friendly with everyone else except one other female that I’m fostering who I have to keep separate from everyone else anyway because she is still nursing a litter of kits. So I’m not sure why Nova has decided she doesn’t want this one male around. That’s why I was hoping someone had some other ideas I could try. They both are very friendly rabbits except with eachother.
- 06/05/2017 at 8:31 AM
  vanessa
  Participant
  2212 posts
  I’m a bit confused – all three are fixed but on is nursing a litter of kits?
  “Nova is friendly with everyone else except one of the females” and “Nova has decided she doesn’t want this one male around”…
  So who is Nova friendly with – the female who is nursing the kits or the male? It sounds like Lilac is friendly with the male? 3-4months is young for a male to be neutered. Are you sure he is neutered?
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