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I have two rabbits, Wifi and Frosty. I have had Wifi for about 2 years now and hes really sweet, never bites always behaves and listens. I got frosty about 3 months ago. I got him fixed (wifi was already fixed) and started pre-bonding. I knew it would be more difficult to bond two males but I had confidence that I would be able to do it. frosty tends to be more shy and aggressive but after being fixed he has started to become less aggressive but is still really shy. frosty did really well the first bonding session to my surprise but wifi did not. he wouldn’t even look at frosty. I started with a stress bonding session hoping it would put things off to a good start but wifi kept trying to climb on me looking for comfort and when I forced him to sit in the bin while I petted him and frosty he would try and bite frosty. if I let wifi look to me for comfort he is fine and doesn’t act aggressive towards frosty but if I ignore him or don’t allow him to climb up on me he gets goes after frosty who doesn’t do anything to provoke him.
how do I get wifi to pay less attention to me and focus more on frosty without making him upset and lash out on frosty?
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Hi there,
can you give a bit more info about how long you’ve been doing sessions and how long you’ve pre-bonded?
It’s very normal (and a good sign actually) for the rabbits to ignore each other at first when they are in a new location.
I personally haven’t had good luck with small spaces, unless it’s during stressing (like a car ride). I have had much better luck with large spaces. That way if one rabbit is scared they can move away from the other rabbit, rather than feel forced to bite.
When in the area with them, try not to sit down in the area with them or pet them if they come up to you for comfort. You can, however, pet them and swap scents when they approach each other to help them start to trust each other.
It’s best not to force them to interact (aside from putting them in the bonding area together), as they are just learning to trust each other. “ignoring” can mean that they are scoping the other rabbit out and deciding whether they are a threat. So, any session where they are not aggressive is a positive one, especially early on in the process. With shy bunnies especially, they can need extra time and space to decide whether they trust the other bunny, so it’s important to go at the bunnies’ pace.
. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
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