Bonding a baby to an older bunny

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This topic has 3sd replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 7 years, 1 month ago by DanaNM.

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- 12/07/2018 at 1:33 PM
  Maple
  Participant
  4 posts
  Hi everybun, I’m new to the forum so I apologize if I did something wrong creating this post, I wasn’t sure what to do.
  
  I have a 10 month old female bunny called Maple, she was spayed when she was almost 6 months old! She is an adorable bunny but not very cuddly and I have always thought on getting her a friend so she won’t feel so alone during the time my husband and I are at work.
  
  My friend’s duo had a litter and she’s donating the babies so I thought I would get one. I will be getting the new bunny on December 26th (SUPER EXCITING ???) she took the babies to the vet and I will be getting a male which I named Dusty, he will be 2 and half months old when he arrives home!
  
  I read a lot about the bonding process and how is recommended to have the both bunnies fixed before introducing them, and all the controversies on bonding a baby to and older bunny but here is my questions. I had a plan to keep Dusty the new bunny on my living room and leave Maple on her bedroom as usual until Dusty gets neutered, but I thought during this whole period I could introduce their scent to each other by exchanging their litter box and stuffed animals and maybe occasionally have them seeing each other. Now I wonder if that’s a good idea since once Dusty hormones kicks in won’t he become territorial and dislike Maple’s scent in his cage?
  Is that a good idea at all or should I just keep them apart until he gets neutered?
  
  If someone has another idea for me, please let me know I’m really confused about all this.
  
  Thank you very much for reading all this and taking the time to help me! Sorry for any English mistakes it’s my second language.
- 12/07/2018 at 1:45 PM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9064 posts
  Hi there, welcome
  
  And congrats on the new bun
  
  So, since Maple is spayed, you can have them side by side if you want, and/or do pre-bonding litter box swaps etc, if you would like. It won’t harm anything, but it probably won’t help much either, as his scent will change a lot once he hits puberty, and again once he is neutered. I’m guessing Maple’s litter box habits will go out the window with a stinky hormonal teenager around. :p So you really won’t be able to start the “pre-bonding clock” until he’s neutered.
  
  So if it were me, I would probably just wait until he’s neutered and healed to start the pre-bonding things, just because it’s less work (and less work cleaning up all the territorial marking!).
  
  . . . 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.
- 12/08/2018 at 5:18 AM
  Maple
  Participant
  4 posts
  Hi thank you so much for your answer ??
  I did not know their scent change throughout the growing up period, even though now that you mentioned makes a lot of sense haha
  Thanks very much for your help, I will follow your advice and wait for Dusty to be ready for bonding!
- 12/08/2018 at 12:57 PM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9064 posts
  You’re welcome!
  
  Of course we would love to see pics of baby Dusty, and Maple too!
  
  . . . 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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