First, they need to be separated, at all times. Baby bunnies don’t bond, and unless you’ve been to a bunny-savvy vet that can indeed confirm they are both make, you could very well end up with a litter on your hands. Humping is not okay in baby bunnies and can stress out the other bun enough to fight back. They both need to be fixed, and gone through the proper bonding process. At this age all they want to do is fight and mate. Please take my word on this. Bunny fights can be deadly and they are terrifying, and if you aren’t there if something goes wrong, one could be seriously injured.

Yes it sounds like honking, which is hormonal. Which why, again, they need to be separate at all times.

Buying them as a pair when they’re young means nothing. Humping at this age is aggression, especially if it’s a lot like you mentioned above. One day the one being humped is going to stop tolerating it and it’s going to get nasty. I hope you’re there to stop it and I hope neither one gets seriously hurt. Vets also aren’t aware always of the nuances of bunny behavior, especially with something so delicate as bonding.

I’m really not trying to be rude, but please go through this forum through the posts with people just like you. Vets said they could keep bunnies together, and they as well didn’t want to separate them despite warning signs like humping, and the bunnies get into a serious fight. Separation is prevention. So they don’t end up becoming aggressive with each other. Again, they my seem close to each other now, but really if something does get out of hand, it goes down in the blink of an eye. Bunny fights are scary because they really are out to kill the other bunny. There have been bunnies who have gotten into fights and now have chunks of ears missing, a nose bitten into, or even testicles bitten. Bunnies that fight can hold grudges making bonding more difficult than it should be.

My boys were together until 12 weeks old. Bombur relentlessly humped Asriel when he was in a humping mood. Asriel finally got sick of it and fought back. Needless to say, my husband now has a scar from an innocent and cute looking bunny while trying to separate their fight. Bombur is still pretty weary of Asriel (who has shown him nothing but love since they’ve been fixed and in sessions) all because of one incident back in 2017.

Considering the circumstances, I think it’s a form of honking. Typically, if a rabbit is wheezing, it will occur continuously or after any period of activity strain.

It can be confusing to have contradicting opinions on what is “right” and “wrong” with rabbits. It is true that rabbits are social animals, and that they generally do better in pairs. “Baby” rabbits, as in rabbits who have not developed/experienced their hormones, get along very well with each other because there’s nothing pulling them to not like/overly like each other, like a hormone telling them to find a mate/defend their territory. As these hormones come about though, we see them reflected in various ways. As A&B describes, some rabbits, literally overnight, have very vicious fights while others become extremely hump-oriented, and either direction can really strain the relationship between the rabbits.

Hormones are very unpredictable and the behaviors can occur very spontaneously. The logic behind separation until neuters/sprays is that you eliminate the possibility of one of them harming the other because they suddenly have an aggressive, hormone-driven reaction to something.

Keep in mind that rabbits who are not together prior to neuter/spay are not necessarily more or less likely to actually formally bond when they are ready. What can hinder a bond is having a “bad history”, which can include uncalled for humping from one rabbit to another, and in those cases, the rabbits need to essentially “forget each other” before they can bond at times.

In short, the advice to separate is a very good precaution to ensure the overall health and happiness of non-fixed rabbits, because there are instances where they are cuddly for so long, but one day a “switch” triggers and the relationship becomes very dangerous, as hormones are so directive towards rabbit behavior. What are your thoughts on this?

Hi there! I understand it’s frustrating when there are conflicting answers, especially when one is coming from a vet and you want to trust everything they say. You will see though that the majority of people will agree with what was recommended here. The safest way to bond is to wait until they are fixed, healed, hormones settled and prebonding is done.

I am so glad you decided to separate them! The risk of keeping them together is not worth it. I know you said you will let them play together. I would recommend not even letting them do this. Even with watching them you can’t always stop something from happening and trust me from experience things can happen fast. I would recommend having no direct contact between the two until you are ready for bonding. I even cringe when I see people who allow bunnies to interact in between cage bars because damage can happen even with bars between them. It’s just asking for unnecessary trouble. I promise it’s worth doing it the safe way!

Good luck with the bonding and please keep us posted on how it goes!