Adding a third bunny to a pair

[BunnyMama<3]

I have had two bunnies a male (Howl) and a female (Luna) since they were under a year old. They are now 4 and have been bonded for 3 months. The bond was a bit difficult, but moving to a new apartment in the last year really caused them to be fully bonded. I assume Luna is dominant because she constantly solicits grooming from Howl and will mount him and rarely grooms him. Howl really enjoys licking things like my blanket, the wall, the floor, anything really. So I get a bit confused about their heirarchy because of this and because Howl will usually be the one to nip her if he gets excited (I’ve found tufts of her hair only, never his) and he still tries to mount her from time to time and chases her. Although recently they really have been doing much less of this. She never allows him to mount her, but somietimes he uses the mounting to get her to move so he can access their veggies or water bowl. She will sometimes nip him over treats or veggies. On the other hand, he follows her everywhere and it really does seem like Luna is dominant. He is a nervous kinda guy so I think he finds comfort in following her around.

I’m adopting a third rabbit very soon that I can house separately, but I would like them to be a trio one day. I adopted a third in February, but he tragically passed away suddenly one evening recently due to what the ER thought was a vestibular/neurological problem. Possibly head tilt?  With that third bunny (Orion, male, 1.6 yrs) we did only 3 dates with Luna and Howl (only 2 bunnies at a time) and Howl went to attack him the first 2 times, and then ignored him on the third. Luna was indifferent to him the first two times and then clung onto his face on the third date. I literally had to tear them apart. He only lost some fur though. As far as Luna and Howl’s relationship with Orion’s prescence, Howl would chase and nip Luna, but she didn’t seem bothered by this or by Orion, or at least she never acted aggressively towards Howl. They seemed to be getting better with this though as time went on.

So my question is, would a male or a female bunny  be better for my pair?

[Beka27]

From what you’ve shared of their difficult bonding, I don’t think a third at this point is a good idea. They are still in “the danger zone” since they are showing possessive and territorial behaviors toward each other. Bringing a third bunny into the house right now would very likely result in 3 buns in 3 separate habitats. As a rule, you don’t want to adopt a third with the expectation a trio will form. If YOU want a third and are committed to keeping him/her for 10+ years separately from the pair, you can go ahead, but keep in mind that people with 3 buns very rarely successfully make a trio.

[Elrohwen]

I think a male would be better (females are more territorial, so bonding two can be the toughest bond).

However, I agree with Beka that they’re probably not in a good position to be bonded to a third right now – bringing in a third and starting bonding session could likely break their bond and you’ll be back at the beginning (but with three rabbits). Also, their reactions to Orion don’t sound very good – I would continue bunny dating if you really want a third and see if you can find one more suitable for their personalities (or maybe they just won’t be interested in any third rabbit)

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