ADVICE!

[Bumble Fly]

There is this bunny I found up for adoption that is a gorgeous little boy a little over a year old. The problem is, he’s not neutered and Ollie is! Will this be a huge problem at first? Would it be better to adopt a boy that’s already neutered?

 

Thanks!

Bekka

[FrankieFlash]

Hi bekka,
Yes it would be better to try to bond Ollie after the other rabbit is fixed fixed. They could bond but as soon as the new bun boy is neutered, his hormones may change and break the bond. You’re reassuring a more reliable bond by trying to bond to a fixed bunny. Also you might want to consider male to female bonds. They have a higher success rate than male to male (BUT that can happen too).

[CinnabunMom]

I agree with FF. But if you are in love with this bun you found, you could keep them separated until after the new bun is fixed and then start the bonding process. It would come down to how much space you have.

[Sam and Lady's Human]

I wouldn’t worry about the gender, I’m willing to bet there is a higher female to male bonding ratio purely because people tend to want one of each, not because its a harder bond. You will want to get him altered before you introduce them though, or you risk loss of litter habits (territorial marking) in both that can be hard to break once they are bonded.

[tanlover14]

I’m not a rabbit expert like so many others on this forum — BUT in my own experience, my boys actually bonded EXTREMELY well when we first got our other boy.  Tanger (the new bun) was neutered and my first little guy, Fleury, was not.  Fleury was OBSESSED with Tanger and they instantly became BestBunnyFriends… so the theory that boy buns are harder to bond, is in my opinion, a little over thought.  We also had a girl bun at the time (who was relatively new and being bonded with them also) and both boys were way more interested in cuddling with each other than her.   Once again, I’m in no way a bunny expert and this is all purely from my own personal experience.  

FF and Cinnabun are GREAT and very experienced bunny owners though and have always given me advice for my crazy young’ns so I think I may also have just gotten lucky…

[Bumble Fly]

Ok guys… Well I didn’t end up getting the un-neutered bun who was 2 years older than my 4 month old Ollie bun…. Buuuut I DID end up getting a 12 week old Rex bunny of unknown gender that is not fixed yet. I figured it might be best to start off with a bun that was younger than my Ollie girl because Ollie is way way WAY territorial. Plus, I wanted to act fast before Ollie had claimed the whole apartment. I’m so clueless with this bonding thing, but everyone I talked to thought that it would be a good idea to get another bunny before Ollie had a turf war.

 

Thank you all so so so so much for your advice, I can tell you that I will be up all night reading through the bonding part of the forum. 

 

I’ve already introduced them, and the little rex is completely enamored with Ollie and Ollie is less than thrilled. Right now, they are both in separate cages but both in the same area. The can each see and smell the other one. Should I move them apart? What should I do about free time? Just keep them both to one room in the apartment?

 

 

*UPDATE – After reading through some topics, I’ve moved the mini-rex into the living room area of my apartment, while Ollie is in my bedroom. I would like for them to be in the same area, but I’m afraid if I let one out and the other is in their cage that they will start the territory marking. They’d both be out at separate times but if they are both caged in the same room will that increase the chance of marking? UGH! So confused.

 

And another thing… 

 

Say Ollie claims the bedroom and mini-rex claims the living room what happens when they meet again a couple of months later both altered and hormone free? Will they start marking their areas? I’ve worked myself into a dither. I hope what I’m asking isn’t as confusing to read as it was to type it. Help?!

[CinnabunMom]

Well, first congrats on the new bun! I really want to see pics and all that goodness!!

I know very little about bonding, having never done it myself, but best of luck and I’m sure someone more experienced will be along to help!!

[tanlover14]

YAY!! Congrats on the new bunny! I also wanna see pics!!!!

As for the bonding — an easy way to start off is by putting a blanket in each of their cages or stuffed animal and then switching it into the others cage after a day or two… or you can even do it with them in their cages (switch bunny from cage to cage). This will help you get a sense of just how territorial each is while at the same time getting used to the others scent being in “their area”.

My trio were all young when we got them and I think due to the youngness they were MUCH easier to bond. I think you may find the same thing with yours. I had absolutely no trouble at all with bonding my boys young!

[FrankieFlash]

Well I owe you an apology. Idk why I assumed Ollie was a boy since it is a gender neutral name. I’m glad you found a bun I wish you the best success with bonding. I haven’t done it yet myself. I’m still in the research stage but Bunjamin is going dating very soon. I’m not sure they will mark if housed in the same room. The lady that runs the rescue I’m working with says its a good idea but the actual bonding process should be done in neutral territory. Someplace neither bun has gone before. Hopefully more members will chip in with some advice.

[Bumble Fly]

Well so far, I have both of them separated. Poe, the one I recently adopted is in the living room and Ollie has run of my bedroom. Poe is scheduled to be neutered next week. I don’t know if it’s a male thing or what but he poops EVERYWHERE. Never had that problem with Ollie… at least not this much. Will this go away with neutering?

ALSO: If you get your bunny neutered/spayed before they turn into teenagers will they still go through the same teenage stage as the an un-altered bun?

[Sam and Lady's Human]

Re: pooping, it could and should. He might smell the other bunny and be territorial pooping, or he could just not be litter trained yet. What is his litter set up?

Getting neutered right when the teenage stage starts generally cuts out most of the bad behavior, but they still are babies and can have habits you’ll have to work on breaking (like digging or chewing furniture).

[tanlover14]

I have 3 Tans, all whom were neutered around 3-4 months… and they are STILL going through the teenage stage (at 7 months). The only thing it has really helped is the litter box habits. And they’re not aggressive but the playful baby bun ‘tude is definitely still there!

[Sam and Lady's Human]

Posted By tanlover14 on 10/05/2012 09:10 AM

I have 3 Tans, all whom were neutered around 3-4 months… and they are STILL going through the teenage stage (at 7 months). The only thing it has really helped is the litter box habits. And they’re not aggressive but the playful baby bun ‘tude is definitely still there!

And they are Tans So they are inherently a bit more rambunctious than most

[Bumble Fly]

His litter set up is the same as Ollie’s. Get’s cleaned every other day with vinegar and water and all stray poops go back into the litter box. His litter habits in his cage keep getting better and better but when he’s out of his cage it’s amazing how much poop he has! I think he can poop on command! Will the bunnies still have territorial poops after they’re bonded? Oh God I hope not…

Tan lover- I love your tans but I hope mine don’t go through their teens that long!! By the looks of everything I’ll have them meeting again and bonding in full force probably sometime in early November. *crossing my fingers*

[tanlover14]

Sam and Lady’s Human — soooo TRUEEEE. Crazy little Tans!

My buns still have territorial poops! But it’s usually more so when something triggers it OR if they get REALLY excited about something…. then they’ll go nuts and poop all over. They got into their Oxbow hay bag the other day and had so much fun playing … but of course, they had about a bajillion poops EVERRRYWHERE!
I’m excited to hear how your bonding goes! It’s so frustrating but at the same time sooo rewarding. The biggest obstacle is keeping on yourself NOT TO GIVE UP! I think too many people get frustrated and disheartened and let the bonding thing go. Sometimes it’s necessary but … it’s all about keeping to it and not letting any setbacks get to you! It’s so rewarding when you see them loving on each other!

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