advice on bonding 6

[6-CanadianBuns]

Spay/Neuter
Are your bunnies spayed/neutered?

2 bunnies are spayed and neutered and reunited.  two more getting spayed/neutered this month and the other 2 the following month.

If so, for how long (for each)?

Pearl (M) 2months, Pebble (F) 1month

If not, why not?
Are you aware of reproductive cancer risk in females? If not, please read about it here.

Yes I am

Housing
Please describe your bunnies’ current housing set-up (living together, as neighbors, etc.).

I have a bedroom split into 3 xpen enclosures, Pearl and Pebble in one. (bonded Pair) on the left front of them there is Daizie (F) and Echo (F) Sisters Daizie 1m older, then on the right front there is Oopsie (M) and Shadow (M) brothers, Oopsie 1m older.

Bonding background
Did you allow the bunnies to “settle-in”? Oopsie, Daizie, Shadow and Echo were born here, and I have had Pearl and Pebble since they were 5w old.  (was told 2 girls) and then came the rest. lol

How would you describe your bunnies reactions towards each other (answer for each bunny): shy, scared, curious, calm, aggressive, excited, affectionate, etc.?

Pearl, gets along with everyone. Pebble, with Pearl she is calm. she also likes Oopsie and Shadow at least behind bars, Pebble dislikes Echo and Daizie, she will lunge and is aggressive to them if they come near the fence that separates them,  Oopsie is bonded to Shadow but they are both un-neutered but there has been no aggression or signs of it so far.  Oopsie will attack any one of them also if out of their pen (room).  Shadow is like dad he just chills, he has not been out with any of them except Oopsie however since he was born here.  Daizie is a shy girl but with Echo she is pushy but no aggression.  Daizie will taunt Pebble then Pebble will charge at them.

Have you done any “pre-bonding” (cage or litter box swaps, etc.)? yes, just waiting on my 4 younger rabbits to get fixed

If so, for how long? They were together till 3m then they groomed each other through the bars when one of them was out to roam
Have you started sessions yet? no as said above
How long have you been working on bonding your bunnies? n/a
How frequently do you have bonding sessions, and how long are they? n/a
Have you tried any stressing techniques? n/a

 

My question is when they are all fixed, with at least a couple of weeks let’s say May, should I have a friend and just let them all out. also what if one needs to go to the vet?  I can’t take all 6 with me lol

 

[BrunosMama]

Wooooo, man, 6 bonded buns! That would be super cute, though! You’re very own Warren!

Keep in mind it takes about a month to 6 weeks for buns to “air out” after getting neutered, so hormones will still make things a little difficult. They are also all pretty young and young bunnies can get along, but change their minds as they reach puberty.

I guess if it were me, I would wait til they were all about 6 months old to start any sort of group bonding. Although, that may not be ideal due to space etc, I know. But I would worry that since baby buns change personalities and opinions alot once they hit puberty, it may be easier to wait.

Here is an article from Rabbit.org about bonding groups that may be helpful 🙂

https://rabbit.org/behavior/socializing-bonding/how-to-successfully-introduce-rabbits-in-group-settings-a-step-by-step-guide/

[6-CanadianBuns]

I send a reply to you unsure where it went though.  They will all be 6months or older when I hope to take down the 2 remaining x-pens down.  really don’t like them.  Oopsie & Daizie will be 6m on the 12th of March and will be fixed on the 16th of this month, and Echo & Shadow will be 6m April 21st and will be fixed on April 20th.  I am hoping to have them all together by May of this year. I know Pearl gets along with all of them. Pebble however loves the boys but will lunge at the girls.  Right now they all share the room that they have since Pearl and Pebble came to stay with us.  Pebble and Pearl are back together again and Pearl is so happy about that but does not like loosing some of his freedom as either they are not fixed yet or attacks.  sigh

play time they have half the house. bedrooms and living room are blocked off.  There room is just off the kitchen to the left is the dining room and to the right is part of the hallway going to the bedrooms. it is an open concept.  All are pretty good except Oopsie, OMFG the minute his pen is open he is leaving a trail then peeing all over the house then paw prints all over the house, any carpet that I have had down for them is no longer there, they only have the one tunnel from here all others that have a bottom to it is gone because they will just pee in it.  I am cleaning up every day, every hour of the day and truly I am burning out.  I know it is not their fault and I do not take it out on them but at the end of the day ya got to love them

That Article was great, I guess I was right about just let them loose, I think if any issues it will be with Pebble, Daizie and Echo. the girls.

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