Another new bun?

[tskelly93]

So Chaos (6yr, neutered male) is still bonding with our new female Nachos (1.5/2.5yrs, spayed) after the death of his mate 4 months later. When we adopted Nachos there was another bun that I wanted to adopt, boy called Lucius. I checked the website and he is still up for adoption. We have always tried to take on buns no one else really wants but his bio suggests that he may have something wrong. Not sure if it’s medical or just he can’t live with other buns. We have decided if we can get Nachos and Chaos to bond we will adopt Lucius if he is still there, depending on what exactly is wrong we don’t mind a bun with a medical need. Will bringing in another new bun affect the bond between chaos and nachos? They’re kind of starting to get on. We’ve got their bonding sessions to 40 mins with very little fighting, and the start of grooming behaviour. And how hard is it to bond a male to a prexisting male/female couple?

[DanaNM]

Hi there,
I don’t have any experience with trios personally, but I do know that bringing in a new bun can disrupt a current bond (especially a new one). That said, it usually just means you will need to keep a close eye on the pair when you bring the new bun in, and be prepared to do some bonding sessions with them if they get testy with each other.

My observation on bonds being upset is usually due unneutered/unspayed buns around. They smell SO CRAZY to the other buns that it can really upset them. Our rescue has tons of bonded pairs and they usually do fine with other rabbits around. The odd pair will start chasing (esp new pairs that come in), so the volunteers keep an eye out for it.

I think if you would like to try for a trio, I would first find out what is going on with Lucius. If he hates other bunnies, then you’ll know the trio isn’t an option. Similarly, some bunnies have medical problems that make it impossible to bond them with other buns (they just need too much monitoring).

Since they aren’t fully bonded yet, it might be fine to home Lucius sooner than later (if you really want him… I can kinda tell you do, I know that feeling ). That way they will bond with Lucius already around, and you won’t have to worry about a new bun disrupting a new relationship.

If you do want to try for a trio (sorry there are so many “If’s” in this response), it would be good to take your current buns on a speed date with Lucius to see how they get along. Many people bond trios as a group vs. working with groups of two, since group dynamics are different than individuals, but there are lots of dif strategies out there. It all depends on the buns. Some just go together easily, others need more work.

Sirius&Luna has a thread on bonding her recent trio, she started off with a pair: https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/165467/Default.aspx

Bringing home the third did disrupt their bond, but the new bun was a hormonal baby who wasn’t neutered. Once he was neutered she had a relatively easy time bonding all three.

. . . 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.  

[tskelly93]

Yeah I mean if it is a case of he hates other buns we wouldn’t be able to take him in. We currently have 2 cages set up while we bond chaos and nachos and we wouldn’t have space for a third. I’m gunna call them today and see what’s up with Lucius. Only issue it’s a pets at home store adoption, so I don’t think they allow speed dating. It would be ideal but I don’t think they have the space to do it, ill ask if its a possibility as id feel guilty taking him home if it didn’t work out.

My boyfriend didn’t want to adopt him as our last bun was an albino and Lucius is a BEW so he thought he looked to similar. And he read male/male bonding was difficult so wanted to avoid it as we never bonded buns. But he’s come round now that I’m begging him.

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