Any Chance My Bunnies Will Bond?

[Lykan]

Hello!

I have had one rabbit for about a month and a half now — a neutered 9lb New Zealand-Flemish Giant mix (Gideon). I decided to get him a friend, and adopted her just yesterday (Tess). I’m not sure her breed, but she’s a spayed 3.5lb bun whose parents and siblings appear to be American, though she has rex-like fur. They’re both 8 months old, and Gideon was neutered 3 weeks ago; I’m not sure when Tess was spayed, but I know that she was. The two are being housed in separate but neighbouring cages, with nose guards around each cage to prevent any fighting. I know that it hasn’t been long, but I’m already concerned about whether there’s any hope of them bonding. I decided to have them take turns free roaming, and to start with I had Gideon free and Tess in her cage. The second he realized that she was around, he started gnawing on the bars of her cage to get to her. When I put him in his cage to let her have a turn exploring the room, he was gnawing at the bars there as well. He’s been loudly grunting, thumping, and pacing ever since. From the advice I’ve seen on rabbit.org and a few other places, the best sign for rabbits when they’re starting the bonding process is to ignore each other, and that’s the last thing Gideon wants to do. Tess, on the other hand, seems to want to be friends with him. She doesn’t pay much attention to his territorial behaviour, and has even approached his cage to smell him a few times. He was receptive to it once, but aside from that he’s seemed really upset/grunted and thumped a lot. He’s also flicking his tail every time she gets close. I plan to give it some time, but I was wondering if this might be worth the stress they (especially Gideon) seem to be under or if it’s already a lost cause.

[DanaNM]

That all sounds super normal, don’t worry! It’s very normal for rabbits to react this way when another rabbit is in their home turf (imagine a stranger just set up shop in your house, you might be alarmed as well!). I would let Tess settle in for a bit, just living side by side as a neighbor for Gideon for at least a week. Then after that you can start swapping who’s in which cage every day or two. You might see Gideon acting crazy for a bit but he will calm down. I’ve often seen rabbits that are running the fence and trying to “get at” each other one day, hanging out peacefully on opposite sides of the fence after just a few days.

You’ll want to keep up the side swapping “known as pre-bonding” until they seem very chill with each other. The amount of time this can take varies, but 2 weeks is probably avg. Pre-bonding can be especially helpful in cases of tougher bonds.

Gideon also wasn’t neutered that long ago, so his hormones are still settling a bit. If Tess is from a rescue, she might have been spayed recently given her age. So a longer pre-bonding will also help ensure everyone’s hormones are settled.

The advice you’ve read about the buns ignoring each other is referring to when the buns are in a completely neutral space, such as on a speed date. That doesn’t apply when the buns see each other in non-neutral space.

One thing you can do if Gideon really seems overly stressed is to hang a towel up between their pens for now. Then they can get used to scents first, and then you can gradually remove the towel.

. . . 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.  

[Lykan]

Thank you so much, this is a huge relief to hear! Tess seems really impatient to bond — lowering her head to him, mirroring him, flopping beside his cage, etc. — and while he still seems really frustrated by her, he seems to be able to relax in her presence a little more than when I first brought her home. The most he’s done is stop honking and pause for a minute when she approaches his enclosure, but it’s progress! I’ll be sure to update soon 🙂

[DanaNM]

Glad they are already calming a little! Def keep us posted!

. . . 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.  

[CWHH]

Hi, I had a VERY long binding process with my 2! My original bun Hannibal lost his sister 😢  so after a few months I took in a little doe as a companion for him.

Well. Suffice to say, Hannibal had a nickname of ‘Sharknado’ for a long time. I’d never seen that side to him and he’s been neutered for years. He would try and get to heidi through the bars and grunt etc

But I persevered for a number of months as Heidi was submissive and wasn’t really phased by Hannibals aggression. Same as Tess, she was very keen to be friends which is helpful to have at least one side compromising!

So I’d say – patience is key, my two are inseparable now, and you seem to have a good read on both their behaviours 😀

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