Bonding!!

[Lulu Cuteness]

So I may be getting another rabbit in a month or so nothing is for sure but in the case of me getting her I want to know what I should expect and what to do to bond her and Theo! Okay so not sure if she’s spayed yet but I definitely will be doing that and theo is already neutered! But I was wondering once they are bonded do they have to live in the same cage or can their cages be next to each other and just be with each other while they are out for play time which is usually around 3-4 hours a day! She is a lop and theo is a pretty small Netherland dwarf do you think that’s okay with such a big size difference? The other thing is I have heard of many different ways of bonding rabbits a lot of people I have seen do it just puts them in their bathtub for about 20 min a day but I just recently saw someone just let them go in their bath room and stay with them the entire day neither one of the rabbits got hurt and were completely bonded in ONE day!! She just separated them when they started fighting! Which one do you think is the best? The other thing is can rabbits completely not accept each other because if that happens I really do not know what I would do! Also the rabbit is coming from a terrible home she lives in a tank!! And eats terrible quality pellets! I don’t know if she has ever had the sniffles or anything! Do you think if she ever did have the sniffle that it would still be contagious to Theo because I don’t even have a job and I’m just starting to pet sit and babysit I won’t have enough money to take care of their if he gets sick!! Thanks!! And if you have any tips on bonding please tell me I would really appreciate it!!

Anne

[Lulu Cuteness]

Ahhh sorry I put this in the wrong place -.- if someone could literally have no idea how to move this topic to the right place sorry again

[Little Lion Head]

Hi Lulu, I’ll try to answer some of your questions the best I can.

As for size, it really doesn’t matter. Many bunnies bond just fine with big size differences!

As for bonding, it’s really going to depend on the two bunnies. You will want to start small, like with the bathtub and slowly work your way up to more space. Don’t rush it. We did the bathtub 3 or 4 times per day for a week or two before we expanded. Some bunnies were just meant to be together. Mine got along quickly but would have never bonded in one day even with a marathon session.

It is definitely possible that two bunnies might never bond and you should be prepared for that reality before you bring the new bunny home (by having a separate space to house the new bunny). You might see if your bunny can meet the new bunny before you make the commitment (but not if you think the new bunny might be sick).

You also might want to reconsider getting a second bunny if you know you can’t afford the vet bills. It is inevitable that you’ll need the vet at some point and time (on top of needing the spay). You might want to look into pet insurance or something like that. If you do bring the new bunny home you should house her separately until she gets fully checked by a vet to make sure she can’t spread anything to your guy.

I’m glad you want to save this girl–it sounds like a pretty awful situation and you would give her the best care possible! Good luck on what you decide!

[Lulu Cuteness]

Okay 2 more questions! when you bond them do they HAVE to live in the same cage or can they live separately but be together during playtime I am thinking about building a condo for both of them to live in! The other thing is theo is a pretty territorial rabbit but very sweet he doesn’t get mad at me for moving his things around or anything and he has even stopped honking at me to get out of his cage! Do you think it would be a problem having the other rabbit come into his play area when they are bonded? And I only have one cage right now but when I will be getting the new rabbit the condo will be built so I was thinking that she could live in there and theo could live in his old cage till they are bonded do you think that’s okay?

[Little Lion Head]

Once they are fully bonded they should live together full time. Before they are bonded they should live separately without the possibility with getting accidental access to each other while you are gone.

You need to start bonding in a completely neutral area and move to a semi-neutral area as it goes well. For us we started in the tub and moved to the dining room and eventually a blocked off pen in the living room where Pumpkin was living (not in her condo).

Pumpkin was living in a condo in the living room, Shamrock was free-roam in our bedroom. About a week in we moved Pumpkin to our bedroom and Shamrock to the condo in the living room. We let Shamrock be in that condo for about a week or two b/c Pumpkin was very territorial as well. When they were completely bonded we DEEP CLEANED the condo (shampooed the rug, washed the blankets, brand new water bottle and litter box) and moved them both in. You will probably want to consider doing something like this to help things go smoothly.

[Lulu Cuteness]

Okay thank you so much for the help! but I am kinda of worried about putting them in the pen where theo had been living since he has marked EVERYTHING! Do you think I will have trouble with that and putting those toys into the new condo! I am so sorry for all the questions but one more thing is do you think the could just live in a decently sized c&c cage it’s just that I really don’t have anyone to build the condo and the c&c cage seems a LOT easier! Thanks SO much again!

[Lulu Cuteness]

I would only be putting them in theos playpen once they are bonded not while in the process of bonding and I have been doing lots of research and people were talking about something called stress bonding where they put the two rabbits in A VERY small little cube and shake it around to make them snuggle together. Do you recommend this or no and I think I’m going to start in the bathtub and then move into our sunroom and eventually into the basement where they has been livin! And do you think it is okay to put their cages next to eachother? Thanks!

[Little Lion Head]

Cages next to each other is just fine but put enough space that they can’t get to each other through the bars.

Stress binding is a common way to bond. What you mentioned would work or you could put them in a carrier together for car rides.

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