Bonding 2 female rabbits

[Mochi and Snowy]

I have tried bonding these 2 rabbits before and gave up.  Both are neutered.  Mochi is a Netherland Dwarf and Snowy is a Mini Lop.  Mochi is 6 months older.  Mochi is dominant, more active, and smarter.  I had her since she was a baby.  Snowy sleeps by my feet while I work at the computer every day.  I’ve had her since she was about 6 months old.  She was a 4h project, and wasn’t treated well previously.  She gets nervous easily, but won’t defend herself until she is pushed too far.

We are expecting a baby in December and don’t have the space to keep them separated too much longer.  So, the rooms have a baby gate between them.  We’ve always given them treats together at the gate.  They sniff each other, and seem friendly now.  So, before, we started out in the bathtub.  We moved to a closet too fast.  Then they got out and the one jumped on the other one, bit her neck and took her hind feet and kicked her belly while she was pinned.  I thought she was going to kill her.  That was when I gave up.  I know we made a lot of mistakes (more than just that).

So a year later, we are trying again.  Starting with the bathtub.  Swapping litter boxes.  They seem to be doing well after a couple weeks.  Not much actual fighting.  Some sessions, they just seem to ignore each other.  I have seen the Mochi flop down beside Snowy and some grooming even.  They still don’t trust each other.  I try not to get involved in the nipping, etc, but I am still afraid from what happened before.  So I know I need to be patient and not move too quickly.  My biggest concern is that Snowy’s area will become the baby room, so we have to move to Mochi’s area which is the living room.  We don’t have another neutral room.  So, bonding, we can use the bathtub and closet.

I am trying to find the best way to introduce them to the living room.  Should I swap their rooms after every bonding session (or is that just making it worse by letting them both claim that area)?  Should I try to find a way to keep them in the same room with some sort of divider (afraid they’ll escape and get to each other)?  I think they are making progress towards bonding.  However, I want some advice on knowing when and what to do next.

[DanaNM]

Hi there,

I think that moving to the same room side by side will actually help the bonding process a lot. You do need to be careful they can’t get at each other, but usually side-by-side living (and side swapping) helps a lot. I also think having that set up will take some of the pressure off to get them bonded quickly, which will be less stressful (and prob will help bonding go more smoothly as you won’t feel rushed).

I really like using NIC cube grids to make temporary condos/cages during bonding. You can also use them to make fencing panels, etc. I also have recently used “nose guards” for making dividers that buns can’t nip each other through: https://binkybunny.com/forums/topic/nose-guards/

I found that a fence made from three panels high was enough for them not to jump over. You can connect them with small cable ties. 🙂  Alternatively you can use x-pens, just make a double wall with a 6 inch buffer between so they can’t nip noses.

In terms of the actual bonding sessions, I think going slow and steady is the way to go in this case. And since they fought badly before, don’t be afraid to intervene a little too much in these early stages. You can pet them both to keep them calm and make them think the other rabbit is grooming them. 🙂

. . . 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.  

[Mochi and Snowy]

Thank you DanaNM.  I will see what I can do about setting them up side by side and swapping sides.  I’ll look into the nic cube grids/nose guards.  That does sound like a good idea.  And at least they’ll be closer to each other even when I don’t have time to bond them (my wife works nights, so it’s a challenge some times).  The bonding sessions are getting better, and I have hope they will get along some day.  Thanks again for your advice.

[DanaNM]

I agree it sounds like you have been making good progress!

. . . 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.  

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