Bonding

[floppylop]

I have a 6 month old spay female (Daisy) and a 3 month old unspay female (Oreo). I am in the process of bonding them, but due to being extremely busy recently with work I haven’t had an insane amount of time to do so. They have been in a large cage together but with something to separate them because I didn’t have two cages. 

So, we have gone through the first step in getting them comfortable with each others smell, car rides, having them sit next to each other and petting them, and monitored play time in a neutral space. We’ve been doing this for about 3 weeks. They have not gotten into any fights since the first few days of them being together. 

When I was cleaning their cage, Oreo hopped over the barrier between her side and Daisy’s side. Until now I thought she did this out of curiosity. BUT, today I came home from work and this time Daisy jumped over the barrier (it must have been a tight squeeze because the space between the barrier and the top of the cage is slim) and they were sitting side by side. I’m wondering if somehow they are already bonded? They seem to want to be together because usually when I come home (opposed from this time when Daisy got over) they are sitting right up against the barrier next to each other. 

We haven’t gone onto a semi-neutral space, other than the cage which used to be only Daisy’s. They like to cuddle up next to each other in bath tub time but I have never seen them groom one another. Would it be safe to remove the barrier?

[tobyluv]

The first step in bonding is for both rabbits to be spayed or neutered. Oreo, at 3 months of age, hasn’t reached puberty yet, but she soon will. That can bring a lot of changes, such as aggression. That can lead to fighting and injuries. Since Oreo is still a baby, she and Daisy are able to bond, but that will change very soon. It would be better to hold off on bonding until Oreo has been spayed and recuperated. You can keep them near each other, but keep a barrier between them. Keep in mind that rabbits can bite through cage bars, and you will often end up with bitten noses or ears, so you might have to double up on the barrier.

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