Bonding

[Tripppysmurf]

I am thinking of buying a bunny of my own to bond with the female rabbit we already have. I am not sure exactly how to bond rabbits. I read the article here about it but any extra advice on what to do for beginning stages?

[osprey]

Bonding bunnies can be a little tricky, as they have definite likes and dislikes.  Both should be spayed/neutered before introduction, and the introduction should take place somewhere neutral, where neither bunny has left their scent.

Are there any rabbit rescues and/or shelters in your area?  Rescues and shelters will often have volunteers who can help you with introductions and the bonding process.  There is also good information on bonding here at BinkyBunny and at http://rabbit.org

[Gravehearted]

I’d second Osprey’s excellent advice – please please consider adopting, ther are many wonderful bunnies in need of a loving home. Most rescue groups will help your bunny through the dating process and finding the right match. Is your bunny spayed yet? Both buns really need to be fixed first.

I’d recommend reading through the bonding journals and even some of the \ recent posts about bonding. It definitely takes a commitment of time, patience and consistency – but the outcome is very worth it! Bunnies can be territorial and it also takes some time for them to figure out who’s in charge. At first you’ll work with them in short periods of time in a neutral space – like in a dry bath tub or kitchen, take them for car rides for slowly increasing times. There will likely be times they’re mounting and aggressive, but hopefully they’ll work through it. You slowly increase the bonding sessions over time as the bond strengthens. Bunny love at first site is VERY rare an extremely easy bond can be under a week – but most are several weeks to a month or even longer. After they are fully bonded they’ll be able to live together.

[MooBunnay]

The best way to have a good bond is to start off on the right foot, and the best way to do that is to take your bunny on several dates to see who your bunny gets along with best. The only way to do that, as Osprey and Gravehearted mentioned, is to go to a rescue, because at a pet store it will probably be difficult to get the proper time, attention, and information from the staff to do an introduction. Often the staff of a pet store will not even be able to tell you the gender of the bunny correctly. I used to be in the So Cal area, and the Bunny Bunch is a great rescue for that area, now I am in Dallas, and the North Texas Rabbit Sanctuary is a good rescue group out here. You can try just googling “rabbit rescue” and the name of your city to fin out what is around you.

Good luck!

[Author]

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