Bonding 3 month old bunny with spayed 2 year old female

[JKettenburg]

We recently adopted a 3 month old female bunny to try to bond with a 2-3 year old spayed female bunny we have owned for a little over a year. We have spent a month pre-bonding with their cages side by side and have had a few bonding sessions in the bathtub as neutral territory. The 3 month old bunny is scheduled to be spayed when she is 6 months old as our vet told us that was ideal. Should we wait until she is spayed to continue bonding the bunnies? They have have had several scuffles while together in the bathtub, I have used a spray bottle on them when things get out of hand. I don’t know if we should continue trying to bond them, or if it would be best to wait until the baby gets spayed. In the meantime I do worry about her being lonely as she is only a baby. We do have the option of possibly adopting one of her sister bunnies, but I wonder if that could possibly make it more difficult down the road to bond 3 females together. 

To add to the difficulty, the older female doesn’t enjoy being handled. She was surrendered to the shelter for biting when being picked up, and I know she lived free range with several other bunnies in the past. We have given her lots of time and space and she has gotten friendly with us, will take treats from our hands and occasionally lets us pet her. She seems very stressed by the bonding process and had begun to not eat as well. Im not sure if its the stress of the other bunny or the stress of being handled more during the bonding sessions (ie being moved around, and petted more.) We have given her a week back in her old environment and she has begun eating normally again. 

I’d be grateful for any advice. And we DO plan to spay the baby, just waiting for 6 months per the vets recomendations. Thanks!

[tobyluv]

These rabbits shouldn’t be together at all until the 3 month old bunny has been spayed and a few weeks have passed for her hormones to abate. You are risking fighting and severe injuries if they are allowed to be together for even a few minutes. Plus, if there is any fighting, one or both of the rabbits can hold a grudge and then they will never want to be together. They will have to be let out separately for play and exercise. You could keep their pens in the same room, but have a little distance between them, and don’t let them have access to each other when one is out exercising. They can bite noses or other body parts through cage bars.

It wouldn’t help your new bunny to adopt her sister, as they would also have to be kept apart until they were spayed and recovered, then go through a bonding process to produce a permanent bond. It doesn’t matter if rabbits are siblings or have grown up together. Once the hormones hit (3 to 4 months of age), they have to be separated. Spend as much time as possible, separately, with both bunnies, to ensure that neither is lonely.

[Bunny House]

I agree with tobyluv

[sarahthegemini]

Agree with Toby. It’s so sad that your older female was given up for biting when being picked up. Rabbits are prey animals and being picked up terrifies them. Can’t believe someone would dump a rabbit for acting out in fear.

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