Bonding A baby to my Existing female vs Quad

[Roy]

Spay/Neuter
Adult Female (Queenie) is Spayed, the other has not been sexed yet and is unaltered- most likely too young

Housing
Adult Female “Queenie” has her own room but has “escaped” into some parts of the apartment. It is possible she may get territorial over any part of the apartment.

The baby is currently being housed in a walk in closet in a temp “bin” cage. This closet is not attached to Queenie’s area.

Bonding background
Did you allow the bunnies to “settle-in”? The baby is quite young, I gave it a day before the first bonding session. I noticed the baby has been sociable to me and has been flopped in comfort positions.

How would you describe your bunnies reactions towards each other (answer for each bunny): shy, scared, curious, calm, aggressive, excited, affectionate, etc.? The baby originally was pressing against Queenie for comfort. It did seem to annoy her at times. She has been getting a bit more annoyed at the baby and chased during the second bonding session.
Have you done any “pre-bonding” (cage or litter box swaps, etc.)? A “surrogate” plushie that stays with the adult during the day and the baby at night. The surrogate is cuddled by the baby, queenie has sniffed it but does not interact with it much more.
If so, for how long? a few days
Have you started sessions yet? yes
How long have you been working on bonding your bunnies? 2 days
How frequently do you have bonding sessions, and how long are they? half hour
Have you tried any stressing techniques? yes

The first bonding session I did in the kitchen as it is the place Queenie has not likely spent much time in if she has gone in there. The second session I wanted to do in the livingroom since there is carpet. Carpet as thoroughly cleaned first. Queenie did mount the baby but has started fur pulling and chasing. I considered it was too much space too fast and did resort to a bit of stress bonding by using a cardboard box and walking out in the stairwell in the apartment building. They pressed against each other. At the end I borought the box back in and offered treats but they were not very interested. Treats were given during the pen session as well.

I am a bit worried as the baby is smaller so I do not want her to hurt it. It was a rescue from the internet and was said to be a dwarf.

 

I have FAILED at bonding Queenie as a trio with my existing Rabbits Maki(spayed fem) and Freddie(neutered male) so she has been solitary. (the pair have a large dog crate with attached Xpen as their enclosure.

Would it be possible for me to bond as a quad?

[DanaNM]

Thanks for filling out the template! 🙂

Whether you choose to go the quad route or the duo, you should wait until the new baby is spayed/neutered and hormones have settled before bonding. Babies do not form true bonds, but adults will tolerate babies. Especially since Queenie is annoyed with the baby, I would stop putting them together completely. But once the baby’s hormones kick in fighting can occur very suddenly, and she could injure the baby very easily.

Once you do start sessions again, having a very neutral space is really important, especially with bunnies that might be a tougher bond. So ideally someplace neither bunny has ever been, and out of site and smell range of their home turf.

A quad is possible, but since you failed with the trio it might be a tough match. I would prob test out how the newcomer got along with Queenie (after neuter/spay 😉 ) and make a decision then.

 

. . . 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.  

[Roy]

I heard sometimes a new rabbit can change the hierarchy with older ones so thought that might make the quad possible. The baby is so small being a dwarf as well and my biggest male’s head is about the same size. (I have bonded a small lop with a BIG rabbit with no issues)

 

For now I have been keeping the baby seperate and giving it attention by myself.

[DanaNM]

That’s true, mostly because the dynamics are different with every group size, but isn’t a guarantee.

. . . 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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