Bonding a boy to a bonded pair of sisters

[Lindsey S.]

Hi! I have 2 Harlequin sisters that are about 1.5 years old and bonded since found at a very young age by their foster. They were spayed and have stayed bonded. I’ve had them for about 5 months. One is more outgoing, but both are a bit shy and can get scared easily. They do tend to hump each other sometimes, I’m not sure if this will cause issues with the trio bonding.

I just adopted a boy English Lop that is between 1-2 years old. He’s very calm, outgoing, and curious. He isn’t neutered yet. He will be neutered on the 1st (well before meeting the girls) He is currently in our bedroom. The girls are in a separate bedroom of their own.

A concern is just whether these personalities will usually mesh well together. I didn’t intend to get a third bunny. It was a little impulsive of an adoption. But regardless of the situation I am more than capable of caring for them all. We are actually about to move to a new house. So there will definitely be a lot of neutral space for them to get used to each other. If they don’t bond, we can make it work. There are 2 floors to the house and the girls could have one and he would have the other. I’m just unsure if it makes sense, I guess? He’s very mellow and sleeps a lot. I’ve literally never seen the girls sleep. I’m sure they do, but not often. They are too nervous to fully relax I think.

[DanaNM]

Hi there

I don’t have any personal experience with trios, but I know the risk is always that trying to bond the trio breaks up the current pair. That said, since you have space to accommodate them if things don’t work out, it is less scary to try. I believe most trios are usually two males and a female, but often they start with a male female pair, and a second male is added.

You hit it on the head with your concern about their personalities. It’s pretty hard to predict this without seeing them together. So I think once he is neutered and his hormones are settled, I would plan to do a speed date with all three in a very big very neutral space. You can see how they react towards each other and decide then. Keep an eye on your girls as they interact more with the boy to make sure his presence doesn’t throw them off. Since they stayed bonded through their spays without significant issues I’m guessing they have a strong bond.

In some cases, the trio bonding process disrupts the current pair, but that doesn’t mean the trio won’t work. The dynamics in groups are always different than in pairs, so it just means you end up focusing on the trio as a whole (vs. adding 1 to the pair, if that makes sense).

Member Sirius&Luna went through this with her trio, her thread might be informative to you: https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/165467/Default.aspx

. . . 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.  

[Lindsey S.]

Thank you so much. I think I’ll introduce them at the new house in our large-ish living area. I have one other concern: Presuming they do bond, would it be okay for all of them that I sometimes let the boy out in areas that the girls may not be in. We have several pets and the girls are quite skittish. They will have a 200 sq ft room to free roam at all times. They will also be let out frequently in our bedroom. But I think the boy, Felix, would be content being around all of the animals. I’d love to just sit on our couch with him! But I don’t want to do that if it would upset him or the girls.

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