Bonding a trio one is a free roam bunny

[Maxmom]

Hi I have spent months reading hundreds of posts..but sometimes I just have a few unanswered questions,so I signed up..I have a little over a year old oreo he is lionhead mix…He is neutered..and awesome so calm and happy..ok now I recently got two other bunnies ..freckles a 6 month old Rex female just spayed a little over a month ago..and also midnight a dwarf that is 4 month old male…so right now midnight and freckles are next to each other in cages..thru the cages it is going well the pre bonding.However my Oreo free roam really will not go over to the cages..he does have a date he goes into I leave with the door open ..the other day I closed the door when he was in there and moved it over near the other two.I I left him in there for an hour and I went to change his litter box and he jumped out.I left it there but he never went back in…so so I try to bind all three in a as neutral as a space I can find? Or should I bond two and bring in Oreo separate? All their cages are 42″ dog crates with a sheet of wood for second floors..should I just put Oreo back in a cage? Also I did put them together one time when freckles was headed after spaying,with Oreo but he is very good she just jumps all over him and started nipping…Oreo and midnightthe dwarf,is the only one not neutered yet…when I put them together was trying to hump Oreo,Oreo has never went after them aggressively,he just jumps away..don’t get me wrong I know I get nervous when I see and those jumping scratching sounds when they are together..I’m gonna take charge and try and not be nervous when putting them together again ..cuz I know they would pick up on it…Iall the posts and info sounds like I should be in the middle of them to calm them down?? Or just let them do it alone( me next to them..thank you in advance,Rose

[DanaNM]

Hi there,

It might be easiest to confine Oreo while you are bonding. Mostly I think this would make it easier to do pre-bonding with all three. Otherwise you’ll want to rotate who is free-roam.

In terms of the space you use, anywhere that Oreo has been will not be neutral. So you might need to get creative. A friend’s house, a pen in the backyard, a pen in the garage, your kitchen table, etc. The more neutral the better (ideally they won’t even be able to smell where they are).

Whether you work on two at a time or all three is up to you. Since you seem a bit nervous, it might be better to work with different combos of 2 to get a sense as to which pairing will be the most difficult. Ultimately the dynamics change with all three, so eventually you will need to work with all three together, but it might be nice to start with two at a time.

In the early sessions you should be in the bonding area with them (or right next to it if it’s a small space so you can reach all bunnies). I’ve always had better luck with larger bonding spaces (vs. small ones). When they approach each other you can pet them to calm them down and swap scents. This helps build trust and a positive association.

. . . 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.  

[Maxmom]

Thank you,I am going to need to do a friend’s house…freckles went after Oreo but thankfully got a bite full of fur( Oreo is a lionhead) so I ended it asap the session…I let the other two out of their cages during the day for exercise,so everyone’s scent is every where..is that helping or hurting things do you think…reckless and midnight( spade girl and un neurtered 5 month male) and no aggression and they do seem interested in each other.pre bonding..

[DanaNM]

If it’s a space that any bunny (or all bunnies) have been, it’s not neutral. But, the fact that they are all going everywhere helps with pre-bonding as it gets them used to each other’s scents and helps them lose track of who’s territory is who’s (which will be good later on when you move them in together).

I missed this in your OP, but before you begin, all bunnies must be spayed and neutered, and their hormones need time to settle (varies, but usually 3-6 weeks for males). There are some account of successful bonds with one bunny unspayed, but i can’t imagine that working in a trio. The hormonal bunny will continue to trigger outbursts from the other ones. The constant humping by the unneutered one will annoy the others and cause problems. Existing bonds can even be upset by the presence of an unneutered male in the area (they smell very strongly!).

Once midnight is neutered then you should do pre-bonding (cage swaps every day or two where you leave the litter boxes where they are, or litter box and toy swaps if it’s not possible to swap who is in which cage) for several weeks (many here recommend 4 weeks). This will really help them get used to the other bunnies presence and should make bonding itself go more smoothly.

. . . 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.  

[Maxmom]

Yes I am glad you said that…I think freckles is cool with midnight in the cage next to her…cuz one he gets to see her out of the cage he will prob go right for the mounting…I did have the cages on top of each other before…should I go back to that? Until he is neutered?

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