Bonding bunnies…

[Cochin]

Ok, so I own 4 buns. 1 buck, 3 does, all intact. 2 of the does live together, the buck lives alone & one of the does live alone.

For general space and just wanting to do it, I’ve been trying to bond the 3 does together. Now, I put them together today in neutral space, though they have little carriers (like a dog carrier or a cat carrier) they can snuggle in, and I put both of the rabbits carrier in there for a protected space to head into. In retrospect, it wasn’t a good idea, but worked out alright.

Now, ‘the meat doe’ (she doesn’t have a name yet) is the unbonded one, she’s about 14 weeks. Rosa & Charlie are bonded (their 2 years old). Their cages are next together, and have been for a while. For a bit, they lived in a pasture-like setup together. They didnt interact much though, and now that their inside the house I’d like to be able to house them together. Rosa and Charlie came bonded and live together. 

Rosa was a sweet heart. She was gentle, sniffed the meat doe, went inside her carrier, but overall was gentle, ssweet, and caused no issues. She was interested in the meat doe, but didnt try to attack, simply wanted to sniff her and her carrier. After a while, she seemed to lose interest and Ate hay.

Charlie never cared – charlie went straight to crowing down, which I think is a good sign. Now, that being said, when the meat rabbit was ‘chased’ out of her carrier (Rosa walked in and freaked her out – The meat doe seemed very nervous) and went into Rosas and Charlie’s carrier, Charlie attacked the meat doe, clipping some fur. The meat doe was very nervous, kinda freaking out and running when the older does got closer, never ate nor drank, and didnt seem comfortable. I think it’s mainly to blame she’s young, despite weighing nearly twice as much as the older does (She’s a cali, New Zealand, silver fox crosse, as is the buck). She’s nervous around me as well, but will also settle down around me if I give her time. 

i think that was the biggest issue, putting the carriers in there. Otherwise they seemed to go good. Do you think that 3, intact, unbonded does can bond? Should I bond them seperatly or all together? 

[Cochin]

Well, she was actually still with them, and I had heard her running as I was typing, so I assumed she was still pretty uneasy, but I look over and find her chilling out!

The big blue carrier is Rosas & Charlie’s carrier, the grey, small one is the meat rabbits carrier. Charlie & Rosa are Rex mixes – they are the brown / grey rabbits.

Rosa has also layed down (she’s grey), Charlie’s grooming & the meat rabbit is eating

 progress, no? 

[Cochin]

Ok so the pic uploaded isn’t working, so just click on this..

http://www.backyardchickens.com/content/type/61/id/6025854/width/800/height/1600

[Sarita]

Well you do need to be careful that the pair does not pick on or injure the younger one. It’s way too soon to tell if there is progress and you always want to bond in a neutral spot – is this is a neutral spot or is that the bonded pairs enclosure?

[MegaPixel]

first off, welcome!!

i would say that the youngest might not yet had a spike of hormones and that could be problematic.
also they recommend to bond when the bunnies are spayed / neutered.

here a link with some info that you might find helpful
https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/tabid/53/CategoryID/9/PID/940/Default.aspx

by the way you have some cute buns

[Cochin]

Sarita : yes, I’ve been watching. They are right next to me on the couch ^^ and no, it’s not the bonded pairs enclosure nor the lonely rabbits enclosure – completely neutral. I was going to do another bonding session but I had to do a bunch of coop cleaning and arranging and I’m tired, so gonna wait until tomorrow. This time, no crates

Neither of the buns will be spayed, so bonding sooner would be better.
What would the lack of hormones cause ? Just her to be too nervous & unsure or?
Thanks for the link, I read it carefully ^^ and thanks,I love them

[MoveDiagonally]

Territorial behaviors are amplified in intact rabbits because of sex hormones. There have been many examples on these and other forums of intact rabbits that seem bonded suddenly fighting and inuring each other. The only successful ones I’ve ever seen or heard of were with rabbits that have been together from a young age. Even then, a lot of same sex pairs,, including siblings, end up fighting at some point after puberty. Spaying/neutering before bonding is a pretty essential part of it being successful both short and long term.

Another thing to consider with female rabbits is their high risk of developing uterine cancer. Multiple studies have shown at least a 50% develop it after the age of 4. Some studies go as high as 80%. My advice would be to house them separately and spay them if you want to bond them.  

[Cochin]

I suppose. They are currently being housed separately. They’re cages have ~1″ between each other, with small bars.
I don’t know how the Rexes get along – I was told they were intact. Perhaps they’re spayed? Wonder if you can tell or if its just a guessing game. But, if they’re spayed wonder if it’d work?
Oh well. We don’t have a large enough cage honestly that would house all 3, unless it do some serious re-modeling.
Thanks

[Beka27]

I have to agree with the others, spaying is recommended for successful bonding, but the primary reason is for their health. Your older girls are already 2 years old. Sadly, it is very, very likely that one or both could pass from uterine cancer by the age of 4. I would hate for that to happen, I can tell you really love them, so I encourage you to do some more research and talk with your rabbit vet.

Depending on where they came from, it is unlikely they are spayed. If they came from a rescue, they may be. Contact them and ask. Otherwise, see if you can contact the previous owners. I’m not sure how long you’ve had them, but vets do not usually spay before 5-6 months. If you took possession of them younger than that, then again, they probably are intact.

Another thing to look for: dewlaps. The dewlap (the big furry “neck pillow” on female rabbits) typically does not develop if a rabbit is spayed by 8-12 months.

Other than that, opening the rabbit up is the only way to know FOR SURE if she has been spayed.

[Cochin]

Well, going by a dewlap thing Rosa is NOT spayed. Possible Charlie might be, Charlie doesn’t have a dewlap, but she also doesn’t have as many wrinkly skin and different type fur (like hair).
We got them this year, around late summer/early fall.
Well, ill look into it. Sometimes there’s free spaying on CL by the vet clinic.

[Irina]

You can check for a surgical scar on their bellies.if you find one, they are likely spayed. However, not finding one does not mean they are intact because some become virtually invisible. To be sure, An ultrasound will also let you know if they have their uterus/ovaries. It is a fast procedure (in skilled hands), and noninvasive. Good luck!

[Cochin]

Well, short of shaving the bellies no surgical scar.
At least I know ^^ I’ve stopped bonding and just am housing them near each other. They seem to be doing fine.
We’re adding another buck to the mix, lol, he’s quite pretty. Ill post pics once we get him ^^

[Author]

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