Bonding buns late

[SookieNLuna]

So due to financial situations I am just now getting my two bunnies spayed. We’ve had Sookie (Holland lop) for a year now and Luna (Lionhead) for 6 months. Because they aren’t spayed yet, we have been keeping them separate and they take turns running in the living room. A few times that they have crossed paths or one sneaks its way (Luna is incredibly fast and small so she slips by quick) to the other’s cage.. they lunge at each other through the bars and nip each other. Currently the have separate cages but in the same room but they can’t see each other but if one hears the other bun’s cage being open the one throws a fit in their cage until they get attention too. I feel like the hate each other and my biggest fear is that even after they are spayed and healed that they still won’t get along. Has anyone been in this situation before? If so, what was your experience? Is it still possible to bond them even after their 6 months of tension?

[DanaNM]

It’s hard to know what they will be like once they are spayed. Hormones can make bunnies very territorial, so it’s best to try not to stress about it just yet.

Once their spays heal do pre-bonding and let their hormones drain for a good long time. Lots of pre-bonding can really help.

If you feel they get frustrated seeing the other bunny out running around, try blocking their view so they don’t get so upset about it.

. . . 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.  

[Sleepy]

I was in a similar situation with my two buns. Due to circumstances we had two bunnies and had to wait till they were fixed before we’d find out if they were bondable or not. They didn’t see each other since we kept one in the kitchen and one downstairs but they knew each other existed since we’d definitely find territorial poops and messes around. As such, after they were fixed, we had to do a lot of prebonding to figure out if there was a chance they’d hate each other or not, and found the stuffed animal test was a helpful one (so if you give them both stuffies and get their scent over them, switch them after a few days and see how they react the other bunny scent in their territory). When they reacted okay to that, we started switching their items and kept checking reactions.

In your case, part of the problem is they both share the room even if they don’t see each other. There’s not much you can do except make sure they’re getting equal out time and attention, since if they’re not getting equal time their more likely to get jealous and upset.

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