Bonding elderly bunnies and a baby

[FluffyBunny]

So, as I recently posted about, I got a new male baby bunny a couple of days ago. Obviously, I’m not going to bond them or leave them in the same space until new little guy is neutered, but I do want him to have other bunnies around as soon as possible. Since I don’t want to get a fourth bunny, that leaves my two elderly bonded bunnies, Mr. Bunny and Ms. Rabbit. They have been bonded since 2010 and are both fixed. They are healthy, though Ms. Rabbit has a little trouble moving around (probably arthritis) and is completely blind. 

I haven’t seen a lot of people bond a very young bunny with an elderly bunny, especially in a trio with two males. I think the baby boy will be alright, but I’m a bit worried about my two elderly bunnies for different reasons. Mr. Bunny is still very strong and fast, and he has a history of getting pretty violent during the beginning of bonding (though he’s otherwise a very gentle bunny). Ms. Rabbit is frailer than he is, and she can’t get away quickly or fight back like she used to. So, for obvious reasons, I’d like to introduce them very slowly and reduce stress on the older bunnies wherever possible.

Has anybody been in this situation? I’d love to hear how other people went about this.

[Mikey]

Youll need to be careful with that. Rabbits can become horribly depressed when their bond mates pass. Youll need to be ready to try to bond him again asap after your older two die, and hope he takes to the new bun well. Some depressed buns refuse to bond with other bunnies after their bond mates die, because theyre too depressed to bond again.

[FluffyBunny]

I’m actually pretty glad that I got this guy for exactly that reason. My older bunnies have been bonded for the bunny equivalent of 50-60 years, and I worry a lot about what would happen to the one left, especially if my male goes first. But yeah, I’d have no issues getting a fixed friend for him ASAP once both older bunnies pass away.

[LittlePuffyTail]

I think it depends on the personalities of the bunnies as well as age. A younger bun may stress an older bunny with hyperness and playing. Older bunny may get irritated and lash out. And you don’t want your older bunnies becoming stressed and getting off their food or unwell. Some bunnies find bonding very stresful. However, you won’t really know unless you try. Trios can be difficult, especially with a pair that have a long-time bond. I suggest you do as much research as you can on bonding trios (you can do a Search in this Forum) until your boy is recovered from his neuter and then take it from there. Are you prepared to keep him solo if need be?

[FluffyBunny]

Yep, I’d be fine with having him separate. I do personally think bunnies need a friend, though, so I’m really hoping they do work out. I will continue reading about trio bonding. I’ve noticed that some people put each bunny from the pair in with the third separately, while others just bond all three at once. Do you know which of these methods is most successful in general?

[Author]

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