Bonding Free Roam Rabbits

[Tmorris]

Hello everyone,

New member here and I could use some advice.  Sorry if this gets a bit long, I feel that a back story is needed.

I have a 1 year old spayed Holland Lop “Mushroom” and a 10mth old neutered Dwarf Lionhead “Stitch”.

Mushroom came first and was free roam.  When Stitch came unexpectedly ( he had a rough start to life and needed a new home immediately) we decided to give him the upper level, well one bedroom and the hall and Mushroom had the main level minus the front hall.  (She chewed all the shoe laces)

We felt that Stitch wasn’t getting enough attention, only coming down for short dating in a small xpen, so we decided to split the main level.  Mushroom had retained the living room and Stitch took the hall.  That helped with bonding quickly as they started lying side by side through the gate and Stitch would groom Mushrooms head through the gate.  Mushroom is stubborn and does not return the favour (Canadian here sorry for the spelling lol).

I decided to clean the kitchen with vinegar and use that for the next step in bonding, getting them together.  This went extremely well.  Some humping, but no fighting.  They would lie together and Stitch continued to groom Mushroom and she continued to not return the favour.  They spent whole days together like this but Mushroom would eventually get frustrated with the confinement.  It was time for overnight but clearly Mushroom needed more space to reduce her frustration.  The living room is out of the question.  Mushroom loves the couch and I know it will cause territorial issues.  Decided to clean Stitches area with vinegar, move all the furniture around and get new hide boxes, clean beds and blankets.  This area was added to the kitchen.  For the first few hours they were so excited.  Then a fight broke out.  We quickly broke it up and for a few hours they ignored eachother and then things went back to friendly.  I stayed with them overnight and there was 1 more small scuffle but that was it.  It is now day 3 and they are happily doing everything together.  They have maybe spent 5 minutes away from eachothers side.  So the advice I need is what next?  I’m so afraid of letting them into Mushrooms original living space for fear that the couch will cause a fight.  How will I know if they are ready for this step?  Has anyone had this couch issue when bonding free roam buns?

[DanaNM]

Great job with them so far!

So, it sounds like they’ve been together for about 3 days straight and they are doing great?

I’ve often struggled with having a “semi neutral” space, so what I’ve usually done is just spent a bit longer in the neutral space just to make sure things are really really cemented with them. If it works out for you, you could keep them in the current area for another couple days. If they have been doing great during the last 48 hours you don’t need to supervise as closely either.

Then you have a couple options. In either case, you should clean, deodorize, and rearrange the final areas as much as possible. One option is to gradually expand the space to slowly include more of Mushroom’s area.

Another option, if it’s not practical to keep their main set-up in the kitchen, is to clean, rearrange the area where you intend to have their “home base” so it doesn’t look like either of the bun’s original set up (for example, my buns have condos as their home areas and I usually rearrange the levels in them and move where the litter box is, and I use a brand new litter box, or the one they’ve been using in the bonding area). Then you can move both buns into this area and supervise them there for 48 hours. If all goes well then gradually expand their space from there.

For the couch, you could put a couple freshly washed blankets over it, but it probably won’t be an issue if you introduce it slowly.

I think either option will work, as long as you spend enough time in the current spot where they are doing well. Sometimes pairs will have some issues when the space is expanded too quickly as well, so it will probably help to keep them confined to a room at first.

For the couch, you could put a couple freshly washed blankets over it, but it probably won’t be an issue if you introduce it slowly.

 

. . . 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.  

[Tmorris]

Thank you for your reply!!  Yes they have now been together for 72 hours.  This is so exciting to see.  They are basically glued to eachother are never more than a foot apart at all times.  I think I may have created partners in crime however lol.

Covering the couch is a great idea.  I figured I can wash all the cushion covers but covering it would make it look like a different couch.  Excellent.

I am going to take your advice and leave them where they are for a couple more days.  My townhouse is open concept so its really hard to slowly introduce them back into the living room without having 15-20 foot long barriers. Its basically all or nothing lol so I will make sure this new bond is solid.

Thanks again 😊

[DanaNM]

Aww I’m so happy they are doing well! I love when they just suddenly are glued to each other. And yes, they will definitely get into more mischief together!

That sounds like a good plan! I’m reading this a few days later, hoping it all went well!

. . . 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.  

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