Bonding my two girls

[BethKage]

So, first off, I want to thank this site and everyone on it for helping me with so many questions I’ve had on taking care of my bunnies. This has been my go-to site for about a year and a half now but this is my first time posting…

So, I’ve had two bunnies (Loxamina, a female hotot mix and Ciaran, a mini lop) for a little over a year and a half now. The two of them have had an…. interesting relationship… it’s friendly enough, but while my little girl, Loxi, wants genuinely to cuddle and groom and BE groomed, Ciar has OTHER plans. I was told Ciar was fixed when I adopted him, but I’m not so sure. I had Loxi spayed myself, so I KNOW she’s good.

Anyway, long story somewhat short, my husband and I ended up getting a new little bunny almost a week ago now. She is just over two months old and is FULL of love and happiness. Like bunnies for days. She’s super affectionate too. The PERFECT companion for Loxi to cuddle with… That’s my hope anyway.

So this is where I could really use some help. I’ve been trying to bond Loxi (who is a little over two years old, btw) and Jazzy and I really just can’t figure what is going on between them. I recorded a video of them (there’s more info about their session in the video description) so I’m hoping someone can decipher their interactions better than I can. I’ve been researching the bonding process like crazy but I just can’t quite figure it all out.

Hopefully I provided enough info on my buns here and all. Let me know if I need to add anything and thanks in advance!!

https://youtu.be/_f0pIMF2X-c

[Sirius&Luna]

Hello!

Most baby bunnies are full of love and cuddlyness, but their personality might change as they grow up.

Secondly, you can’t bond a baby. Baby bunnies generally get along with anyone, but it isn’t a bond. You need to wait until baby is old enough to be neutered, and then start the prebonding and bonding process. I would also recommend that you get a vet to double check that Ciaran is actually neutered, as its very difficult and risky to bond unneutered buns. What makes you think he might not be? What do you mean by interesting relationship?

[BethKage]

I’ve taken my buns to the vet a few times since I’ve had them (just for routine checkups. I try to do them twice a year). The last two times, I had them check Ciar to make SURE he was actually neutered. Both times, they were pretty darn certain he was….. I don’t know, I’m still not convinced.

Ciar was a rescue, so I don’t know his ENTIRE past, but it’s clear he has some trust issues. He gets so tense whenever anyone lifts him off the ground (which I understand, being a prey animal and all), but he also gets super tense around people he doesn’t know or when he knows something is up. As a result, everything “down there” basically gets sucked into his body (apparently bunnies can do that) and it makes it super hard to tell whether he still has his “equipment” or not. Still, the vet is pretty sure he HAS been fixed.

The reason I don’t think he IS fixed is because of the constant grunting around Loxi and ESPECIALLY around Jazzy. He is constantly trying to hump them, despite what they do. If they immediately submit, he still tries. If they run away from him, it usually takes him a few moments to realize what just happened, but then he tries to go after them again.

I’m not entirely convinced that it is a dominance thing because there are NO other signs of Loxi and Ciar figuring out who is top bun between them. Aside from the incessant need to hump, Loxi and Ciar actually get along GREAT! They always have, really. I DO keep them in separate cages just because Ciar won’t leave Loxi alone, but they will easily cuddle with one another on the off chance Ciar ISN’T solely thinking of sex….

I hope that provides enough information. I’m kinda at a loss here with him. He’s a great guy, but Loxi REALLY just wants some bun to cuddle with. I figured Jazzy may be a good candidate.

[jerseygirl]

Regarding Ciaran, do you know how old he might be? Did they do ultrasound at all?

We have a member here whose young, male rabbits ended up needing needing abdominal neuters done. It was thought they might be intersex rabbits but turned out they had undersized, undescended testes and no scrotum.
I ask about age as some older, neutered rabbits can become humpy too. My lop did around 6-7yrs of age.

[jerseygirl]

Finally watched the video. They are doing pretty well. Jazzy is just a bit uncertain of Loxi.  The trust will build the more interaction they have. Loxi’s pretty confident by the looks. I don’t think you need worry about the butt “nips” or nudges. It’s sort of how they communicate and will even do this to us sometimes. Have you ever been sitting on the floor and your rabbit come up and nip or nudge your side? It’s sometimes a “‘scuse me, coming through- Move” “hello, acknowlege me” and a bit of dominance, I think. The female in one of my pairs still nips at the males butt, especially when they are up higher and he’s about to go down the ramp. She’ll pull out a bit of fur. The fur comes out more easily there and he doesn’t react or it turn into a fight. When you see them both going for butt and they start to circle each other fast, that’s when it is escalating and needs intervention.

You could probably pet them side by side when in the tub to help things along a bit. If Jazzy responds well to being pet. 

While it is ideal to wait until the younger one is desexed too, people have gotten their rabbits living together prior to that. You’d just need to be aware that the bond would be challenged when the younger reached sexual maturity and you may have to separate them. That would mean bonding again after the younger has had the op and hormones have leveled out. 

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