Bonding my unspayed female with my neutered male? (Her surgery is scheduled)

[Motherofsnoots]

I bought Mischief, my mini Rex, from a pet store nearly 3 years ago. She is about 3.5 years old, maybe 4. She has been alone for the duration of this time until now! About 2 weeks ago, I adopted Bodhi, an 8-month-old neutered American chinchilla from the spca. I have been working on bonding them since I brought him home.

Mischief is currently not spayed. She has had issues with spraying (she hasn’t done this in a while though) and being extremely destructive. But, for the most part she is a happy, healthy bunny…lots of flops and binkies when she has outside time. Mischief and Bodhi have separate enclosures currently that are placed beside each other. I have been switching them nearly every evening. I have had bunny dates in a neutral location and also tried a bit of “stress bonding” in the bathtub. Mischief is very territorial and aggressive towards Bodhi but he still seems to want to be her friend (he approaches her often) but he’s also super scared of her! While in the bathtub she will nip him a bit but they don’t fight. They only fight in the neutral area of my hallway where I have the dates, and she instigates.

Now, I have read it is much easier to bond two fixed bunnies. Also spaying her might help her behavioral issues. I have noticed she is more tolerant of being pet and stroked now that there is another bunny in the house. Bodhi is still really scared, and isn’t sure about being pet. They both hate being picked up but that is typical with bunnies. Long story short, I have scheduled her spay for next week.

They aren’t bonded now, but will I need to start from scratch after her spay? He is going with her to the vet so he can get his physical exam and nails trimmed so they will be traveling together.

Basically, I am a new-ish rabbit owner and these are my first 2 bunnies. So I need all the advice I can get! Also, any tips on helping Bodhi be more comfortable in his new home and warming up to my boyfriend and I would be appreciated as well.

I don’t mind starting over with the bonding process after she is spayed I just don’t want to completely wreck their potential relationship.

Thanks for reading!

[Mikey]

First, stop trying to bond them. She is starting fights, and you said its obvious your new bunny is afraid of her. The more afraid of her he is, the less likely he will want to bond with her in the future. If you intend on them being friends, keep them apart until around 2 months after she is spayed (it could take up to six months for her hormones to completely drain, so be ready to wait longer). It also isnt good to try to bond while the new bunny isnt fully comfortable where they live yet, because you are not seeing his true personality

[Motherofsnoots]

Thanks for the info! I will stop the bonding process for now and focus on getting Bodhi comfortable in a new surrounding.

One more question…the cages I have now for them are not so great. Next week, my boyfriend and I plan to build a big c&c cage for them both. We want to house them together but set up a divider in the middle with enough distance where they cannot bite through the cage at each other. Would this be okay to do before we start the bonding process again?

Edit: I’ve actually thought about putting them in different rooms for he time being until she gets spayed and heals. Better idea or no?

[Mikey]

They can share a cage that is divided, just make sure that they cannot bite/fight one another through the bars and it will need a cover since rabbits can climb and jump very well. Every other day, swap them. Bun1 is on the right and Bun2 is on the left for day1, day2 Bun1 is on the left and Bun2 is on the right. This will help them get their scents shared around and will make living together and bonding go a bit smoother when the time comes

[Motherofsnoots]

Mischief is back home now, she had her spay surgery Wednesday! I’m amazed at how much she has calmed down already. I am trying to build them a new enclosure this weekend. Haven’t tried any more bonding sessions, going to pick that back up near the end of May so all the hormones will be gone.

[Mikey]

Congrats! I hope she continues to calm as she heals

[Motherofsnoots]

Hello again ? Mischief has completely healed now. I haven’t started bonding them yet. I was planning on this weekend or next weekend. She was spayed on 2/15/17. Bodhi is not afraid of her anymore. He’s still wary of my boyfriend and I. We aren’t able to pet him much. ? But I am continuing to work with him.

We built them a nice C&C enclosure. We have a divider but I’ve notice that she will still try to fight him a little through the cage. She can’t reach him, but she does this every so often. When he is out of the enclosure he will still go up to her and she will attempt to fight him. Is this a curiosity thing? ? I want to start bonding them but if she’s going to try to fight him every time this will prove very difficult. I’m willing to put in the work and everything I just don’t want them to hurt each other.

If anyone has advice or info it’s much appreciated. ?

[Luna]

When you say she will try to fight him, could you describe what she does? Have you still been swapping them in and out of each others cages? It could be due to them not being in a neutral area (ie. bathroom).

[sarahthegemini]

Fighting would not be due to curiosity. I wouldn’t start bonding til there’s no aggression whatsoever between the bars.

[Motherofsnoots]

Hey Luna! She will “bark” & try to swat at him through the cage with her front paws.

When I say curiousity…I meant he still goes up to the cage when he is out (we let them out separately of course) even though she attempts to fight him. Bunnies are smart, so it seems like he would avoid her because he knows she’s going to try to fight him. Despite this, he tries everyday multiple times a day.

We have been switching them! Most of the time they are lazy bunnies and avoid each other while in the enclosure. But yeah sometimes she will try to fight him.

[vanessa]

I’m not sure what a C&C enclosure is. Is there anyway to separate their cages to the point where she stops trying to fight him?

[vanessa]

You could put an x-pen/other fence around her cage while he is out. It sounds like she needs more time/distance from him, to stop feeling threatened.

[Motherofsnoots]

Hey Vanessa it’s a cage that looks like the one in your picture! We got wire shelving from Bed, Bath, & Beyond. I can put her in another cage I have but it’s much smaller and I feel so bad putting her in that little cage when she is used to having so much room ?

[vanessa]

Is it possible to rearrange your cage construction? That’s the best thing about those panels!

[Motherofsnoots]

I could definitely try the extra fencing/x pen. Thanks for your help!

[Motherofsnoots]

Yes we could rearrange it as well. Love those cages!

[tobyluv]

I have found that an x-pen is great for bonding. If the pen is new to both of them, it is neutral. Or you can wipe it down to remove any scents that one might have put on it. You can place a sheet down on the floor below the pen, to mask any scents in rugs or carpets too, which again makes a neutral spot. My husband and I get in the x-pen with our bunnies. We can break up any fighting that happens (which we’ve fortunately never had) or stop any excessive humping. We can pet the bunnies and try to calm them if one seems a bit intimidated. We’re all in there for a few minutes the first day, then increase the time each day. That method has worked well for us.

[Author]

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