Bonding our two bunniess

[Cinnamin]

Hey there,

We are attempting to get our two rabbits to bond/become friendly with each other. We are trying to bond our 11 month old spayed Lionhead with our 11 week old Flemish Giant. The vet said he is too young to be neutered yet. We are putting them into neutral territory and giving them veggies to try and distract them. Our Lionhead seems more curious than anything, sniffing his butt and underneath him. Sometimes she will nip at him and wag her tail but nothing overly aggressive. As for our giant every time we try it he seems to freeze up and when our Lionhead comes up to inspect him he makes noises and runs away. She is not being mean. Sometimes he even thumps, We do not understand why he is acting like this. We have been doing this for 5 days now and his behavior towards her has not changed. He does not act like this to us at all. Is this normal or because he is so young.

Thank you!

[Rain]

Before you take any steps at all you have to get both buns fixed and nonhormonal. Even a month or two after their spay or neuter they are still hormonal. They cannot just be put together right away. For the first couple weeks, put them in separate pens that are close to each other so they can get used to each other’s scents. But still, before you do anything, you must neuter the male too. It is most of the time required in order to maintain a successful bond.

[DanaNM]

Yes, Rain is completely right. Babies cannot bond, and when he gets hormonal things can get really unpredictable. Your lionhead is curious because he is a strange smelly baby She knows he is young and so isn’t threatened by him.

Neuter first, allow him to heal, hormones to settle (6 weeks), pre-bond (house them near each other, but do not allow physical contact, and do cage swaps for 4 weeks), then you can start sessions.

That said, your bonding session sounds good, so once he is neutered and all that you can try that strategy again.

. . . 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.  

[Author]

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