Bonding Rabbits, First Time

[BunCity117]

Hello out there!

I just recently got a new rabbit for my bun of 3 years, Chappie, she’s a Lionhead. Our new rabbit, Mellow, is a mini-lop mix, according to the rabbit shelter we got him from, and he is the nicest, sweetest little guy! When the two first met he was the one that Chappie was the most relaxed with, so we brought him home. We are only about a week and a half into the bonding and we’ve noticed that during the sessions, Chappie nips at Mellow after a period of time. She’s not biting hard, and only once has she pulled a little of his fur. We stop them as soon as they start circling, both are fixed, and we’ve been doing the sessions in an upstairs bathroom, as we live on the bottom floor. She mostly ignores Mellow, and she’s even given him some small grooming on his head. You see he like to lay under her belly and her chin, seeking attention and wanting grooming. Mostly she doesn’t care, but after awhile she starts to nip at him. He does a small jump and then immediately goes back to laying under her chin, and so on and so forth. When they go to sniff at each other, face to face, Chappie will nip him and he will lay under her. She has groomed herself around him and he has done the same to himself. He likes to layout behind her as well and she doesn’t mind that. She eyes us a lot during the sessions. I mostly look at other things so she will do her own thing. During one bonding session Mellow got really confident and mounted her. She didnt like it, she actually jumped into my lap. She jumps away from him and we are very nervous about this since she could hurt herself. This bathroom has no bathtub but it does have tile floor, we put a towel down to keep them comfortable.

I have a few thoughts about her behaviors but I cannot find any info on my particular problem anywhere! Most people complain about bad fighting and biting aggressively, I’m not sure if this is what she is doing, she seems to say “I want licks!” Or “get away you!” And he is never discouraged by her nips. I understand that right now they are sorting out their dominance, but Mellow has yet to groom Chappie at all. Perhaps she wants grooming and is upset because she’s not receiving? But they seem super curious about one another, and Mellow really likes Chappie, he always wants to be with her! I’ve seen positive signs from Chappie, she will go up to the cage he’s in, that’s next to hers, and she will sniff at him, but we have to cover him to avoid her nips. She will groom herself around him, I feel like she also stands guard when their bonding, cause she’s only laid with him when we pet them and she laid down once on her own. She always stands close to him, and sniffs at him when he hops around. I feel like they do like each other but Chappie is hesitant to give up her superiority, she has been alone for a few years.

I realize that this may seem quick to be asking questions, but my partner is concerned that the nipping means our rabbit doesn’t want to bond, so I am seeking out advice on what her behavior means. If there’s anything anyone could tell me i’d be super grateful! I have hope that these two will bond with time, I’m just trying to find some more advice so I can spread my hope.

Thanks!

[OnyxMoon]

Hey there! 

So usually before you go into bonding sessions, you’ll want to do some pre-bonding. This consists of switching them between cages/areas every two or more days, and/or giving them something to get their scent on and giving it to the other bun (i used a fluffy sock, others suggest a stuffed toy. If you use a stuffy, get one without glass/plastic eyes. I’ve heard ones meant for babies are best because they aren’t made with harsh dyes or choke-able pieces.), and switching litter boxes, etc. 

Having their cages, or pens, next to each other is a good thing too. Just have a couple inches in between, in case anyone gets aggressive. 

It gets them used to each others scents, and helps them become less likely to be aggressive to each other. This part, i would say, should be at least two weeks long. But if more is needed that’s normal. Since they’ve already met, they might not need as much pre-bonding time.

Bunnies are extremely territorial, so pre-bonding is important because fights can break out between buns at the drop of a hat. Although Chappie and Mellow sound like a good pair in the making , they just need more time to get used to each other. You definitely don’t want to risk a fight though. If a fight is bad enough, it will make it really hard to bond them because they’ll have like a “grudge” against the other bunny because of it.

I would go back to the pre-bonding stage. Nipping can mean a few different things, wanting to be groomed, just them grooming (they do that sometimes during grooming), aggression, etc. It sounds like Chappie wants Mellow to groom her in return to her grooming him, but Mellow isn’t giving in. 

After pre-bonding for two weeks, bring them to a neutral territory. An area that neither bun has been before, so there’s no chance that they have already “claimed” that area. First introductions should last about 5-10 minutes. Set out some hay, veggies, and/or treats. I believe this helps distract them and realize that they can relax in each others presence, and associates the other bun with something good!

If there are any signs of aggression, separate them and go back to pre-bonding for another week. Then restart the introductions in a new neutral territory. Hope this helps! 

[sarahthegemini]

How long have you had new bun? You need to let him settle in for a month and then pre bond for a month at least.

[BunCity117]

Thank you so much for all the information! I’m definitely going to keep going with switching the litter boxes and the rest of the prebonding! I really appreciate your time!

[Sirius&Luna]

I agree about the prebonding!

Also wanted to add that nipping is how rabbits communicate, so it’s not necessarily a bad thing or a sign that they won’t bond! It’s still pretty early in your bonding process too. I think it takes most people around 1-2 months after prebonding to call their bunnies bonded.

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