Bonding three males?

[bennettmorgane]

We have two male rabbits, Hazel and Fiver. They get on great and have their dynamic – Fiver is definitely alpha. But we recently acquired another male, Pipkin, as he was a stray. He got neutered on Friday so it will be a few weeks before we can even start working to bond them, but I’ve never bonded rabbits before as Hazel and Fiver are brothers. Recently Fiver gets very worked up at the smell or sight of Pip and takes it out on Hazel by pulling his fur out. He isn’t as bothered if he’s near Pipkin if he’s on his own. I was wondering whether it’s a good idea to try and bond the three of them individually, one-on-one, so Hazel doesn’t get beaten up by Fiver and possibly Pipkin as well, or whether that will ruin the bond between Hazel and Fiver and never bond the three of them? Should they be introduced to Pipkin both at the same time?

[Wick & Fable]

How long have Hazel and Fiver been together, and how old are they? Rabbits don’t actually “do” family units— brothers, sisters, children and parents, etc.. all actually need to be bonded, because they are equally likely to try and kill and mate with each other, as with non-blood related rabbits.

The tension between Hazel and Fiver is probably because with Pipkin present, Hazel and Fiver’s potentially-not-solid-bond is now in being thrown about, as presence of an unfixed rabbit can cause fixed rabbits to act hormonally. The presence of a new rabbit ordinarily would not affect the existing bond of two other rabbits, so it may be worth separating Pipkin from them until he’s well neutered and done with his hormones, and then doing each one individually with each other for safety.

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.

[bennettmorgane]

Hazel and Fiver have been together since birth and they’re now two. Usually they do get on perfectly well, although they fought at about eight months old when they had to be neutered and the trust had to be rebuilt between them. Pipkin has his own hutch and doesn’t come into close contact with them, but the two can’t go in the run together at the moment after Pip has been in there. Thank you, it’s good to hear that they can be bonded individually as I suspect Hazel will get along with him fine but Fiver will be a big challenge. I’ll just have to keep working to keep Hazel and Fiver’s bond strong throughout.

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