Bonding to females

[pinklove]

I have a 5 mo old and an 8wk old my 5mo old does not like the new baby she’s peeing on her and chasing her.

I really don’t get it. When it comes to puppies or kittens my bunny will curl up next to them and chill out with them. My bunny usually has full run of her own room with cage we hardly ever lock her in her cage but lately we had to due to the urine on the floor. Now she’s being a little monster because she wants out. The baby has it’s own cage. I’d really like them to bond or even tolerate each other. Can they ever or is there no hope?

[PEPPA GEORGIE]

Hi when i had similar age bunnies to bond, at first the older one went over and sniffed and then kept chasing her too, the little one didnt fight back and no one got hurt but obviously it wasnt what we wanted. Then we took them into a totally different part of house that neither had been in before ie neutral and put them together and as they were both scared and so there was no chasing. Then after while of this they sat huddled together. The little one liked the older one to hide behind when we were there as she was scared and they were soon really good friends.
You can take them in a basket in the car too maybe to the vet lol as this makes them make friends, a bit like it is them against us so they are forced to be allies
Personally a have never had rabbits that always hate each other but there may be people here who have and have more knowledge than me. If you rub your hands under older ones chin and in scent areas then rub onto little one it will also scent her and vice versa if possible. I am not sure but weeing on her i think is to scent her and show dominance. I am sure lots of people here will have more tips for you though x

[Beka27]

Females are difficult to bond together, but it’s not impossible if you go about it the right way.  They are more territorial than males due to a strong nesting instinct and they both should be spayed before proceeding.  That will eliminate the hormones and make a bond more likely to work. Females can be spayed at about 6 months, that would be your first step.

This is my favorite bonding article: Love Match: A Guide to Bonding Your Rabbits - HRN

And some info on spaying:

Spay or Neuter My Rabbit? - Dana Krempels, Ph.D.

FAQ: Spaying and Neutering - HRS

 

I will also caution you to be careful, depending on where you got the bunny, it may have been missexed.  This is common with petstore bunnies.  It’s difficult to tell the sex of young rabbits, sometimes even for experienced rabbit people.  If the 8 week old is a male instead of a female, he should be considered fertile within this next month.  You may want to keep them separate JUST IN CASE, until you can get sex confirmation from a vet.

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