Bonding two neutered males

[Dusky18]

Hi all,

I’m relatively new to this forum, but not new to having bunnies. Up until 2 weeks ago I had 2 male bonded mini lops (UK) who had been bonded for over 5 years. Unfortunately one of them, Victor, had to be put to sleep due to a recurring inner ear abscess which was inoperable.

So, as dusky (remaining bunny) was showing signs of loneliness, we adopted a new friend for him. Escobar, who is the same age and also a male mini lop. I started bonding yesterday, and so far the signs are good. However, dusky is showing a lot more interest than Escobar is. Dusky seems a bit obsessed with mounting, attempting to groom and flop next to Escobar, whereas Escobar just sits there and doesn’t move. That being said, they’re now flopped out together. I’m a bit concerned that Escobar isn’t very interested in bonding, and is simply laying flat to stop the attention. We’ve had no signs of aggression, though dusky does thump out of frustration when Escobar doesn’t reciprocate. Any ideas or comments would be welcome as to whether this is going well or not!

[Asriel and Bombur]

You’re actually moving pretty quickly. It’s recommended you let the new bunny settle in for 2-4 weeks. This helps to get the new bunny acclimated to her new environment without the added stress of bonding thrown in. After settling in you can start prebonding, which is where it sounds like you need to be. You want to swap their litter boxes and food dishes between their enclosures for about a month before you start any introductions and sessions. The reason for this is because the new bunny might start becoming more comfortable as time goes along and starts showing their real personality. Prebonding also helps bonding tremendously. It helps them get used to each others scents in a safe way without the stress of them immediately mounting or fighting.

While yes it’s good there’s no aggression, however Escobar is still very new to you and your family and to Dusky. He’s probably still nervous from the sudden change of a new place, and being put with a new bunny fairly soon is causing him more stress. So I’d reign it in and stop while you’re only one session in. Start prebonding for the next month and get them used to each other. Put a stuffy in each bunnies cage and then swap it a day or two latter when the other one’s scent is on it. Watch their reactions to the stuffies as you swap them. After a month of all these swaps (assuming there is no aggression during the swaps) you can start bonding them in neutral territory.

I emphasize neutral because I’m assuming Dusky at his age has been all over the house at this point. Nothing is new to him, but for Escobar everything is. You need neutral space so neither bunny becomes territorial, which can lead to fighting. If you need to make a place neutral a good trick is spritzing everything with vinegar and water. Smells nasty, but it does the job

[Dusky18]

Hi Asriel and Bombir, thanks for the reply. I think I should have made it clearer in my post that we’re in the UK so bonding is down very differently here, we tend to do the quick method of at least 2 hour sessions twice a day, some people do longer. We got Escobar from a well known London rescue who normally does bonding over 3-4 days, but they’re allowing us to do it this time since I’ve bonded before.
The space we are using is neutral as it is the bathroom which dusky has never been in as he doesn’t like tiled floors, we’ve put mats down to help. In good news we did another 4 hours today across 2 sessions and they flopped next to each other!

[DanaNM]

I think I would just make sure that Escobar doesn’t show signs of fear of Dusky. When he flattens out, does he seem tense?

If he’s relaxed about the whole thing, then you might just have an easy go of it. Some buns bond really easily after losing a mate. But, if he seems tense, or flinchy, around Dusky, then you might want to give some extra time. If they seem relaxed around each other (my favorite indicator is that they can share a litter box no problem, or will yank food out of each other’s mouths) and there is reciprocal grooming and cuddling then you are in good shape. The fact that they are flopped together is great.

Escobar laying flat may be an indication that he wants the grooms, or is fine with being mounted, so maybe you will just have an easy go of it.

. . . 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.  

[Dusky18]

Hi all

Just wanted to give an update to this post. The boys have been living together permanently for just over a week now, they seem very much in love with regular grooming sessions and they’re happy to flop out and sleep next to each other, which is lovely to see!

Thanks for everyone’s help and suggestions.

[DanaNM]

That’s wonderful! So nice that you had a smooth bonding experience.

We of course would love to see pics of them cuddling

. . . 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.  

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