Bonding/Pre Bonding Questions

[tannr]

i’m starting to prep for getting a 2nd bunny, and i’m planning on doing speed dating at either the humane society or house rabbit society to find the right match for my current bun, fou. in my research on bonding, i feel like i’ve read a lot of conflicting advice so i’m mostly here for clarification + help weighing the pros and cons. thanks in advance for any input!

• after speed dating, you bring the bunnies home together in the same carrier and this counts as their first bonding exercise. i’ve seen some blogs and websites say that if it goes well you should then just stick them in their pen in the neutral space and let them continue spending time together and getting to know each other, but i’ve seen other things say to put them in their own side-by-side pens and do pre bonding for a few weeks before putting them together again. should i decide which of these to do based on their behavior in the car? or is one generally better than the other?
• currently, my bunny’s x-pen is in my bedroom but he has free run generally when i am home. i have been planning on setting up a more permanent + aesthetically pleasing pen in my living room for when they are a bonded pair and are living in the same pen, but i’m not sure if i should set up the new bunny’s pen next to my current pen in the bedroom or if i should set up both pens in the living room? does it matter?
• since my bunny currently has full run of the house when i’m home, there isn’t really a neutral space. i know most people use the bathroom/bathtub but my weirdo bun has recently decided that peeing in the shower is his new favorite thing (even when i clean it thoroughly he will still go in there and pee every chance he gets, so i’m not sure if i’m just not cleaning it well enough or if there’s something else drawing him to that spot) is bonding them out on the patio okay? or is there too much external stimulation out there? or would it be better to try to neutralize a corner of my kitchen by cleaning it and putting down a new towel?

sorry this is so long! i really appreciate any advice!

[Cocoa]

Do you have a friend who would let you do bonding at their house? I think you should separate them when you bring them home. I have read a lot about people who started bonding in the adjustment time for the new bunny and as soon as the bunny was comfortable they had issues with bonding. I would separate and pre bond before continuing bonding sessions

[Bianca]

Posted By tannr on 4/14/2018 10:13 AM

i’m starting to prep for getting a 2nd bunny, and i’m planning on doing speed dating at either the humane society or house rabbit society to find the right match for my current bun, fou. in my research on bonding, i feel like i’ve read a lot of conflicting advice so i’m mostly here for clarification + help weighing the pros and cons. thanks in advance for any input!

• after speed dating, you bring the bunnies home together in the same carrier and this counts as their first bonding exercise. i’ve seen some blogs and websites say that if it goes well you should then just stick them in their pen in the neutral space and let them continue spending time together and getting to know each other, but i’ve seen other things say to put them in their own side-by-side pens and do pre bonding for a few weeks before putting them together again. should i decide which of these to do based on their behavior in the car? or is one generally better than the other?
• currently, my bunny’s x-pen is in my bedroom but he has free run generally when i am home. i have been planning on setting up a more permanent + aesthetically pleasing pen in my living room for when they are a bonded pair and are living in the same pen, but i’m not sure if i should set up the new bunny’s pen next to my current pen in the bedroom or if i should set up both pens in the living room? does it matter?
• since my bunny currently has full run of the house when i’m home, there isn’t really a neutral space. i know most people use the bathroom/bathtub but my weirdo bun has recently decided that peeing in the shower is his new favorite thing (even when i clean it thoroughly he will still go in there and pee every chance he gets, so i’m not sure if i’m just not cleaning it well enough or if there’s something else drawing him to that spot) is bonding them out on the patio okay? or is there too much external stimulation out there? or would it be better to try to neutralize a corner of my kitchen by cleaning it and putting down a new towel?

sorry this is so long! i really appreciate any advice!

I don’t like the idea of having them in the same cage in the car. Stress bonding (which is what that is) works great for some buns, but not for all. I have a bun who gets aggressive when stressed. If they fight in the car, it’s not going to be easy for you to handle. At least bring a spare cage as back up. 

When they are home I would go for side by side cages – make sure they can’t touch each other though because they can bite each other if they can touch. I would spend a few weeks pre bonding – longer if either of the buns is recovering from a recent spay or neuter because hormones can take 6-8 weeks to settle. Depending on how the rabbits react to each other you may want to use a towel or sheet as a visual barrier until they settle. When they are ready you can continue pre bonding by either swapping their cages, or swapping litter trays and feed/water bowls, etc. 

To create neutral territory for play dates you can clean some floor somewhere and pop a clean blanket down. Make sure you have protective gear (gloves)/something to separate them (sieve) on stand by just in case. I like to spend the first date or two just sitting them near each other and patting them both, but it depends how active the rabbits are and how much they enjoy pats. But mine all love pats so I have just sat them together, had a happy pat session, and put them back. Next time I do the pats then allow them some time together. It depends on their behaviour and how much time you have from there. Some people/rabbits prefer bonding in a large space, others small. Some prefer lots of short bonding sessions, others prefer marathon bonding. Personally I tend to do a few short sessions to judge their behaviour and let them get used to the idea of spending time together, and then go for marathon bonding. 

Honestly, a lot of bonding is down to patience and observing their behaviour and making calls based on that.

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