Bunny Bonding

[HollandLop]

Ive had my first rabbit Holland for about a year and decided to tey and get him a friend, so i got a rabbit, Halsey, off of someone who needed to get rid of her because animals kept attacking her. Holland is neutered but Halsey isnt spayed. Ive had halsey for about 6 days now and ive kept them mostly seperate (they can still sniff eachother between the bars) but i put them together once in a while to get them used to eachother in one anothers areas. They sniff eachother through the bars and stuff and when i put them together they sniff eachother and halsey hides under holland. Lately though holland has been chasing her around and humping her and she takes it until she decides to run away (he bites her fur but i try to get him not to) i read to just let it happen but i feel really bad for halsey. They lay next to eachother and sniff eachother normally but then holland goes and chases and humps her im not sure what to do. Or if im doing this right, i need help and the info online is very confusing

[Bam]

Hi and welcome to Binkybunny! I moved your post to the bonding section where I’m sure our bonding expert Dana will see it!

Meanwhile, we have a bonding template that you can copy and paste into a reply to this thread and fill in, if you like to. It’s a selection of questions that can be helpful to specify your particular situation, as all bonding adventures are unique. Here’s the link to the post with the template: https://binkybunny.com/forums/topic/bonding-template-read-me-for-bonding-help/

[DanaNM]

Hi there, welcome!

The most important thing you need to do is get Halsey spayed. It is very difficult (often impossible) to bond rabbits when one is un-altered because their hormones will prevent a proper bond from forming. Holland will mount her relentlessly until she is spayed, unlike in a normal bonding session where mounting is part of establishing dominance.

I would stop all bonding sessions until Halsey is spayed, and give her at least 4 weeks for her hormones to settle before starting bonding sessions again.

It’s true that info online can be very confusing because there are a lot of conflicting opinions! I recommend reading this guide and sticking to this format for the basics: https://binkybunny.com/infocategory/bonding/

Then when you start sessions again feel free to post more here and we can help with the specifics. 🙂

. . . 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.  

[HollandLop]

Update because I didnt see rhis post till now 😅 They are pretty well bonded, he still mounts her once in a while but its not relentless.. they groom eachother and play, although ive noticed holland isnt eating as much anymore and I was wondering if it has something to do with her or if it would be unrelated?

[HollandLop]

Update because I didnt see rhis post till now 😅 They are pretty well bonded, he still mounts her once in a while but its not relentless.. they groom eachother and play, although ive noticed holland isnt eating as much anymore and I was wondering if it has something to do with her or if it would be unrelated?

[DanaNM]

Holland could be eating less due to stress. How is he doing now?

I urge you not to consider them fully bonded…. having a hormonal rabbit in the mix can make things volatile and unstable. He could be mounting less because he isn’t feeling well, as you mentioned he isn’t eating that well.

As an aside, reproductive cancer rates are extremely high in unspayed female rabbits, so spaying is important for that reason as well.

. . . 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.  

[Author]

Messages