Bunny not wanting to bond

[Omorgan]

Hi,

First off, sorry this will be a long post. there will be a TL;DR at the bottom.

I have three c. 2 year old mini-lop rabbits: Arwen (female Black Otter), Sieriol (Male B/W Butterfuly) and Amelia (Lilac Self).

I have had Arwen since a kit, and later on, adopted and bonded Sieriol. They have been a happy pair for over a year now. I decided, as it was always my plan, to adopt a 3rd bunny, Amelia. I got her from a breeder who had previously bred and taken to shows etc. (Had to remove a BRC Ring) I had her spayed going on 3 weeks ago, and she made an almost immediate recovery (eating straight after waking up) and has had plenty of healing time.

Sieriol is neutered, and Arwen is also spayed.

I’m having an issue with bonding them, and it not the usual fighting/biting etc.. its more that Amelia isn’t interested in the idea of it at all… Arwen and Sieriol will both come upto Amelia, but she will then immediately thump, sometimes make a quiet grunt, and run off. she will always do that…. thump, grunt, run away and sit in the corner….

There is sometimes a little chasing, not nothing much from the other pair, all they want to do is make friends! 

I have read SOOOOOOOOOOOO many posts/blogs/documents on bonding, and am trying a variety of different methods. they will be placed in the slippery shower pan for a while, they will be bunched together in a carry case for periods, they will then be in a small neutral territory area for extended periods (longest was 8 hrs supervised).

They aren’t fighting, they are only chasing every so often and I’ve even seen Arwen GROOM Amelia after I forced Amelia to sit side by side with Arwen.

Its not like anything is going ‘wrong’ per se, more like Amelia just isn’t interested and will run away every time the others get near….

Could this be a hormonal thing in Amelia (she’s had the hormones coursing round for some time if you know what I mean, compared to a young bunny being spayed early on, and I suppose it would take longer for the levels to die down)?

Are there any suggestions?

Owen.

TL;DR: I have three bunnies, all neutered/spayed, two have been bonded (by me) for some time, but the new female isn’t interested in bonding. just thumps and runs away every time the others get near…

[Giggles]

How long have you had Amelia?

If you’ve only recently adopted Amelia, then it could be possible that she’s still undergoing an adjustment period with a new home and new mates. In that case, it could take time and patience before Amelia gets fully settled into her new home and start bonding with new mates.

I would encourage group routines — whether it’s group floor time, grooming time, or dinner time. Establish as many group routines as possible. That way, even if she doesn’t want to be part of a group yet, she would become accustomed the the presence of the other bunnies and doesn’t view them as potential threats.

Of course, you’ll have to keep in mind that bunnies have different personalities as well. Amelia could simply be that one aloof kid that doesn’t want to hang out with all the other cool kids.

Either way, the bottom line is: Patience, grasshopper.

[Omorgan]

Hi,

I’ve had her about a month now, so I would understand some adjustment.

I will bear all in mind and just keep on going!

If she is a one of the less sociable types would that mean she can’t be bonded at all?

Cheers,

Owen.

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