Clueless first time bunny owner.

[Nat]

So long story short, we got a lovely little male bunny, had him neutered at 6months old then got a younger female bunny as we hoped to bond them. As a busy family we are out quite often and felt he would enjoy a companion. At first we had them in sight and smell of each other but they never met as we were waiting for our little lady to be 6months and get dressed before meeting. Anyways that day came and went and when we thought her hormones had settled we tried allowing them to get closer through separate cages, at first it looked promising although there was a few grunts etc but now our male actively tries to attack her and one day we had a slip up and they both ended up out together and he really went for her, pulled her fur out etc. I am now too scared to even attempt bonding them and my hubby is now saying maybe we should rehome one as it’s quite hard work giving them both the exercise and affection they need without them crossing paths ?‍♂️ Any advice on how I might bond them successfully would be greatly appreciated! He is a very sweet loving bunny to all family members except his intended companion!

[Nutmeg]

Hey!
Doing bonding successfully is a long process – one I am in the middle of myself – but when done right it is very rewarding for both your bunnies (as they do thrive with companionship – even though it doesn’t look like it right now lol) and for you to see them together.

Was there any wounds during the slip up? Some bunnies can hold grudges after a fight.

Have you done any pre-bonding yet? To simplify it – you swap items between their cages – toys and then the litter box – to start them getting used to each others smells. Once you see them no longer re-act to those changes (usually in a week now that they’ve both been fixed) you spend another 2 to 3 weeks fully swapping their cages every day.
(what I would usually do is let one out to run around – pick up the one that was still in its cage and plop them in to the other cage… then put the one that was running around back in to the OTHER bunnies cage and let the other one out to run around)

You want to do a good month of pre-bonding so that they not only get used to each others smells but also lose track of what is “their” territory.

Then you would start the formal bonding sessions where they meet each other in completely neutral space… some place neither bunny has ever been and where they can’t even SMELL where their normal area / cages are.

[DanaNM]

Hi there, welcome

Agree with Nutmeg, but want to add that the female must be spayed before you attempt to bond them. Or maybe that’s what you meant by “get dressed”? Sorry if I am not understanding! :p Females can take quite a while for hormones to settle, and can have surges post spay, so anywhere from 6 weeks to 3 months might be needed.

Having a fight like you described happens sometimes, accidents happen. It’s very normal for buns to attack like that when they are not in neutral territory. (Imagine someone just showed up in your house, and was like, “I live here now!”…. what would you do? )

So for now, let them calm down a bit, continue with pre-bonding (cage swaps) for several more weeks, until you don’t see them acting aggressive towards each other through the cages. Make very certain they cannot get to each other again. If they seem like they are not calming down, completely separate them so they cannot see each other, and let them settle down.

Once they settle down and all that, find a very big, very neutral space for your first sessions. Set yourself some short time goals (like 1 minute, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, etc.). When they approach each other, pet pet pet pet them both and swap their scents, and calm them. This will help build a calm association and trust, and help them get past any fear they have towards each other. Once it’s clear in your sessions that they aren’t just going to rush and start biting each other, you can ease off on the petting and give them a little more leeway to interact.

All is not lost!

. . . 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.  

[jerseygirl]

Yes, I think “get dressed” could be a typo for desexed.

I don’t have advice to offer but wanted to comment on how adorable that sounded!

[Nutmeg]

Yes! Exactly what DanaNM said – I also took “dressed” for desexed hahaha. So if we are wrong and she hasn’t been spayed yet that must be done – but I think you did

Listen to EVERYTHING DanaNM says EVER about bonding your bunnies! – She is the “Bunny Bonding Whisperer” and has been a HUGE Help to me! (If you can’t tell my all my capital writing lol)

[DanaNM]

 d’aww shucks! 

. . . 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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