Don’t really understand bonding behaviour please help!

[GlennTheLionhead]

So I have recently adopted a new baby bunny 13weeks old to bond with Glenn and hopefully give him companionship, I have researched bonding methods and tried to begin to do my best but I am new to bonding so was hoping I could share my experience so far and get some help on how to reduce any aggressive behaviour and what behaviour to expect as normal.
They new baby is an Unspayed female and Glenn is a neutered male, the vet assured me it’s okay to bond while she hasn’t yet reached sexual maturity but obviously I will get her spay as soon as she does. She is being housed in a separate room (which used to be Glenn’s room some time ago) and she is using Glenn’s old cage and litter box and blankets.
To begin with I had been swapping items to get them used to scent for a couple days and letting them smell each other through a door. Last night I introduced them for the first time in a neuteral-ish area, the bathroom where Glenn has been before and would recognise but as a free roam bunny it’s very difficult to find a completely neuteral area except the kitchen which seems far too cold to bond them in. Anyway the first meet seemed to go okay Glenn was very scared of her at first not wanting to approach her but watching intently from a distance, she was less phased, eventually they got close and he immediately began mounting her and dropping poo’s, they circled each other a lot and some rough grooming possibly light nipping went on, but he was very obsessive about mounting and jumping her, she didn’t really seem to mind this and continued to show interest, after the meeting they both flopped loads and seemed happy. The second meeting there was more obsessive humping on Glenn’s part and she seemed to want to smell in between his legs but I stopped this as I wasn’t sure if this was smelling or trying to bite his bits? After this we put a pen in the way to give her a break from the humping but so they could see each other and after a couple minutes of both of them trying to smell each other they both settled down and flopped about a meter away from each other which seemed like a great sign!
They had their 3rd meeting later in the day seemed more aggressive, we opened the door to the new buns room next to the bathroom to quickly grab a treat and Glenn ran in where he then saw all his things (old cage and litter tray/blankets) which would have the new buns smell all over them, this caused him to go a bit mad frantically spraying and kicking by the litter box before we grabbed him out of this area and back into the neutral area but he seemed to aggressive so at this point we stopped the little date and put them back in their seperate areas. I don’t know if this has messed things up or if it’s damaged the relationship or if it can’t be fixed and they can continue to bond? Also does the other behaviour sound normal and what is expected during the first few meets it seems to be mixed signals, one minute happy the next angry. And finally do you guys have any good tips to reduce this crazy humping and circling behaviour? Perhaps despite the cold and having to pick the new bum up (which she hates) maybe any further dates should be in the kitchen? Also there was no growling or signs of overly aggressive behaviour until the last meet when Glenn found his things.
Sorry for the crazy long post but I appreciate the help!

[Wick & Fable]

Rabbits are quite tricky aren’t they? I’m still waiting for Wick to respond to me in vocalized English so we can be on the same page about some things.

Young rabbits make declarations about bonding difficult, because generally they will get along with anyone due to the lack of hormones, as your vet mentioned. There are distinct situations where separation, rather than trying to bond before she’s fixed, is highly recommended:

1) Bad air/interactions – Any fights, chasing, bullying, etc. that may happen in this time period can really affect how bonding post-fixing will go. Like humans who are reluctant to be friends with someone they’ve fought in the past, if the two rabbits develop some bad mojo, separating them so they forget it and keeping it that way until post-spay would be a good choice.

2) Hormones kick in for the worse – If/When she shows hormonal behavior, her ways of interacting with Glenn can turn completely 180. Rather than flopping and loving, it can become more chasing, humping, biting, growling, etc.. If/When you see this occurring, along the same lines as #1, you want to begin the permanent separation.

— Based on the “dates” you’ve described, I think separation right now is best, and it should stay that way until following the spay. Although Glenn is neutered, the presence of an unspayed female will actually stir up hormonal behaviors, which is why he’s probably acting more strongly on territorial instincts typically seen from an unneutered male. Things may reduce naturally the first time they meet again after she’s spayed.

********* I am not experienced in bonding. The items above are based on what I’ve read in a lot of bonding post. Other experienced BB members may be able to provide more poignant information/recommendations!

And side note, does she have a name?

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.

[GlennTheLionhead]

They are definitely complex little creatures haha!
Okay that is great info thanks! I think I will try one last dating attempt in the completely neutral kitchen tomorrow as it’s only been a couple days and if this behaviour happens again then I will seperate them till she’s spayed as she won’t be able to be spayed for at least another month or two so hopefully it will be enough time for them to somewhat forget about the previous dates. Then hopefully try a very slow bonding process again, fingers crossed it all goes well!
Her name is Maggie, shes a Netherland dwarf and he’s a nearly one year old lion head
Thanks again for the help!

[Lilly Halloway]

Hello
I’ve had lots of experience bonding groups and from what it sounds like it’s going well.

Nipping, mounting is not fighting its bonding. Nipping is simply Glenn asserting himself as the dominant bun as it’s kind of like “hey I’m the boss outta my way”
Excessive mounting can be an issue and if Maggie gets fed up it could lead to chasing in the future. I tend to go by the rule that you let the bun hump the rabbit for three seconds then take him off and stroke him next to Maggie. Humping isn’t a bad thing unless Maggie seems frightened by it or is trying to run away from him.

Flopping around each other sounds great! This means they are comfortable around each other and don’t see each other as threats. I tend to think that indifferent bunnies on the first date is actually a good sign, as they could be fighting.

Also if you are concerned with territorial aggression, spray everything he owns with vinegar and this will destroy his scent and he will not recognise it. So when you decide to move the bonding from the bathroom I would spray the floor with vinegar as I’ve had perfectly happy buns move into an old territory and fighting to suddenly break out.

However, I do think that spaying your bun after they are bonded may be a little risky. If you still want to go ahead and bond then I’d advice you to always make sure they are in sight of each other, and put all there food on the same side of the cages so they are eating by each other. When putting them back together I’d advice you to treat it like bonding all over again just to make sure.

[Deleted User]

I’d definitely wait until after she is spayed, especially because prebonding is such an important step. I really can’t stress how important it is that prebonding should be for a minimum of one month. Not to mention, the time you wait for her to be spayed and wait 1-2 months for her hormones to die down, it will help her to feel safe and trust you. Being a new bun in a new environment is scary, and then adding bonding on top of that can be stressful. It works a lot better to bond them if they both have a good bond with you and trust you.

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