Help! bonding bucks!

[sophia.o_c]

okay so it’s been a whole month since I’ve separated both of my buns after their last fight last month,,and I’ve been trying to rebond them now and it’s been a week since I’ve done so,,,also whenever when they are free,they always seem to lunge at each other? Is that okay? this is my first time bonding my rabbits as I’m a new bunny owner and is that normal? I mean the last time they fought was because one of my buns didn’t want to submit to the other ones,,and I’ve already had them for 6 months now and they were both litter mates,,before the whole fighting happened that is haha,,,,okay and so what should I do? also whenever they are side by side between cages,they don’t seem to lunge at eachother at all like they’d flop and sleep together?!? what should I do? they would especially not lunge at eachother whenever they are full provided that is bonding after making both of them full and satisfied ,,so what should I do?

 

(Edited by Wick – added links below to past topics with relevant hx)

Help!Rabbit getting along then suddenly fought..

Rebonding my two litter mates

[Wick & Fable]

Where are they “free”? Can you explain what you’ve been doing exactly this past week? Be sure any short date sessions you’re doing is in completely neutral space (ex. bathtub) and I’d keep the dates short for now, based on the history. Remember to look at the bonding information we have: https://binkybunny.com/infocategory/bonding/

You may also fill out a new template for the current situation, as that might be helpful since you are ‘restarting’: https://binkybunny.com/forums/topic/bonding-template-read-me-for-bonding-help/

Lunging isn’t good, and it’s a part of communication. Obviously we want that to eventually go away, but if it’s not escalating into something dangerous, then that is preferable to instant fights between them.

In terms of pre-bonding, it sounds like they are calm while side-by-side pen-wise– are you swapping toys and litter boxes so scent is familiar between the two? In terms of being peaceful when side-by-side pen-wise, that’s actually fairly common. Pens delineate territory, so that relaxation and comfort likely comes from that. Some suggest that lounging by a territorial barrier is actually a “jerk” move, like “HA! This is my space and you can’t get here!”. It’s still beneficial regardless in my opinion, since it’s more experiences of exposure to the other rabbit where there is not a chance to hold grudges based on physically bad interactions, like a fight.

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.

[sophia.o_c]

okay so quick question do you have to change that neutral space everytime you bond them? what I meant as in free is that normally for the first week,I placed both of them together and pet them which they just love LOVE pets!but I’ve somehow noticed how one of my buns kept putting his head underneath my other buns head whenever I pet them…also the meaning by “free” is that whenever my buns get to hop around in that neutral space,for the first minute,they would explore the place then all of the sudden one of my buns started lunging?ig but I instantly stopped before it can escalate into anything ..also quick question i have this one bunny which is the third one,should I wait and bond the two first then bond the third one or how?for now,I’m still waiting for the pen to reach so that I can set it up for them to live together as neighbors,,so what should I do? but looking at the situation,I feel like bonding my buns can take a long time,, probably a month 🙁 also what is the longest time for a bunny to bond? like is there anyone out there who took their bunny more than a month to bond?

[DanaNM]

So in terms of neutral space, it should be an area that neither rabbit has spent time in previously, and is ideally not near their main areas in your home. But, you can use the same area for each bonding session. So really the only time the buns should spend in the neutral space is during bonding sessions. Ensure that your space is as neutral as possible, a lot of people use their bathrooms for this if they are limited on space. Sometimes even being within smelling range of their home turf can make bonding harder.

Sometimes, if bonding takes a long time the space can start to become less neutral. I’ve found it can help to switch up to a new neutral space if things stop progressing in the original neutral space.

I’ve had two of my bonds take over 3 months, and I know of some other cases on the forum that took longer. I know of some members who’s trios took 6 months to a year. So it’s not uncommon for bonds to take over a month, especially for trios.

I think your strategy of petting in the early dates is great, I would keep that up and use that method to diffuse the lunging if you can.

In terms of the trio, there are multiple ways to go about it. It kind of depends on the bunnies and your comfort level. More experienced bonders tend to prefer to just work with all three at the same time from the beginning, but this can be hard to manage if there is fighting or a lot of chasing. Others like to focus on bonding one pair, then working with the other two combinations for a bit, and then putting all three together. The downside to this is that the original bond may break or at least go through some hiccups during this process, so you may still end up having to keep all three bunnies separated during the bonding process.

To get a sense of some strategies and ways things might go, I recommend using the forum search feature (the magnifying glass in the top right corner) and look for “trio bonding”. You’ll find a lot of journals from other members that might help you. 🙂

. . . 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.  

[sophia.o_c]

okay so hello! today I tried bonding them and so far I’ve seen both of them grooming each other a little bit,,also do I have to let my bunnies go during the session? normally,during the past weeks,I positioned both of them right next to each other/right in front of each other and they seem to get along well,but yesterday I tried to let both of them be and they started fighting ( it looks like a fight as I saw fur flying everywhere and only one of my bunnies fur were flying?¿I think it’s probably because he’s a mix angora so his fur is more than my other bunny which is a chinchilla,,okay so since yesterday( that happened),today I tried petting both of them for only a few minutes and they just started to lick each others head….is that progress? I can’t identify,,,,also they only fight when they are allowed to hop around the area and all but whenever they are given food/treats,they always behave?,,like they’d be flopping, cuddling? and yeah I don’t understand,,as far as I’ve done my research through website and watching videos in YouTube…all of the bonding session in there seemed like they just put two bunnies in a small neutral space and only intervene if there was nipping/lunging but whenever I did that they would just straight on fight and not be on the same page :/ but it’s only been a few weeks since I’ve tried bonding them so I really hope they would eventually bond soon! or should I let my female and male bunny pair bond first then bond another male? I’ve heard lots of vets recommend that I bond the bucks first then introduce them to a doe,,,also both of my bucks are older than my doe by like 1 year…I really hope they will eventually bond 🙂

[Wick & Fable]

Grooming each other is positive, fighting each other (fur flying) is negative — that being said, mixed signals during the bonding process is common.

I’m unsure what you mean by “let my bunnies go”, but to be clear, whenever you are doing a bonding session, you must be present physically and mentally 100% of the time to intervene when necessary. In terms of when to intervene, you want to do it before/if a big fight breaks out. To an extent, the little nips and lunges (that do not amount to a fight) are necessary so they can communicate with each other.

When rabbits are pre-occupied with something like eating, yes, this will prevent them from fighting and is often a good starting point for particularly hard bonds. You can think of it as a “points” system in a way — if the rabbits are aggressive without the food, go ahead and do only food-dating session so they can accumulate positive points in each other’s presence. This may help them be more calm when in a date and there’s no food, because they have had several exposures to each other where nothing ‘bad’ happened.

In terms of order of bonding, I would gauge it based on your situation. If the two males are not doing great, then you can try for a pair with a male and the female first (assuming both are fixed and +1mo post recovery). Note that the presence of another rabbit can make things complicated in the bonding process because their scent is in the mix, on you, etc. so I would be more mindful of distancing the third rabbit, including changing your clothes as the facilitator of bonding.

Again, be sure the dates are taking place in completely neutral territory. Start with short dates that end on a neutral/positive note, and as those become consistent and successful, you can start increasing the time of the dates. Dates can literally start at just 5min long, and while yes that is a slow pace, it is also sometimes what’s needed to get a good foundation for bonding. The rabbits need positive/neutral experiences with each other to feel comfortable ultimately being each other’s companion, so if forcing longer dates that always end in a fight/nips is occurring, that is going to not establish the sense of security that is needed in bonding.

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.

[DanaNM]

Seeing any type of grooming in the sessions is great! But yes, fur flying is fighting.  I think it’s OK to be petting them and intervening a lot in the early sessions. Eventually you’ll need to ease off the petting though.

I think starting with petting, and the gradually reducing the amount of petting is a good strategy. Like, you could pet them for a few minutes, then pause petting for 10-30 seconds. then pet a bit more, then pause, etc. If they start hopping around, I like to pet them whenever they come nose to nose with each other, especially if they are requesting grooming (by putting their heads down). As you start to ease off petting, you can also gradually increase the amount of time they are together. You can also begin and end each session with petting to make sure you end on a good note.

The sex and age of the rabbits you start with matters less than their personalities. I think most people like to start with the easier pair first, since there is some risk of the pair splitting up when you add the third. It seems like the risk of that happening is a bit lower (or easier to repair) if the bond was easier to begin with. In my experience when people start with three unbonded rabbits, they often opt to work with all three at the same time, but that can be a bit hard if you don’t have someone helping you or are less experienced with bonding.

I always like to follow the guideline “if something is working, keep doing it!”. since petting and giving them treats is promoting positive behaviors between them, I would keep doing those things!

. . . 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.  

[sophia.o_c]

oh I forgot to tell” letting them go “means that they are able to hop around the place when both of them are in the same place during the session,,but whenever I did that,it would always result in them fighting,,so for now I only pet them and let them eat meals together,,but the weird part to me is that after they ate,they would flop around each other which I obviously would normally end it there before it can escalate to something bad,,also I think I should follow my buns pace like they only feel comfortable around each other whenever I’m doing that and plus it’s been a week since I’ve been bonding them,,which I actually had started bonding two weeks ago but I had to stop for awhile because I had to sit for examinations! Also do you have any advice for me? I also want to know how can I persuade people to think that bunnies are not supposed to live in small cages?…my mom and dad had friends that has lots of rabbits(probably breeders) and they would show my parents pics of the bunnies and my parents would always tell me that bunnies should live in small cages like the pics and that somehow upsets me like there are still lots of people that lacks in knowledge about rabbits happiness:/ but still having a free roamed rabbit in my country is still not widely known because people often adopt cats and dogs…but luckily there was an exotic vet around my area! also that aside what should I do with my bunnies? also I’m planning on changing their neutral place. is that okay? normally I would bond them in my brother’s room + toilet  since he has been away but now he’s coming back home ,,I can’t bond them in my room because they normally would play and spend time with me in there for hours…and I’m planning to continue their session in my other house which they haven’t been to yet,,is that okay?

[DanaNM]

When you let them hop around more freely during the session, do they immediately go after each other aggressively? If you watch their ear and tail position that will give you some clues. Ears back and tail up is aggressive, so if you notice them moving towards each other with that ear position, you should interrupt them right away and start petting or move them apart. If their ears are facing forward and tail relaxed, that is curious or interested. Sometimes that will also mean one bunny is going to try to mount, which the other bunny might not like, so a fight results. If a bun puts it’s head down, it would like to be groomed by the other rabbit. If the other rabbit isn’t ready to groom that can also lead to fighting. Try your best to see what behaviors happen before a fight and try to prevent the fight from happening.

My main tip is just to be patient and do your best to prevent fighting! It can take time for them to sort things out. It’s our job as humans to make sure they communicate with each other safely in order for the bond to form.

In terms of space, any neutral space can work. Some bunnies do well in smaller spaces, some do better in large. I’ve usually had good luck with larger spaces (like the size of an x-pen or two linked up). So you can set up a pen in a room they haven’t been in, or a lot of people use their bathtub of bathroom, since most bunnies don’t spend a lot of time in the bathroom.

As far as convincing parents, I know it can be really hard, especially in places where having a house rabbit is not common.  I think it helps to start small. So rather than pushing for full free-roam (which can actually be really hard to do with a lot of rabbits, some rabbits are just too destructive), start by asking if you can set up an exercise pen in a bunny-proofed area where the rabbits can exercise while supervised. Showing that the rabbits are litter box trained and not destructive helps a lot, and you may be able to start to expand how much space you give them once you can trust them more. It also might help to have your parents bond a little with the rabbits, so you can have them hand-feed and pet them. Rabbit like to run and need to run for their health, and sometimes once someone sees a rabbit running and binkying for joy they realize how sad it is to keep them in cages. If your parents do love animals but just don’t understand rabbits, I think in time they may come around.

. . . 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.  

[sophia.o_c]

oh don’t worry my buns are now currently free roamed during the day/night and they are both perfectly litter trained!what I said was just I felt super sorry for the bunnies at the breeders place because they all live in small cages and have never gotten out of it all!  also I had a bonding session today and both of them ate their veggies and pellets,,after that I tried putting some pellets on one of my buns head and they ate there too.they seem to get along well!,,I mean at the end of the session,they both flopped to the side and took a bit of a nap then I ended the bonding session 🙂

[DanaNM]

Oh I understand now! I agree, it can be so heartbreaking to see other rabbits in poor conditions. 🙁

That sounds like a very positive bonding session!

. . . 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.  

[sophia.o_c]

okay hello guys!so up until recently my buns have been showing lots of positive response from the bonding session!I had both of them eat their meal together in the bathroom then I set up a small space in there for them to bond and they are now flopping, frequently licking each other and slept too! like he didn’t even budge when he was sleeping and ig one of my buns even had a dream! also I’ve started to stop some pettings here and there and so far so good! but there’s one downfall tho like when both of them were sleeping,my bunny, grey got up from napping and after a few minutes, he started digging my other bunny?! I don’t understand that part but when I stopped him,there wasn’t any bad thing happening,,,also I think he probably wanted that space that my other bunny,dash slept in because it was at the edge and both of them LOVES flopping/sleeping at the edge! also should I move on the session to overnight sessions? and when? I mean yesterday, I had a one hour bonding session,and it ended great and there wasn’t any nipping/fighting and so on! but there is only one problem here tho,both of them kept bowing their heads at each other and then either both of them will take turns in licking/ grooming each other?! I’m really confused,,, throughout the session,there wasnt any mounting/nipping at all…and as far as I’ve done my research, everyone said that there should have mounting/nipping to know which one of them are dominant,,,…..

[DanaNM]

It sounds like things are going really well!

Bowing there heads and taking turns grooming each other is excellent. It’s not a necessity for them to mount or nip, it sounds like they have skipped that step and are well on their way to being bonded. Not sure about the digging, but you could be right in that he just wanted to get the other bun to move.

I would do some longer sessions before moving to overnight. I would try a 2-3 hour session next and see how that goes. if it goes well, increase to 4-6 hours. if you can do 4-6 hours with no negative behaviors between them (fighting or anything you need to break up), then I think they would be ready for an overnight or an all day session.

Sometimes things go well during the day and get a little more testy at night, so be prepared to supervise carefully (and not get much sleep). I like to do at least a couple longer sessions before going to overnight for that reason, because it gives me a better idea of how they will do together.

. . . 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.  

[sophia.o_c]

wooo so yesterday I had a 3-4 hour bonding well basically 6 hours but it’s in two different sessions on the same day,,yeah so both of them are well! they have been eating,cuddling,and just seems to not want to part away from each other,,,and so far throughout the whole sessions today,they kept flopping and sleeping just basically doing that so I was thinking,, should I move it into an overnight session tmrw night? I’m actually so so glad and happy that both of them seem to accept each other,,it kinda took a whole month with lots of patience and almost giving up lol …it’s because they almost fought during one of the sessions previously but it’s already been a long time so it’s all in the past now! let’s just pray and hope that they’ll bond soon! I just can’t wait for them to be brothe’s again!  also for the overnight session,do you normally sleep? or should you stay up and monitor them? I’m thinking of setting a pen in my room for the night…also is it suppose to be only one night or like a whole 24 hours from morning till night? I saw in a website that states that my bunnies should spend at least 48 hours together…

[Wick & Fable]

You want at least a whole 24 hours as you need to observe how they do through an entire cycle of a day, where their energies are gonna fluctuate with each other.

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.

[DanaNM]

It sounds like they are doing great! Are you still in neutral territory? Or a semi-neutral spot?

So, you can start with an overnight if you aren’t able to supervise for 24-48 hours straight. I was just writing in another thread that with my first pair I did an overnight first, then separated during the day because I had to go to work, then another overnight. They did wonderfully in both overnights so then I moved them to their final (cleaned, rearranged, and deodorized) home on a Friday and over the weekend I supervised for 48 hrs straight.

The idea with the 48 hours is you want them to be together for 48 hours in their final home with no fighting or intervention needed from you, and lots of positive behaviors, then you can consider them bonded. This is known as “cementing”. Sometimes you need to do this in each new location.

I usually end up sleeping on the floor next to the bun’s pen during these overnight sessions, so I can hear them if they start scuffling. You may not get much sleep, because any little noise will wake you up. Some people like to set up the bonding pen next to a couch or bed so they can sleep a bit more comfortably.

 

. . . 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.  

[sophia.o_c]

also before moving them to their final home,should I deodorize their pen place first? I didn’t know that,,and should I deodorize their litter too before the overnight session? also does spraying vinegar helps in getting rid of their scents? seriously,is there anything I should do?

 

[sophia.o_c]

update!!

okay so today I’ve tried to do a 24 hours bonding,,,,the whole morning/evening,they were both tolerating with each other but when it got during nighttime,at around 8 pm ,they had a tiff like they kept nipping and one of my buns fur was flying but also it’s probably because both of them are molting and one of my buns is a mix angora…okay so why did they fight tho? after that, I tried to move them into another neutral place and they seem okay again with each other?! like they were doing okay but before that like I said at around 8pm,they had a tiff and when I tried to intervene them,they still kept lunging at each other for awhile but after that,they were friends again?the moment I moved them to another place,both of them groomed, cuddled, and also flopped– also did I do something wrong?,,,,during the whole 24 hours bonding session,should I move them into a neutral space or in their space? like the place they normally live in?or in a semi-neutral space? PLEASE HELP!!😭😭😭😭😭

[Wick & Fable]

This is why the long 24-48hr is recommend because time of day influences their activity levels and you need to observe if their present dynamic holds through. It could be because they were fed up with being with each other for so long, one did something the other didn’t like, who knows as we were not there. That being said, again, this is why the long period is warranted so you can identify that the bond isn’t stable yet and needs more time.

This should all be in neutral territory. You do not move to semi neutral until they are solid in neutral. They’re not ready to move into the actual final space yet if they’re fighting.

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.

[DanaNM]

So, it is pretty normal for issues to come up at night, which is why it’s important to do the 24 or overnight sessions. Buns are more active at night, so things tend to come up.

The 24 hr session should be in neutral space. It can be the same one you’ve been working in, or a new neutral space. Sometimes the original space starts to get less neutral when they’ve spent a lot of time in it, or they just get bored.

Did you see what triggered the tiff?  Again it’s pretty normal for things to come up. Your job is to prevent the tiffs (or stop them right away if you weren’t able to prevent) and just keep going with the bonding session. Then you restart the “clock”. If you need to take a break, don’t end the session right after the tiff, wait until they are calm again so you end the session on a good note.

The basic progression is: neutral space for 24 hrs with no-fighting or intervention needed, then semi-neutral for 24 hrs with no fighting, then final home for 48 hours with no fighting. If tiffs happen each step can take longer, so for example if a tiff happened when you were 12 hours in, then you’d want to wait another 24 hrs from there to make sure they don’t fight again. If you don’t have a good semi-neutral space, you can also spend longer in neutral before moving them to the final home.

. . . 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.  

[sophia.o_c]

okay so does that mean I can still continue the 24 hour session? I think I’ll try again another 24 hour session the day after tomorrow in a neutral space then I’ll update again! also it’s fine if I skip tomorrow right? cause I have guests coming the whole day tomorrow so I can’t supervise them 24/7 also don’t worry the session today ended on a good note,,like yeah they did fight but after a few seconds,I tried to bond them again but in a neutral space and they seem really well! at first,they groomed each other ,slept then flopped– so yeah also did they really got fed up with each other 😭 I mean they even ate together and slept together too!

[sophia.o_c]

also what triggered the tiff is just that they kept messing with each other because they want to sleep at that exact spot😭like when one of my buns flopped then the other one will come and “dig” at him then he slept there and the other just had to accept it,,,and eventhough they can last up to 6 hours and more,they still kept bowing at each other them both of them taking turns in grooming,,is that okay?

[Wick & Fable]

They are communicating with each other, so it’s OK because these things need to happen– just like tense conversations with a roommate. The longer you’re together, the more things come up and you and the roommate need to communicate and see if you’re compatible and willing to work it out. Remember that when we bond, we’re “forcing” friendship between two strangers, so it’s normal that they’d get fed up with each other and have some tiffs as they figure out their dynamic.

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.

[sophia.o_c]

okay thank you ! I’ll update again later after their overnight session tomorrow! thank you so so much!♡

[DanaNM]

Yep, it’s definitely fine to take breaks as needed, and it’s encouraged to keep going as they have these tiffs. Sometimes it can help to give them some extra toys or a bit more space as the sessions get longer.

Taking turns grooming each other is great. 🙂

One other thing, sometimes adding a litter box too soon can trigger some territorial disputes. I usually don’t add a litter box until they seem pretty much bonded. So maybe if after the first overnight they are doing well, you can try adding a brand new (or very very clean) litter box, but remove it if it triggers fighting.

I usually just put down puppy pee pads until then.

. . . 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.  

[sophia.o_c]

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okay so UPDATE!!!

today I’m doing am overnight session and it’s currently 2 a.m in the morning,,I’ve moved both of my buns in my room and created a small space for them,,,okay and so far they’ve been grooming,flopping, eating and sleeping together,,,tho there’s still lots of bowing their heads but yeah so far so good! here’s a pic of them eating their hay together in their litter box! ^_^

[DanaNM]

Looks great! And omg they are so cute!

. . . 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.  

[sophia.o_c]

haha thanks I believe all bunnies are cuties! also I only add the litter box for awhile then took it out so I basically laid out lots of bunny pee pads on the floor,,,also sadly after a straight session overnight around 6-7 hours at around 6 a.m , they had a fight 🙁 it wasn’t a tiff anymore . what should I do? at first,they started lunging and there was a few fur flying,so I tried to distract them by giving them more hays but after a couple more minutes,they fought AGAIN. please help tho– I really thought they would get along 🙁 or was it because it was during night time? they didn’t have any tiff/fight during the daytime because obviously they have already spent 12 hours together in the daytime without having me to interfere….

[sophia.o_c]

also if they aren’t progressing,should I just bond my female – male buns first then add the third male? what should I do?

[DanaNM]

So, it’s normal for there to be some set-backs and ups and downs, so I don’t think I would give up just yet. If your goal is a trio, ultimately you need these two rabbits to get along, so you might as well keep working with them (that’s my two cents anyway).

It’s important to try to prevent fighting, but even when we try our best sometimes things happen. Was the space you were in still neutral?  If not, I would go back to the neutral area and keep working with them there.

Sometimes it can help to make their space larger. I’ve usually had MUCH better success with large spaces (even though small spaces are recommended by some very prominent blogs). It also could just be that you moved a bit too fast with them. In marathoning and long sessions, it can take several days for things to finally calm down. And early morning does have a tendency to be a problem time. Bunnies are really active during that time so fights are more likely.

Remember, the most important thing in rabbit bonding is patience!

 

. . . 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.  

[DanaNM]

Also just wanted to add I have been in exactly your shoes with one of my past pairs. I had a pair that would be perfect all day and most of the night, and would start fighting between 3-5 am. This went on for 5 straight days! I decided to pause, and reassess. I ended up going to a new location (at my friend’s house), because in my case my neutral area wasn’t really that neutral. I lived in a studio apartment at the time, so even my bathroom smelled like “home” to the bunnies.

After moving to a new location things went very smoothly and they did great. The new location was also much larger, so they had space to run and chase a bit without it turning into a bunny tornado.

. . . 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.  

[sophia.o_c]

oh so does that mean I should change their bonding place? normally, for the daytime session,I bonded them in my mother’s office instead of my room because both of them have never been there but for the overnight session…I held it in my room,so the problem here is probably the area in room,,,okay thank you! I thought it wasn’t normal to have them fight! so I should continue their bonding session or first take some rest?

[sophia.o_c]

okay so today I tried bonding them again and they both straight away fought! there was fur flying EVERYWHERE!! and I tried to see who initiated the fight and it was my bunny,Dash..then I put both of them in their cage and only let one of them out to see,, and dash straight away went to my other bunny, Grey’s pen,,,,what should I do? should I stop here,,I think it’s better to stop here tho because when dash initiated the fight, obviously the other bunny would also attack,so he got his nose bitten! luckily,it was only a little and there was no bleeding and it wasn’t deep…so far,dash is still on guard like even the slightest movements of my bunny,he would straight away flinch and be on guard,,,what should I do?also there was also an incident where my brother came to pet him and he kept running here and there like he was scared! I think it’s probably because of my brother’s strong  perfume scent but Dash has been strangely on guard since the buns fought last night during their overnight sessions,,,but he wasn’t acting strange like he was his usual self,,he would flop, sleep, eat and drink as usual…

 

[DanaNM]

Ok, so if the fighting was bad enough to cause an injury, then I think taking a break is a good idea.

Are their pens in your room? If so, then doing the bonding session in that room could have definitely been the problem.

Where was the last location that they did well together?

. . . 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.  

[sophia.o_c]

oh like I said previously, normally I’d bond them in my mother’s office room but during the overnight session,I bonded them in my room which obviously was a turn off for them since they fought and so I separated them…keep in mind that they fought around 6 a.m today this morning,, then around 5 p.m,I tried to do the usual which is bonding them in my mother’s office room and at first, I sprinkled some pellets on the floor.which they obviously ate straight away and after that I saw some grooming each other then a few minutes after that,they fought again like real bad,,,so yeah should I give up? or should I just wait for another month which is probably next year (my buns will turn 1 years old) and rebond them again? please help tho– okay but I sure know now that bonding rabbits takes A LOT OF PATIENCE 😭😭😭😭

 

 

 

[DanaNM]

So, it’s really hard to say whether you should give up or not, because that’s kind of a personal choice.

If one rabbit was injured badly, then I would say you should probably give up. I also went and re-read your other thread, and these cases where bunnies are getting along fine for a while and then suddenly fight are pretty stressful for bonding, because things are unpredictable.

Most rabbit pairings are possible, but sometimes rabbits get into a cycle of fighting that’s hard to break. Rabbits do hold grudges and remember fights, making it hard to fully bond them.

If you want to keep trying, I think waiting a month (to give everyone a break) before trying again is a good strategy.

. . . 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.  

[sophia.o_c]

well my buns aren’t injured that badly,,so I think I’ll try next month and start slowly..

[sophia.o_c]

or what should I do? what do you think?

[Wick & Fable]

Note that as “strangers” online, the most safe and prudent recommendations given will be to take the most cautious approach, since we are not physically witnessing nor interacting with your rabbits. Thus, I do recommend taking a complete break at this point.

Whether you decide to try bonding again in the future is your choice. As someone with two single, unbonded rabbits (they are indefinitely fine in neutral territory, but one simply has no interest in bonding with the other), I will share that it is so much easier to accept unbonded rabbits and create nice, separate enclosures, rather than dealing with constantly evolving “temporary” measures and clinging onto hopes that they will bond…. they are both very much fine with the arrangement.

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.

[sophia.o_c]

oh okay then thank you tho! actually since they are living side by side,they are just fine by themselves,,,

[Wick & Fable]

Side by side living can definitely be a fine arrangement — some say that it is still beneficial to have the stimulation of being proximal to another rabbit, especially if there is no observed aggression.

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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