How soon can I bond?

[Irina]

I know I am theoretically supposed to wait 4-6 weeks after spaying before bonding. I think this is so that hormone levels can even out and diminish aggressive behavior, thereby making bonding easier. However, Shadow (who was spayed one week ago), has never shown any sign of being aggressive or territorial… Her personality has been constant since I have had her. The only thing she did that was unusual, the week before she was spayed, was to pee outside her litterbox twice. Having said that, Butterscotch (who was neutered about 6 weeks ago), lost his bonded mate Tofu (they had been bonded and living together for a bit over two weeks) three days ago. Butterscotch and Shadow have adjoining pens. They often lie side by side, one grooming the other- more often Butterscotch doing the grooming. Butterscotch sticks his little nose through the grates and steaks Shadow’s greens- even while Shadow is eating the same piece- there is no problem. They have separate play times but in the same part of the house- so both of their smells are on all of the blankets, pillows, chew toys, mazes ect. My question is: how soon can I bring them into a neutral space to see how it goes? My heart is breaking for Butterscotch- who has always been a little more reserved, but came out if his shell when he was with Tofu. Since there has never been any issues between these two (lived in same pen until Butterscotch was neutered 6 weeks ago, as we thought Butterscotch was also a girl…– is it possible to try bonding sooner? I don’t want to do anything g that can hurt either bun, or harm their chances of a successful bond… But seeing them groom each other through their pen today broke my heart. Do I have to wait another three weeks? What are the pros and cons if doing it… Say, now?

[MoveDiagonally]

Rabbits are unpredictable and often experience hormonal imbalances/fluctuation for 4-6 weeks after surgery. That’s why it’s recommended that people wait out that time before bonding. I don’t think there’s any benefit to starting bonding early and waiting 3 more weeks doesn’t seem live very long when you think about how they’ll have the rest of their lives to be together. An early start increases the chance of something going wrong which could delay bonding even more.

I know it can be really hard to be patient.

[Irina]

I had a feeling you would say that. So sad. I will wait.

I probably know the answer to this too… Can they have supervised playtime together yet- or no contact until bonding starts?

[bpash89]

You also want to wait the full time since getting spayed is an intrusive surgery that takes time to fully heal. It isn’t safe to let Shadow near another bunny right now since (despite how they might be acting now) there is a good chance of aggression and she’s still vulnerable right now. Let her heal completely before adding on the stress of the bonding process.

No contact until the bonding process. Just wait it out. Hopefully their bond will be a breeze since they already seem to like each other.

[Irina]

Thanks bpash89- I wasn’t really thinking about Shadow physically- more behaviorally. You make good points. I will wait. It will be a good lesson in patience. ?

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