How to bond my bunnies?

[SirBunny]

Hello! This is a lot of text so I will try to be concise. I have had Moby, a neutered one-year-old Netherland Dwarf buck, for nearly a year. He is docile, relaxed, and very happy with me. 

I recently took home Maby, a three month old Netherland dwarf doe. I will be neutering her next month. She is the sweetest bunny I have ever seen, she will jump in your lap even if you are a stranger. I can’t imagine her ever being aggressive, but I know her hormones will kick in soon.

I am currently, for the next month (for a summer internship), staying at my moms apartment with both bunnies. They are in separate rooms. Next month I will be moving back to my own home, and right about then is when I am going to attempt to bond Moby and Maby. 

1) One of the main issues is that Moby has been living with me in my bedroom, free roam. So he probably considers the entire room his territory. But when I move back there in a month, both rabbits will be kept in my room with me. So my first question is, what is a good method of completely removing his scent from my room before I move back? I am going to rearrange the furniture to try to make it a new space, but is there product or something that will help remove his scent? I read that vinegar might be useful, should I clean the entire carpet with vinegar?

2) My next question is about the actual bonding process itself. My house really does not have very much space, so I have to keep both bunnies in my room. Moby will continue to have free roam, and Maby will be confined in an X-pen. For actual bonding sessions, I will take them both into a neutral space, the bathroom or kitchen. But the rest of the time they will both be back in my room. Even though they are separated by an x-pen, I think the room will quickly become Moby’s territory again, and I am worried that this will hinder the bonding process if he becomes territorial about the room. I can’t even attempt to bond them until a few weeks after Maby is fixed, so they will be in my room for about two weeks before any bonding sessions happen.

So my next question is, will keeping them both in my room ruin the bonding process, even though the actual bonding sessions will be in neutral territory? If this is a big hinderance, then I suppose I could keep Maby elsewhere, in the livingroom, but I really don’t want to do that because I have 3 other roommates and I don’t want her in the middle of all that commotion. 

So, my questions are:
1. What is a good method to completely remove Moby’s scent from my room?

2. Will the bonding process be ruined by keeping them both in my bedroom, even if the bonding sessions are in a neutral territory?

3. Any other advice on how to bond them in this scenario?

Thanks for reading, I appreciate any advice you might have!

[Deleted User]

White vinegar is amazing at getting rid of bunny scents from the room. So when you’re ready to have them live together full time, give everything a good clean with some white vinegar and a bunny safe cage cleaner like Nature’s Miracle.

You can totally keep them both in your room, and it will actually help the bonding process. It’s best if they’re able to see and smell each other and share the same area that way they can really be used to each other when you go to bond them. It’ll make it easier on all 3 of you.

As long as they each have half the room, the room will remain semi-neutral. When you get past the neutral territory in the bonding process, you can move it to the semi-neutral area. Can you keep them both in x-pens so the room itself doesn’t become a single buns’ space? This way you can also let them out at different times and it’ll help them get used to each other.

i know this isn’t a question, but you might want to wait until Maby is 6 months to spay her. A spay is a very invasive procedure compared to a neuter. If she hasn’t developed at 4 months, they will have to close her up and try again anyways, which could be traumatic and stressful to her. At 6 months, she will be a good weight and fully developed so they spay will be much easier for her to handle.

[SirBunny]

Thanks for the reply!

That is good news that I can keep them both in my room. I could probably get an extra X-pen for Moby, so it is more of a semi-neutral place rather than just his territory. But he is not at all accustomed to being confined so he will probably hate it.

I know it is better to wait until 6 months to get Maby spayed… right now I have the appointment set to happen at 4 months, and she already seems tiny, so I will just ask my Vet to see what their opinion is. I just feel rushed because I feel like I need to get them bonded as soon as possible since we are all sharing a room together, and I absolutely hate having to keep them confined in a pen, I just want them both to be free roam. But I also don’t want to ruin their chance at bonding properly so maybe it is better just to wait.

[Deleted User]

Honestly, I’d wait. Rushing it will only make it more stressful on you and them. You also just don’t know how they’re going to react to each other, so you might be spending months or just weeks in the bonding process depending on their personalities and their interactions. So I would just take it slow. You have to go at their pace anyways. It’s better to be patient than wind up with a broken bond down the road.

Believe me I know the frustration of unbonded bunnies. I’ve had mine for over a year, and it is soooo much work. It’s a labor of love though hahaha My hubs and I rent 2 small rooms in a house, and we have the bunnies with us in one room, and it is very crowded. The plus side is that they bond with you more when you’re stuck in the same room with them

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