How to bond two new rabbits

[Clevername]

I just adopted 2 rabbits from a local rescue but I’m still setting up their pen so I won’t bring them home for a couple days.  I really wanted to get 2 rabbits but they didn’t have any bonded pairs so I asked to see these 2 together and the person at the rescue said they did really well together, one of them was just totally relaxed and even though the other one was a bit nervous after a few minutes they seemed to cuddle a bit and groom eachother a little bit.

So I’ve read a lot about bonding but I haven’t been able to find anything specifically about bonding 2 new rabbits.  Everything online talks about bringing in a new rabbit but I want to get some tips on the best way to bond 2 new rabbits.  The person at the rescue said not to house them together at first but I am a little worried about them becoming territorial so any tips on how to prevent that?  They are both spayed females, I know that male/female is better but I really liked these 2 bunnies and they seem to get along well.

I would appreciate any tips before I bring them home in a couple days, I want to make sure to get started off on the right foot.  Thanks!

[tobyluv]

You will need to have 2 pens or cages before bringing home the bunnies. The person at the rescue is correct, they should not be housed together until they have gone through a proper bonding process. They shouldn’t even be let out to exercise and play together. They will have to take turns with that. It would be good if you keep them in the same room, with their pens close but not touching. After they have settled in for a week or so, you can start bonding. I’ve have great luck using an x-pen. My husband and I get in the pen with the rabbits. You can put a large sheet down to mask any scents that may be on the carpet or rugs if you do this in a room where one of them has been out on the carpet. When you are with them, you can stop any fighting that might occur (some scuffling can be normal) or any excessive humping. Even females may hump to establish dominance. Start with a few minutes the first day, then increase the time each day. Of course, there are a lot of different methods of bonding, but the x-pen way has really worked well for me.

I don’t know which articles you may have already read on bonding, but here are 2 good ones:

http://rabbit.org/faq-bonding-multiple-rabbits/

https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/tabid/53/CategoryID/9/PID/940/Default.aspx

Even though they have already been together a little bit at the rescue, you still need to keep them separate when you bring them home and go through the bonding process to make sure they are truly bonded. In the week or so after you bring them home and before you start the bonding process, you can swap out their blankets or toys to keep them used to the other’s scent, but you already have a head start on that since they have met and cuddled and groomed a little already.

[Clevername]

ok thanks for the advice, really appreciate it.

[Author]

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