If you have lovingly bonded bunnies,how did they react to each other before bond

[Roo and Doe]

We are about to bond Roo and Dohwa together by the end of the month. They have been interacting with a cage between them for a month now as Dohwa gets neutering done and over with  :). Really no scuffles whatsover, Do fell pretty much in love with Roo at first sight, he became a little less interested after his neuter, but still very calm and sweet, flopping down even if Roo tries to steal his toys and hay from between the cage gaps. I’m glad that they have had this period of separation before bonding, not just so that Dohwa can heal after his neutering but also that Roo was able to get used to us and bond with us.

If you have bunnies who are now lovingly bonded and don’t fight often, how did they behave to each other pre-bond? Do you think that bunnies who are lovely to each other pre-bond with a cage in-between make for a higher probability of successful bonding? Just wanted to reference : ).

ALSO, would love to hear of any experiences people have of bonding a neutered male to an un-spayed female : ). Thank you very much. IMG_16922540IMG_16922540

 

[prince dorian the bun]

I think the fact you will have hormones from Roo being unspayed may cause you issues, I am not an expert on that though, so will let those that are chime in there.

My two had a pretty short (in hindsight, felt painfully long during) bonding, and they didn’t do much pre-bonding. They got along okay their first date and they had never been aggressive towards each other until midway in the bonding, in fact I think the aggression was a lot of Miu being “I like you why won’t you stop being a butt and groom me?” & Dorian being, “no I can tell you are a sassy bossy little lionhead and I am not going to let you be the boss this time. Also I needs time”. They are now pretty much tied together all the time and I have no idea who is the boss is. Miu is still sassy and bossy, but she also totally hides behind Dorian and follows him about like a big brother. I have a super long bonding thread if you want to read it.

[LBJ10]

You may have some difficulty if there is mounting (which is a normal part of the bonding process). It could trigger a false pregnancy and your female could become aggressive toward your male. This can be very stressful for a bunny, especially if it happens over and over again. Is there a reason that she isn’t spayed? Spaying is highly recommended since the chance of uterine and other reproductive cancers in female bunnies is so high.

To answer your question though… my boys were hump at first sight. No fighting though. They desperately wanted to see each other. Once they were finally face to face, they humped it out and then they were best buddies after that.

[DanaNM]

There really isn’t a clear relationship between the initial pre-bonding behaviors and how close the bond is. And a tough bonding process also doesn’t mean they won’t have a good bond (in fact it has often been the opposite in my experience).  It is important to pre-bond until you see positive or at least relaxed behavior between them.

I also agree that the most important thing for a stable and lasting bond would be to get your female spayed.

. . . 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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