introducing two bonded pairs

[vickyd]

Hello, i have a neutered bonded pair( 1yr old male + female) and have recently adopted another bonded pair( 3-4 yrs male + female) that live speratelt in my garden. We let the new pair explore her half of the garden ( formerly my original pairs.) and let our original pair into tgeir half so they could smell eat other through the bars. The new pair were aggressive towards the originals so we put the new pair away. Then the original pair started fighting ( pulling out fur, circling, biting) they continued until i distracted them with food and put them back in their hutch together. Well… On the new rabbits papaerwork it suows the female of the new bonded pair isnt neutered. Is this why they have turnedon each other? Or is it a dominance issue?! Please help. I cant let my Original two out without them fighting. ( they make up again when in the hutch)

[Lexy]

Hey

Welcome to the forum! Bonding multiples can be tricky (I’m in the process of bonding 8 eek). I think it makes bonding a lot easier if all bunnies are neutered beforehand (it also takes a while for hormones to die down, so you might need to wait anything up to 6 weeks after the operation to start the process again). Unneutered females can be quite territorial. Having her neutered would reduce the risk of cancer too, uterine cancer is apparently quite high in unspayed females.

I’d also try to introduce them to each other on neutral territory, somewhere they’ve never been before – bathrooms, bathtubs, even a large cardboard box somewhere in your house could work well.

I think it’s quite common for bonded rabbits to fight a bit when other rabbits are introduced, I guess it’s their way of re-establishing the pecking order now that there are other bunnies around!

Hope the bonding goes well and you’re enjoying your new buns xx

[vickyd]

Thank you so much!

So should i introduce the rabbits singley or pair to pair on neutral ground?

[Lexy]

I’d introduce them all at once, I think it’s best to keep bonded pairs together at all times anyway, and it might confuse them or make them upset if they are parted from their beloveds Let us know how you get on! xx

[vickyd]

So iv taken the new pair to the vets together for female to be spayed today. whilst they are gone im observing my original pair. The fur is still flying but now the male has a few scratchs. How long does this usually take?. Its been going on for 5 days now. Am i supposed to let them get on with it? Its so hard when they are scrapping like that

[vickyd]

So the female went to get spayed, they opened her up and found…. no uterus! The vets couldnt decide from the vulva whether its a male or female, so shes either already been spayed and the rescue didnt know, or ive got two neutered males! The saga continues!

[Lexy]

Oh lordy! Poor bun, hope he/she’s ok after the op, how strange!

Are your original pair still squabbling? I’d keep a close eye on them if you can, I would have thought after 5 days it would have settled down but this is rabbits we’re talking about lol

[vickyd]

Its been a week now and yesterday was the first day without a fight, it usually occurs when they catch the scent of the other rabbits outside there enclosure. :/

And she is fine after her op, back to normal. I did have a word with the lady at the rescue centre who put on her paperwork not neutered pfft!

Will leave her to heal after surgery till next week then will introduce both pairs.

[JackRabbit]

Wow! I’d be wondering about the vet too. I would have thought the vet would be able to tell the sex of the bun especially when she’s 3-4 years old, and if was that questionable, I would have thought the vet would have done an ultrasound to look for a uterus before opening her up.

[vickyd]

introduction of two pairs

The new pair has been here now for a week stuck in there enclosure , it was making my chest bad every time i went in there, and they had been fighting between themselves aswell so i decided to do the introductions today!

I put them both at opposite end of a double room neither had been in before .
For the first couple of minutes all rabbits Ignored each other , then eric (original male) charged straight over to the new pairs carrier . there was a lot of chasing. But not very much nipping , then the hair started to go flying. My little eric was leaving his poo droplets everywhere and scenting , starting most of the chasing trying to claim dominance.

  <img src="

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=c8e4a67816&view=fimg&th=14d57278fb424a4a&attid=0.4&disp=inline&realattid=1501231800235589632-local3&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ-xfmYd_KGXJC7qNxS2-3dmRvEkuOK9ur_8826V4SPi4VCHJBUW9tCxJ5Ya_DzPE819Y9Rl-5UiDiIxrXlchB8vYJbbX5-zcwYfjB5jOvxLcYubASjuYdB13JA&ats=1431686332802&rm=14d57278fb424a4a&zw&sz=w1342-h547&#8243;

Coco (original female) did chase the new pair a few times aswell , neither of the new pair did any chasing. New female defended herself a few times but the new male ran from everything that came near.

So the pecking order is now Eric .. Coco.. New female.. New male. How bizzare?
Giving that my two originals are a lot younger and smaller i thought it may be the opposite way around 

<img src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=c8e4a67816&view=fimg&th=14d57278fb424a4a&attid=0.2&disp=inline&realattid=1501231800235589632-local1&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ9Wk56tRnOvq1fQCq-_XY1PE3E4O_moKtscqDzn_gLSkS1iyk4-B8V8ocDx2jLKk_aOsZuHvrcOsTbyc7AWkJMXGSYVB0-LyaxpoRfESkx_yUxdmuAbOTx9Rbg&ats=1431686332801&rm=14d57278fb424a4a&zw&sz=w1342-h547&quot;

<img src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=c8e4a67816&view=fimg&th=14d57278fb424a4a&attid=0.3&disp=inline&realattid=1501231800235589632-local2&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ9aTB-3U3X1buhDptJGBpvtOC7XqpEuxyPkpTtMIxuKIxy9-ZLli96Mjam__1Hebw3SOnho0p88mefibuhZkOVLCS01LytMfGrUJb55N-VHjSweycf1MbYeejM&ats=1431686332801&rm=14d57278fb424a4a&zw&sz=w1342-h547&quot;

After things started to cool down i put them all outside in the garden. Being that eric ruled the roost in the room and coco behind him , that in the garden it would be the same and i was right.

Chasing did start again with hardly any hair flying , i left them to get on with it.
Whilst i was in the house i put up a fence splitting the two pairs. Coco and the new male have spent most of their time in their own enclosures with eric and new female outside , everytime she gets too close to the fence he bites and scratches through the bars. At least the original pair have stopped fighting 

<img src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=c8e4a67816&view=fimg&th=14d57278fb424a4a&attid=0.1&disp=inline&realattid=1501231800235589632-local0&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ-hbuuiiDAZ5cLtlTjD4lWxU8CBNs9hkG_PynXebYPbLR_KVZ0fK_-aHlKs1P8HFH04PQxCmVBP0fDlFqjGB2_wCAu2e6H8LwCFJWXEX97sy9GwXwflEOnceJo&ats=1431686332801&rm=14d57278fb424a4a&zw&sz=w1342-h547&quot;

I will let them get used to being outside together for now and the new female will hopefully learn not to get to close to the bars . then i will remove the fence so that eric isnt getting frustrated and see how it goes.

[vickyd]

here is Eric and Coco

<img src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=c8e4a67816&view=fimg&th=14d4771a29223a8f&attid=0.1&disp=inline&realattid=1500955196678733824-local0&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ-iW0uY-ERDEvK6oyqLF8-W75JsCtLYMFSvUL-WrNjL_cFRpMxRJTc3K9sBhXeGOYEPvAOLYuxi3Wi7Q94qXG3-eYGqqV7jl7hshNDbX31UT66vIRGqjkYfANE&ats=1431686720653&rm=14d4771a29223a8f&zw&sz=w1342-h503&quot;

<img src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=c8e4a67816&view=fimg&th=14d4771a29223a8f&attid=0.4&disp=inline&realattid=1500955196678733824-local3&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ-Je2GYPP3oWpLMagFaRWDbtigc-695YJZDkjS-DbnRLXXBDMclpKD8F-nESAa_Kcp1xPEN5CNDFBgqKARx7qVSVG1txQpu6GrwDKUso_lq63lyZkulDmKW8Ik&ats=1431686720653&rm=14d4771a29223a8f&zw&sz=w1342-h503&quot;

coco sunbathing

<img src="https://scontent-bru.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/1456567_10153259179858643_7928295197159366117_n.jpg?oh=efbcbd1bc77a47138f70f37c84137b95&oe=55D2A127&quot;

… and heres new pair ( formerly jingle and belle.. i want to call them Cantona and nut )

<img src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=c8e4a67816&view=fimg&th=14d4771a29223a8f&attid=0.5&disp=inline&realattid=1500955196678733824-local4&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ_BgZmiroxGwzePHJPQNRVLQd7vnJ6vLtOQ3-OyRgL0-4D53RTHssxVjap6lWF9Vbp7JgxVAed0APJtKvXraJ20is_NATeK2wkTqwe0e39p16G_04pMZnl04kM&ats=1431686995465&rm=14d4771a29223a8f&zw&sz=w1342-h503&quot;

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