Multiple Bonding Sessions in One Day

[vdemske]

Hi all,

I recently adopted a rabbit to bond with my current rabbit via Bunny Speed Dating. To give some context – I’ve had my current rabbit (Jay) for about 8 months; he’s a very high strong rabbit and has free roam of the house. My new rabbit, Lola, is very relaxed (from what I can tell) – she is a little mush who doesn’t mind being picked up.

As for the bonding process, I put them in side by side cages (with a few inches between them to avoid biting). Today was their first bonding session (only supposed to go for a few minutes) and once I put Lola into the pen (Jay was already in there), they immediately wanted to attack each other – I think what had happened is that one of the bunnies got too excited and the other took that as a sign of aggression. The bonding session was in a neutral space and I let them both get used to the space (alone) before I introduced them to one another.

The session was so fast (~10 seconds) I feel like we took a few steps backward – they are both in their individual pens and doing just fine now (feet out and relaxed). Would it be too much to try again in another hour or wait another day? I’d hate to put too much stress on them but I feel as though it was just Murphy’s Law with this first session – I don’t think I was prepared for what was about to happen.

Thoughts and comments would be lovely, thanks!

[Bianca]

Wait a few days at least before trying again so they can forget about their aggression. Focus on lots of pre bonding again.

Then when you try bonding again, pick a new neutral territory and don’t let them check it out individually first. They probably both considered that neutral territory as their own.

How long have you had Lola, and how long did you spend pre-bonding? Are they both desexed?

[sarahthegemini]

If you let each bun in the ‘neutral’ area prior to the session then it’s no longer neutral. The area has to be somewhere neither bun has been before.

[Deleted User]

How long have you had the cages side by side? Pre bonding should be done for at least a few weeks, and personally I would opt for at least one month. The idea of pre bonding is that you give each bun sufficient time to become acclimated with the others scent. Hopefully, this would lead to them both being less aggressive when they meet face-to-face.

It may be beneficial to just separate them for a bit, then start up again with the pre bonding. Try switching them into each others cages too so they can use each others litter boxes and such. Every time I switch my buns they have a chinning war lol.

As the others said, if you let each bun in the area individually before you put them in together, it is no longer neutral. Each bun has the idea that this is theirs now, and they will feel the need to defend this space from the intruder bun. That is why neither should be allowed into the bonding space prior to.

I was going to try bonding in my bathtub. Both buns have wandered in there, but neither is allowed in there regularly. But since they are free roam in their own areas, I don’t have a neutral space and I really don’t have room for an xpen. I’m hoping that the bathtub with the shower curtain drawn closed will make it neutral enough.

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