Need advice on introducing pairs

[hideb39]

Hoping for some advice. My daughter has 3 bunnies, 2 females and one male. She had them spayed and neutered about 3 months ago. The other day, 2 more bunnies needed a home and she took those in also. It was an immediate thing so she separated them by a screen door while she got cages ready. One side got the door open and of course there was a huge fight and the new female got a slice on her ear. She set up cages next to each other, not touching, but now all the rabbits are fighting with each other!! The original bunnies are fighting each other and the 2 new ones. She is devastated because her original bunnies are mad at her too. She is SO devoted to this, has studied everything she can about nutrition, body language, health, and she is a single mom who had no idea that that they would need to be “fixed” or how expensive it would be….but when she found out that their health would be at risk….she saved and got it done asap. There is not a lot of information about introducing groups of rabbits. We have found lots about adding a 2nd….but not the group thing. Can anybody help with some advice to stop the fighting and get them all together?

[MoveDiagonally]

I want to start off by saying it’s wonderful that your daughter is so dedicated to her bunnies. I have 5 rabbits bonded to each other. 3 females and two males. I first bonded them as a pair (two) then added a third (three total) and then I added two single (at the same time) to my bonded trio bringing me up to 5.

I want to make sure I’m understand the situation fully. She has 2 females and 1 male that are spayed/neutered and then recently came into having 2 more bunnies recently? Are the new bunnies spayed/neutered? Bonding isn’t really possible unless all bunnies are fixed (if this is the case already let me know

)

Are any of the bunnies currently bonded? You said the original bunnies were fighting does that mean she already has a pair or trio bonded? I and others will be able to give you some more specific advice once I know the bond dynamics already in play.

[tanlover14]

Hello!

I have a bonded group of six and will be introducing a seventh into my group as well in a few weeks. Do not despair. Bonding any buns can be difficult especially when it disrupts the bond of an existing pair but it’s definitely possible as well! Other members, like MoveDiagonally, also have a large group (she has a bonded group of five). Tell her not to be devastated! We all fight battles when it comes to bonding, she is not alone.

Now, to figure out exactly what is going on. Were the three originals ever bonded? Are the newbies actually bonded or were they given to you in singles? Are the two she just got fixed as well??? I know you said that they are still fighting – so I’m assuming some of the buns ARE bonded to each other? If so, seeing the other rabbits can definitely disrupt the group and cause some anxiety and aggression.

First things first, separate the different groups so they can only see the rabbit they are bonded too. I would go ahead and stress bond those rabbits to help them focus on each other rather than having all this anxiety about the other new buns in the house. SO if her first three are bonded, put them together in a different room altogether than the others and so forth. If seeing another rabbit is causing this much disruption, you want to get them settled down and calm or they’ll just continue fighting with the anxiety this is creating which can make bonding difficult in the future.

Second off, can you explain what has been done to bond them to date? Have the necessary precautions been taken in only introducing in neutral territory? Have they been introduced at since coming home or has their only interaction been the fighting incident??

[hideb39]

She rescued the initial three one year ago, 1 male netherland dwarf and 2 female champagne d’argents, all three of them have been bonded and together practically since birth. (they were just about 2 months old when she rescued them) She got those 3 spayed and neutered 3 months ago. The 2 new rabbits (1 female mini lop and 1 male mini lop) are both fixed and bonded with eachother as well. She just got the new ones 2 days ago, so far the fight has been their only interaction with eachother. There really isn’t anywhere neutral as she doesn’t cage her 3 at all, they have free run of her house and when she is at work has the entire screened back porch of her condo. She had the new bunnies inside and her others on the porch and her 3 managed to get the screen door open and run in and they all instantly started fighting. This was just the day before yesterday, she now has 4 large dog crates and has the 2 new buns together in a cage with her other 3 split up each in its own cage. They are caged next to eachother without the cages actually touching eachother, and for lack of more room 2 stacked on top of the other 2. Her bonded 3 aren’t fighting when they are not caged, but if put in the cage next to the others they begin fighting. Quite nastily. She said when they got together there wasn’t even any chasing of eachother, they all stood their ground and just fought. Also, they were all pretty much litter trained and now everyone is just peeing and pooping everywhere. Which I assume is simply marking their territory because of the new bunnies intruding.

[Beka27]

Definitely a big territorial turf war going on! That is awesome of her to act quickly and take them in when necessary, but is she ready to have 5 rabbits?! That is a huge time, space, and financial commitment! Is she open to having the trio and pair separate or will this only “work” if they are all together? Can she permanently have upstairs and downstairs bunnies, for example?

Has she considered keeping the new pair separate from the trio while she looks for a permanent home for the pair where they can be “only buns”?

[MoveDiagonally]

I agree with Beka. Can she handle 5 bunnies? I think it’s something that deserves serious consideration. There’s nothing wrong with re-homing the two new ones if she’s feeling overwhelmed by it all. Bonding can be quite a long journey and success is never guaranteed.

That said if she has decided to keep all of them them this is my advice.

If the trio is used to being housed together I would put them back together away from the new pair. If they don’t fight when they’re not near the new bunnies then they should stay together away from them. Separating bonded rabbits isn’t wise at it can damage their bond. I think they’re likely fighting because of the new pair’s presence. Keep the new pair together as well. I would give everyone at least a two week break where the two groups have zero contact with each other.

After the break they would need to be introduced in a completely neutral space. Somewhere none of the bunnies are allowed to go. Bathrooms and bathtubs are very popular choices. The basic bonding structure is Neutral Space > Semi- Neutral Space > Cementing. When/if they fight you don’t want to separate or end a bonding session (unless serious harm is a concern) as it re-enforces aggressive behaviors. Instead I would suggest stress bonding them. This is where you put them in a basket and jostle, carry it ect… Or for a car ride.

Once they get along in the bathroom you move on to a semi neutral area. This is somewhere they are all allowed to go but have not claimed as territory. Once they get along well enough there you can move on to cementing. This is where you deep clean and neutralize a space that will be their group home. They are placed in their new home together, supervised, until they’ve not fought for 24-48 hours.

This is just the basic overview. After a break and introduction (I would do a very short neutral intro) you will get a better idea of where the problem issues are going to be. Who’s going to be more aggressive, ect…

I really recommend your daughter making an account here and keeping a thread/bonding journal here. People can offer her advice as she goes an the support can be invaluable.

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