Need Bonding Advice

[Sundae&Rosie]

Ok, so I’ve had several different pet bunnies in my life but I’ve never owned more than one at the same time. We got our daughter her first bunny last year and then just over 2 weeks ago today, we decided to get her bunny a friend to bond with. So we brought home another baby. Her first bunny just turned a year old(hes a boy/nuetered) and the new bunny is about 11 weeks old now give or take a week. We think she’s female, not old enough yet to get spayed but will be getting her spayed when the time comes. This is my first experience attempting to bond so I’ve just been going off of videos and articles I found online. Since we brought the baby home we’ve had them in separate pins side by side in the floor and we get them out together for varying times(30min-1hr at least) in the same space every day. The baby is not the issue at all. She loved him from the very first meet and just naturally submitted. The issue is our boy, the older one. He is being very territorial over everything even though he’s been fixed for many months now. When we place theming the space together, he tries to take possession over every area. Including the litter pans. And he is constantly biting her all over her body, or lunging at her or chasing her away from a space she was in. So now she runs away from him. I can count on one hand I think the few times he has offered her his head, you know, he approachs her and bows his head in invention for her to groom him or something. But the few times he has done that, she’s ignored him or turned her body away and when she does, he usually lunges at her and bites. He has not made her scream or bleed but the concern is that he does it so often. And is it a normal show of dominance or is it more on the side of aggression? I dont know if I need to correct it every time or just let it happen. I also dont know if we’re moving too fast and need to go back to a smaller space or something. Or a space more neutral. And for how long. The main thing I need advice on is the behavior we’re seeing from him and whether it’s ok behavior or if we should be stopping it every time it happens. I’ve been using a spray bottle with water which seems to distract him for a few minutes, but I dont use it every time he bites because he does it so much for one. And also because from what I’ve read, some biting is supposed to be normal. Bit how much is too much?? Anyone who is experienced in the bonding process and behavior, your advice is welcomed!! Thanks so much! From the Lovelace family

[LBJ10]

Some nipping is normal, but constant nipping or aggressive biting (i.e. could cause injury) is not a good thing. If he is behaving this way, then I would keep them separate for now. Even though she is only 11 weeks old, he can still sense her hormones. There are tons of stories of neutered bunnies suddenly exhibiting hormonal behaviors when in the presence of an intact bunny. It might be better to wait until after she has been spayed.

[Doodler]

I would definitely hold off on any further direct contact between the two until the new one is altered, healed and hormones settled. Bunnies around 11 weeks old cannot bond anyway.

The first recommended step in bonding is to have two altered rabbits. Once their hormones are settled you can start the prebonding stage. The face to face contact shouldn’t really happen until all these steps are done. There is a lot of useful information on this website about bonding along with links to other resources.

Having them together at this point can be very dangerous. Bunnies can fight very violently and your older one is already being territorial. Once the hormones in the new one kick in it can get much worse.

[Sundae&Rosie]

I didn’t even think of her hormones being a factor with her being so young. I dont ever leave them alone together though because I was definitely concerned that he could end up hurting her. She’s half his size and she is so calm natured and naturally submissive. She never fights back when he starts biting and coming at her. The poor thing, she just curls up and sits there letting him bite all over her and she flinches each time or she tries to run away from him.

[Sundae&Rosie]

I also noticed over the past few days that he’s started growling at her sometimes. And he wasn’t doing it at first. Which is why i was looking for some help from you guys. I just needed to know if there was something i could change about the way we’ve been approaching the bonding

[Asriel and Bombur]

She’s also not fighting back because she’s probably scared. She just moved into a brand new place and you’re already starting her in sessions with your original bunny. She needs to be spayed and you need to have her in another room to settle without your male around because he’s clearly causing her stress. You can’t bond them until she has been fixed, which can’t happen until she’s 6 months old. Then you need to wait another 1-2 months for her hormones to die down a prebond. For the next month keep her in a different room while she settles in and learns about her new people and environment. Once her hormones kick in and she’s settled I guarantee you her personality will not be this timid. But you really do need to wait until she has been fixed to start any introductions.

[DarthVadar]

Rabbits have a pecking order. There is a top bunny and a bottom bunny. This is very important- if both bunnies want to be top bun, the bond may be extremely difficult, or even impossible. That she is not fighting back is a good sign.
There is a difference between a bite and a nip. When a rabbit bites, it opens its mouth up wide and lunges at the other rabbit. A nip is barely noticeable, and usually only gets the fur, not hurting the other rabbit. A bite says ” i hate you and i want you gone” , and a nip says “groom me”, “pay attention to me”, “move”, “go away”, etc. Nipping is normal; biting is not. If one rabbit is biting the other, they should be separated (if one bites the other so hard that the other one screams, is is important to separate them IMMEDIATELY and check for flesh wounds). It sounds like what your boy is doing is nipping, not biting. My pair did this for a while; one would finally be nice and offer her head for grooming, but the other was scared and ignored her, which results in frustration and nipping. In this scenario, there are two problems: one rabbit being aggressive, and one rabbit being terrified. I used the spray bottle method for a little while, but it does not work nearly as well as placing the two rabbits side by side and petting them both. They get more used to being near each other.
I agree that she is too young to bond right now. When rabbits are very young, they do not really bond. Any progress you make now might be lost when hormones kick in. Spaying her would probably be a good idea, from the standpoint of being able to bond them quicker. I have bonded two unspayed does and one spayed and one unspayed doe, and it has worked very well, but thats’ just my experiences.

[Asriel and Bombur]

She’s brand new and terrified. That’s why she’s not fighting back. Not because of the pecking order. Poor thing is being bullied and she hasn’t properly settled. Dominance won’t be determined until after she’s been spayed and she has settled.

[Doodler]

I would also like to add that just because one doesn’t fight back doesn’t mean they won’t be the dominant one. My buck chased and nipped my doe regularly during their bonding and my doe would run away. She never fought back once. Once they figured out their dynamics she is actually the dominant one.

It’s way too soon to determine what this pairs’ dynamic might be. The doe hasn’t even developed her personality yet.

[DanaNM]

Hi there Sundae&Rosie,

A couple important things I wanted to mention. First, hormones can kick on very quickly in young rabbits. Babies usually get along with adults, but they cannot forge real bonds, and once hormones arrive, that can change in a flash. Females can get pregnant at 12 weeks, so you are right at that point when things can start changing very quickly.

So, as others have said, stop bonding sessions, and wait until new bun is old enough to be spayed.

Once you do start (after spaying and healing time), it is very important to work with them in neutral territory. From your first post it sounds like you had them in a shared area, and I’m not sure if it was neutral. The neutral space is key to helping them work out their hierarchy in a safe way.

I have a suspicion that once she is spayed and you get the space sorted out, their interactions will be very different.

. . . 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.  

[Sundae&Rosie]

I have seized the bonding sessions between them since everyone said she was too young to be able to bond(which I did not know by the way. I thought they could bond at any age.) and because I wasn’t getting anywhere with my older one’s agression toward her. He was definitely trying to lunge and bite (not nipping) mouth wide open and everything. Just chasing her around and the whole area and doing it over and over again. Being that I wasn’t sure when exactly hormones start to really kick in, I didn’t want to chance too many more sessions and have a surprise brawl between them. So… we’re waiting. She wont be old enough to spay until around the 2nd week of March.

[DanaNM]

Glad to hear it, hopefully things go more smoothly once she’s spayed and healed

. . . 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.  

[Author]

Messages