Forum

OUR FORUM IS UP BUT WE ARE STILL IN THE MIDDLE OF UPDATING AND FIXING THINGS.  SOME THINGS WILL LOOK WEIRD AND/OR NOT BE CORRECT. YOUR PATIENCE IS APPRECIATED.  We are not fully ready to answer questions in a timely manner as we are not officially open, but we will do our best. 

You may have received a 2-factor authentication (2FA) email from us on 4/21/2020. That was from us, but was premature as the login was not working at that time. 

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately! Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

What are we about?  Please read about our Forum Culture and check out the Rules

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately!  Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES 

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum BONDING New to Bonding

Viewing 2 reply threads
  • Author
    Messages

    • Quinn&Coco
      Participant
      4 posts Send Private Message

        Hi all

        I am wanting to bond my rabbits and wanting some advice. I’m have watched several videos and read info but they all seem to contradict each other.

        I have a neautered 1year old male (Quinn) I have had him for about 9 months. Last weekend I adopted a natural 9month old female (Coco). Quinn has always been a house rabbit and Coco’s previous owner kept her indoors but I am lacking space to give them a neutral space.

        I am open to all advice, I am looking at spaying Coco but not for a few months as want to ensure she is settled. They are currently separated but both pens are around a foot apart

        TIA
        Quinn & Coco’s mum ?


      • DanaNM
        Moderator
        8901 posts Send Private Message

          Hi there, welcome!

          It can for sure be very confusing to find a strategy, because there is really more than one way to go about it! Some things work great for some pairs, and not at all for others. Letting the new bun settle in is a great first step, so you are doing great so far!

          So here’s my basic take on things.

          First, do wait until after Coco is spayed to start sessions. In general this makes things easier, and the bond more predictable (hormonal fluctuations can cause territorial behavior, etc.). I think it’s fine to keep them side by side until then, as long as neither is too upset about it. But you might see a lot of marking from Quinn with that smelly lady next to him!

          Next, pre-bonding usually helps. I would probably wait till after she is spayed and healed to do this. This means swapping which bun is one which side every day or so to let them get used to each other’s scent. I’ve noticed that after pre-bonding usually the buns are much more chill upon first introductions. The amount of time you do this for is variable. Really it comes down to how the buns behave towards each other and how they react when you swap cages. I’ve usually pre-bonded for about 1 week, but I know others on this forum recommend several weeks. You might notice when you first start swapping cages, the rabbits will run around a lot, chin everything, mark all over outside the litter box, etc. They might run the fence and try to “get at” the other bunny. Then after a while, they will barely seem to notice they are in a new territory. They will not mark as much, they won’t run the fence, they might even lay near the other rabbit on the opposite side. You also will notice their behaviors start to sync up (they will groom at the same time, eat hay at the same time, etc.). Once you see a clear shift from territorial craziness to relaxed behaviors, you are usually good to start sessions. Never hurts to add in a bit more pre-bonding though if you aren’t sure.

          The next important piece is to work with them in neutral territory only. This might be the most important thing, and is probably the main thing that most people agree on. It should be a place that neither bunny has ever been, and not within sight or smell of their home area.

          The basic idea is you put the buns in the neutral space together and supervise them. You should be in there with them ready to prevent fights if they happen. When first meetings are very tense, I like to pet both buns and swap scents when they approach each other. This way they think they are getting groomed and it keeps them calm (and it keeps me calm!). I tend to at least start with some shorter sessions to see how they do. If they are immediately aggressive or things escalate quickly, I know I’ve got some work ahead of me, and I will opt to do some stressing (like a car ride together), or I need to change up the space they are in. Some pairs do well with large spaces (mine always have), but others do better in small (some people will do all of their sessions in their bathtub with no problems).

          So I would start with a neutral space that is convenient for you first, and see how it goes. In general with bonding, if something is working, keep doing it. If it isn’t, try something else. It’s definitely a trial and error process!

          I don’t want to overwhelm you with info, but feel free to ask questions on things that are confusing!

          . . . 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.  


        • Quinn&Coco
          Participant
          4 posts Send Private Message

            Hi,

            That has been so helpful thank you, I am taking coco to the vets this weekend for her mixi injection so going to discuss spaying and get it done as soon as I can.

            I have let Quinn sniff around her space yesterday and coco sniff around his today and Quinn got a little Stampy so just watching that.

            The idea of swapping homes every now and then is an idea I never thought of and would be really good while she is healing

            Thanks again

        Viewing 2 reply threads
        • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.

        Forum BONDING New to Bonding