PLEASE HELP Bonding 3 bunnies

[Hannah Ramos]

Hi guys! My name is Hannah and I am new to this website/forum. I currently have three bunnies I need advice on bonding. I currently have a bonded pair (M/F, both fixed) named Petunia and Theodore. Petunia is a lionhead and Theodore is a holland lop. They are good buddies and give me no problem. Last week I adopted a new holland lop named Jasper (also fixed). His previous owner had him and a dog and they were b0nded, but the dog passed away and the woman didnt have as much time for Jasper anymore. She said he has been very depressed since losing his dog friend. Anyway I am trying to all bond them and it isnt going as great as I had hoped. I started with my two male rabbits in the bathtub and did that twice a day for several days, and also did the same thing with my female rabbit and Jasper. Long story short I have tried every method I can think/researched and I see a little improvement, but not as much as I have hoped. I have done the bathtub method, putting them all in a box on the dryer, car rides and stroller rides, etc. They do okay in those stressful situations but when I have them all together Jasper turns his back to them and stomps his feet (I truly believe he doesn’t know how to be a rabbit, he doesn’t show much rabbit behavior). This pisses my other rabbits off and they start fighting. They fight to the point Jasper gets so scared and wont stand up for himself, and I hate my new boy being so uncomfortable. The last two days they have done okay with everyone being out in my apartment, but if Petunia or Theodore approach him (even in a non-threatening way) he stomps his feet and takes off. My long term goal is to have them all in one pen at night and get along well during the day when they are free roam. Any suggestions are appreciated and thank you for your time!

[DanaNM]

Hi Hannah, Welcome to the forum 🙂

Since you just brought new bun home last week (correct me if I’m wrong) and things are a little rough so far, I would slow down a little. First I would allow the new bun to settle in (housed as a neighbor to the current pair, but make sure they can’t nip each other through the fence) for a week or two, just to let him get used to his new home and you a bit. He just had a big life change and it is probably very stressful for him. After that, I would do some “pre-bonding”, where you swap buns cages or litter boxes for a couple of weeks. This allows them to get really used to the other buns scents. At first they might be very displeased (thumping, marking, etc.) but over time you should see them calm down. You might see their behaviors sync up (all buns eating hay at the same time, grooming at the same time) or they will lay near each other on opposite sides of the fence. You’ll want to keep an eye on your pair, as pairs can sometimes split up during trio bonding, and have a back-up housing option for if all three need to be kept separate during the bonding process. (NIC cube grids are my go-to for making temporary cages/pens).

You have tried a lot of methods in a very short time, so it’s understandable that it doesn’t seem like anything is working. You’ll want to focus on building trust among the rabbits, and patience is key. You must absolutely prevent fighting. A little nipping is OK, but stop fur pulling, boxing, fast chasing, and circling.

I think in your case, after new bun settles in and you do some pre-bonding, I would work on building positive associations and trust. In your neutral bonding space, you can work with two at a time or all three, and whenever the buns come near each other, pet them both/all A LOT and swap scents. This makes them think they are being groomed by the other rabbit. Keep everyone as calm as possible, and just keep on petting. I’ve found this REALLY helps prevent things from escalating. Eventually you will ease off the petting bit by bit and see what happens, but at first don’t be afraid to have your hands on them to keep everyone calm.

I will stop there for now. I have other suggestions about the bonding space I can give you when the time comes, but don’t want to overwhelm. 🙂 For now just focus on getting to know your new bun and making sure he settles in and is doing well. 🙂

. . . 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.  

[pinkiemarie]

I’m also bonding a trio and I do think it’s more difficult than a pair. My first two buns were one of those rare love at first site pairings so I didn’t know it was going to be so difficult. Not saying that to discourage you, just to set the expectation that it’s probably going to take longer than you thought. Since my first rabbits bonded themselves this is my first time bonding so I can at least give you some tips on things that didn’t work for us or mistakes I made so you can try to avoid those things.

First, the prebonding is definitely essential. The first time Clover peed in Ben’s litter box he was beside himself for days but now he doesn’t care that she goes in and uses his toilet when he isn’t home. So the prebonding just kind of helps them get accustomed to each other’s scent and presence.

If you can set up pens where they’re next to each other but about a foot apart so they can’t bite or paw through the pens that would be a good setup. Then do feeding time next to each other because what bunny doesn’t love dinner? And it will help them have a positive association between this other rabbit and food.

Bathtub was a no go for us for reasons but you’ll definitely want to do the tub at first after you’re out of the car ride stage. When you move into a bonding pen, for example in the kitchen, make the pen smaller rather than larger. I had more success when I tightened the space way up.

Try to do trio dates and don’t leave any bunny out if at all possible to help avoid breaking the existing bond. I also have one aggressive rabbit so I think I pet too much on dates. Pet at first then back off so they have to interact. Always try to end on a positive as well. We generally get a little snack after dates or depending on what time it is even just dinner lol but dinner is very exciting when you’re a bunny!

Try to keep a little distance between then at all times. I think one of our big problems is that our setup allowed some little people to stick their nose through the bars and antagonize someone else which caused nipping when they were at home. Now we just have nic cubes 6 inches in front of the pen so they can get close but not close enough to touch.

Keep an eye on your pair and take a day off of dating here and there if anyone seems too upset.

[♡Autumn♡]

Have you tried providing them with treats??

Also you may need to spend some time getting the new bun in a more comfortable state.

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