Possibly looking into Bonding my male bunny?

[kep27]

I have a male rex, Stormy, who is a little over a year old. I adopted him about 2 months ago and he still hasn’t bonded with either me or my boyfriend. We adopted him from a guy who recently got him and his brother from a woman who let them both roam the house. That guy then put them both in a small cage, and they started to not get along, so he rehomed Stormy to me.

Since the day we got him, he’s been a bit of a handful. He has never really liked us, and he typically uses his “thumper” tactic whenever we try to hold him, and he also bites us every time we do, so we only really take him out of his cage maybe two or three times a week, including the day I clean his cage every week. I have a big two-story, cage for him, and when either of us walk in the room, he goes straight to the bottom. In order to get him out, we have to take apart the whole cage, which is another reason we don’t try to take him out too often. He also flips his water dish and food dish over when we walk into the room, which is irritating as well.

 I’m thinking of getting another bunny to see if that helps him become nicer or calms him down, or at least so he’s happier because I just don’t think he is happy with us.

 I recently had my friend’s female bunny over just to see what he would do with another bunny around. He seemed to be really interested in her, and tried to almost cuddle with her and she tried cuddling with him too and stuff, but then he was trying to put his nose near her privates and humping her and stuff, and I read that that’s just the “dominance” issues that I would have to work out. I realize bonding two bunnies takes time, but I would really like to give it a shot. If it doesn’t work out, I do have a separate cage that I had from a previous bunny I owned.

I would have to get him neutered if I went through with this all, I’m just hoping that doesn’t make his attitude worse than it already is….

What do you all think? Any advice? Does this sound like a bad idea? I would really appreciate any input you guys have!
Thank you all so much!

[Luna]

Hi! Even if you don’t get another bun, neutering him would be a good idea. Neutering helps to curb and even eliminate negative behaviors associated with hormones, so I don’t think his attitude would worsen. Buns are a prey species so they don’t like being picked up. Consequently, the only way to “get away” is for him to bite. If you pick him up often enough, he will associate your presence with being picked up, and will not want to be near you. I would try to not pick him up unless absolutely necessary. Is there any way to modify the cage to somehow make an opening on the lower floor? That way, you wouldn’t have to pick him up out of the cage, or take the cage apart to get him out. It is extremely important that he get more cage-free time. Even though you have a nice two-story condo setup for him, he needs additional space outside his cage to explore/exercise, for both mental and physical stimulation.

Before deciding whether or not to get him a friend, I think it would be good if you tried to build more trust with him. Besides not picking him up, try spending as much time as you can with him (ie. sitting next to his cage or talking to him). Also, when he is out of his cage, you can put some treats on the floor near you. Then, once he is comfortable with your presence, you can try to see if he is comfortable with you petting him. It’s all about starting small then working your way up .

As for him flipping his dishes over, heavy ceramic bowls can help keep the bowls in place.

[tobyluv]

You got some good advice from Luna. I just wanted to add that it’s best not to put 2 rabbits together, even for a few minutes, unless you are starting to bond them and plan for them to be together. Casual meetings with strange rabbits are not a good idea. Fights that end in severe injuries can break out in an instant. I hope that your friend’s female rabbit is spayed. It only takes a few seconds of rabbits being together for a pregnancy to occur. It can happen so quickly that people don’t even realize it, until they are presented with a litter a few weeks later.

It can take some rabbits months to feel comfortable with people or in a new home. It’s understandable if he has a bit of an attitude after being caged with another unneutered rabbit.

I have had several rabbits over the years and none of them liked to be held. Some would bite in an effort to be set down. You also have to be careful if you are trying to hold a rabbit and they don’t want to be held. They can really injure themselves trying to get out of your grasp. It’s much better to keep rabbits on the ground, where they feel safe and comfortable. It may take a little while, but he should warm up to you and want to be near you and be petted at some point.

[sarahthegemini]

I’m sorry but if you can’t be bothered to let him out of his cage more than two or three times per week, DO NOT get another rabbit. The bonding process is very difficult and needs proper commitment. You’ll need to keep them completely separate at all times other than during bonding sessions – which means separate play time. You’ll need to swap them between enclosures daily which means taking the first one apart every day to do so. 

You need to think about how to give your bun more freedom before even considering another rabbit. Rabbits need 6 hours out of their cage every day. MINIMUM. How big is the cage? 

[Deleted User]

I agree with Sara. Buns need 8 hours a day free roam time and this sounds like a vicious circle. If his not getting his exercise this will contribute to his behaviour. Although many rabbits do not like being handled biting is a No No. When he dose this let out a little scream to show him its wrong. Also lay down next to him and just allow him to sniff you and run around you. Ignore him while doing this, read a book or play on your phone or whatever to occupied yourself.

get some NIC Grids and set up a pen area or attach this to his cage. Double tear cages are not big enough to house rabbits really (I know I have one), so they need a lot of exercise or an extension to the cage. 

Get him neutered and you will find that he will do all his poops and pees in a litter tray so you can let him out of his cage – – get cable protectors to help bunny proof your home. 

I would hold off getting another rabbit just yet though, otherwise you will have two rabbits with behaviour issues to deal with. 

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