Putting 2 males in a cage together

[Katie]

Hello, I have two male rabbits that I have had for about a year now. They are both neutered and bonded. They stopped humping each other and getting into any sort of fights months ago. When they are having play time they are always near each other snuggling or grooming each other. I decided I wanted to move them in together and I bought a very large 4 level cage for them. I put them together in the cage (I have 2 water dishes, 2 food dishes and one big litterbox because that’s all that fit on the bottom level.) I watched them interact and they were fine for an hour or so but my bigger rabbit started trying to corner the other one and tried humping him again and being very dominent. Like I said he has not done that in a very long time. The bigger rabbit is a Rex mix and about 5 lbs, and the other one is a 3lb lionhead. I really want them to work out in the same cage and I figured they would be happier that way because they are so close to each other when they’re out of the cage. Do you guys have any tips for me?

Thanks in advance!

[Mikey]

If theyre already bonded, this is ok. Theyre just working out who is the boss and who is the underling while inside of the cage. Youll want to do small bonding sessions inside of the cage for the next few days/weeks. Dont leave them during these sessions just in case it escalates. Stop any nipping and chasing, and remove mounting after 10 seconds. Remove all face mounting so no one gets bit on their manhood. Give them hay and treats to share while inside of the cage to help them get more used to sharing inside of their new home. After they stop nipping, mounting, ect, then it would be safe to start leaving them overnight together in the cage

[Author]

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