Question about introducing third rabbit to existing pair

[LySt]

Hi. I’m looking for some feedback on a situation we have. Back in March we adopted 2 male ‘American’ rabbits from a local shelter. Both are brothers and share one of our vacant bedrooms. At the time of the adoption these 2 were approx. 5 months old and it’s been a treat watching their antics as they mature. Then in late May we took in Tina, a 6 yr old female French mini-lop who, we were warned, was “not the bondable type.”  She also has her own cage/room and we keep her and our other 2 bunnies apart with them taking turns having the run of the house. On the occasions where they “meet” at the gate we set up to keep one or the other two contained during these times our mini lop and the dominant American try to get at each other with paw swipes and bites. There was one fight when Tina  jumped over her gate and “Cocoa” (the dominate  American) stood his ground. The fight was quickly broken up but after that we figured we’d be best served giving up on “trio bonding.” 

Here’s my question – Is it possible to have our 3 rabbits ever be able to be out together? We’re not so interested in bonding as much as having them be able to share the whole house without World War 3 breaking out all the time. We’ve tossed around ideas about having Tina meet the more submissive American rabbit first, having all of  them meet in a neutral place like our basement, or just letting them out of their respective rooms and see what happens. One of my concerns is the size disparity between Tina and the other two (Tina is more than double their size and weight) which makes the inevitable fighting more of a risky venture.

 

[BinkyBunny]

Has she been spayed? And also are you planning on neutering the males as their hormones will drive them to want to mate with her which could just make thing escalate.

Once they are all altered, then that’s when it would be a good idea to start some bonding session in a neutral space. I know you said you didn’t really mind if they weren’t fully bonded, but even if they are going to share the same running space, it’s best that you go through the bonding sessions to at least help them get used to each other and deal with an agreed upon hierarchy in their play area.

One thing you also may find is that having this new female around may make the male hormones completely rage and they could have some scuffles of their own.

There have been some members who have successfull bonded a trios – hopefully they will come by and offer some help. I know we have also discussed this on the board before and so I’ll head off to find links that might be helpful to you.

[mrmac]

I just recently did a trio. I had a male and female bonded pair and introduced another male. Like BB said, if their not already fixed do so and start the bonding process in neutral space starting with the two who you think would be the easiest first.

[Deleted User]

In order for them to share any space peaceably they must necessarily be bonded first. It is unusual for any rabbit not to bond at all. It is more likely that the human gives up too soon. It can sometimes take more time and more tricks to get them to that point, though. Some people are very concerned when seeing any signs of aggression or stress and take these as an indicator for incompatibility. However, it is common for rabbits to box through a gate or cage bars, to hiss and snarl, etc. since their nature requires them to defend their territory. Neutering, spaying, patience and neutral space are the ingredients for a rabbit bond. You can do it. Once they’re fixed, introduce each male to the female separately first, then, once each of the boys can get along with her, bond the boys together and lastly, work on the trio together. I’ve done a trio that I found challenging because of my very resentful male mini rex; but I have done another that was easy as pie.

[mrmac]

My girl bunny used to bite and charge full force into the xpen bars when the new boy Dexter came close to it. They ended up being the two who bonded first. Like Petzy said many people give up too soon and dont give it enough time. In my trio, I kind of let them work it out on their own and it really never got too bad, not that that works for all buns. Definitely do one male with the female at a time. I worked with my new boy first for about two weeks together 24/7 and then started introducing the second boy who wasnt easy at forst but now him and the new boy are the best of friends.

[BinkyBunny]

 Okay, found the links from previous threads regarding bonding trios

 

Bonding a trio https://binkybunny.com/Default.a…stid=51826

Petzy’s trio  (lots of great videos!) https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/5…spx#117495

 

[mrmac]

Thats first link didnt work? Petzy’s thread did though….

[Toki+Pumpkin+Elmo]

I first had a bonded pair of female and male. After a year, I introduced a male. All three buns were spayed/neautered before introduction. At first, they seemed to get along but even after a year, two males still fight over the female. I’ve tried everything but they just cant get along. I’ve had furballs flying, limping leg, and blood.

So the third male is seperate from the pair. I’m still trying to bond them and I hope they can be a big family sometime.

[LySt]

Thanks for all of the information!  All of the bunnies have been spayed and neutered so we are off to a good start.  Finding a neutral space might be an issue as Tina has taken over the entire house in the short amount of time she has been with us.  I think we are going to try cleaning out space in the basement to give this a try. 

I think the biggest fear is the size difference as Tina looks like a giant “bully” bunny every time she sees them through the gate and goes into attack mode.  Judging by the scars on her ears, I would say she has been in a few fights in her lifetime.

We also have noticed differences in the bonded males since we have brought her home.  The dominate male chases his brother around the room any time she is near.

I think once we get a space in the basement cleared, we will just have to give it a try and see how it goes with brooms and squirt bottles lined up for good measure.

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