Should I bond?/How to bond?

[BrokenBlue]

Hi everyone,

I’m just looking for some advice as to whether or not I should attempt to bond my rabbits or just give up and let them live alone. (This is going to be a very long post sorry!). Question answers are at the top and background info is below.

Spay/Neuter
Are your bunnies spayed/neutered? Yes

If so, for how long (for each)? Since 2017

If not, why not?

Are you aware of reproductive cancer risk in females? If not, please read about it here. Yes

Housing
Please describe your bunnies’ current housing set-up (living together, as neighbors, etc.).

They both live in their own sheds (don’t worry they were built for housing animals and are insulated, have windows, etc.) with outdoor runs attached that they have access to during the day. The runs are about a meter apart so they can see each other but there are objects between the two runs so they can only see the other one if they stand on their back legs. Nutty’s shed is significantly larger than Bambi’s so I’d like them both to live there long term.

Bonding background
Did you allow the bunnies to “settle-in”? Not sure what this means? I’ve had them 3 years so they are settled.

How would you describe your bunnies reactions towards each other (answer for each bunny): shy, scared, curious, calm, aggressive, excited, affectionate, etc.? Bambi is very interested in Nutty and behaves aggressively towards her. Nutty seems pretty much indifferent about Bambi.

Have you done any “pre-bonding” (cage or litter box swaps, etc.)? Previously I have swapped their litterboxes and then sheds when trying to bond them. The last couple of days I’ve been swapping litterboxes again. They don’t seem very interested but they’re probably very familiar with eachother’s scent already.

If so, for how long? I’ve attempted to bond them 2 or 3 times over the past 2 years, each time only for a week or two since I’m a bit of a wimp and worry about them getting stressed out or hurt.

Have you started sessions yet? No I’ve only been swapping litter trays although last night I did let them see each other (see below for details)

How long have you been working on bonding your bunnies? On and off for 2 years

How frequently do you have bonding sessions, and how long are they? Not started yet

Have you tried any stressing techniques? No

I got 2 bunnies in August 2017. They had been living separately but the rescue had bonded them. One was called Nutty and was estimated to be around 3-5yrs old, but I reckon she was closer to 3. The other was Bambi who was just a few months old. Nutty was spayed at the rescue just before they started the bonding process and I got Bambi neutered a few months after I brought them home.

They never seemed to be especially close. I never saw them grooming each other and they usually seemed to be doing different things. They have very different personalities which probably doesn’t help. Bambi is very intelligent, active and quite skittish while Nutty is more outgoing and relaxed so whenever I’m around Nutty comes over begging for treats and Bambi tends to do his own thing.

I can’t remember exactly when it was, but I think around spring 2018 we looked after 3 of our friend’s unspayed female rabbits while they were on holiday. Nutty and Bambi knew they were around and could see, hear and smell them. They were noisy, aggressive and disruptive rabbits (which was understandable considering they were unspayed and living in a small hutch) but they really stressed my rabbits out. They stayed for a couple of weeks. The day after they left I went to check on my bunnies and found Bambi chasing Nutty who was making squealing noises. The shed was covered in Nutty’s fur. I moved Bambi out so they could not see, hear or smell each other.

Since then I have tried re bonding them a few times but gave up very quickly since I’m a bit of a wimp and didn’t want to stress them out too much. Whenever they see each other Bambi becomes very aggressive and tries to attack Nutty. Nutty doesn’t seem that interested in him.

A while ago I took her back to the rescue for a few weeks so they could attempt to bond her with another bunny but it didn’t work out because that bunny was too aggressive.

In May/April this year we built some outdoor runs connected to their sheds so they can choose to go out during the day and have a bit more space. Now the outdoor bits have some mesh around them and so they can see each other. The closest they can get to each other is about a meter apart and there are some bits and bobs between the two sheets of mesh so they can’t see eachother easily. I don’t think Nutty has noticed Bambi (or at least she doesn’t care) but Bambi has definitely noticed Nutty and I often see him on his back legs peeking over at her. On nice days he often settles down as close to her area as possible but I don’t know if this is just coincidence.

Anyways I’m wanting to bond them now, not only because I think it would be best for them each to have a friend but also because I feel Bambi is too cramped in his shed and would appreciate sharing Nutty’s larger shed. Also with Nutty being 6+ years old now I think it would be nice for her to have a companion to help her with grooming and such.

I let Nutty out every evening for around 40 minutes to an hour for some free range time in the garden. Last night I put Bambi in his separate outdoor run on the lawn before letting Nutty out. As soon as Bambi saw her he was trying to get as close as possible to her. Nutty didn’t seem to notice him so after 20 minutes I put her down about a foot away from Bambi. She moved towards him and he stuck his nose through the mesh and nipped her on the nose. She moved away but did return a few times, resulting the same nipping on the nose each time. No blood was drawn but she soon got tired of it and hopped away back into her shed. On a positive note, there was no growling and Nutty didn’t seem very scared.

I’m not sure whether to try bonding again or if it’s pointless with Bambi’s attitude. I know it would be beneficial if they could bond but I don’t know if it’s worth stressing them out and possibly risking them getting injured to try.

If you think it is worth trying to bond them, I’m not sure how to go about it best. I’ve only had 2 bunnies before and they were brother and sister and got along perfectly so I’ve got no experience in bonding. I was thinking of stress bonding them with a car ride, but I’m unsure about what to do once the car ride’s finished. Should I put them back in their sheds or put them in a small pen on neutral territory? Would it be best if they went on dates every day or should I put them together and try to keep them together and try to prevent any serious fights with towels and spraying water at the attacker? I’ve read about people doing a single long intensive bonding session which seems to take a day or two usually and at the end of it the bunnies are best friends. If I go for one long session rather than a series of dates, should I still prepare them for it by swapping litter trays and such for a while beforehand? If they bond in a neutral territory, how do I go about moving them to Nutty’s shed without her getting territorial? If they never manage to bond would it be best to completely separate them so they never see each other so they don’t get stressed or would it be beneficial for them to have some interaction?

I should perhaps mention that Bambi is half wild. He came into the rescue when an owner let their unspayed female lionhead out and she got pregnant with a wild rabbit. As a result he can be very nervous at times and I never let him free roam in the garden since it is not very enclosed. I don’t know if his wild genetics make him any more aggressive or difficult to bond.

TLDR: I have neutered/spayed 2 bunnies that were once bonded 2 years ago. Bambi attacked Nutty and they have been separated since. I want to try bonding again but Bambi is very aggressive towards Nutty. I don’t know if I should try bonding again or how to go about it.

Thank you very much for any responses

[DanaNM]

Wow, thanks for all the detail! What an ordeal!

First let me say the completely unsatisfying answer that it is really up to you whether to try, as you know your buns best, and your own comfort level with the process. But that said, if you do decide to go for it, I think you should fully commit. If your heart isn’t in it, you prob wont be successful, as I don’t see this as being a particularly easy bond. If your goal is just to have both buns have a companion, and you have the space/time/money, you might have an easier go of finding new matches for each other them (or one of them at least).

That said, I have had two very tough bonds and both ended up with completely attached at the hip pairs, so they were worth it.

Something jumps out about their initial bond, that Bambi wasn’t neutered at first? That likely meant their bond wasn’t very solid to begin with. It is also very common for the presence of other bunnies, especially uncastrated ones, to upset bonded pairs.

I am a bit concerned about the level of fighting that happened between them that broke the initial bond. Was either bun injured? When one bun is injured, it can be really hard to repair things as buns can hold grudges. So I think if I were you and I decided to go forward, I would have a plan to try a set of things, and if no progress was being made, then to call it quits.

I am not a fan of spraying buns with water or scaring them into stopping fighting. I know this can work, but it is very stressful for everyone and I haven’t had great luck with it.

Here is the approach I would take (if you decided to go for it). Your goal is to build trust between the rabbits. Stressing is one tool to stop fighting, but your calm presence can also be very important. I really like the technique of petting both rabbits when they approach each other so they think they are getting groomed. Especially important when rabbits are stuck in a cycle of aggression. I would not go for the all in one go marathon in this case. I think that would be a lot of pressure on you, and very stressful for the buns in this case, as you know they are going to try to fight. So I would start with short sessions where you take the buns to an exceedingly neutral location, and pet them both to swap scents and keep everyone calm. You could combine this with stressing perhaps a car ride together first, get a helper to drive while you monitor them, wear oven mits on your hands.

It is absolutely essential for you to prevent fighting. I think sometimes people are unsure when to intervene because they are trying to “let them sort things out”, but in early stages and in a pair with your history, it is much more likely to escalate rapidly and cause much more harm. So intervene early and don’t be afraid to have your hands on them a lot. Leather gloves or oven mits are good to wear on your hands to protect yourself.

Set short time goals (2 min, 3 min, 5 min). Always end on a good note (even if it’s you petting them or them ignoring each other).  I would try short sessions and maybe car rides for a couple weeks. If they are still trying to fight in the car or on sight (or showing no signs of improvement) after a couple weeks of this then I would personally probably stop. It might still be possible but I don’t think it would be worth the stress to force it.

 

. . . 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.  

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