Tips on Bonding 3yo and 9mo Bunnies

[Kurt & Loretta]

Hey we are new to this Forum and we thought it would be good to connect with other Bunny Parents out there, we have had our Didi for 3 years and she has brought nothing but good times to our lives and bonded us more as a couple and unit. We recently adopted a little male Bun called Fudge, his last owners put him up for adoption at the Local Pet shop and we took him in to give him a new home and Buddy but it turns out he was put up because he doesn’t mix well with others. We’ve nearly had him 2 weeks now and Didi did not take too well to him as was expected with lunging and biting and he was very nervous but is slowly coming around as is Didi their cages are side by side and they sniff each other through the bars is this a good sign?

I spend time with by introducing them to each other everyday, Fudge sniffs Didi then he thumps and runs, Didi used to lunge at him for it but lately she has stopped until last night she lunged at him in his cage (she has taken a liking to walking into his territory which he seems okay with but is very cautious), now I have been keeping my hand between them when they get close so that if anyone gets hurt it’s not the Buns.

Fudge is a very well behaved Bunny for one who is new to the household and Didi is getting there they seem to make progress for a bit then take weird to one another, we could really use advice because we really want things to work out because we cannot and will not let Fudge go back to living in a small cage in a shop somewhere I know Didi will come round but Fudge is Anxious he makes progress one day and then reverts back to running and thumping we really want to help him but with Loretta and I he has came on leaps and bounds.

[Sirius&Luna]

The most important thing that you haven’t mentioned is are they both spayed and neutered?

It’s not unusual for an existing bunny to be very angry when a new bun is brought into their territory. It’s good that you have them side by side, but make sure that they can’t nip through the bars. There should be at least a 6 inch gap.

You’re moving quite quickly though. Now that you’ve had Fudge for two weeks, I would start pre-bonding. Really the first two weeks should just allow the new bunny to settle in, with no interaction from the existing bun. This is probably why Fudge is anxious, because he moved into somewhere completely new, and went straight into being harrassed by a territorial bunny.

You can start to swap them between each others cages every other day for at least a month. THEN you can start the actual bonding in neutral territory.

You definitely shouldn’t be letting them walk into each other’s territory at this stage. That’s very likely to cause a fight, and it would be difficult for you to separate two fighting bunnies inside a hutch. You need to make sure that your bonding sessions are highly supervised, and in an open, neutral area like the bathroom floor.

I advise having a read through the bonding section under BUNNY INFO, and also reading a few people’s bonding journals so you get an idea of what to expect, how long it normally takes, and what the steps are.

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