Trying to Bond Three Bunnies

[Naiya9]

Any tips would be much appreciated! I have a bonded pair of a 3yo male Flemish giant mix and 5yo female mini rex, and I am trying to bond them with a 7mo male whose breed I’m not sure of, but who’s about two pounds smaller than my female.

All three are fixed, but their bonding is not going smoothly. I’ve tried bonding them in the bathtub (which the baby kept jumping out of) and the far end of my kitchen, penned in by a baby gate (which the baby kept jumping over.) My latest attempt is in a large ventilated cardboard box, which at least keeps the baby in the same place, but the Flemish giant is a big bully who rips fur off of the other two and is really aggressive towards the girl when I put the two of them back in their pen at the end of the bonding sessions.

I’ve been trying to bond them for half an hour to an hour each day, and at the end of each session the poor girl acts really stressed and exhausted. I’m scared of causing her undue trauma, but I don’t know what to do to make this whole process easier. I know many people recommend taking them on car rides together, but I don’t have anyone to help me with that project, and I am too scared of having them get in a fight that I can’t put a stop to before they cause real damage.

Please let me know if you have any suggestions or ideas of things I haven’t tried yet. Thanks!

 ETA: I’m also under a bit of a time crunch; I’ll be going out of town for a week and a half at the end of the month, and I’m concerned that if I don’t have them bonded by then the time away will be a huge step backward.

[SeeShmemilyPlay]

I’m not sure how large your Flemish giant is, but if possible, could you put them all in a carrier of some sort? If so, try to swing that back and forth (not too violently, clearly:p) This kinda replicates a car ride, and I’ve heard worked wonders with other bunny bonds.
You shouldn’t be too worried about going a step back when you’re out of town. Bonding a third bunny in (I’ve heard– again, this isn’t from personal experience) may take months and months. It truly just depends on the personalities of the buns involved. And I don’t think it would make it WORSE if they have time apart– that may be just what they need! After unsuccessful bonding, time apart and then trying again helps.
Just make sure that while you’re gone, their enclosures are right next to each other only a few inches apart, but not so close they can touch each other.
If your buns are free-range, I’d probably recommend keeping them in cages/enclosures during the bonding process. I had to do that with my two buns. Usually they’re free-range, but when I first brought Theo in, I had to keep him and Eve in cages next to each other. This helped *significantly*.

Okok this was a lot. Summarized: maybe try simulating a car ride by lightly swinging them in a carrier together. For sure keep their cages next to each other and switch out their toys to get all of them used to the other’s scent. Don’t be worried about not getting to bond them while you’re gone– this might actually be helpful for them. Just make sure while you’re gone their cages are next to each other.

[Naiya9]

Thank you for the suggestions! The Flemish giant is a big boy, and the combined weight of the three of them is close to 23lbs, which is more than I feel comfortable trying to carry/swing around. I did take your advice on moving their enclosures closer to each other and swapping some of their toys, though, so hopefully that will help!

I appreciate the reassurance about my time away not being a huge step back for them; I’ve been feeling like a bad pet parents for abandoning them in the middle of this process, so it’s encouraging to hear that a little rest and relaxation may be helpful for all of us.

[Mikey]

I say you should give them a break. Fur pulling is very stressful and harmful to rabbits. Their skin is very paper thin. If fur pulling happens enough, it can cause painful bruising, flaky and irritated skin, painful itchy scabs, and/or skin infections. The fact that your bigger male wont stop pulling fur from your female is a red flag. Give them all a break and try bonding again when you get home from your trip. This will allow your female to heal and destress, your bigger male to relax, and your baby to get used to both of them being around

Please also note that when you try to add a third bunny to a pair, you risk breaking that pair up. Every bunny might before to be single, or your pair might split and one will become single and the other will bond to the new bunny. Not every bunny will get along, just like not all people will get along with one another

[Naiya9]

Mikey, thank you for your advice. They actually got a several week break that only ended about a week ago while the baby was recovering from being neutered. I had originally tried to bond them without having the baby neutered, before reading that they should all be fixed for best results with bonding. Should I give them another break already, or would it be okay to try a bit longer? As sad as it is, it does make sense that not all rabbits are destined for friendship. Are there ways to tell the difference between rabbits being slow to bond and rabbits who will never get along?

[Mikey]

I would give them another break. After hormones drain after being fixed, bunnies start to smell a bit different. It would be good for your older two to get used to the babies new smell. As SeeShmemilyPlay mentioned, keep their cages close. You can try swapping their water dishes/bottles, litter boxes, toys, ect every few days until you are gone, then swap them for a week after you get back to re-familiarize everyone again. This is a form of prebonding that ive seen help a lot (and helped out my trio as well)

As for who will and who wont get along, sadly only time will tell. If they make slow progress, theres a high chance they are willing to bond, but at their pace. If they dont seem to make any progress, or make several steps back every few days, then that is a sign that they just dont get along. Some bonds do take up to a year to form and cement, so you want to give it time, but not too much time that everyone is overly stressed out and not happy

[Naiya9]

Mikey, thanks for the suggestions. I will take a step back on the bonding attempts until I get back from my trip and keep swapping their things in the meantime. I appreciate your help!

[Mikey]

Not a problem! I wish you and you trio luck

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