Two bunnies who might not bond?

[Mara]

At the beginning of last summer I got my first rabbit, Bean. He was still very young when I moved to Philly, and eventually my parents took him home so he’d have a chance to grow up in a space he was used to.

Then, I adopted Freddie, a now year-and-a-half old Holland lop. He lives with me in Philly.

Now, my parents aren’t sure they can take care of Bean. They travel a lot and they’re not sure they want a pet. I’d be sad to see Bean go, even to a trusted friend! However, I’ve read bonding is hard, especially for two boys. It sounds like a crap shoot. So, it is a bad idea to take on two bunnies? Is it impossible to bond them if they don’t like each other when they first meet? Does anyone own two bunnies that aren’t bonded, and if so what’s that like?

Any answers or insight is super appreciated!

[Sirius&Luna]

Hi Mara

I currently have three bunnies who aren’t bonded, although I’m in the process of bonding them. First I’ll tell you what living with unbonded bunnies are like – it’s hassle. You have to be careful about letting them out separately for free roam time, making sure they can’t reach each other through bars, and you feel guilty that they’re not getting as much time out as you’d like. Occasionally, despite best efforts, bunnies accidentally get out at the same time and there’s a mad panic to try and grab one before something goes wrong (maybe that’s just me). And, they all try to mark their territory, which means poop and pee EVERYWHERE. Litter training goes out the window.

That said, bonded bunnies are the best. They are so cute together. It’s my opinion that if you use the correct methods, the majority of bunnies will bond. Some bunnies do just hate each other, but that’s rare. Most failed bonds are due to people rushing at the beginning. There’s a thread near the top of this forum by Pete – he rushed his bond and his bunnies ended up having two nasty fights, but he stopped, slowed down, and 3 months later, they’re doing really well in bonding sessions. It might be worth you reading that to see how the process works. 

Two boys are not neccessarily harder to bond. In fact, from my 3 (two boys and a girl) I’ve just started bonding sessions with the two boys, and they have been an absolute dream together. They have very similar personalities though, and personality is more important than gender in bonding.

The other thing is that both bunnies will need to be neutered, so think about whether that is something you can afford (of course, they may well already be).

So – in short – you need to think about where they’ll both live, and how to make sure they have no contact at the beginning and you’ll need them both neutered.

I recommend you read some bonding threads on here, but there’s three basic steps – neutering and a month of recovery, pre-bonding for at least a month (swapping them between hutches so they get used to smelling each other), then bonding sessions that start short in neutral space and get longer. If you go through these steps, then you have a good chance of a successful bond.

[Author]

Messages