What to do after bunnies are bonded?

[bunnyaria]

hello all! i am new here so please forgive me if i am posting this wrong. my bunnies bonded today, there is no more nipping or anything and they are cuddling on their own. i placed a completely neutral litter box in the space they were being bonded in to make sure they could share, and they did! they both ate hay out of it at the same time. my problem now is i don’t know what to do from here. i’m going to wipe down a cage with vinegar and clean it completely along with everything in it, but do i keep the cage in the non-neutral territory (female bunny’s space)? will they do okay in there, even if they’re in a neutral cage within the non-neutral space? i guess i just need reassurance on what to do. thanks!

[Deleted User]

Just because they have stopped nipping and are cuddle does not make them bonded. They have to be together, supervised, for over 24 hours without any aggression. So no, they should not be put in the same cage together yet, unless they can go over 24 hours without any incident.

When you do move him into the same cage as her, the cage and the room must be completely cleaned with vinegar to get rid of all scents. The territory they start coexisting in should be completely neutral because moving him into her territory can cause problems.

[Sirius&Luna]

Everything A&B said, but you also need to monitor them in their new home for 24 hours too.

[bunnyaria]

okay so let me get this straight before i do anything, i bond them regularly in the neutral space for the remainder of the week (2-3 hours per day, thats all i can do) and then they spend saturday in the neutral space all day and if that goes well i move them in together and monitor them all day sunday? also for the room which was originally the females, how do i make the room neutral if i have carpet? will a simple spray on every inch of the carpet do the trick? and should old toys that cannot be washed be thrown out? sorry for all the questions! i just want to know i’m doing it right

[Sirius&Luna]

That sounds like a good plan to me, but remember you need to be able to monitor them overnight as well (sleeping next to them, so you’ll hear any scuffling is fine). I’ve just moved my bunnies to a different space, and honestly, it’s like going back to the beginning with nipping and humping. Don’t underestimate the difference that the space they’re in makes.

I think a carpet spray would work fine, or you could put something on top, like lino or rugs. If there’s furniture in the room, wipe it down with a vinegar and water mix, and rearrange it so things aren’t in the same place. Old toys…. I wouldn’t throw them out, but I would hold them back for a couple of weeks, and slowly introduce them back, watching that they don’t get territorial over them. Make sure there’s no hidey boxes or things with only one exit, as feeling trapped can often cause fights in just bonded bunnies.

[Deleted User]

Have you only been doing 2-3 hour sessions a day? It might be more beneficial to not just jump straight to 24 hours. Some bunnies can still get nippy with each other when together for longer periods. Maybe on Saturday shoot for like 4-6 hours, then 9-12 on Sunday?

[bunnyaria]

thank you everyone for the help! the only problem with not getting them fully bonded over the weekend is that i would only be able to continue doing 2-3 hours a day for the following week, and i’m going away that weekend. i have school and track so quite honestly it’s hard getting 2 hours in! i’m not sure i’ll be able to bond them for a while, unless i take a few days off track.

[sarahthegemini]

You can’t rush bonding. If you’re struggling to do 2 hour sessions, then jumping to 24 hours is a big step.

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