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BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately!  Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES 

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

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Forum BONDING Multi bunny bonding advice please

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    • Gina.Jenny
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        I have a lovely pair of bonded boy lops. Both were neutered at around six months, and are now almost two. Rusty is the dominant one between the two, always asking Pipkin to groom him, which I have only ever seen Pipkin actually do a couple of times. Around people, Pipkin is the far more confident, to the point I’m sure he thinks he is half human as well as fully rabbit (he says bunny maths is different to human maths, who am i to argue!)

        I have just taken on two dwarf or part dwarf girls who were both living rough in the local area. Both are very territorial. Gina started spraying on Monday, and Jenny started nest building on Saturday, so both are going to be spayed tomorrow. I’m estimating their age at six months. Gina hasn’t grown in size since we got her two months ago, though she does feel less bony. They look very alike from some angles, and are both close to the same weight, so they could well be sisters, or at least closely related. However, even if they used to live together, they have been apart for almost two months.

        I did try to introduce Gina to the boys a few weeks ago, not knowing if she had already been spayed. Pipkin was pretty laid back around her, flopping down with his back legs fully out behind him. Rusty and Gina seemed to be arguing over who would be the bunny to get groomed by the other, so more of a hierarchy issue than any dislike, and I would think every hope of happily house sharing in time

        I’ve not made any attempt to put Jenny anywhere near the boys, due to her being very aggressive the first few days. This is presumably a mix of having had to survive living rough, and hormones.

        I really want to get them all getting on before we reach autumn, and they can’t be outside all day, as the cages I’ve had to put the girls in are not big enough to be in all day as well as through the night. The boys have the dining room as a fully bunny proofed room, it is plenty big enough for four, as long as they don’t fight.

        To sum up, Pipkin should be fine as long as the girls don’t expect him to groom them.

        Rusty will expect the girls to groom him, after all he is king bunny and everybunny should know that!

        Gina also expects to be top bunny and isn’t going to take any nonsense from anybunny who doesn’t agree.

        Jenny is too scared and hormonal to get any feel for how she will be.

        Has anyone any thoughts on how to try and do bonding sessions, once the girls are over the spay? Should I try to bond two at a time, or try all four together? If two at a time, do I just try to work with say the most or least dominant two, or keep alternating pairs? If anyone has any experience that could even possibly help, I would welcome any ideas…


      • Gina.Jenny
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          I’ve been rotating two blankets to keep Jenny warm, while she recovers from her spay. She is currently sound asleep on an old duvet, with one blanket bunched up under her head, like a little pillow.

          I put the second blanket into Gina’s cage about ten minutes ago. She gave it a good sniffing all over, then sat beside it, washing herself. I think that’s a positive, as she hasn’t reacted negatively to having something that smells of Jenny in her cage?


        • Gina.Jenny
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            This is the first time I’ve seen the two girls so close when they are both lying down, and even better, both are relaxed enough to have their legs out behind them. It might be partly to do with their insides healing post spay, but I still think its a good sign for bonding?


          • Gina.Jenny
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              After reading that putting mashed banana on one bunny can get another bunny to lick it off, convincing the first bunny they have been groomed, and reading that fruit baby food can tempt a bunny that’s off its food, I thought I could maybe combine the two.
              I’ve just bought some 100% banana and apple puree, no added sugar, from the baby aisle, and dipped strands of hay in some, just a drop at a time. Jenny was soon lapping it down, and even took some off my finger. Gina took some off the hay, but drew the line at licking it off my finger. I’ll try the boy bunnies on it when they come in from the garden, and give the girls some more then too, so they learn to associate the boys coming in with the banana sludge. If they learn to look forward to it, I can then put some on noses in a few weeks time, once the hormones have hopefully settled, and maybe two bunnies will be more interested in licking the stuff off than arguing who is top bunny, and two bunnies will think they’ve been groomed?


            • Gina.Jenny
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                Boys are in, but more interested in their ‘coming in’ pellets, so I put theirs right near Jenny, Jenny ignored hers, Gina too.

                These three seem fairly relaxed, and Gina has been less quick to lash out through cage bars today. Given how recent the spays were, I’m feeling fairly hopeful of a successful bonding, at least between Jenny and the boys. All three are keeping a safe distance from Gina…

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            Forum BONDING Multi bunny bonding advice please