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Forum BONDING 2 1/2 month old males

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    • Nadine
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        Hi! I’ve recently just got Zeus and Hades, both lops and both are such sweet loving bucks. Zeus is almost 12 weeks and Hades is reaching his 10th.
        They both have their pens side by side with a small gap in between in my room. I give them both equal amount of time outside of their pens.
        I’m wondering if it is possible to bond them both? I have read that it is almost impossible to bond unneutered bunnies. I am planning to get them
        Neutered as soon as the vet says they’re ready, but I know that might take another 2 months or so.

        Will appreciate any advice! Thank you so much ^__^


      • sarahthegemini
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          You can’t bond til they’ve been neutered and hormones have disipated.


        • joea64
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            Rabbits generally reach physical/sexual maturity at anywhere from 3 to 6 months old, so since they’re already 2 1/2 months old, you need to begin monitoring their behavior carefully. If they’re allowed to fight before they’re neutered, they could develop long-lasting grudges toward one another which could seriously hinder the bonding process if not make it impossible. I see you already have them physically separate, which helps a lot, but you should put their cages far enough apart that they can’t reach one another through the bars/wires, and never allow them out together at the same time, which could lead to those fights.

            After the neuter, you can do pre-bonding with them during the recovery period after neutering, which involves still keeping them separate but within sight/smell range of one another and swapping their things between their habitats to get them used to each other’s smells. This recovery period will last anywhere from a month to 8 weeks, which is mainly necessary to allow their hormones to fully dissipate. Once that’s done, then you can begin to work on bonding them.

            (edited after I re-read the OP’s post and saw that the buns are already housed separately)


          • sarahthegemini
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              Posted By joea64 on 8/29/2017 10:50 AM

              Rabbits generally reach physical/sexual maturity at anywhere from 3 to 6 months old, so since they’re already 2 1/2 months old, you need to begin monitoring their behavior carefully. If – no, better make that when – they begin to display signs of aggressive behavior towards one another and/or other signs of puberty such as territorial spraying of urine – you need to get them physically separated, as in living separately without the ability to make physical contact with one another, before they get into actual fights. If they’re allowed to fight before they’re neutered, they could develop long-lasting grudges toward one another which could seriously hinder the bonding process if not make it impossible. In fact, I’d say to do this (set them up in separate housing) as soon as you see signs of puberty developing before they have a chance to get into real trouble with one another.

              If you separate them right away before it gets too far, you can do pre-bonding with them during the recovery period after neutering, which involves keeping them separate but within sight/smell range of one another and swapping their things between their habitats to get them used to each other’s smells. This recovery period will last anywhere from a month to 8 weeks, which is mainly necessary to allow their hormones to fully dissipate. Once that’s done, then you can begin to work on bonding them.

              They need to be separated before you see signs of aggression because you don’t know what goes on when you’re not supervising.


            • joea64
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                Posted By sarahthegemini on 8/29/2017 10:54 AM

                Posted By joea64 on 8/29/2017 10:50 AM

                Rabbits generally reach physical/sexual maturity at anywhere from 3 to 6 months old, so since they’re already 2 1/2 months old, you need to begin monitoring their behavior carefully. If – no, better make that when – they begin to display signs of aggressive behavior towards one another and/or other signs of puberty such as territorial spraying of urine – you need to get them physically separated, as in living separately without the ability to make physical contact with one another, before they get into actual fights. If they’re allowed to fight before they’re neutered, they could develop long-lasting grudges toward one another which could seriously hinder the bonding process if not make it impossible. In fact, I’d say to do this (set them up in separate housing) as soon as you see signs of puberty developing before they have a chance to get into real trouble with one another.

                If you separate them right away before it gets too far, you can do pre-bonding with them during the recovery period after neutering, which involves keeping them separate but within sight/smell range of one another and swapping their things between their habitats to get them used to each other’s smells. This recovery period will last anywhere from a month to 8 weeks, which is mainly necessary to allow their hormones to fully dissipate. Once that’s done, then you can begin to work on bonding them.

                They need to be separated before you see signs of aggression because you don’t know what goes on when you’re not supervising.

                Yes, see my edited post – I re-read the OP and realized they’re already separately housed, which is good, but they shouldn’t be allowed out together at the same time from when signs of puberty become apparent.


              • Deleted User
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                  You won’t have a true bond until both are neutered. Even if they seem to be getting along, when hormones kick in they will have issues with each other lol. Even littermates need to be separated before they reach sexual maturity.

                  It’s good that they are in separate enclosures. Allow them to see/smell each other, but do not allow any physical contact until after pre bonding, which you should do for 1 month following the neuter. The purpose of pre bonding is to get them used to each others scent, and hopefully reduce the chance of them fighting on sight of the other bun. I know it sucks to have them separate, I have two buns that I have had separate for going on 2 months. But it is necessary to make sure they don’t hurt each other. If you try to bond before neutering, you’ll be risking fights that could result in them not being able to bond because they hate each other. It’s a slow process, don’t try to rush it either- you need to give them a really solid foundation if they are to be left alone unsupervised as a bonded pair!


                • Nadine
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                    Thanks everyone for your advice and input! I shall be patient and wait till both my boys are fixed.
                    For now, I guess they’ll have to continue just looking at one another.
                    Today I caught Hades lying outside of Zeus’ pen. They both didn’t seem to mind one another. I’m hoping that this would mean they can eventually be bonded after getting fixed( I’ve read stories about some buns not being able to get along at all- and that worries me a lot)


                  • Deleted User
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                      Posted By Nadine on 8/30/2017 12:42 PM

                      Thanks everyone for your advice and input! I shall be patient and wait till both my boys are fixed.
                      For now, I guess they’ll have to continue just looking at one another.
                      Today I caught Hades lying outside of Zeus’ pen. They both didn’t seem to mind one another. I’m hoping that this would mean they can eventually be bonded after getting fixed( I’ve read stories about some buns not being able to get along at all- and that worries me a lot)

                      You have plenty of time to get them used to each other through prebonding, so that should help with making the bonding go a little smoother. While some bunnies are not accepting of others, I think that it is truly a small percent of failures to bond. (And perhaps in some of these cases, they did not follow the proper steps for the bonding process)! It is important to just start very slow. If your bunnies just love each other they will let you know that they are ready to take things faster, but it is best to let them decide that


                    • tobyluv
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                        Posted By Nadine on 8/30/2017 12:42 PM

                        Thanks everyone for your advice and input! I shall be patient and wait till both my boys are fixed.
                        For now, I guess they’ll have to continue just looking at one another.
                        Today I caught Hades lying outside of Zeus’ pen. They both didn’t seem to mind one another. I’m hoping that this would mean they can eventually be bonded after getting fixed( I’ve read stories about some buns not being able to get along at all- and that worries me a lot)

                        Hi and welcome to Binky Bunny!  Hopefully your boys will  bond easily and be wonderful companions after their neuters and when the time is right to start bonding. Be aware that rabbits can fight and bite through cage/pen bars.  If you start seeing any aggression or territorial feelings at all, you will need to make sure there is some kind of barrier between the rabbit who is out playing and exercising and the one who is in their pen. 

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                    Forum BONDING 2 1/2 month old males