Bonding – One biting the other

[Demi]

I have two spayed/neutered rabbits, male and female. The rabbits are currently living in separate rooms and cages. I am attempting to bond the rabbits in the bathtub, one date per day. Summary of the progress: 

Date #1 (10 minutes): Rabbits ignore each other. Male rabbit humps female. Female does not like it. 

Date #2 (10 minutes): Female attacks male biting him in the neck when he approaches. Fur flies. Male does not like it, stomps but does not bite back. 

Date #3 (10 minutes): Rabbits are both scared and watch each other closely. Female attacks biting him in the face even when he is not approaching. Male rabbit does not bite back. 

I am not sure what to do next. Is this normal behaviour? I understand the rabbits are trying to work out who is the dominant one. I am afraid that they will hurt each other. I tried to distract them with treats, which worked but not for long. The female rabbit is showing aggression. 

[Harley&Thumper]

I would recommend no more dates for at least a month and during that month I would swap litter boxes so that they can get used to each other’s scents.

[sarahthegemini]

Rabbits do not figure out dominance by fighting and attacking. You should probably stop all dates for the forseable future to allow them to calm down. Did you do pre bonding?

[Demi]

For pre-bonding, I have been swapping litter boxes for about two weeks. The instructions on this forum, for pre-bonding, say to put the two cages side by side. Prior to swapping litter boxes, I put the male’s cage in the female’s room for about 3-4 days, and I would alternate letting one out then the other. The male rabbit seemed very anxious, biting the bars of the cage when inside it and marking by way of urine when outside. So, I placed him in a separate room. The female rabbit was fine, didn’t care for him at all. There was no aggression from either rabbit at that point. Some curiosity. 

 If I were to go back to the pre-bonding stage, should I put both of their cages in neutral territory and let them live side by side (or try again in her room?) or should I switch bunnies between cages leaving them in their rooms? Or try something else entirely? 

[Sirius&Luna]

You can have the bunnies living in cages side by side (with a gap so no biting through the bars) in any room. It doesn’t need to be neutral, and I wouldn’t waste your neutral space on it! Then every other day, swap them so they’re in the others cage. They will be angry and pee on things, but it’s a really important step so that they’re not angry when they actually meet each other because they’re already used to smelling the other bunny.

If they are immediately biting and attacking, then they are not ready for face to face bonding.

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