Is this bonding going to fall apart?

[Ellie Vale]

I’ve had my mini lop for a few months now, he’s neutered, and comfortable in the house.
Yesterday, I went to go and pick up a female mini lop, of which I was told had not bonded with three of the owners other bunnies, and they had to let her go because of this.
I brought her home, and kept her in her cage for a little while to get used to her surroundings, and then brought her out on her own. She was very comfortable around me, and almost immediately started binkying and performing “zoomies”. She flopped down where ever she pleased, and repeatedly jumped up onto the sofa for cuddles.
I thought that as she was comfortable, I would allow her to meet my other bunny, supervised, and through a gate. They both seemed extremely eager to meet each other, looking for ways to get through the bars, and laying down next to each other through the gate.
This morning, I allowed them to meet without the bars, and whilst there have been a few mounts from both parties, neither is threatened by the other one, and they’ve been laying down next to each other and grooming each other for the majority of the afternoon.
So, my question is, are they going to get aggressive with each other at any point? Or have they already reached the last stage in being bonded?
Most sites say to take them apart after half an hour or so, but with how things are, I feel as though I’d be cruel to do it.
I’d love to hear someone else’s thoughts on the matter, thank you ✌?

[Sirius&Luna]

They absolutely are not bonded and you should not introduce them on the same day you brought her home. Bonding is a process that takes weeks, and even if they have a ‘love at first sight’ bond, you still need to monitor them for at least 48 hours to make sure no fights start. The problem is when bunnies aren’t used to each other, fights can start over the smallest misunderstanding.

The reason bunnies should be given time to settle in before bonding is that often when a bunny moves into a new home they’re unsure, not territorial, and you don’t see their true personality. A month later, when they’re feeling confident and secure in their new home, fights will often break out.

And lastly, is she spayed? They shouldn’t be introduced at all if she’s not spayed.

[Wick & Fable]

It’s great that she seems to have taken an energetic liking to her new environment already! I also recommend giving her some time to get more settled in, independently though. Rabbits especially are very keen about ensuring they feel fully secure and safe in a new space with potentially hundreds+ of new smells, sounds etc.. There can definitely be initial excitement because of this, but when that settles down, then she may be more observant about your home as her “safe space”.

What you described, in terms of having them meet for a short session is something that’s commonly done with rabbit shelters/rescues called “speed dating” sessions. It is a heavily supervised, brief meeting between to rabbits in a shared space; however, a speed date session does not cause a bond to occur, nor is it counted towards progress of establishing a bond. They are used to see what rabbits “may” work together, so ruling out ones that immediately become aggressive, those who become extremely frightened, etc.. It sounds like your rabbits have some great compatibility, so that gives some confidence that going into the bonding process, it may go smoother than most. Notice though that the quick session is simply evaluative, rather than a part of the actual bonding process.

To answer your questions in a “most likely” fashion, yes, they may get aggressive with each other and no, this is not the final point of a bond’s solidification. It’s promising to see such positive interactions, but to better ensure the happiness and health of both rabbits, it would be best to get back to basics of bonding, which is separation, ensuring both rabbits are spayed/neutered and have ample time to recover independently, then progress into pre-bonding, and so forth. The BONDING section of our forums outline some great and thorough bonding journals, as well as the BUNNY INFO tab, which has a page specifically about bonding.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Asriel and Bombur]

I have to agree with Wick and S&L. They aren’t bonded at all as she does need more time to settle in and get to know her environment. When you start bonding, you should never do it in either of their territories. When you put your boy in a neutral area (where neither bun has been, and this is an important starting step) he may act quite different to how he was when you just put them together. Every session is different too, and you really don’t know how it’s going to play out. Some days my boys love laying together for hours and being best buds… and the next session they’re incessantly bum sniffing and being annoyed with each other. You can’t predict it.

If she’s not spayed, get her spayed. If she is, give her a good month to settle, without having any time together at all. After a month you can spend the next 2-4 weeks prebonding them. After prebonding them you can introduce them for a short (5-15 minute period of time) in neutral territory. Sessions should progress in length and eventually move on to semineutral territory.

[Ellie Vale]

Update: Separated both buns after posting, as I was suspected it wasn’t good leaving them together for longer periods of time. I put them both in there own rooms, both of which will be considered their “territory”.
I will leave Bun 2 to independantly sniff around and come to terms with her surroundings for a few weeks and then will try another bonding session. Hopefully it will go as well as today’s did, but will not leave them unsupervised until I am absolutely sure they are bonded.
And in answer to whether or not she is spayed, she is. Thank you for your thoughts.

[Wick & Fable]

I know that was a lot of information, and probably not what you were hoping for, but again, I also hope that it’s a good sign for future bonding!! And since they don’t have an established bond, the separation shouldn’t be too distressing.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Asriel and Bombur]

Again, make sure you make them a neutral area. Bunnies can fight in an area that they perceive as theirs. So it’s important that neither one feel like they have claim to whatever space you use. You can make an area neutral by using a vinegar and water mixture sprayed over the area. If neither bun has ever been in the bathroom, that’s usually a good place to start sessions.

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