Yet more bonding questions

I had my doe Holly spayed 3 weeks ago, she is doing really well and scare is healing nicely. I was wondering how long I should wait before I attempt to bond her with my neutered buck Alfie?

I am also a bit confused by the term "nipping".When I first introduced Holly and Alfie 3 months ago Alfie bit her There was no chasing, humping, sniffing etc, he bit her before we could even stop him. I don't realy know how you tell that is is nipping as opposed to biting? :?

He only bit her the once, the other times we intoduced them they ate hay together and Alfie was happy to ignore her whilst he was eating...he is always happy when he is eating But anytime he went near her I was so scared he was going to bite her that I just pulled him away. I was then advised that it was best to get Holly neutered before attempting bonding so I have kept them apart but caged next to each other ever since.

I am also a bit stuck for neutral teritory as we had Alfie first and he had free supervised run of the house. We tried the bath as that was the only neutral territory we had but that is when he bit her.

I don't really know where to begin or whether I am brave enough to bond them, I'm just sure they would be so much happier if they were friends.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated... :?

:wave: we had a neutered male and a spayed female. she died so we got another doe but because he was 9 months we wanted to get a young doe so they would be the same age growing up. she was too young to be spayed when we got her so we bonded them anyway then waited until she was old enough.by then she had become the bun from hell and picked on him alot so we separated them. once she was old enough we got her spayed then we had to re bond them.now its perfect!:shock:
rabbits will challenge each other for the top dog role and unfortunately we have to let them do it! if they mount each other and go round in circles chasing each other also if they nip one another this is normal and you shouldnt get involved.leave them but watch for any true aggression like pulling out the others fur or if one looks scared of the other.then they should be separated.it takes alot of time and normally cant be done overnight.it may take a couple of months even.
try taking them in the car for a ride together but have someone in the back with another carrier just in case it gets too much for them.they should just sit together nicely.if you are too concerned im sure a rescue would bond them for you.

Nipping is where a rabbit litterally does the odd bite, usually to their fur and a small amount of fur is plucked out, this is perfectly normal. When rabbits mount each other they will also hang on using the fur at the nape of the neck and often this is pulled out. This is all normal and must be tolerated. Biting is where the other rabbit is locked into their mouth and they will not let go. Keeping pulling one off the other if nipping, humping occurs will confuse and delay the bond and be more stressful for the rabbits concerned.

When I bond rabbits I do not usually touch them, if they are circling or latched on to each they should be pulled apart from each other, I use my broom and pull one away, count to 10 and then release. I will not separate them unless one is injured.

You can create neutral territory by doing lots of cleaning, even putting thick cardboard down on the floor ....

Thanks to you both for the advice
We decided this evening to give it a go and put them both in the spare room, which Alfie had only been in a couple of times. We put a sheet down and supprisingly he didn't recongise the room and was more interested in investigating than Holly. After about 30mins, totally unexpected he flopped himself down and laid out and Holly did the same and cuddled up to him. It sounds it was the most rewarding thing to see and I was struggling to hold back the tears!
Anway they laid there was a while and then had a walk round and they did it again, only this time when Alfie got up he went towards the back end and we just knew he was going to nip her, so we pulled him away and then he nipped her on the face. Holly wasn't bothered at all she just followed him around and kept trying to snuggling up to him...she is desperate to be his friend
After an hour and half that was the only incident, so I guess that was quite good as we never expected Alfie to lay with her r show any sign of accepting her.
I was thinking that I will keep doing this everyday until they are used to each other and there is no agreession from Alfie -do you think this sounds like a good idea?
My concern is, what happens when they are bonded and have to go back to their usual play room and cages. Will Alie remember they are friends or will he go for her because he will see that she is on his territory?

AnneW said:

I was thinking that I will keep doing this everyday until they are used to each other and there is no agreession from Alfie -do you think this sounds like a good idea?
My concern is, what happens when they are bonded and have to go back to their usual play room and cages. Will Alie remember they are friends or will he go for her because he will see that she is on his territory?

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Personally if one goes to nip the other, I would leave them ... they really need to sort out for themselves who is going to be the boss. By stopping them doing this will lead to them not being allowed to sort out their differences and will confuse them. I know it sounds cruel but this is what rabbits do when they are bonding ...

If I was you I would put them together when you have 48 hours to observe them from a distance, I would not go for doing this a little at a time as this can be more stressful for them and can confuse them.

What sort of flooring does their play room have? If it is laminate or lino you can wipe it down with some dilute vinegar. If there are rugs they can be washed or hung outside for a few days to remove their smells. If the floor is carpet vacumn it and allow it to air whilst the buns are being bonded, then cover it for a few days with either sheeting, towels or cardboard so they get used to it, after a few days this can be removed. Any litter trays, toys, bottles and bowls can be cleaned with a strong smelling cleaner or rinsed in vinegar, any blackets, cushions or bedding can be washed in the machine. Move the contents of the room about to confuse your rabbits that this is a new room.

The flooring is part lino and part carpet and cleaning it all would not be a problem but I am just worried that Alfie will recognise it is his room. Do you think I should continue to try bonding them in the spare room and when they are getting on better move them back to their play room?

When you say observe them for 48hours, what about if I have to leave them for 5mins - I would be petrified that Alfie would attack her as soon as I am gone! what happens after the 48hours, how will I know when they are completely bonded?

Alfie and Holly have now spent their first 24hours togeher and so far Alie has shown no sign of agression towards Holly However he is not really loving her either It is clear that she is desperate to be his friend and keeps putting her face near his asking him to lick her , but he just ignores her.
Holly will go and lay next to him but he always sits a small way form her. He is happy to eat hay with her and is flopping out and cleaning himself next to her, so I guess he is quite relaxed.
Does this sound promising? How long do you think it will be before he starts to groom her? Should we try the banana trick?