UPDATE w/ pics - Bonding - Do I HAVE to keep them apart?

I have had a male bun for a few months, and recently adopted a female. The adoption lady told me I HAD to keep them in cages and separated at all times for 2 weeks, so they can get used to everything. It has been a week, and it is killing me because i don't like caged buns.

They seem to be getting along really well though the bars, one has even tried to groom the other briefly. Can i break her rule and try to bond now? I'm scared of getting into trouble!! Lol.

p.s. - there was no fighting when they first met at the rescue.

UPDATE!!!! I decided to use my own judgment, and did this:

Built them a neutral, about 4 x 4 run, and put them in together with lots of treats, and a cardboard box if they got scared. They both hung out in there for a few minutes, ran around, ate their greens, all that. After a bit I added both of their litter boxes. He humped her a bit, and chased her a bit too, but not much. After about an hour, I put them back in their cages, and I opened their 2 cages so they can run back and forth and wanted to see what happened. They ran about for a few minutes, scoping it all out, and after about 30 minutes (which is now) they are laying together, grooming each other, and getting along great!!

I can't believe it because I was totally prepared for, and expecting, a tougher bond!!

BUT, I'm making sure to keep in mind that a scuffle may ensue a bit later, but, for now it's going great!!!!

I'm loving it!


Oh, and here are some pics!

Their temp. setup before:



My Claude-aroo (male):



New girl Maude:



And snuggles, kisses, and maybe he WILL be the dominant one!

Bizarre advice :shock: :shock: :shock:

If you are confident in carrying out the bonding then I would go ahead. There is loads of good advice on here re bonding - main thing is to us a 'bunny neutral area'.

Good luck!

I dont see why not,nuetral territory,plenty of grub on floor no toys dustpan and spray bottle incase of fighting and go for it,dont use a big area for bonding,good luck and keep us updated.

Why the woman said that is so they can get used to smells etc,i keep mine between mesh till i know they have got used to each other aswell.

Just wondering if she has said this because of the date of a neuter? It takes anything around 4-6 weeks sometimes for hormones to die down and for bunnies to be less 'agressive' because of them. Or it could be a vaccine issue. Most boarding facilities ask for vaccines to be administered atleast 2 weeks before buns stay to ensure that they have become active.

I think, though, that it's unlikely that this is the case, is sounds like she doesn't know quite what shes talking about (unless of course her advice has been misunderstood).

Some rescues operate by allowing the bunnies to meet through some mesh for a day or so to see if they are showing the right signs. They will then get put together in a neutral area. You can often see straight away with this method if the bunnies hate each other. I would still not advocate a two week wait.

Most people I know (including myself) now just put two bunnies in together but it absolutely must be on neutral territory for there to be a good chance of it working. Most bonds are normally good in about 3-7 days but some can take much longer.

I'd say go for it if you are confident in your abilities to do this bond. Good luck and hope it goes smoothly.

Thanks for the advice!!

Her reasoning was so that they can get used to their new environment (we just moved, so the whole house is neural!) and that they need that 2 weeks to develop good litter box habits.

I am going to try bonding today, wish me luck!!! I am so exited, I have been waiting for this day since we ended up with Claude months ago! Yay!

Thanks again!!!