I can't have them living in the bath forever!

I have had my boy bunny now for just over 2 weeks and have been trying to bond him to my girl bunny that I have had for over a year now. I am currently sat in the bathroom with them in the bath! I certainly don't think its love at first site, they seem to be spending most of their time either ignoring each other or facing off to one another, though there is the occasional grooming. The other day I got impatient and tried to put them back in the spare room together where the girl bunny has been living for the last year....it didn't go to well, she went straight for him.

I understand they are territorial, but they wont be able to live in the bath for ever and I don't have another place for them in the house. Does anyone have any ideas on how to neutralise the room again so it feels new to both without spending loads of money on a new carpet etc.??

Also has anyone got any nifty tricks to get them to bond quicker? (I know you cant rush these things but I was hoping it would go a little quicker than this!).

Thanks

I'm just coming to the end of bonding my bunnies together and I did the same thing-put them back in their hutch too soon.
My buns have been in my bathroom nearly a week and it def took that long to make them fall in love. It was only last night that Alfie stopped trying to hump Lucy.
I have heard the white vinegar is good for neutralising smells but you wouldn't want to put this on a carpet. Maybe you could clean the carpet (with a carpet cleaner)??
More importantly I think that they just need some more time- you need to set up an area that they can be in for a longer period of time, put water bottles and food in there. I choose my bathroom, i got some B and Q cubes and cornered it off.
Good luck

Oh and if your buns like banana you can mash one up and put a small amount on the buns nose. That might encourage them to lick it off and the other bun will think it's being groomed.
Also short car journeys can sometimes help, but best to do it with someone else driving.

Hello! Apologies but I'm going to start off with a big string of questions - once we know the answers to those, we'll be in a better position to work out how best to help you If they've been doing some grooming it sounds as if everything is going pretty well

So, here goes...How long have the buns been together? Are you trying to do it all in one go or have you been introducing them for short periods of time?

Does your bun in the bedroom have a fixed base, such as a dog crate or indoor cage? Is your girl bunny spayed?

thanks for the advice, yeah maybe I will try to set up something more permanent in the bathroom for the time being as I have been having to take them back to the bedroom with one in a cage and the other free roaming, letting them take turns.

If you do the banana on the nose thing can that affect the sorting out of the hierarchy?

They have been together for around 2 weeks.

Im not trying to do it in one go, I have been putting them together for short periods. At first it didnt go well at all, so I changed tact and started putting them in the bath which helped. Currently as I write this, he is sitting down and she is grooming herself a little way away from him.

I think the bonding is going okish, it seems rather one sided with him licking her, but clearly not happy about it as he often stamps his little feet! and there was the backwards mounting which happened the other day which I put a stop to!

They live in the spare room, there is an indoor cage in there. So I always have one in the cage and the other free roaming and switch them often.

oops I forgot they are both spayed and neutered. (I certainly didn't want any babies!)

I heard somewhere you can use bicarbonated of soda to neutralise the smell

Vinegar to neutralise
I dabbed it on the carpet and walls (not nice but worth it once the bunnies live together plus the smell goes away after a while so your room doesnt smell like a chippy)
:wave:

I'm sure the biggest part of the problem is that they are being separated and put back together again. This means that they never fully get a chance to sort out their hierachy and to settle down, they almost go back to 'square one' every time they meet. You'd be far better off finding a period of time when you are going to be around for 48 hours and just putting them together and leaving them to it (unless there are any major fights of course). Keep putting them together and separating them is also much more stressful to them both and as time goes on you risk actually increasing the risk of fights because of this.

If I were you, I'd prepare the indoor cage that you are currently using as a base in the room - give it a thorough clean out to remove the smell, rinse it round with vinegar, again to remove the smell and make sure that neither bun thinks that it is 'their' territory. Then cover the floor with newspaper and whatever bedding you use (hay, vetbed etc) and use that as a bonding base to leave them in together for a few days.

If possible I would find a space to put the cage where you will be around to keep an eye on them for a couple of days - maybe in your lounge? For the first night I would sleep on the couch next to them, or move the cage into your bedroom, just in case there are any scuffles during the night that you need to wake up and sort out.

In a couple of days you should have a well bonded pair of bunnies. In the meantime you can thoroughly clean out the room, give it a thorough vaccuum, move things around, put some new cardboard boxes around etc, basically anything to confuse your doe that the territory is not the same one that she left before. Move them back in here and I still wouldn't let them out for another couple of days. It sounds unkind but it's only for a short period of time and the long term benefits are substantial.

Good luck!

thanks for all your help guys. Will give that a go....I'm not sure whether bonding is more stressful for the bunnies or me!

Have moved the cage and doused it in vinegar and she really doesnt seem to realise it is her cage! I dont think either of them have smelt vinegar before. Will see how it goes and keep you all posted. My only worry is she seems to fill the whole littter tray and there is no room for him....but hey im sure the will work it out!