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advice needed re bonding

happypreso

Alpha Buck
Hi, I have a pair of rabbits, male & female and I also have another 'pair' that at the moment are seperate as again they are male & female and not yet been sorted out.

The set up, currently, is the pair - Bug & Star - have a hutch and free run of the garden, and the other two - holly & Angel - have a hutch and run but when Bugs & Star are in hutch I let Holly & Angel out free range in the garden too (seperate times).

Now recently events have been as follows - Star has been recovering from her Spay, so have been in the hutch. Bugs has been having the run of the garden. I needed to do some work on Angels run so did let Angel out whilst Bugs was out (they had spent a day together recently after a neighbours mistake) and they seems okay together until Angel when into the shed (a different one) and Bugs chased Angel out.

Holly 'escaped' into the garden this morning and Bugs & Star were already out. Star was fine with her but Bugs went mad and chased her all over the garden! I quickly caught Holly and put her back in the hutch/run.

I am planning on bonding all 4 together in a few months after Holly & Angel have been sorted out (Bugs & Star have already been done).

So after these events, here are my questions:
1) When (hopefully) they all live together, they have a new shed to live in. None of the rabbits have been inside the shed - is that the right thing to do?

2) bugs & star see the garden as theirs - although they see, smell and 'live' with the other two rabbits living in the garden (does that make sense?). Should I try to stop Bugs & Star having the run of the garden at the mo so it 'loses' thier smell? or continue to let the others out so they get thier smell into the garden? or does this not matter, once they are bonded?

3) I was going to try and bond them myself but after seeing Bugs & Angel together I am worried about doing it myself!! Do people think it is better to send the rabbits away? or shall I do it in my kitchen? and if so, how long does it take? (my kitchen isn't that big so I couldn't live with 4 rabbits in there for a week!). Also, is there anywhere local to me (Biggleswade, Beds) and how much roughly would it cost?

4) Is there anything I should be doing now to prepare them? Like I say, they can all see and smell each other at the mo. The two younger ones can be 'sorted out' in about a months time and then I was going to attempt bonding about a month after that ...

the countdown is on and I am panicing already!!
 
anyone please? I have thought of another question as well ...

when Holly & Angel are neutered (I am assuming they can go back together as soon as Holly has recovered as they will be 'done' at the same time) ... is it better to pair the two pairs or leave them as a pair and two singles and then bond?
 
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