Hi Im new - Bunny Bonding help

Hi I have a female rabbit who is 6 months old, she is being spayed tomorrow and have just bought a male rabbit who is 8 weeks old who we will get neutered. they are obviously kept seperate but can see each other through the cage. The female rabbit who runs freely through the house has started chinning and marking her territory in the house obviously because of the new rabbit (she didnt do it before). I just wondered is this detrimental to let the bunnies see each other before the male is neutered and we can try and bond them in 3-4 months time - are they best to be kept in seperate areas so they have their own territories?? Im worried that when we try and bond them they will feel threatened by each other.
Thanks

I personally think you are doing everything right. Before I bonded my two pairs I made sure they could see each other and smell each other for at least a couple of months before attempting to bond. The bonding area when eventually you do get round to it needs to be completely neutral however.

I also let my pair play in their run and around the garden and then let the other pair lose afterwards to run around so both of the pairs scents were in the area. I also thinks this helps x

How long did it take you to bond them and where did you do it - i hate the thought of them fighting and getting hurt but also want them to be a pair and have company!

Emm-Jane76 said:

I personally think you are doing everything right. Before I bonded my two pairs I made sure they could see each other and smell each other for at least a couple of months before attempting to bond. The bonding area when eventually you do get round to it needs to be completely neutral however.

I also let my pair play in their run and around the garden and then let the other pair lose afterwards to run around so both of the pairs scents were in the area. I also thinks this helps x

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It took about a couple of weeks before they were fully bonded and I do think it helped that they could see and smell each other for quite a while before that. I did it in our garage as that was neutral to all of them. There was a bit of fur pulling and LOTS of humping but never any proper biting. I sat back with my water sprayer and a brush so if they did look like they were going to fight i could seperate them safely. A water sprayer was suggested on here as if you spray them they tend to groom themselves so it is a distraction for them. Put plenty of treats in there aswell as a distraction.

It is definitely worth trying as the reward of seeing them as a pair are precious.

When you're ready to bond them just come on here and there will be loads of people with lots of advice about bonding.