How does one go about bonding rabbits?

I have a little male bun Bentley, and i was pondering getting him a wifey. I have a hutch she can stay in while they bond, away from him, but how is it done, and will anything special be needed? I have a bunny proofed room, so is that okay or is a pen needed? Even if the female is spayed will my not yet neutered male still hump her? When can I be sure they are bonded and won't fight? And any other helpful tips, so see if I can handle bonding them. :wave:

Your boy bun must absolutely be neutered first. Even if the girl bun is speyed so she cant become pregnant he will hump her no end and it could end up in a nasty fight as she will get very fed up with it.
So neutering him is your first step. Boy bunnies can also remain fertile for up to 6 weeks post neuter i think so best not bond for 6 weeks following the neuter.
Re. the bonding. I'm not sure if you would like to get a rescue doe for your little man? If so then there are some rescues I think that will have Bentley once he's been neutered, come stay for a few blind dates and Bentley can chose his own wifey bun
That way is probably your easiest option and the rescue could talk you through what to do when Bentley and his new wife come home. (wifey bun if from a resuce will probably already speyed etc which is another advantage)

Or once Bentley is neutered ( I really wouldnt get one beforehand as you'd just have to keep them completely seperate until Bentley has had his deplumming!) you could get a doe but problem is if not from a rescue you've no way of knowing in advance if they will get on so you could be left with two single bunnies who dislike each other so you'd have to be prepared for what you would do then.

But if you were to do it yourself the bunnies would need to be introduced in a totally neutral space where neither of them have been before and they would need to remain in that area for perhaps a few days until they seem relatively happy together. During this time chasing, humping and fur pulling is normal. Face to face locked on fighting and drawing blood isnt and bonding may have to be abandoned. If you do a search under bonding on the forum I'm sure you'll find a whole host of stories!

When they move into their permanent accomodation this will have to be neutral too so if its where Bentley lived previously it will have all had to have been cleaned and scrubbed (white vinegar helps get rid of scent) so it seems neutral perhaps with all new toys etc because otherwise if it is not it could casue territorial fighting.

Bonding can be quite a nerve wracking experience and if you can enlist the help of a rescue or a person experienced with bonding I would always recommend that.

Sorry I am rambling a bit. Does any of that help?

ETA sorry just seen you're in Canada! Are there any bunny rescues near you? I was rabbiting on before presuming you were somewhere in the UK.

Well, people on here always tell me I should adopt from a rescue, but we actually have not too many bunnies in my town :lol: In our town's rescue, there are 4 rabbits and they are all males and therefore not suitable. We are planning on getting Bentley neutered too, so I'll make sure that is done, and I use vinegar on hsi cage all the time so I can make it neutral. She will probably be staying in his summer hutch, which I'll just bring inside. Since there is a shortage or bunnies around here, I'll look in the classifieds and if not, look at a petstore, since I'm not looking for breeding so it doesn't really matter. Will a bathroom work as a neutral spot? That's about the only place Bentley hasn't gone into. :lol:

AriaSwan said:

Well, people on here always tell me I should adopt from a rescue, but we actually have not too many bunnies in my town :lol: In our town's rescue, there are 4 rabbits and they are all males and therefore not suitable. We are planning on getting Bentley neutered too, so I'll make sure that is done, and I use vinegar on hsi cage all the time so I can make it neutral. She will probably be staying in his summer hutch, which I'll just bring inside. Since there is a shortage or bunnies around here, I'll look in the classifieds and if not, look at a petstore, since I'm not looking for breeding so it doesn't really matter. Will a bathroom work as a neutral spot? That's about the only place Bentley hasn't gone into. :lol:

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yes i think alot of people use bathrooms! :lol:
I think it is your best bet to get a doe then, as male and female parings usually work the best. Would you get the doe speyed too?
As well as scrubbing his cage can you rearrange it and or get new toys that he wont recognise etc? praps a new litter trya too if he using one?
Probably best get Bentley neutered and then praps post again once your at the stage of getting a doe and people can advise as you go?

Fairy13 said:

yes i think alot of people use bathrooms! :lol:
I think it is your best bet to get a doe then, as male and female parings usually work the best. Would you get the doe speyed too?
As well as scrubbing his cage can you rearrange it and or get new toys that he wont recognise etc? praps a new litter trya too if he using one?
Probably best get Bentley neutered and then praps post again once your at the stage of getting a doe and people can advise as you go?

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I'd probably buy a already neutered doe.
I'll post later, and I can rearrange the cage, I would get a bigg log cabin or shape it larger, with a new litter box and toys.

Hello

If you pm me your e-mail address I will send you a 5 page leaflet I have written giving guidance about bonding.

Helen

Ah bunny politics. As said, lots of really useful advice on this forum from lots of people. It is nerve-wracking and can be stressful for owners as well as rabbits. But persevere and things usually work out as long as you follow the rules.

AriaSwan said:

Well, people on here always tell me I should adopt from a rescue, but we actually have not too many bunnies in my town :lol: In our town's rescue, there are 4 rabbits and they are all males and therefore not suitable. We are planning on getting Bentley neutered too, so I'll make sure that is done, and I use vinegar on hsi cage all the time so I can make it neutral. She will probably be staying in his summer hutch, which I'll just bring inside. Since there is a shortage or bunnies around here, I'll look in the classifieds and if not, look at a petstore, since I'm not looking for breeding so it doesn't really matter. Will a bathroom work as a neutral spot? That's about the only place Bentley hasn't gone into. :lol:

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I apologise for my lack of knowledge of Canadian geography, but Vancouver is in B.C.

The following link might be useful if you are not already aware of it.

http://www.vrra.org/wp-beta1/?cat=5

They appear to have several female rabbits. They might (posssibly) arrange bunny runs for people. I don't know, of course, and B.C. (on its own) has 4 times the land area of the entire UK. You might be located nowehere near Vancouver and bunny runs of hundreds of km might be out of the question.

The decision is, of course, entirely yours. Whatever you decide I hope it goes well.