bunnies just will NOT get along ! :(

hey everyone,

im trying to bond my two rabbits skipper and bambi, one male, one female, both are neutered and spayed, bambi was the last to be spayed in september however she is much older than skipper who was neutered back in april.

i have purchased a giant 48" dog crate that i plan on building levels in, for now i just wanted to use it as a bonding space for the two of them... i have used it twice so far (i have to bond in a "date" fashion because i am never home 48 hours in a row or have any one home really for that long to supervise) and each time they meet, skipper goes crazy! chasing her around, which is normal i understand, however bambi really does not like this and he tends to get really rough,
on the second date i had to separate when i noticed he was literally dragging her to the ground by her side. I dont see the nature of his aggression... he is very cage protective however the space is completely neutral... and there is nothing in there but a blanket that neither of them have seen before, i dont know what to do! their cages are beside eachother normally i just dont have the time anymore to do separate run times for each of them... i just want them to be bonded and have them free run!!

...but nooo..... they have to be complicated... :roll::lol:

** i should also mention that while their cages are beside eachother he still manages to bully her and antagonize her by chasing around and scratching at her cage (which is out of his reach but he still tries, little monkey)

I'm really sorry I can't help as I have no experience (my 2 were bonded by the rescue before i got them) but I do know that my Sparkle was a problem and had fights with several perfectly acceptable husbuns before she met her perfect match.
She is very dominant where as he is very laid back although she does submit to him if he approaches her in 'that' way.
Not sure how to tackle this one, from what I've read on here people tend to set a weekend aside to do it all in one go, or maybe could you send them away to be bonded?
Hope you find something useful from others here.

Here in the Netherlands we advice the rabbits to be separated completely for 2 weeks. So no contact at all, and the cages have to be separate so they can't smell each other or see each other.
Then after 2 weeks you introduce them together as like they have never met before. If your affraid of aggresion, maybe food in the pen where you bound them could help.

I would try what trice said and totally separate them for a couple of weeks. I'd also then take a couple of days holiday from work and try bonding them in one long burst since the slow dating method doesn't seem to be working for you, or possibly send them to a rescue for bonding.

are you neutralising the space after each meet?

edit: I'd also try finding an open topped pen to bond in if it's possible (try turning the crate upside down maybe?) as that would give me a lot more confidence in separating them quickly and easily if a fight breaks out.

It took a long time for Poppet to accept Cookie, and I was very worried I'd made a mistake in getting two young bunnies. We had nightly 'therapy-sessions' in the kitchen (neutral territory), with the door closed. We had a litter tray, grooming brush, yummy treats (parsley worked well for bunnies, and a glass of wine for mummy). We started off doing just ten minutes with lots of stroking and praise, then slowly increased the time until we could do an hour without signs of aggression. If there was any fighting, they'd be separated until the next evening. We always tried to leave on a good note, and eventually they both started to look forward to our snuggly-sessions on the kitchen floor. They now eat, play and snuggle together.

Keep at it!

hey everyone thanks for the quick replies!
unfortunately i live in canada, and rescues do not offer a bonding service here.
i have tried bonding in a open pen before, and bambi actually managed to jump up and over the pen (which is made for rabbits and is apprx. 3 feet high... ) my mom had to catch her!!!! thats why i opted for the cage..

as for work, im not allowed to book off a holiday right now as its Christmas season and here we have "blackout" dates that we arent allowed to book off, i would have to wait until the new year...

what will separating them do in terms of skippers negative behaviour? will it calm him down?