• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

Bonding a trio, not a great start, advise please

Tasmin's MOB

Mama Doe
Hello :wave:

I have very recently (6 weeks ago) bonded two bunnies, Bernard & Tilly, they have been very happy together and we haven't had any problems, however we have now got a third bunny, Oriana, and want to bond a trio.

This was our plan from the beginning so we have done research and had lots of advise from the vet.

I have been swapping toys and poops over for a couple of days.

Bernard doesn't seem too bothered about Oriana's scent, he has a long sniff of everything but then just gets on with nomming hay, Tilly however has freaked out.

I brought some toys in this morning and she was sniffing them, I went to pick up one of their toys to exchange it and she turned on me. She seemed to swing herself round but stop as soon as she realised who it was.
Then she went aftter bernard but he was having none of it and started attacking and chasing her.

I grabbed Tilly and Simon (OH) locked bernard in his cage. I held Tilly for a while in my arms, talking to her to try to calm her down and it seemed to work.

We then put them together again and bernard was fine but tilly was very jumpy and made him nervous. She kept charging towards him when he moved away, but then stop and not actually touch him and he would then turn around and attack her.

They are back in the cage now we gave them loads of hay and a treat to calm them down and they were fine again and back to there usual selves. We have hoovered outside of the cage and removed all toys.

Now I don't know what to do as I;ve been advised by my vet to start like this and then put Oriana in a travel case in the centre of the room so that they can sniff her in 'their' territory BUT I am NOT doing this now :shock:

I think I might have to just put them all together on neutral grounds and hope for the best.

can anyone help please?

Thank you
 
Last edited:
Just been chatting to OH, he thinks we shoulld try bonding the females first and then adding bernard but that would mean putting pressure on bernard and Tilly's bond and if it didn't work we might end up with three singles :shock:

I'm getting a bit freaked now as i didn't expect this to happen, i knew it would be very difficult but i thought the first couple of stages would go smoothly :roll:
 
Hi Tamsin :wave:

I think perhaps the fact your existing pair isn't long bonded won't be helping matters unfrotunately.

Getting the 3 of them in totally neutral territory is going to be the first thing required i'd say in my limited experience.

For bonding, no toys that have been used before, no litter trays to start with, just the floor, some hay and be ready to jump in and break up any fights (not fur pulling/humping - unless its backwards humping :shock:).

To ensure its neutral, white vinegar/water :) If its carpet, thats more difficult, im not sure what to suggest about that :?

Does any of that help?

I'm blabbing as i want ot help so badly :(
 
I am really not sure what advice I can give as I have no experience with trios! But all I can really suggest is just to persevere and just keep seperating when they begin to lunge or fight.

I'm guessing they're all neutered?
 
Just been chatting to OH, he thinks we shoulld try bonding the females first and then adding bernard but that would mean putting pressure on bernard and Tilly's bond and if it didn't work we might end up with three singles :shock:

I'm getting a bit freaked now as i didn't expect this to happen, i knew it would be very difficult but i thought the first couple of stages would go smoothly :roll:

I would not recommend spliting your male / female and bonding the 2 females first before putting the male back in.

You need to start at the beginning and do exactly what you would normally do when bonding any rabbits. It is exactly the same for bonding a pair, trio foursome or more rabbits.

Personally I do not believe in swapping cages or contents of cages or putting rabbits side by side as this can result in problems related to referred aggression, it also gives no idea about the behaviour you will expect when placed side by side. My own suggestion is to do your home work and ensure that everything is prepared and then get on with the bonding. Preparation ensure that there will be a higher chance of success and a lower injury rate.

There is a thread I put some information on a while ago which may help you http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?t=262676 as this is a threesome you will need to give more time to this bonding than with a pair and take it slower when increasing their space.

If you have any other queries please ask.
 
Hi Tamsin :wave:

I think perhaps the fact your existing pair isn't long bonded won't be helping matters unfrotunately.

Getting the 3 of them in totally neutral territory is going to be the first thing required i'd say in my limited experience.

For bonding, no toys that have been used before, no litter trays to start with, just the floor, some hay and be ready to jump in and break up any fights (not fur pulling/humping - unless its backwards humping :shock:).

To ensure its neutral, white vinegar/water :) If its carpet, thats more difficult, im not sure what to suggest about that :?

Does any of that help?

I'm blabbing as i want ot help so badly :(

Thanks Graham :wave:

Yes it does help, thank you!

I think your right, it does need to be in a neutral area. i think Tilly is probably freaking out because it's strange smells in her territory and she's unsure what to do. She is also the youngest of the three and Bernard seems pretty laid back about it until she starts charging at him. Oriana had been getting there scent too and seems to be fine with it just has a good sniff and then gets on with whatever she is doing. So maybe it could be to do with this?

I think we will plan to get them together as soon as we can and make sure that we have plenty of time to stay with them. I had a good little set up before in our kitchen when we bonded bernard and Tilly but i'll use a different area this time so that it's neutral for them all.
 
I am really not sure what advice I can give as I have no experience with trios! But all I can really suggest is just to persevere and just keep seperating when they begin to lunge or fight.

I'm guessing they're all neutered?

Yep all neutered :wave:
 
I would not recommend spliting your male / female and bonding the 2 females first before putting the male back in.

You need to start at the beginning and do exactly what you would normally do when bonding any rabbits. It is exactly the same for bonding a pair, trio foursome or more rabbits.

Personally I do not believe in swapping cages or contents of cages or putting rabbits side by side as this can result in problems related to referred aggression, it also gives no idea about the behaviour you will expect when placed side by side. My own suggestion is to do your home work and ensure that everything is prepared and then get on with the bonding. Preparation ensure that there will be a higher chance of success and a lower injury rate.

Completely agree with this especially the part about referred aggression. Before I bonded my 5 they would tear each other apart if they even saw the other group.

Make sure any area you use is completely neutral, use a water/vinegar spray if you need to. Have some gardening gloves and a broom ready to separate. Also make sure the space isn't too big - when I bonded my 5 they couldn't really move at all for the first 12 hours, they were nose to nose, then I expanded the space.

If they have fought in the past I found putting them in a carrier on the washing machine or in a car journey helps so much. Then you can hold the main fighters nose to nose if necessary while in the bonding pen.

And remember fur pulling, nipping, chasing, humping etc are all ok as long as they don't escalate. Only separate in a full on fight and keep them together in neutral space for at least 48 hours. So make sure you have something to do :lol: I brought a bed downstairs and moved the TV so I could watch X Factor while holding Harvey and Zero nose to nose.
 
I would not recommend spliting your male / female and bonding the 2 females first before putting the male back in.

You need to start at the beginning and do exactly what you would normally do when bonding any rabbits. It is exactly the same for bonding a pair, trio foursome or more rabbits.

Personally I do not believe in swapping cages or contents of cages or putting rabbits side by side as this can result in problems related to referred aggression, it also gives no idea about the behaviour you will expect when placed side by side. My own suggestion is to do your home work and ensure that everything is prepared and then get on with the bonding. Preparation ensure that there will be a higher chance of success and a lower injury rate.

There is a thread I put some information on a while ago which may help you http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?t=262676 as this is a threesome you will need to give more time to this bonding than with a pair and take it slower when increasing their space.

If you have any other queries please ask.

Fantastic advice from Janice (aka the bonding queen :D:D). :thumb:

Definitely do not put Oriana into the pair's territory; this could end very badly. My vet actually gave some really good bonding advice when I needed, but generally I don't think many have the practical experience of it and so sometimes their advice is best taken with a pinch of salt.

Janice is an experienced bonder for a rescue, so it's definitely advice worth having a good read of. :)
 
I would not recommend spliting your male / female and bonding the 2 females first before putting the male back in.

You need to start at the beginning and do exactly what you would normally do when bonding any rabbits. It is exactly the same for bonding a pair, trio foursome or more rabbits.

Personally I do not believe in swapping cages or contents of cages or putting rabbits side by side as this can result in problems related to referred aggression, it also gives no idea about the behaviour you will expect when placed side by side. My own suggestion is to do your home work and ensure that everything is prepared and then get on with the bonding. Preparation ensure that there will be a higher chance of success and a lower injury rate.

There is a thread I put some information on a while ago which may help you http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?t=262676 as this is a threesome you will need to give more time to this bonding than with a pair and take it slower when increasing their space.

If you have any other queries please ask.

thank you, I have done my research and have followed it step by step but it just hasn't worked.

When I bonded bernard anf Tilly i did it in a similar way and they were living together within 4 days. I knew it was going to take a lot more with a trio as it's a very difficult bond but i didn't expect poor tilly to react like this so early on. my 'bunny savvy' vet was very good and gave me lots of advise but it obviously hasn't been the right way to do it for my three, i will go back to her again and see what she suggests now.

I will have a look through the thread, thank you for your help :wave:
 
Fantastic advice from Janice (aka the bonding queen :D:D). :thumb:

Definitely do not put Oriana into the pair's territory; this could end very badly. My vet actually gave some really good bonding advice when I needed, but generally I don't think many have the practical experience of it and so sometimes their advice is best taken with a pinch of salt.

Janice is an experienced bonder for a rescue, so it's definitely advice worth having a good read of. :)

Thank you :D I will do xx
 
Completely agree with this especially the part about referred aggression. Before I bonded my 5 they would tear each other apart if they even saw the other group.

Make sure any area you use is completely neutral, use a water/vinegar spray if you need to. Have some gardening gloves and a broom ready to separate. Also make sure the space isn't too big - when I bonded my 5 they couldn't really move at all for the first 12 hours, they were nose to nose, then I expanded the space.

If they have fought in the past I found putting them in a carrier on the washing machine or in a car journey helps so much. Then you can hold the main fighters nose to nose if necessary while in the bonding pen.

And remember fur pulling, nipping, chasing, humping etc are all ok as long as they don't escalate. Only separate in a full on fight and keep them together in neutral space for at least 48 hours. So make sure you have something to do :lol: I brought a bed downstairs and moved the TV so I could watch X Factor while holding Harvey and Zero nose to nose.

This is great advise, thank you! I didn't realise that holding tham nose to nose would help but I can see how it does!

We will stay with them for as long as it takes, we had planned on doing this last time but found that the dating method worked better, however i don't think this is a good idea for a trio as it would be confusing for them.
 
Janice- Just had a read through that thread, it's fantastic, thank you very much!

i will keep everyone updated once i have chatted to OH and decided when we can do it.

Thank you for all of your advise :wave:
 
This is great advise, thank you! I didn't realise that holding tham nose to nose would help but I can see how it does!

We will stay with them for as long as it takes, we had planned on doing this last time but found that the dating method worked better, however i don't think this is a good idea for a trio as it would be confusing for them.

I've tried the dating method and it's never worked for me :wave: it must work for some people as people keep citing it but I think especially when bonding a pair with a single you will just be risking breaking your pair's bond by using the dating method.

Yeah the nose to nose really works. Harvey and Zero hated each other but now they're all loved up :love:
 
I've tried the dating method and it's never worked for me :wave: it must work for some people as people keep citing it but I think especially when bonding a pair with a single you will just be risking breaking your pair's bond by using the dating method.

Yeah the nose to nose really works. Harvey and Zero hated each other but now they're all loved up :love:

I feel so much more confident now, was panicking this morning but now I have a bit more to think about and a few more ideas of how to get things moving. thank you :wave:

p.s you are very brave bonding five :shock::shock:
 
I feel so much more confident now, was panicking this morning but now I have a bit more to think about and a few more ideas of how to get things moving. thank you :wave:

p.s you are very brave bonding five :shock::shock:

It was very scary gearing up to it :shock: but I thought the girls would fight and they just accepted each other straight away, it was only the boys who were naughty

I used to think they were fighting when they were just having a scuffle and I think lots of people make this mistake, but believe me you'll know when they have a fight - when I first tried to bond Harvey and Zero as a pair almost a year ago, they were rolling around on the floor and tearing at each other :shock: there was no 'oh is that a fight' about it!
 
It was very scary gearing up to it :shock: but I thought the girls would fight and they just accepted each other straight away, it was only the boys who were naughty

I used to think they were fighting when they were just having a scuffle and I think lots of people make this mistake, but believe me you'll know when they have a fight - when I first tried to bond Harvey and Zero as a pair almost a year ago, they were rolling around on the floor and tearing at each other :shock: there was no 'oh is that a fight' about it!

:shock::shock::shock: eeeek!
 
Back
Top