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Bonding a trio - How to do it successfully?

Lillian

Warren Veteran
How would you bond a trio? Throw all 3 in and pray for the best, use an area divided (so they can see/hear/smell each other) or another way?

(Btw it's a pair and a single). I'm utterly terrified of doing this but I can't find anyone local to help :(
 
For a pair and a trio I tend to take them on a car journey together and then just put them in a small neutral area together and supervise and basically follow all the usual rules. You need to make sure you have lots of time available though for the hierarchy shifts, although my last trio was a faster bonding than my pairs normall are.
 
For a pair and a trio I tend to take them on a car journey together and then just put them in a small neutral area together and supervise and basically follow all the usual rules. You need to make sure you have lots of time available though for the hierarchy shifts, although my last trio was a faster bonding than my pairs normall are.

I don't have a car :(

Is it better to have a smaller space or is too small as bad as too big?
 
Then don't do the car journey. It's not vital, it's just something I have developed that I find is useful and works for the buns that I bond.

Too small can be as hazardous as too big, but likely when watching the bunnies you will work out what size they need (i.e. if they need to get away from each other, or if they need to be forced to interact, or if they are comfortable in a given size).

I have used something like 2.5ft by 4ft as my starter point.
 
when I introduced my 3... I had a few piles of food and if they started to chatty alot I clicked my fingers which seemed to stop them and get them to think of something else! good luck...it took just over 3hrs!

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when I introduced my 3... I had a few piles of food and if they started to chatty alot I clicked my fingers which seemed to stop them and get them to think of something else! good luck...it took just over 3hrs!

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I think piggies can be easier than rabbits!
 
Basically what Sky-o said, I originally tried with Bracken in a seperate pen next to Honey & Blue but Honey went mental attacking her through the bars and had an injured Blue.

I used the same rules for bonding as I did with my 2, just found they took abit longer to settle as needed redo pecking order and being 3 they took a while to figure out who was the boss and who wasn't.

Goooodluck.
 
Are they not coming here now?

I don't think it's a good idea for you to do two seperate bondings at the same time because when I get them home I can't watch over both :? That's a really big fear for me. I'll have to have one lot indoors and one lot outside.

I'm going to need your help because I definitely can't do the group of five, I probably can't even do the trio :?
 
I often have 2 or 3 bondings going on at the same time. I leave it an hour or so between each bonding is started off, if a pair seems quite iffy I leave it longer before the next ones start.

The most I have been working on in one go was 3 groups of quads ;)
 
I often have 2 or 3 bondings going on at the same time. I leave it an hour or so between each bonding is started off, if a pair seems quite iffy I leave it longer before the next ones start.

The most I have been working on in one go was 3 groups of quads ;)

Wow .. :D

What would you do if 2 bonds started fighting at the same time?
 
When I introduced Otis to Jess and Chlo I put them in the bath! (with no water!!)

I also let them together on the landing - another place where none of them had been before. ;)
 
Wow .. :D

What would you do if 2 bonds started fighting at the same time?

I always have other people about on the first days I start off if I am doing multiple bonds. Every pen has one or more brooms which are easily grabable.

With experience you play stricktly by the rules, you never leave them unattended for even one second, you try and read the signs in advance and distract before anything kicks off.
 
I often have 3 bonds on the go :)

I wouldn't let them go home if I wasn't confident they were fine.

I currently have a pair and a quad on the go ;)
 
if you cannot find a truly neutral space..or you want them in the lounge where you are...trawl around for a babys playpen/travelcot. i used to have one for my eldest grandaughter...the few times i git a visit.....and then i used it for bonding buns in...one trick...NO LITTER TRAYS....EVER..it becomes their point of defence. the pen was full of old towels and newspapers and even puppy pads....

the most i ever bonded in it was a foursome.....one pair and 2 singles..two of the buns were frenchies and two small to medium little buns....the little buns ran to each other and bertie for comfort....willow was the demon bunny!!:oops::lol: they did eventually bond as a foursome...but bif was a dental bun and a very easilyu scared by noises bunny...new years eve fireworks always resulted in her blind panic no matter how we tried to block out the noise....she always unbonded. then she got very sick..infestation of mites.....she ended up alone to recover for 2 months..then she bonded with bandit herself over a month.....bertie and willow hit it off right away.

so if theres anything big coming up..let it pass....i found it was a triple against a single...who was a massive frenchie doe:shock:

ive been testing the water here with merlin and his 2 wifeys...its turned out girly hormones too strong for each other....so smalles bun is living in the pen in her cage as is merlin and we just let them out for a run around togehter and sniff together..its what bandit and bif did...the only out of the ache time meant it was with each other....its always worth a try;)

im going to bond phoebe to lily and merlin at a later date....

some buns are just too aggressive and territorial..like bluebell who is out for the cats bloods...merlin was not allowed to rejoin bertie after he recovered from being seriously ill.....bluebell had just seen her sister be pts...bertie and her didnt bond..they just slept alongside the other and shared bowls and litter tray and found comfort in each other.

a high sided sturdy cardboard box with a puppy pad layer under it is another way.....throw all 3 in together...use a broom or shoe to pull the buns off each other when fighting...NEVER your hand!!
also a water mister bottle or teeny cheap water pistol....one of those party favors one...just wet an ear or their butt......not hard or in the face or eyes....altho we had a mini lop we did that to...and he responded by opening his mouth and catching and drinking the water!!:shock::lol:

if you get stressed..they smell it on you......try having some tv or music etc on in the background....not loud though....it can be a distraction for your stress.
dont forget a tri or 4some is usually harder to bond and takes longer...and others are a breeze....go with the flow...and dont do what i did last week..get upset at the fighting and feel i failed....i was just sooo tired..it made me feel that way....remember it takes time...

forgot to say...spray vinegar solution on pen before use..once its dry of course!!:lol:

good luck..its what i have to do too.....a trio...2 does and a buck:shock:
 

a high sided sturdy cardboard box with a puppy pad layer under it is another way.....throw all 3 in together...use a broom or shoe to pull the buns off each other when fighting...NEVER your hand!!

also a water mister bottle or teeny cheap water pistol....one of those party favors one...just wet an ear or their butt......not hard or in the face or eyes....altho we had a mini lop we did that to...and he responded by opening his mouth and catching and drinking the water!!:shock::lol:

:shock:

You are joking I hope.................. :?

I really dont think this is appropriate at all :?
 
I'm in the middle of bonding a trio. Bonded male/female pair, and single male.

I used a baby playpen in the corner of my living room as the bonding area, and to begin with I tried the bung em in and hope for the best method. Which didn't go to plan and ended with a big hole in my foot curtesy of Homer! (Also, my fault for getting my foot in the way).
After a bit of a rethink. I decided to seperate the playpen into 2 and gave them a few days to get used to each others smells etc. I left them like that for about 3 days then took the partition out and let them together again.
I was expecting the trouble between the 2 boys but it turned out that my girlie bun was the one who wasn't happy. Homer had a few fisty cuffs with the newby, but nothing major, But Lexi was a cow, she chased him, bit him, pulled his fur out and generally gave him hell. So I spent 3 sleepness nights on hubbys fishing bed in the living room with a coffee in one hand and a broom very close to the other!
She did eventually calm down and a week and a bit later, I have this

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Glad I read this thread,because when I asked about bonding a threesome ,I had lots of negative replies saying my original two could lose their bond or worse still could fight & so it put me off bonding mine together as B & Dills bond comes first & as Casper was a stray I almost looked for another home for him.If decide to bond Casper with my two,I'm looking at Nov as he will be bigger & hopefully castrated then & I have a weeks holiday to to sleep with them.Think B would flatten him at the mo as watched her sit on Dills head yesterday!He loves her so much though,he just washed her ear!:DLoved the pictures of three cuddled up-well worth the wait.Hopefully mine will be like that one day.
 
Glad I read this thread,because when I asked about bonding a threesome ,I had lots of negative replies saying my original two could lose their bond or worse still could fight & so it put me off bonding mine together as B & Dills bond comes first & as Casper was a stray I almost looked for another home for him.If decide to bond Casper with my two,I'm looking at Nov as he will be bigger & hopefully castrated then & I have a weeks holiday to to sleep with them.Think B would flatten him at the mo as watched her sit on Dills head yesterday!He loves her so much though,he just washed her ear!:DLoved the pictures of three cuddled up-well worth the wait.Hopefully mine will be like that one day.

It is important to be aware of all those things and also consider if your bunnies are suitable for being a trio- because not all bunnies are, but if someone is going to do a trio, then it's important to give all the advice possible.

If Lillian had been asking whether or not to bond a trio, she would have been told the same, but from what I can work out, Lillian knows all the risks and has been looking to do this for a long time.

Also, there are many threads about, about trios. One where someone was asking loads of questions about each trio each person had (think it was in behaviour and bonding, but there was a similar one in this forum) and she got some very comprehensive answers. I know I spent ages on my reply because I've had/ve several trios and explained each one and how the dynamics of each one work. It might be worth searching for that thread.
 
I often have 3 bonds on the go :)

I wouldn't let them go home if I wasn't confident they were fine.

I currently have a pair and a quad on the go ;)

But what about them changing environment when they come home? When James and Beryl came back from bonding I was up two nights in a row cos of snuffles, chasing, fur pulling :? If you're happy to do it then I am, I'm just concerned about them settling back in at home as I won't be able to supervise both lots.
 
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