Advice re. BONDING please! :-s

Hello

I have a 6 yr old neutered lop house rabbit who's brother who he was closely bonded with died in December last year. I have had a pretty little mini lop whom I rehomed from a breeder approx 6-7 weeks ago. I had her spayed over 3 weeks ago and she has recovered well. She has been living in an indoor cage in the same room as my other rabbit.

Yesterday I put them together for the 1st time...My male was constantly trying to mount my female who kept running away. There have been no signs of agression but I have had my male on a harness as I don't want him to mount her head for obvious reasons.

I tried again today for an hour and the same happened again.

Am I meant to just let them get on with it? Also is the ''dating'' thing the best option or would I be better to leave them together for a longer period of time?

Help/advice much appreciated.

Thanks.

Mounting is absolutely fine. It's how the mountee responds that is important. I too would stop head humping, and I would suggest stopping excessive humping so that he doesn't hurt himself, but otherwise, that's ok.

The best option depends on the bunnies really, I find. Some clearly show they need a dating method, some can just go together.

I would say though that for a lot of humping, 3 weeks is very early to bond given the kind of surgery she has had. It might be better to leave it until 6-8 weeks after her spay. Currently she is still healing inside.

Thank you

I might see how they are for an hour again today. Do you think the mounting will eventually stop?

I may try them on ''dates'' until she is fully healed say in about another 3 weeks then try them together for longer. I'm keeping him on his harness for the time being.

Thanks a lot for your help.

birdlady said:

Thank you

I might see how they are for an hour again today. Do you think the mounting will eventually stop?

I may try them on ''dates'' until she is fully healed say in about another 3 weeks then try them together for longer. I'm keeping him on his harness for the time being.

Thanks a lot for your help.

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Been trying them together for an hour or so on a regular basis. She's obviously wants to be friends as she keeps going up to him and giving him a lick. He has also been licking her face and around her eyes etc but he will not stop chasing her and trying to mount her!!! There has been no signs of agression from either rabbit but I don't think he will ever stop with the mounting?!? :?

An hour isn't really a long time in bunnyland. An hour is enough for them to be put together and feel unsettled but no time to get settled. I would expand the length of the dates if you can, being mindful about his little boy bits.

The mounting is perfectly normal as Sky-O has already said, you will need to (in my opinion) allow a decent amount of it to allow them to work out their hierarchy in the bond, as to who is the dominant and who is the submissive bun.

You may find that you need to go for a differnet method of bonding possibly, based on what you know of your bunnies. A method rather than dating, of putting them together, in a small neutral space and leaving them in this space and monitoring them, allowing humping, but not excessively, chasing is normal, nipping is normal, but again, not excessively.

I'll let other advanced bonders comment further :wave:

GrahamL said:

The mounting is perfectly normal as Sky-O has already said, you will need to (in my opinion) allow a decent amount of it to allow them to work out their hierarchy in the bond, as to who is the dominant and who is the submissive bun.

You may find that you need to go for a differnet method of bonding possibly, based on what you know of your bunnies. A method rather than dating, of putting them together, in a small neutral space and leaving them in this space and monitoring them, allowing humping, but not excessively, chasing is normal, nipping is normal, but again, not excessively.

I'll let other advanced bonders comment further :wave:

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Thank you for your advise. It is difficult as I work full time but I will try them for longer periods on my days off next week. I feel I have to stay with them the whole time as my male keeps trying to mount my females head so I am worried just incase she bites him! But she seems like quite a submissive bun and there has been no signs of agression at all from either rabbit. They do keep licking eachother I just don't want to leave them together perminately in my males territory yet whilse he insists on mounting her. I should have known he'd do this as he use to occassionally with his brother, more so when he was poorly bless him. He's a lovely rabbit so is she so fingers crossed they can live together in the near future!

Are you dating them on his territory?

Sky-O said:

Are you dating them on his territory?

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No neutral, sectioned a small area of the garden off. I don't know what I am going to do he just want stop doing it!