I'm trying to introduce two m/f pairs of rabbits, I'm going to have three months at home soon so will be able to spend as much time as needed with them. They are in hutches and runs (7 foot by 5 foot), and my idea was to put a cleaned, neutral run so that one side was down the side of one run, and the other was along the end of the other. I opened both lids and took a neutered male and a female from each, then sat holding the neutered male firmly on my lap while the two rabbits shared a cabbage leaf.
I know this is not the way to bond rabbits, so close to their territories. Also the rabbits got very excited at the prospect of cabbage so were probably not in a good mood to bond with a stranger, although they were distracted.
They chewed through the cabbages no problem and the rabbits ended up with their noses comfortably touching as they nibbled away the last pieces. This could have gone horribly wrong if the rabbit I was holding had leapt out of my arms or jumped unexpectedly to start fighting with the female.
The other mistake I realised was when one of the neutered males got so excited about the sound of cabbage being eaten so close to him that he leapt out of his run and landed in the run of the other female. So I was sitting in a run with two rabbits who weren't bonded, and another two rabbits who were not bonded were now in the same run - which was the marked territory of the female.
The female he was with was not spayed, but she barely gave him a second glance and they were soon pressed side-by-side, standing up at the side of the run trying to get to the cabbage.
My heart's still thumping. It could all so easily have gone horribly wrong.
Three of the rabbits are from the same litter, three out of four a neutered, all vaccinated, and the odd one out is the same breed and only 3 months older than the other three. I have known these rabbits their whole lives and they are undoubtably my tamest. I can let them out in the morning and they will come back in the evening for their food, and if not I can walk up to them in the garden and pick them up or sit there with cabbage until they come up to me and climb onto my lap. I want to bond them so they can all share time outside in the garden, whereas now only two can enjoy the open space at a time.
Anyway, any ridicule and/or suggestions welcome..
I know this is not the way to bond rabbits, so close to their territories. Also the rabbits got very excited at the prospect of cabbage so were probably not in a good mood to bond with a stranger, although they were distracted.
They chewed through the cabbages no problem and the rabbits ended up with their noses comfortably touching as they nibbled away the last pieces. This could have gone horribly wrong if the rabbit I was holding had leapt out of my arms or jumped unexpectedly to start fighting with the female.
The other mistake I realised was when one of the neutered males got so excited about the sound of cabbage being eaten so close to him that he leapt out of his run and landed in the run of the other female. So I was sitting in a run with two rabbits who weren't bonded, and another two rabbits who were not bonded were now in the same run - which was the marked territory of the female.
The female he was with was not spayed, but she barely gave him a second glance and they were soon pressed side-by-side, standing up at the side of the run trying to get to the cabbage.
My heart's still thumping. It could all so easily have gone horribly wrong.
Three of the rabbits are from the same litter, three out of four a neutered, all vaccinated, and the odd one out is the same breed and only 3 months older than the other three. I have known these rabbits their whole lives and they are undoubtably my tamest. I can let them out in the morning and they will come back in the evening for their food, and if not I can walk up to them in the garden and pick them up or sit there with cabbage until they come up to me and climb onto my lap. I want to bond them so they can all share time outside in the garden, whereas now only two can enjoy the open space at a time.
Anyway, any ridicule and/or suggestions welcome..
