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Is It Too Early or OK?

Stumpy

Stumpy

Alpha Buck
OK so i brought Ben home yesterday and put them next to each other but in separate pens. They can see each other and smell each other but not harm each other. They seem fine together eating drinking cleaning sleeping and sniffing each other. Did the same today but changed what half they were in.

what i want to know is tomorrow is day 3 and is that too early to try them together in a neutral space and see if they accept each other??
 
Personally I would wait at least a week, really let them get used to seeing and smelling each other, swapping litter trays and sleeping/living areas.:wave:
 
scarlett said:
Personally I would wait at least a week, really let them get used to seeing and smelling each other, swapping litter trays and sleeping/living areas.:wave:
Click to expand...

At the moment i have Whisky in the shed and Ben in a dog create in the dining room at night so i cant really swap them around. They are doing so well in the runs next to each other. Ben hasn't got a litter tray but Whisky has
 
Hi there Stumpy. How long has your female been neutered and what is her temperament like? This will help to answer your question. The big issue here is you have brought another rabbit onto her territory and she needs time to adjust to the idea. Females are more territorial than males. If she has been neutered say 6 months and she is of a sweet nature then you could try putting them together in the bath(room) to get a glimpse into what behaviour she is going to perform. If this is successful over 1/2 hr then you can proceed with more bonding stillon neutral ground. If she attacks Ben then she is not ready. I think you are going to have to give her more time. You don't need to swap them over at night if it isn't convenient. Is your female easy to handle?
 
tonibun said:
Hi there Stumpy. How long has your female been neutered and what is her temperament like? This will help to answer your question. The big issue here is you have brought another rabbit onto her territory and she needs time to adjust to the idea. Females are more territorial than males. If she has been neutered say 6 months and she is of a sweet nature then you could try putting them together in the bath(room) to get a glimpse into what behaviour she is going to perform. If this is successful over 1/2 hr then you can proceed with more bonding stillon neutral ground. If she attacks Ben then she is not ready. I think you are going to have to give her more time. You don't need to swap them over at night if it isn't convenient. Is your female easy to handle?
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Hi thanks for you reply

Whisky is easy to handle but doesn't like being picked up. she has been spayed since the second week of April and she is easy going and very relaxed. when they are next to each other in the runs she isn't bothered by him. they have been in the runs since 10 this morning and are just about to come out. they have been fine today no nipping or anything just sniffing each other and doing there own thing.

i would really like to try them out and see how they respond to each other but if yo think i should wait till next weekend i can do this
 
Where did Ben come from? as if not from a well known rescue then he should be quarantined for at least a week to 10 days before any bonding is done.
 
Although it is tempting to try them together, I would err on the side of caution and wait until next weekend - it would be such a shame to spoil everything by trying them too soon. Perhaps I worry too much!
 
Hi Stumpy. I would wait until next weekend. Rabbits take a long time except when they're mating! Keep us informed.
 
Personally I don't think this stage is necessary unless there are specific reasons why these bunnies need it. Bunnies behave completely differently when you put them together in a neutral space anyway and the way they behave when next to each other is no indication of how they will behave when together. In my experience it can actually do more harm than good if you have a bun who gets wound up by the presence of another bun, as it puts them in the wrong frame of mind for bonding. I just get on with bonding without all this faff and am usually successful so in my opinion (and im sure others will disagree), I really don't think it does anything other than prolong the process unnecessarily.

As long as bun has been adequately quarantined before coming to you, I would just get on with it when you are able to commit several days and sleepless nights to supervising them.
 
I agree with Santa.

When I bond I just put the buns in a pen in a neutral area straight away - but do put a divider in the pen just for the first few hours or so. That way has always worked for me. I gradually make the pen bigger as the bond progresses - initially it is quite small.
 
Glad to see I am not the only one who just does it quickly.

I put mine in a bath for several hours on the 2nd day (24 hours after getting a new rescue boy), then together in a hutch I halved in size, the next day. All was fine. I did sleep in the room with them for 2 nights just in case.
 
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