Thinking of a bond - advice needed

I have recently got in contact with a local rescue to enquire about adopting a beautiful rabbit as a companion for my male, Woody. After seeing how loving and affectionate he is to Wendy (his stuffed animal), I think it would be lovely for him to have a girlfriend.

So, the rescue has offered for me to take Woody to her to see how they get on. What would this involve? Would it just be a short introduction?

I would say my Woody is quite a territorial boy - especially over his shed/runs. Would this be a problem? I would probably say he is pretty rampant (even though neutered).

So, if they seem to get on at the rescue, what is the next step? I have done TONNES of research on it. Particularly, the various methods which can be used to introduce.

Is it generally agreed that the slow process of putting her in a run next to him is best? Also, what constitues a 'neutral' space for their meet? And how long will they need to stay in this neutral space?

Thank you! All advice greatfully appreciated.

Neutral is somewhere neither rabbit has been before.

You would need to clean his shed etc with vinegar prior to putting them in their together.

There are different ways to bonding, personally I prefer to keep them in together rather than the date approach. There is a good thread somewhere that discusses the reasons behind each method.

If it was me though, given his recent health issues I would want him as healthy as possible and run a 28 day course of panacur (you want to protect the new bun aswell as him) before attempting any bond.

Well, I was lucky as the local rescue had quite a few males for Cookie to meet. I took her along and selected one (we changed his name to Casper) and they were put in a pen together. They were fairly disinterested; Cookie even sat and cleaned herself. This is apparently a good sign. Then the lady said she had space to bond them for me so would keep them a few days, which took loads of pressure off me as I expected to take them home and have to do it myself, where they swap hutches for a while each day. So I left Cookie and they had free run of a huge shed with inside hutches. The next day I was told they were getting on really well and five days later I was able to pick them up and bring them home. Beforehand, I had time to neutralise the hutch, runaround tunnel and run, etc. Apart from Cookie being a bit of a bully with food, she has never been really aggressive and they are very happy and cute together. I'm so happy I got Cookie a husbun as she was lonely. Best of luck; I hope all works out for you.

Amy104 said:

Neutral is somewhere neither rabbit has been before.

You would need to clean his shed etc with vinegar prior to putting them in their together.

There are different ways to bonding, personally I prefer to keep them in together rather than the date approach. There is a good thread somewhere that discusses the reasons behind each method.

If it was me though, given his recent health issues I would want him as healthy as possible and run a 28 day course of panacur (you want to protect the new bun aswell as him) before attempting any bond.

Click to expand...

Hi Amy,

Yes if I decide to go ahead I will visit the vet first for a check-over and also for a panacur dose! I would want him as fit as possible before anything starts.

Which rescue are you thinking of?

Oh of course you're in Bristol! I wanted to find a 5 year approx female but couldn't.

Here is the girl I am interested in:

http://boardingbunniesathome.co.uk/rescue-and-rehoming/

She is called Cookie.

Cookie looks gorgeous Look forward to hearing about Woody and his new wife (hopefully Cookie) when the time comes.

She's

She sure is!

I will contact vet about panacur and then go from there. We will see!!

Cookie looks lovely and so much like my Cookie too. Best wishes

Amy104 said:

She's

Click to expand...

Can I ask you a quick Q about the panacur?

You say a 28 course is needed prior to bond - does this count for both rabbits? Also, everywhere I seem to read it only suggests a 9 day course?

Also, should the course be COMPLETED before they meet or can i be continuing to give it whilst they are bonding?

Thanks!

9 days is for worms, 28 days for EC. Given his previous symptoms I would want him to have a complete course first. I normally treat any new buns here before bonding them as sometimes the stress of bonding can knock the immune system slightly, so if she's never been treated maybe her aswell? Of course this may just be me being over cautious and the advise on using panacur can vary. I generally give all my buns a one off 28 day course and the would only re-treat if anybun ever showed symptoms.