Bonding a pair, one baby

We've got a neutered Nethie buck (Cookie - 3 years old) who lost his partner earlier in the month, so we got another Nethie doe (8 weeks old) to keep him company as he was (understandably) getting quite lonely on his own - generally spending whole days sat doing nothing , even though he was inside with us!

He's the tamest friendliest bunny we've ever had, the bonds we've done previously have been fairly trouble free (lots of chasing, mounting but generally sorted our quite quickly), however the Nethie baby we've introduced to him seems to be so scared of him! Going by past experience the babies have been the easiest to bond, but our new little one (Mochi) just runs and runs from Cookie, she'll hide in the corner until the next round of chasing starts

Just had a sleepless night full of chasing, they have stopped for periods where Cookie will groom Mochi around the eyes and ears, though it's not long before she flinches and he starts chasing her again

I don't understand why they're being so difficult to bond this time, Mochi is very very relaxed and friendly for a baby - should we split them up again or is the occasional grooming a sign that it's eventually going to get better?

Poor little Mochi is spending most of her time sat in a corner of the bonding box looking into the corner, whilst Cookie is quite happy to flop out and relax :roll:

Any advice would be appreciated, feel guilty watching the little one run around but there's literally just been chasing with the odd nip, no fur pulling or fighting.

Are you bonding in 100% neutral territory?
What size space are you bonding in?
Is there any fighting (lock on, biting etc) or is it just chasing?
What is in the bonding pen?
What, if anything appears to trigger the chasing? Is it when he she approaches him? Is it when he approaches her?
What are both of their ears/tails doing before/during/after the chase?

In all honesty, at 8 weeks, you are going to have to separate once her hormones kick in anyway, so you may end up having to keep them separate until she has been spayed.

Are you bonding in 100% neutral territory?

- I've hosed everything down and then cleaned and scrubbed with a rabbit safe citrus based cleaner - Cookie is obviously more familiar with us but it should be about neutral as it gets.

What size space are you bonding in?

- about 1.5m x 1m. We've also tried them in a pet carrier as we were going to take them out for a drive (a tip which has worked in the past), but decided against it as Mochi was just getting penned into a corner.

Is there any fighting (lock on, biting etc) or is it just chasing?

- No real fighting, the odd nip and then some grooming when Cookie finally gets hold of her, but for the most part it's just chasing.

What is in the bonding pen?

- Nothing - just fresh hay/litter. I've just removed the water bowl for now as Mochi ran into it while being chased and got her little legs wet

What, if anything appears to trigger the chasing? Is it when he she approaches him? Is it when he approaches her?

- It's when he approaches her, she just flinches/runs and he goes after her. When Cookie is sat eating/grooming/doing nothing Mochi doesn't run - she just sits there too (Even if it's almost right beside Cookie)

What are both of their ears/tails doing before/during/after the chase?

- I don't think there is any ears going down / tails up if that's what you're looking for - I'll pay close attention next time anything like that happens.

Currently they're sat within 20cm of eachother, Cookie is just eating hay - Mochi is just sitting there but they're co-existing, no chasing has occurred since I posted the topic

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I thought it could go the other way? If she was spayed as soon as she was ready, having a bonded partner could help her recover. Our first bunny didn't recover well at all from her spay - almost went into stasis, but her partner (who was bonded as a baby) had her spay and recovered very very quickly, with lots of affection from her older partner!

[edit : Just to add, Cookie isn't a territorial bunny either, he's had newly bonded bunnies live in what was his home without any problems at all, which is why we're puzzled The only other thing to note is that he was the "top" bun in his previous bond, though he was never aggressive, just loved grooming! ]

- A bit of an update shock:!) Mochi hadn't been eating any hay in Cookie's company, she'd only eat little bits of hay/some grass when held by us and handfed - she's just started nibbling hay in her corner whilst Cookie is also fairly nearby...a good sign?

At only 8 weeks old it isn't easy to sex rabbits and I am wondering if your little girl is a little boy. This would explain why he is frightened. If you are 100% sure she is a girl maybe to help her become less timid and more confident, you could try sitting with them on your knee and stroke them both.

We're almost certain she's a girl - you can see the "groove" and "point" (if you know what i mean!) on her bits when you have a look, it's certainly not rounded like Cookie's bits were.

Stroking and sitting with them seems to be working, though there's a lot of advice out there that says we shouldn't interfere - or does this only apply when they're actually interacting?

The chasing finally looks like it's starting to slow down a bit, Cookie is grooming Mochi more and more, and he's tried to lodge his head under hers to get licks in return - she's just running off at that point though!

The problem with bonding a bun that is so young, is that you may get problems when she hits sexual maturity. You will have to get her speyed, and usually you'd have her separate her from him after the ops so she can heal up. Hitting sexual maturity could result in her trying to become dominant over him, and so could end up in a fight. Separation after her op could also break their bond. Personally, I wouldn't bond unless both buns were neutered.

Also neutral territory is best if the rabbits are in a place they have never been before. The way to neutralise a place is by using vinegar, I'm not sure if citrus does the same thing. All because a bun can't smell their territory, they will still recognise that the place is HIS.