New Rabbit

Against my advice, my daughters ( know it all ) boyfriend bought her a rabbit for her birthday yesterday .A long with said bunny came a new hutch and run.
We already have a male rabbit about 2 years old and sprayed.
This new rabbit is about 6 months at a guess and a doe.
After hitting the roof and saying exactly how inconsiderate towards both rabbits that they both were, it seems the family want both bunnies to stay.
The problem now is getting them to like / meet each other and get on ( bonding I think it's called)
Anyone any ideas.
Normally I would say that this is their problem, but I don't see why I should stand back and watch both rabbits suffer when it's not their fault.

Hi Andy,

Welcome to the forum.

Sorry your daughter's boyfriend is such an eejit, bunny is lucky to have you to ensure she has a nice life!

Firstly, you need to get her spayed, as it will calm her hormones and make bonding easy.

I have no experience of this myself, but lots of people on here do. We have a whole section dedicated to it:
http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/forumdisplay.php?60-Behaviour-amp-Bonding

People on here are very, very helpful, and no question is too silly, so please ask away!

:wave:

Hi welcome to the forum. I have never bonded two bunnies. My two were brother and sister who had lived together since they were tiny so I only know the basics but

1) before bonding the new bunny would need to be neutered. I would advise getting a vet to check that she is indeed a girl first

2) if she is a girl it is best to make sure she is as old as you think as female bunnies can only be spayed from around 5 months at the earliest. There will then need to be a period of around 6 weeks post-neuter before bonding so that hormones can settle.

3) bonding needs to take place in a environment that is totally neutral to both buns to ensure there is no territorial behaviour.

Good luck!!

In between having her sprayed and everything settling down, should I put hutches / runs facing each other etc, to try and see if it helps things along.

Andy Kitchener said:

In between having her sprayed and everything settling down, should I put hutches / runs facing each other etc, to try and see if it helps things along.

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Hi Andy

In my experience of bonding (many) bunny pairs, it is a good thing to let them see one another, but no real indicator of how things will go when they are actually put together. A castrated male and a spayed female will almost always get along, if the people doing the bonding don't interfere and are willing to put up with some 'dominance' behaviour. It usually takes 24 - 48 hours. You need a strong nerve and a totally clean space. Oh and an ability to read bunny language helps

The sticky that someone posted above is helpful - well done for taking such responsibility for these loveliest of creatures

So after I've put them together in a neutral place ( and because the rabbit we have has been all over the house / garden at some stage) it will be difficult to find one, what happens if they get on and I then put them in his run?
Will it then be a case of neutral territory is fine but this is MY run MY rules?
I did suggest sending the new bunny back but it seems my younger children have taken her to heart.

The area the buns go to once bonded must be cleaned so it doesn't smell of anybun, if possible ..

To bond I have used the kitchen (freshly cleaned floor) or a run outdoors on the grass.

Will the male rabbit not recognise the layout of the run as " his" regardless of whether it smells of him or not?

Hi, I THINK its meant to be easier to introduce a doe to a bucks 'home' than vice versa. I adopted a brother and sister from a rescue last year. Sadly Poppy died after just a little while. Although I was a total novice I bonded Will with Nancy. There was a bit of humping to sort out 'top bun' but not too stressful. We thoroughly cleaned Wiil's area with a white vinegar and water solution and then my husband repainted all the timber on their setup so sadly (for me) all scents of Poppy were gone.