Bonding Does - Advice Please!

Elphie and Galinda started fighting as youngsters prior to their spays and I have kept them separately since. I tried bonding Nessarose with each of them prior to Nessa's death to no avail.

They live in sight of one another and sometimes sit at the edges of their runs which are nearest to one another (but not touching). I'll sit in that gap and feed them dandelions/bramble/whatever else is in season in the garden sometimes. Usually, Elphie, though, will be sitting in the shade under her hutch - the part nearest the house, with Galinda doing the same. (Elphie's hutch is nearest the door, with the run going out behind it. Behind that is Galinda's with her run going back.) I don't have any problems handling one and then the other, so scent-wise they do know each other - and I have heard nightmare stories of people being attacked by their does after handling another. I thought that might be a positive sign.

Anyway, I hate the fact that they don't live together because I know it would be so much better for them to be bonded. But as much as I would like to rescue boys and bond them up like that, I don't have the money for it - I can't afford 4 rabbits, especially with an epileptic cat! It was sometimes a push having 3 does (and having lost my job due to health issues and very very unsupportive staff, but that's enough of that), but we always made ends meet.

So yeah, what I'd really want to do is try, yet again, to bond them. But this time I want to do it properly with as much advice as possible. Because if I can manage this, I can then upgrade their living quarters and know that their lives will be even better than they are now.

Parsnipbun is an excellent source of advice for bonding rabbits I believe :thumb:

Perhaps you could send her a message?

You will need to put both rabbits in a totally new area to prevent them acting territorially. Try to pick a day or 2 when you can keep a close eye on them so as to give you some idea as to how they are getting along with each other. Try to keep them together without separating (unless they start to fight). You will soon know if it's going to work out or not - hopefully you will be lucky, but it isn't the easiest of bonds.

I'm bonding 2 girls at the mo :wave:

Spent last 24 hours in the bathroom :shock: they are now grooming each other at last.

I have a web cam so can watch from where ever I am so. It having to sit on the landing floor is nice :lol:

I put a hay box and carrier in but have had to close the carrier as one was in there and the other in the hay bux ignoring each other :roll:

But Pie won't let Rosie out of the hay box without chasing her, the box has got to go :roll:

Thanks for all the advice. I will take all of this into serious consideration when going ahead with attempting the bond. If it isn't meant to be, it isn't meant to be and I'll just have to accept that.