Sorry, someone else with a bonding question?!

O.k, in about 2 wks my bunsters will be 6 wks post neutering so i want to try and bond them, i`ve bonded in the past but it was a long time ago so am desperately in need of a refresher course................................
I have 2 frenchies, Digby & Angel, male & female and 2 minis, Blue & Tia once again male and female. Ideally i would like them to live in one big group but is this a good idea bearing in mind the size difference between the 2 breeds? If it is possible what would be the best way to introduce them, i;e; one at a time, in pairs etc...
At present all the bunnies other than Tia are living at my mum`s and Tia`s hutch will not be used so there should be no problem over territory, so would it be better to introduce them round here on neutural territory or in a run at mum`s?
Also, what do you experienced bonders out there think is the best approach? Do you do short spells at a time or put them together, watch and if all is going fairly smoothly after a certain period of time let them stay together and just keep a close eye on things? Obviously being prepared to step in if anything major happens!

Sorry, for what may seem stupid questions but i know bonding can sometimes be a hard process and doesn`t necessarily go to plan, i`m just trying to get as clued up as possible.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated by me and bunsters alike.
Su. :wave:

I personally don't like bonding rabbits that are too different in size as even though they may get along I would be nervous that there could be an accident.

yes me too - it's a similar situation to rabbits and guinea pigs - the size difference being risky for the little one, even if the big ones are good natured they may be gallumphing all over the place.

You're very lucky they're at your mum's place, so you can use your house/garden as neutral territory! Have they lived alongside each other at your mum's or have they never met?

I would go for pairs rather than one big group. The size difference means there is a real risk to the smaller rabbits.

I like to start bonding off with a car ride and carrier introduction unless there is a health reason not to - the stress may be too much for an unwell or excessively nervous rabbit. Once the ice has been broken I let the rabbits into a fairly large neutral space and see how they react. Sometimes they are so pleased with the comfort in the car they will be fine straight away, other times you need to keep a very close eye on them and even conclude that they don't like eachother.
If one rabbit is willing to let the other be boss, that is a good start. One running away is good. The better you know the rabbit the better you can judge whether it is working. I think you have had these rabbits for a while? You should be able to judge fairly well then.
I usually carry straight on with bonding once I have started. I keep them where I can keep an eye on them for an extended time and keep them within earshot over night, but only if they seem unlikely to fight. This has worked well for many male / female pairs. But some pairs I have concluded just hate eachother and I have found them different partners. Only once has going slowly succeeded where the first introduction failed. But I am not the most patient person :lol: I also have seen what incompatible pairs can do to eachother and don't think forcing the issue is worth it. But as you already have the rabbits and can't have more if it doesn't work you may need to be patient, but hopefully won't need to be.
Good luck

Thanks for the replies,
I thought the size difference might be a problem, just wanted to know if it was possible. So it looks like i`ll now be bonding into 2 pairs, the frenchies will have the shed and the minis will have a large hutch. In theory that `should` make things easier! ( She says with fingers crossed)!
Yes Elve they have seen and met each other, through wire, Digby used to run free in the garden when i`m out there and often he and Angel would lay side by side, ( with 2 lots of wire inbetween i hasten to add)! So hopefully that`s a good sign.

Any further advice would be greatly appreciated.
Su.

Thanks Louise for your advice, yes i`ve had all these bunnies for sometime so feel i know them pretty well With Digby and Angel i`d definately say that Angel has the more dominant personality, Digby just generally chooses to lead a more quiet life! Blue and Tia, i`m not sure who`s going to take the lead in that one as they both have quite strong personalities, not in a nasty way, they just both love attention so i`ll just have to see what happens there.
Obviously i don`t want any nasty injuries happening so they will be closely supervised and if they`re not going to get on then i won`t push the issue. I`ve just always aimed to have my bunsters living in pairs atleast, as i feel it`s more natural for them, it`s just unfortunate i`ve had to cut down so am so much more restricted in who i can try together.

Thanks again,
Su.x

I know some people have bonded totally different sized rabbits but I'd be quite nervous. I've had to rescue fudge from being squashed under amy and they're a similar size at the moment. She's a big cuddly frenchy and if there's no room to lie next to him she'll just flop on top! :shock: I'd thought about trying to bond my 2 pairs of house rabbits, but my other pair are dwarf's I think it would be a little risky! :? Not quite sure what would happen to my little nethy with a big frenchie on top! :shock:

really good advice Louise - thanks for that :thumb: