Bonding and speed dating

I have seen a lot on here about bonding and speed dating but I have to say I don't agree with it all. I have seen rescues slated for not allowing the existing rabbit to come to the rescue to met the new bunny. I have to say that this is how I operate. I am certainly not of the view that we should be just chucking the bunnies in together and letting them rip each other fur out and worse, but slow and sensible bonding is the best way forward.

My advice is not to bring the rabbit to meet the new one. The bonding should be started on neutral territory and given as much time as the rabbits need. The journey will be stressful to the rabbit, and as we all know the first meeting between two rabbits can be a fur flying fast moving experience. Although some may be much calmer there are those that will go hell for leather chasing round the other rabbit, but this is no indication that they won't get on. I don't see what producing this reaction will achieve, it isn't going to prove one way or the other how they will get on at all. Only time will show that, and perseverance will usually win out with them.

I am interested to know what people think this speed dating achieves, as at the moment I really can't see the point. It's not like within that initial meeting you can make a real judgement on the rabbits ability to get on.

Lucyhp said:

I have seen a lot on here about bonding and speed dating but I have to say I don't agree with it all. I have seen rescues slated for not allowing the existing rabbit to come to the rescue to met the new bunny. I have to say that this is how I operate. I am certainly not of the view that we should be just chucking the bunnies in together and letting them rip each other fur out and worse, but slow and sensible bonding is the best way forward.

My advice is not to bring the rabbit to meet the new one. The bonding should be started on neutral territory and given as much time as the rabbits need. The journey will be stressful to the rabbit, and as we all know the first meeting between two rabbits can be a fur flying fast moving experience. Although some may be much calmer there are those that will go hell for leather chasing round the other rabbit, but this is no indication that they won't get on. I don't see what producing this reaction will achieve, it isn't going to prove one way or the other how they will get on at all. Only time will show that, and perseverance will usually win out with them.

I am interested to know what people think this speed dating achieves, as at the moment I really can't see the point. It's not like within that initial meeting you can make a real judgement on the rabbits ability to get on.

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Hi Lucy

Sorry but I am going to have to disagree with you on one point, sometimes when you put 2 bunnies together it is instant hatred and you know that they will never get on, and then again sometimes when you put 2 bunnies together it's instant love.

But I do agree that it should be taken slowly in most cases and we use pens next to each other so as they can get used to each other and then slowly introduce them.

We will always take somebodys bunny in to bind with one of ours and then we know everything is OK and we do it on neutral territory.

Although I have know some people just put buns together and let them sort it out:shock: that's NOT what we would do

But I think by that point we would have established bunnies which are not friendly towards other rabbits and would be better homed alone as a house rabbit.

None of my rabbits were really bothered by car journeys so it's a bit of a sweeping statement to say it's stressful and going to cause problems with bondings. I saw bunnies bonded at ARC during their open day and neither bun seemed stressed out and I'm pretty sure it was a successful bond so it's not a method that's doomed to fail.
Some people get too nervous to bond themselves and may split the buns at an important moment. I know I was nervous bonding Joey and Nina after Nina bit Joey's ear in a pre-spay bonding attempt, but I persevered and once bonded they were like a married couple! I think a day or two of the 'stress' of bonding is nothing compared to the years of happy companionship it results in

Lucyhp said:

But I think by that point we would have established bunnies which are not friendly towards other rabbits and would be better homed alone as a house rabbit.

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No, not at all, bunnies are like people, some like some people and some don't, and there is always a bunny friend for a rabbit somewhere, we just have to find him/her:lol:

Lucyhp said:

But I think by that point we would have established bunnies which are not friendly towards other rabbits and would be better homed alone as a house rabbit.

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I dont agree with this, Just because they dont like one or two buns doesnt mean they hate the worlds rabbit population :? Jen tried to kill one bun, but thats not stopping me trying to get her a friend (if her and rhia dont get on). I think the speed dating for buns is brilliant, as if they dont bond your stuck with two seperate rabbits. Thats not what most people want x

beckiboo186 said:

I dont agree with this, Just because they dont like one or two buns doesnt mean they hate the worlds rabbit population :? Jen tried to kill one bun, but thats not stopping me trying to get her a friend (if her and rhia dont get on). I think the speed dating for buns is brilliant, as if they dont bond your stuck with two seperate rabbits. Thats not what most people want x

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Totally agree:thumb:

In 6/7 years i have only had one bun returned because they wouldn't bond, and that was because she was a very spoilt house bun. All the others have been fine being introduced and slowly bonding. We have never done it at the foster homes as i just can't see how it can really show any indications of the true situation. Only time can tell that.

I can see both sides, if someone wanted to bring their bun to me to meet a new bun, I wouldn't mind. At the same time if they wanted to bond their own bun, that's their choice, I would certainly never insist they hand their bun over to me to bond with one of the rescues.

If bonding failed I would always take bun back and I only rehome locally so it's no bother and I can keep tabs on everything, I deliver bun myself and help with bonding if help is needed. I don't think one cap fits all, I'm happy to fit in around what the potential new owner wants to do.

When people bring rabbits to me to bond it takes at least 3 nights and sometimes up to a week. I want to see the rabbits groom each other before they go home. When it is other peoples rabbits binding I only bond one group at a time as I don't know all the rabbits involved. They come home with me and spend the night in my bedroom so I can intervene if they start to fight.

You do get an indication of whether it will work in the first encounter, but this can be misleading as rabbits will often freeze when in a strange environment and not react as they will once relaxed. They need to stay together fully supervised until they feel comfortable enough to exhibit their true behaviour.Then you see if they are going to get on.

The key to bonding is neutral territory. It seems to me that the slower method of bonding throws this away by putting the rabbits next to each other where they will be more inclined to argue. Rabbits love to argue. Charging about with their tails in the air defending their boundaries gives them great pleasure. Bonding quickly prevents their relationship taking on an adversarial twist and makes them more likely to turn to eachother for comfort.
I don't see the point in trying to force two rabbits who don't like eachother to bond when there are plenty of other rabbits that they would be better suited to.
I still haven't found an unbondable rabbit, although I have had several that had to try several partners before I found the right one. I was about to give up on Ivy, a French Lop after she had been brought to me when the people who had adopted her from another rescue couldn't bond her to their rabbit. Thsi was not for want of trying. They were really upset to loose her. Then I bonded her to a Continental Giant, a difficult bonding that fell apart when wild rabbits came to close to the pair. She actually gave the Conty internal damage and nearly killed him as he stopped eating. I was soooooooo nervous of trying her again I put it off for months. Now she is as loved up as can be with another French Lop, she hardly ever stops grooming him. How awful if I had given up! I have another girl who is fendng off all comers for now. But the right buck will come along in the end.
I don't want to rehome rabbits if they are not going to like their partners. The home is for the rabbit, it needs to suit him/her, and I need to know it does before they go. And if you rehomed to someone for them to bond and then they didn't they could end up living alone which is not acceptable, and in smaller accomodaion than the joint accomodation that had been home checked. My rabbits' welfare is too important for me to take that risk. And most people are pleased to know that the rabbits are compatible before they take them home. If they don't want to trust me with their rabbit for a few days they need to imagine how I feel trusting my rabbit to them forever!

Lucyhp said:

In 6/7 years i have only had one bun returned because they wouldn't bond, and that was because she was a very spoilt house bun. All the others have been fine being introduced and slowly bonding. We have never done it at the foster homes as i just can't see how it can really show any indications of the true situation. Only time can tell that.

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Thats only the buns returned though, Many might not have bonded but still the owners have been able to/kind enough to keep them. Emma adopted Teddy off you, and he literally tries to kill anybun he see's!! Not saying he's unbondable, im sure there is one bun in this world he might like, but none out of 8 so far! :roll:

Lucyhp said:

I am certainly not of the view that we should be just chucking the bunnies in together and letting them rip each other fur out and worse, but slow and sensible bonding is the best way forward.

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I haven't speed dated bunnies but that's not the idea I have of what speed dating is :shock:

I thought the idea was you tried a pair (on neuteral territory) and then saw whether the first reaction was calm or violent. At that point it deviates from normal bonding. If it's violent, instead of carrying on slowly and carefully you swapped bunny until you got a pair with the calm reaction. Then it procedes like a normal bonding.

The idea is your matching up a dominant rabbit with a subordinate rabbit so there isn't a fight. If you randomly pick two rabbits and they're agressive (both dominate) you swap bunnies until you do get a domainant-subordinant match.

That way bonding will go quicker as there is no need for them to fight it out.

Tam