bunny mom1
New Kit
Hello everyone,
New here, and I am sort of at my wits end with bonding 2 bunnies! My 5 year old neutered male rabbit lost his mate a few months ago to a heart condition, and I was given a very young female rabbit to bond him with, with the possibility of returning her if it didn't work out. The young female is only about 3-4 months old, not neutered yet. I watched tons of YouTube videos and followed instructions carefully, and it was coming along ok -- doing the bonding in the house to keep a close eye on things even though I have a large walk in enclosure outside that my male usually lives in. It was going ok for about 3 weeks when I followed these instructions: taking them in a cat carrier together in the car, then putting them in bathroom or tub -- with this they got along. Without doing the car ride, or when putting them into a larger space, they fought (no blood, just fur flying). Yesterday I had to move them outside to the large walk in enclosure, and because there is no neutral space there, it seems impossible. The young rabbit is in a large cage in the large enclosure, but when let out, they chase, hump each other and fight. Is this a lost cause? How can I hope to bond them in this space when it is not neutral (male bunny used to live in there). I'm 75% ready to bring the young female back and call it quits. Any suggestions, or does this sound like the right thing to do?
Thanks so much!
Julie
New here, and I am sort of at my wits end with bonding 2 bunnies! My 5 year old neutered male rabbit lost his mate a few months ago to a heart condition, and I was given a very young female rabbit to bond him with, with the possibility of returning her if it didn't work out. The young female is only about 3-4 months old, not neutered yet. I watched tons of YouTube videos and followed instructions carefully, and it was coming along ok -- doing the bonding in the house to keep a close eye on things even though I have a large walk in enclosure outside that my male usually lives in. It was going ok for about 3 weeks when I followed these instructions: taking them in a cat carrier together in the car, then putting them in bathroom or tub -- with this they got along. Without doing the car ride, or when putting them into a larger space, they fought (no blood, just fur flying). Yesterday I had to move them outside to the large walk in enclosure, and because there is no neutral space there, it seems impossible. The young rabbit is in a large cage in the large enclosure, but when let out, they chase, hump each other and fight. Is this a lost cause? How can I hope to bond them in this space when it is not neutral (male bunny used to live in there). I'm 75% ready to bring the young female back and call it quits. Any suggestions, or does this sound like the right thing to do?
Thanks so much!
Julie