Bonding Trio

[ThreeB’s]

Hi all!
I apologise in advance for the long post. I know there are a lot of posts about bonding, but I wondered whether anyone had any specific advice to my situation.

I have 3 boy bunnies now 6/7 months old. My boyfriend bought me Binky and Blue for Christmas, and when we went back a week later for their vaccinations, the bunny they were in there with before was still there, all by himself… that’s how we ended up with Bucky too!

They all got on great, then some hormones kicked in 3/4 weeks later. Bucky was humping them both relentlessly so we separated him, and Blue’s testicles also dropped so we got them 2 booked in to be neutered. Bink was still very placid so we left him until last and he was settled with Blue. Buck and Blue were neutered but Bink’s testicles had now dropped and I couldn’t get him booked in for about 5 weeks. Blue and Buck went back together with no problems about a week later. They are all in my kitchen and just separated by wire so can smell and see each other. Binky was neutered and we waited for his hormones to be out of his system before trying to bond.
They get on fine for about 15 minutes, but if Bink goes near Blue’s bum, Blue gets scared and he runs off and stomps. This has now caused Bink to pull Blues fur from his bum and chase him and Blue running away seems to set him off. Twice now this has cause a fight between Buck and Bink, who get on really well when Blue isn’t there being scared of Bink. I don’t know if the chasing changed Bink’s behaviour which Buck can pick up on…
I don’t know if they will ever bond if Blue is scared of Bink and running away which causes the chain reaction of Bink then chase him and pull his fur.
They got on great for a few hours last week, they were laying together and grooming and then this happened and led to Buck and Bink fighting as Binky was chasing Blue.
If they successfully bond they will be going outside in a big DIY run/hutch with free run of the garden when we are home. But we need to bond them before they all live outside.

Any advice welcome please!

 

[Shimmer]

What do you mean by 'fighting'? Chasing and fur pulling are fairly normal in the very early stages of bonding.
A proper fight is when they are locked on together and drawing blood.

I would probably leave them separated by wire for another month then bond somewhere completely neutral - like their new outdoor setup. Their hormones will have settled, Spring fever time will be over and it should be warmer outside by then. Make sure they all have somewhere they can escape to if they feel the need - so tunnels or carriers / small boxes full of hay could work. Scatter feed to keep them from having to confront each other over a bowl, and to keep them distracted from each other.

Bonding them indoors in a familiar shared environment and then moving them straight on to somewhere completely new to them all could break a fragile bond as they would have to re-establish territory.

 

[ThreeB’s]

Hi,

Thanks for replying. By fighting, they are on their sides kicking eachother and biting. They are separated (difficultly!) before blood is drawn. I know chasing and fur pulling can be normal, but it is all one sided. Bink will chase Blue and pull his fur and Blur just runs around trying to hide. Should I let him do this or take him away so he doesn’t scare him too much?

 

[tonibun]

I agree with Shimmer. I wouldn't let them fight like they are doing. Chasing is ok as long as they have plenty of space as you don't want to stress them out.