Is my bonding going well or not?

[Katy]

Hi all!!!!

I have a spayed female bun, Dini, who is 4 years old, shes been on her own for over four years now (mini lop x netherland dwarf). Long story short i have come into two male 8 week old male mini rex bunnies, and considered trying to bond them with Dini.

Initial introduction found Dini nipping at the boys. They instantly submissed and retreated. I then panicked, worrying Dini was going to hurt the little boys and separated her and put her back in her hutch. I then tried again a couple of hours later. I did this a bit differently, as i had Dini on my knee, with me stroking her and letting the boys come and sit near her. This went alot better as she didn't seem bothered with them at all. The next day I just allowed contact through mesh so they could get the scent. The next day I put them in a neutral run together and, although there was nipping, it wasn't as bad as the initial introduction. I decided to let them stay together as the boys didn't seem too shook up by the nipping, infact they keep trying to get close to her as much as she allows.

She seems to tolerate them more as the days go on, but she still nips. I am still carrying on the introduction together but the past couple of days there hasn't been alot of progress. She is still nipping them when they get too close, yet she seems more comfortable with them in the run with her (she will lie down, groom herself, eat food). I read up on a 'car bonding method', as the stressful situation brings them closer in theory. I didn't use a car, but hoovered up next to their run which gave the same effect (I felt so mean after ). This worked, they all huddled together and after the ordeal there was no nipping for a good 30 minutes! Then she just started to nip them again. The boys are desperate for her attention, and the nipping hasn't deterred them to try and get close to her. It's just her being a bit temperamental! When I am out the rabbits are in conjoining runs so they can see each other through mesh without any contact.

Should i stop the nipping? I always check them after a nip to see if she has hurt them but there's never any skin breaks or marks. They don't seem too aggressive, could it be a dominance thing? The past couple of days have been the same, with no real progress (still nipping when the boys get too close). They currently have bedding swapped through hutches every day for the scent. Dini doesn't seem to have any real issue with the boys, more like they 'irritate' her when they get too close.

Has anybody had any similar situations? What would you all suggest I should do?

P.S -

- The boys will be neutered as soon as their testicles descend, but until they are fully healed they will not be staying in the same hutch or have full contact without supervision until then

- All bonding areas are in neutral space

- I'm not interested in people telling me i shouldn't have got two baby boys. I rescued them from a friend as they couldn't house them anymore. I just want advice on the best chance i can have at bonding my three bunnies

Thank you all in advance!!!!


Katy!

 

[tonibun]

Hi there! So the boys are 8 weeks old, still babies, so they have quite a bit of growing up to do before you will really know if they all can live together peacefully. Boys can start fighting at around 14 weeks so that is something to watch out for, at the moment your female will possibly be a bit irritated by them as they are babies so she is definitely the boss. The boys might think of her a Mum which is possibly why they want to get lose to her, remembering how they would cuddle up to their Mum.

Once puberty hits, the boys will start to pester the female and this could lead to her becoming even more aggressive with them, so something else for the near future to watch out for.

Once the boys are neutered you would then be able to try bonding the 3 in a neutral area but whether it will work or not is an unknown quantity at this time. Personalities do play a biggish part in whether rabbits will cohabit peacefully, so only time will tell.

As long as you keep a careful eye on the daily behaviour of the 3 then you can spot any problems early and - fingers crossed, you will finish up with 3 happy bunnies.

The problem you may have is the fact that your female bunny has been alone for quite some time, so you must bear this in mind - it is not her fault she has been a lone rabbit for this length of time and it may have some effect on the way she treats other rabbits. Good luck.

 

[Katy]

Hi there! So the boys are 8 weeks old, still babies, so they have quite a bit of growing up to do before you will really know if they all can live together peacefully. Boys can start fighting at around 14 weeks so that is something to watch out for, at the moment your female will possibly be a bit irritated by them as they are babies so she is definitely the boss. The boys might think of her a Mum which is possibly why they want to get lose to her, remembering how they would cuddle up to their Mum.

Once puberty hits, the boys will start to pester the female and this could lead to her becoming even more aggressive with them, so something else for the near future to watch out for.

Once the boys are neutered you would then be able to try bonding the 3 in a neutral area but whether it will work or not is an unknown quantity at this time. Personalities do play a biggish part in whether rabbits will cohabit peacefully, so only time will tell.

As long as you keep a careful eye on the daily behaviour of the 3 then you can spot any problems early and - fingers crossed, you will finish up with 3 happy bunnies.

The problem you may have is the fact that your female bunny has been alone for quite some time, so you must bear this in mind - it is not her fault she has been a lone rabbit for this length of time and it may have some effect on the way she treats other rabbits. Good luck.

Thank you for your reply! Do you think I should completely stop their interaction until the boys are fixed then??

 

[tonibun]

It's hard to say for sure, not actually being there to watch them, but I would say the answer is sadly Yes. I also think anyone else who replies will say the same. BUT you might have 3 really easy laid back bunnies who are low in aggression, so you could put them together but only until the boys start chasing the female, so you would have to separate them at that stage anyway.