Novice needs help, please!

[icklemunch]

Betsy is my 3 year old Spayed free roam Mini-lop.
Yesterday we went on a date to Tameside rabbit rescue and met Barney neutered two weeks ago 1 year old mini-lop x.

He came home with us. I have no experience at this Bonding larky what so ever. Barney is currently living in Betsy's old cage in the living room till they are hopefully bonded so he can live free roam alongside Betsy.

The speed date at the rescue went well, ignored each other for a minute of two. Betsy was first to approach with a sniff of him bum. He did hump her a few times but nothing major. According to the lady at the rescue signs where good so Barney came home with us.

Left him to settle last night, there was quite abit of interaction through the bars. Sniffing etc but mostly ignored each other.
Barney came out this morning, Betsy again was first to approach. Barney tried to hump but pushed him off as the lady told me too. Then Betsy started to lunge at him then run off and hide. Really made me nervous she made a little noise too. Let this happen a few times before i got a little worried and put him back away. Betsy stayed hidden for 10 mims before coming out for her morning veg.

Is this good or bad?
Can anybody recommend any tips please. Really want this to work as he's lovely but wont have Betsy stressed etc in her own home.

 

[Mackers]

Hello and welcome to RU :wave:. You need to put them both in a completely neutral area - the floor of the bathroom is usually a good place since it's not too big and you don't normally have bunnies in there! Sit on the floor with them and observe. Be prepared for some chasing, humping and fur pulling - all ofwhich are completely normal. A locked-on fight should be stopped immediately. I would always advise that once you start bonding, don't separate them unless you absolutely have to. I always book a week off work so that I can be with them 24/7, sleeping on the floor next to them as well until they can prove they're not going to kill each other.

Once they can spend 24-48 hours together with no fighting and (hopefully) some mutal grooming and snuggling, you can think about moving them back to their permanent enclosure. However, you WILL need to completely neutralise that area so that no traces of your female or her scent remain, otherwise she'll still see it as her territory and will most likely try to fight the newcomer off. A solution of 50/50 water and white vinegar is a good neutralising liquid. When you first put them back into her area, keep it small and gradually, gradually increase the space. Too much space too soon can often result in fighting again.

Bonding bunnies can be really easy OR really stressful, depending on the personality of the bunnies involved.

Best of luck and just shout if you need any more help.

 

[tonibun]

Just as Mackers said.:thumb: Females are the more territorial of the 2. Good luck.

 

[icklemunch]

Hi.
Thank you so much. Big help

I actually finish work in two weeks for the summer hols (primary school) so i think the best bet is to wait till then, so plenty of time. Plus with Barney only being neutered two weeks ago gives him time for them hormones to settle.Eeek am nervous.

Thanks again.

 

[Mackers]

Sounds like a great plan. Benji had only been neutered 2 weeks when I introduced him to my spayed female and I have to confess that he went overboard with humping. Probably due to the fact that his hormones hadn't died down enough. 4-6 weeks is possibly a better lead time following a neuter but you can bond sooner than that (as I did) if the other bunny is already neutered. Just be prepared for the humping. I allowed him to hump as he was clearly the dominant partner of the duo BUT I oops:ahem) placed my hand underneath him so that he wasn't actually coming into contact with Flora, who would really had got annoyed at him otherwise. Let's just say that my hand was seriously violated many, many times that week :shock::lol:.

ETA - if it's a female who's been spayed, you must wait at least 6 weeks post-neuter for her hormones and wounds to heal before attempting bonding. But males can be bonded sooner under the right circumstances.