which easier to bond??

[Jacquiepoppins]

Is there an easier pairing when bonding??? Isabella has rejected one male and not that keen on second one just wondering if i should give up and pair her with female?? This would mean bonding the 2 males together Is that a problem??

 

[nursecroft]

It generally is easier to bond male/female combos as long as they are neutered, are you bonding on neutral territory in a small space to start with? If she isnt keen on a male i think its unlikely a female will be any better, infact they are normally a harder pairing. Unrelated males are usually difficult too.

 

[Jacquiepoppins]

Thanks, just wondered if girly would be better than a boy. isabella's husbun passed away and i thought she would take to a new fella easily but no she keeps nipping him. we using a corner of bathroom every day this week have increased daily we now up to 90 min.

 

[nursecroft]

Thanks, just wondered if girly would be better than a boy. isabella's husbun passed away and i thought she would take to a new fella easily but no she keeps nipping him. we using a corner of bathroom every day this week have increased daily we now up to 90 min.

Thats normal to start with, im not a great believer in 'dates' to be honest, i think its better to set aside a few days and not seperate them so they can establish a pecking order rather than keep seperating them and undoing the work you have done. Is the bathroom a neutral area for them?

 

[The Duchess]

Thats normal to start with, im not a great believer in 'dates' to be honest, i think its better to set aside a few days and not seperate them so they can establish a pecking order rather than keep seperating them and undoing the work you have done. Is the bathroom a neutral area for them?

Agree with Lara.

I don't like the dating method.

I put aside time to do the pairing from start to finish in one go and have good results with this method. I am not saying dating can't work, but I think for most bunnies it just delays the enivitable meeting where they are going to have to be together for a good long period of time. A speed date does not generally reflect the how the bunnies will actually behave when introduced properly.

 

[VickiP]

:wave:I'm not sure 'dates' are great either, I am in favour of housing one rabbit next to another for a period of time though, I find this helps in terms of smells, sounds, movement recognition etc I also think swapping items like toys, litter trays just before cleaning out etc just so they can familiarise with the scent is a good thing. It's worked for me with dogs and rabbits this technique, it's a good way of introducing them and in particular a 'new rabbit' to the household aswell, they are disadvantaged otherwise in that they are not familiar with the hoomin or surroundings the established pet has the upper hand already. Have you thought about maybe trying that, letting them live side by side for a couple of weeks to get used to each other a bit more and then bonding in a different area that is neutral, how big an area are you trying to bond in? I think it is important to keep it relatively small but, not tiny:wave: