have I spoilt things for this couple? What is the best way forward

Things were looking so promising while dating in our utility room. But then our male bun got an eye infection (old injury before he came to us, has given trouble in the past, I think recent stress has caused it to flare up again). We have been to the vets (twice), he is on meds and it is starting to look better. But it did mean that the dating stopped for a few days as boy bun was grumpy.

I bought a new outdoor run (they are hutch bunnies - there is a large run always attached to boy bunny's hutch). Today when I tried them together in the new run boy bun chased new girl bun and looked like he wanted to nip her. No humping this time. Girl bun was frightened and ran away from him. After 20 mins or so I put them back in their separate hutches.

At the moment the two hutches are facing each other. I am really keen to get these two together, but really worried as the nipping did not occur before and I am frightened it is a precursor to a fight.

Jenny Jump said:

Things were looking so promising while dating in our utility room. But then our male bun got an eye infection (old injury before he came to us, has given trouble in the past, I think recent stress has caused it to flare up again). We have been to the vets (twice), he is on meds and it is starting to look better. But it did mean that the dating stopped for a few days as boy bun was grumpy.

I bought a new outdoor run (they are hutch bunnies - there is a large run always attached to boy bunny's hutch). Today when I tried them together in the new run boy bun chased new girl bun and looked like he wanted to nip her. No humping this time. Girl bun was frightened and ran away from him. After 20 mins or so I put them back in their separate hutches.

At the moment the two hutches are facing each other. I am really keen to get these two together, but really worried as the nipping did not occur before and I am frightened it is a precursor to a fight.

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I use a smaller area to bond. My kitchen floor (part blocked off) in fact. Could you be giving them too much space? I'm sure you haven't spoilt things ...

I do hope you are right MightyMax. The outdoor run is much bigger than the utility room. How big an area do you recommend? How brave do I need to be? Do I let them nip?

Jenny Jump said:

I do hope you are right MightyMax. The outdoor run is much bigger than the utility room. How big an area do you recommend? How brave do I need to be? Do I let them nip?

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Is your Buck still on treatment for his sore eye ? It's a really big ask to try to bond a Rabbit who has a sore eye. He is bound to be defensive as he knows he's vulnerable. Personally I would not even attempt to bond until he is better.

If he has actually finished his treatment now and if he is completely better then I would try re-introducing them in a small neutral area at first rather than in a large run. Too much space straight away can mean more chasing is likely to occur at the outset. You could partition off a bit of the utility room to make a small enclosure which you could gradually expand as the bonding process continues. They would need to remain living in the enclosure until they are bonded. If you put them back in their individual hutches every night then it can mean having to start from scratch again the next day. This is not always the case, sometimes 'bonding dates' can work. But in my experience it takes much longer that way and the bond never seems to be as secure in the longterm.

Thanks Jack's-Jane. No his eye still looks a bit sore. (He is blind in that eye) Do you think it is harmful for a future bond that they are in hutches facing each other? Going by the speed of progress it may be another week before I can try to bond them.

Jenny Jump said:

I do hope you are right MightyMax. The outdoor run is much bigger than the utility room. How big an area do you recommend? How brave do I need to be? Do I let them nip?

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When your male rabbit is entirely better, or as better as he's going to get, then I would try them in your utility room. If your utility room is fairly small and can get you in there too, then it seems to be ideal. Don't forget it's somewhere you're going to have to spend many long hours with them, so make sure you are comfortable as well!

You can expect some chasing and nipping - it's normal in the bonding process. You do need to be brave :thumb:

Jenny Jump said:

Thanks Jack's-Jane. No his eye still looks a bit sore. (He is blind in that eye) Do you think it is harmful for a future bond that they are in hutches facing each other? Going by the speed of progress it may be another week before I can try to bond them.

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It's not harmful for a future bond that the hutches are facing one another, but it doesn't really help them to get along together in any way.

Wait another week ..... There's no hurry. Best have you and them in the best frame of mind and it has more chance of success.

Thank you both so much for your input.

Jenny Jump said:

Thanks Jack's-Jane. No his eye still looks a bit sore. (He is blind in that eye) Do you think it is harmful for a future bond that they are in hutches facing each other? Going by the speed of progress it may be another week before I can try to bond them.

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I dont think it will necessarily be 'harmful' to any future bond, but when you do put them together I would make sure the meeting area is well away from the location of their respective hutches. As I mentioned before, I really would not attempt any introductions until his eye has settled down.

Jenny Jump said:

Thank you both so much for your input.

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You're most welcome Jenny

I will definitely be following your advice. Thank you both. I will let you know how it goes.

Jenny Jump said:

I will definitely be following your advice. Thank you both. I will let you know how it goes.

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:thumb: