First attempt at bonding - not sure how it went

Hi,

I introduced my new rescue neutered male to my neutered female on neutral territory today. I was a bit wary because he is only about 2 1/2 weeks post neuter but I read somewhere that the residual hormones can sometimes help with a bond.

I put him into the bathroom first and when I added the female he was sitting in a cardboard box and it looked as though she did nip his bottom. When he came out they had a quick separate look round. She did not seem that interested in him, but he kept wanting to mount her. I let him for a couple of seconds and then lifted him off each time. The female would just lie crouched for a few seconds but would then sit up and start to look around her but then he would come back to mount her and after about 10 minutes of this I separated them again, in case the female became upset.

Do you think I need to wait longer before trying again because of his hormones or does this sound fairly usual? I was encouraged that it wasn't hate at first sight, they have been living side by side for two weeks. For those of you with more experience bonding bunnies, are there any particularly hopefuly/negative signs in what I've described? Do I just keep going with the "dating"?

Thank you.

It sounds quite encouraging as rabbits which have been neutered for a few years would still try to mount a new female. The mounting is usually just a short-lived phase and they then forget about it and settle down with each other. Your female was very submissive which is a good sign. Hope it goes well.

It all sound positive & normal too me. Very much like Joey & Boo's first few hours, they were loved up after 24. You could probably do a full on bonding session or are you sticking with dates ?

I thought I would post an update.

After the first date I thought about it and realised that the humping and chasing etc is just a stage that has to be got through. So that evening I put them together again in the bathroom. The male bunny became Mr Hump and Thump and my female was quite submissive but there was no aggression. That night I put them both into my small indoor cage so that they could come into our room and there were no problems.

On the second day I put them both into my smallest outdoor run. My female bun is used to being outside and in the first couple of hours there was some circling (which I interrupted), she tried to mount him and she also got a couple of good nips in on his bottom when he was ill advised enough to go past her. It all settled down, however, and by evening when they went back into the indoor cage in our room I was starting to feel more confident. They had another settled night and then spent the day together outside in the same run.

Today I kept an eye on them but deliberately did not intervene. The male just wants to get next to Rosie. He will jump over her from side to side, presumably saying, "look at me, look at me,". If Rosie is sitting down he will try and insert himself into the space between her and the run and just flop, so she can use him as a bunny cushion. I have seen each of them groom the other, although mostly Rosie grooming him.

Tonight, they are spending the night together in the small outdoor run for the first time but I feel reasonably confident. All being well the plan is for them to stay in the small run for this week and then try and introduce them to the big run next weekend when I can watch them. I'm a bit nervous about this as it is the female's run made of wood and wire. I have scrubbed it today with dishwashing liquid and will also try and neutralise it with white vinegar. Getting a new run isn't really an option as my husband made this one and it's a decent size. Ultimately I want to get back to two bunnies in a big cage plus run, with free range time mornings, evenings and weekends. I do feel quite lucky so far with how this bonding has gone, especially as I have zero experience.

Yes it sounds like you have the making of a successful bond but be careful not to introduce too many changes as this could set off unwanted behaviour. I doubt the run will cause any problem as it will have got rained on so it's just things like litter trays and maybe toys. Fingers crossed for a very happy pair of bunnies :thumb: