Tips on bonding three bunnies?

BunBun1195 · Sep 28, 2015

Hello! I have two 4-5 month old neutered male rabbits. They get along great, they even groom each other. Tomorrow I will be getting a new baby bunny. The baby will also be a male, however, he is to young to be neutered. Whenever he gets old enough though, I will be getting him neutered also. I'm really nervous about the bonding process, since I've never done this before. The other two were already bonded when I got them. I've been reading and reading on how to do this. I know it has to be done in a neutral place, but I'm just so afraid I'll do something wrong. Does anyone have any advice? I don't know if I should put the two I have now together with the new one and introduce them, or introduce them to my new one separately.

Beau Belle · Sep 28, 2015

Hello there

So, what you need to be prepared for is that they may not bond with the third one, and you find yourself with a pair and a single... (This is of course the "worst case scenario" and things may go fine, but it's important you know and prepare yourself for all possible outcomes).

In my experience, bonding can be *very* hard - it's a bit like someone places an uninvited person in your house and expects you to invite them into your bed..! You may not agree

It may be an idea to let them see/smell each other through bars of hutches, but my suggestion would be to wait with any introductions until the baby has been neutered and hormones have settled. (I know some will advise to not let them see/smell each other - the above is how I do it).

It's also important to know that the smell of a new bun could upset the bonded pair and you might find that there is some aggression. There could be nipping, bickering, fighting... There will likely be peeing on the floor (scent marking) and they might try to break out of their hutch to get to the newbie.

On the other hand - if it all goes well, it is lively to see three happy buns snuggling together <3

BunBun1195 · Sep 28, 2015

Beau Belle said:
Hello there

So, what you need to be prepared for is that they may not bond with the third one, and you find yourself with a pair and a single... (This is of course the "worst case scenario" and things may go fine, but it's important you know and prepare yourself for all possible outcomes).

In my experience, bonding can be *very* hard - it's a bit like someone places an uninvited person in your house and expects you to invite them into your bed..! You may not agree

It may be an idea to let them see/smell each other through bars of hutches, but my suggestion would be to wait with any introductions until the baby has been neutered and hormones have settled. (I know some will advise to not let them see/smell each other - the above is how I do it).

It's also important to know that the smell of a new bun could upset the bonded pair and you might find that there is some aggression. There could be nipping, bickering, fighting... There will likely be peeing on the floor (scent marking) and they might try to break out of their hutch to get to the newbie.

On the other hand - if it all goes well, it is lively to see three happy buns snuggling together <3

Thank you! Those are a lot of great tips!

Tips on bonding three bunnies?

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