Bonding 2 female buns

Hi all.

I have had Phoebe for 6/7 months now and was spayed a couple of months ago. Shes a house rabbit but the intention was always to get her a companion however due to lack of money we couldn't do this yet.

My sister had 2 buns called Audrey and Big B (the b stands for Bridget, she's a big bunny lol). However she got neither of them spayed (my constant nagging never worked). After she had them for about 3 months (at this point they were 9-10 months old), big b became very territorial in their hutch and started fighting with Audrey. It got very nasty and my sister had no choice but to separate them. From then on, they lived in separate hutches and runs but they were side by side.

This story is so long I'm sorry haha! I also just want to say that my sister was not the best owner for her rabbits, and me and mum offered to take them as we know we'd look after them better.

Anyway fast forward a year.

my sister brought big b inside because she managed to escape from her hutch and within a month, Audrey died . It was heartbreaking and I know exactly why she died, as she was very underweight. I told my sister numerous times she was underweight but my sister is one of them people that is an expert on everything (or thinks she is) and is always right (even when she's not).

Me and mum have a hutch outside so we offered to take big b again because maybe we could bond her with Phoebe. I don't want to do this until big b has been spayed! This won't be until the new year unfortunately, with Christmas coming up!

Anyway I wanted to know the best way to do this when the time comes? Phoebe is currently 10 months old and we think big b is just less than 2 years old.

I understand the process takes a while and I'd rather do it slowly than throw them together and hope for the best (which is what my sister did) . Anyway I'd love to hear your advice!

Hiya!

I would recommend starting the bonding process a couple of months after Big B has been spayed as this will allow plenty of time for her hormones to die down. In the meantime you could place them side by side so they can see each other!

When it comes to bonding them, make sure you start off in a small space that is completely new to both of them - a lot of people use the bath! or set up a small area of puppy pen plans. It is important not to attempt bonding in an area where either of them have been otherwise they can be territorial.
Also, don't put anything like a litter box or food bowl in that they could potentially get territorial over.

Start doing bonding sessions of around 15mins and don't interfere unless you really have to - i.e lots of aggression or fighting - the main reason you should use small spaces is too bring them together but also so they can't chase each other!

It is best to do this twice a day if possible and always end the session on a positive note. As things improve make the sessions longer. Once they are grooming/cuddling you can probably move them to a slightly bigger space and then keep increasing the size gradually.

It is important to wipe down their hutches, toys etc. with white vinegar to remove their smells. if anything bad happens it is a sign you may be moving the bonding too quick for them so take a step backwards.

It requires a lot of work and patience so good luck!

Thanks for the advice that was really helpful!