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Bonding-in a 3rd or 4th bunny...?

Squishies

Warren Scout
Hi there, we are ‘Honey’ and ‘Einstein’ (plus our owner/slave, Marie)… we were originally a trio, but lost our favourite friend, Bob, to a tragic attack from a wily cat.

We desperately miss Bob’s more docile, friendly temperament (he loved to snuggle and groom, and that is now very missing from the group dynamic) and so, if at all possible, *at the right time*, we would somehow like to re-grow our little troop.

…essentially, my question is, given how established my original pair are (2 years old, all siblings from same litter of mini-lops), would bonding-in a new bunny, or a new pair, even be possible?

I’m guessing the biggest issue would be that Honey and Einstein ‘own’ the territory (not just their condo, but they are used to having free-run of the house and garden), and I would be wanting to eventually have the whole troop in the same big condo (rather than a separate hutch).
Both buck and doe are neutered/spayed.

Any advice or ideas greatly appreciated – we want to get this right and provide comfort and joy rather than stress for our little family!

Thank you x x
 
Hello and Welcome. no-one can answer your question s it all b oils down to personalities really. I would opt for a boy, although I have never done a trio as females are more difficult to bond. You would have to bond them in a neutral area as rabbits, especially females, are very territorial. So, good luck if you decide to go ahead.
 
Hi Tonibun, and thank you for replying to my pondering...!

...yes, that makes sense - girl bunny is indeed the most territorial, and definitely 'alpha bunny', so a boy or boys would be better...
- once bonded, could they be re-introduced together to the main living area?

Anyone out there managed to do this or similar with their furry families?

Thanks again,
Marie
x
 
I'm sorry to hear about Bob.

I've done similar I guess. I had a bonded male & female (Joey & Boo) & decided to add in a third female(Mouse).

They could live together in the existing set up once they are bonded. A laid back boy sounds a good plan - do you have any local rescues that might be able to offer introductory meetings & give you info about any potential suitors temperament?

I'm happy to answer any questions but I didn't follow all of the bonding rules - neutral territory went out the window after a week of living in a tiny enclosure with them & seeing no progress:lol: It was hard work but definitely worth it for us
 
Thanks so much for replying Joey, Boo (and Mouse!)...

That gives me some hope that it could be possible with a bit of patience and the right bunny - I have indeed contacted my local rescue, ARC (Richmond), and should probably widen the net a bit to other centres so that they can bear us in mind when they have suitable new rescues.
I'm guessing certain rescue centres will offer help in the bonding process, too - one of my issues is that, having given over my house and garden to the furries, my existing rabbits are extremely confident and in their space, and there is very limited neutral territory to play with.

Can I ask a few questions about your trio, please?
...how old respectively were your furries when you did the introduction?
...when you say 'neutral territory went out the window', do you mean to say you ended up just putting them all in together?
(weren't you terrified that they might reject Mouse and/or you'd wake up to an injured bunny?)
...were you literally lying in a pen with them 24/7; did you put them into respective hutches/homes separately overnight?

Thanks again, all ideas and advice welcome at this stage!

Marie
x
 
My first bunny dating experience was in Richmond - Bunny Burrows, i''m not sure if its still going.

Joey was 4, Boo 2 and Mouse 4. We went to Camp Nibble to introduce J&B to Mouse. all approx as rescues

I was quite literally sitting under a table with them penned off - if I retreated to the nearby chair Boo attacked Mouse. After 8 days OH got grumpy & put the girls in a towelled bath. Boo groomed Mouse then bit her. So we tried the lounge - they free roam normally (carpeted so neutralising probably ineffective but we tried). This allowed me to observe in comfort & Mouse to escape. Joey & Mouse bonded instantly. Me & OH did shifts but I;d normally go to bed (with Mouse) at 3am - for about a week. A week or 2 on the sofa then they were ok. Lots of cuddles & grooming but boo took ages to stop fur pulling & chasing Mouse on an occassional basis (few times a day at first, slowly reducing over time. There was never any injuries & even early on they were lovely during snoozy time. I think this was week 2 with my girls. Mouse is B&W bun, she was relaxed most of the time.

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joey&boo;6879295[B said:
]My first bunny dating experience was in Richmond - Bunny Burrows, i''m not sure if its still going.[/B]

Joey was 4, Boo 2 and Mouse 4. We went to Camp Nibble to introduce J&B to Mouse. all approx as rescues

I was quite literally sitting under a table with them penned off - if I retreated to the nearby chair Boo attacked Mouse. After 8 days OH got grumpy & put the girls in a towelled bath. Boo groomed Mouse then bit her. So we tried the lounge - they free roam normally (carpeted so neutralising probably ineffective but we tried). This allowed me to observe in comfort & Mouse to escape. Joey & Mouse bonded instantly. Me & OH did shifts but I;d normally go to bed (with Mouse) at 3am - for about a week. A week or 2 on the sofa then they were ok. Lots of cuddles & grooming but boo took ages to stop fur pulling & chasing Mouse on an occassional basis (few times a day at first, slowly reducing over time. There was never any injuries & even early on they were lovely during snoozy time. I think this was week 2 with my girls. Mouse is B&W bun, she was relaxed most of the time.

[URL=http://s375.photobucket.com/user/louisefoot/media/IMG_2065_zps0gkno7am.jpg.html]
[IMG]http://i375.photobucket.com/albums/oo197/louisefoot/IMG_2065_zps0gkno7am.jpg[/URL][/IMG]


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I didn't know you went to Bunny Burrows! I've been in touch with Gwen fairly recently, so I assume all is still well :D I knew her from the old 'Houserabbit Association' days :lol:
 
Thanks again for the extra info (and gorgeous photos!) Joey, Boo & Mouse - it sounds like one heck of a week (or several?!) that you all had under the table, but I can see it was all very much worth it.

My bunnies are up and down at the moment, so I know I have to give it some more time for now, which at least gives me time to do some more reading on ideas/methods etc - they are having a tough time settling without their favourite comrade; it seems he was the 'social glue' of the group and they have been bickering today (they didn't use to do this in the trio, evidently the order was clearer, or perhaps Bob somehow kept the peace...).

...It's quite some feat that you bonded-in a second girl bun from the sounds of it. And doubly amazing that you managed to do it not-quite-neutral territory - I've been watching girl bunny this afternoon and she is very much in charge of the territory; I think every single plant in the garden is scented by her chin rubs, and she really doesn't like it when I move things around in the lounge. Sigh... I sense she is not going to be the easiest girl to please!

When you say you would then go to bed with Mouse, do you mean you slept with her in a different part of the 'neutral zone'? ...or did you take her off to another part of the house for a break? Where did you 'house' everyone at night/during the day without putting them back in to their respective original hutches and pens?

I should probably consider taking them to a bonding expert to have an extra pair of hands to help me pick suitable 'mates' and start the process (no OH to share the shifts!) -- I'm actually the other Richmond (SW London, the imposter Richmond!), and there seem to be a handful of rescue centres nearby, although no replies just yet (totally understandable, I know so many are manned by volunteers who are undoubtedly stretched).

Thanks again,
Marie, Honey and Einstein x
 
Thanks again for the extra info (and gorgeous photos!) Joey, Boo & Mouse - it sounds like one heck of a week (or several?!) that you all had under the table, but I can see it was all very much worth it.

My bunnies are up and down at the moment, so I know I have to give it some more time for now, which at least gives me time to do some more reading on ideas/methods etc - they are having a tough time settling without their favourite comrade; it seems he was the 'social glue' of the group and they have been bickering today (they didn't use to do this in the trio, evidently the order was clearer, or perhaps Bob somehow kept the peace...).

...It's quite some feat that you bonded-in a second girl bun from the sounds of it. And doubly amazing that you managed to do it not-quite-neutral territory - I've been watching girl bunny this afternoon and she is very much in charge of the territory; I think every single plant in the garden is scented by her chin rubs, and she really doesn't like it when I move things around in the lounge. Sigh... I sense she is not going to be the easiest girl to please!

When you say you would then go to bed with Mouse, do you mean you slept with her in a different part of the 'neutral zone'? ...or did you take her off to another part of the house for a break? Where did you 'house' everyone at night/during the day without putting them back in to their respective original hutches and pens?

I should probably consider taking them to a bonding expert to have an extra pair of hands to help me pick suitable 'mates' and start the process (no OH to share the shifts!) -- I'm actually the other Richmond (SW London, the imposter Richmond!), and there seem to be a handful of rescue centres nearby, although no replies just yet (totally understandable, I know so many are manned by volunteers who are undoubtedly stretched).

Thanks again,
Marie, Honey and Einstein x

Welcome to the forum Marie and good luck with your bonding :wave:
 
Hi, I'm in the process of bonding 4. I had 2 bonded pairs but lost one (old age) so got another but then decided to try all 4. I followed all advice, put them next to each other, did play dates and it seemed to be working. Last weekend I've put them all together for 3 days now. The new boy is fine with all 3 girls, but Lavender (one of the bonded sisters) has started chasing Lucy (girl who lost her 'hubby). Lucy has retreated to the hutch (shed set up with hutch inside) and won't let anyone else in, but if she comes down, Lavender chases her back inside. It's a large 2 storey hutch but it seems like I've got a single (under hutch arrest) and a bonded 3! All are neutered/spayed. Any advice??? Any offers to collect them all and return them as a 4 (really stressed about it now!!). Sarah
 
Hello I'm so sorry for your loss. :( Bonding a third bunny is definitely possible! I have had a lot of trios and actually have some bonding videos on YouTube if you'd be interested in seeing how I did it? :)
 
Oooh, thank you Mum to many bunnies!
...I will check out the videos - watching and reading lots right now; there seem to be a few different techniques people try, but I'm getting the feeling that sussing out the right personalities to put together may well be an even bigger part of it!

Marie
x
 
Thanks so much for the welcome, MightyMax, and welcome, Sarah!

...Sarah, don't give up; it sounds like you were very nearly there... They are asserting territory ownership/hierarchy from what it sounds like but not actively fighting.
I have been doing lots of reading as I consider doing this for my furries - as you will have seen, there is lots of different advice out there but there are two things that spring up a lot in the info that I have been reading which may or may not be worth considering (please someone more experienced step in here and endorse/reject these ideas or offer other thoughts as best fit!):
1) you might want to try taking a step back to neutral territory for a few days and with longer play dates, and then trying again (how easy is it to neutralise and rearrange the main hutch set-up before you return them all? - it sounds like some territory re-claiming is in play...)?
2) is it possible to pop them all in a pet carrier and take them on a short car journey? -- I know this sounds very intense, but this enforced 'stress' situation seems to crop in lots of the advice out there, and forces the rabbits to snuggle up close for support and appears to help along the bonding process.

Whereabouts are you Sarah if someone wanted to help either with a car journey or some neutral territory?

Mx
 
Hi Marie and thanks for the lovely reply.
You've made me feel better, yes I should give it a bit more time, they are not actively fighting, a bit of scrapping when Lucy comes out of the hutch into the shared space. I did consider starting again but I've now bonded Piper (the new boy) with the 2 sisters (lavender and Jet) so if I put them all back in previous hutches he may unbond. The 3 of them are good now, so it's just Lucy. I've put up a large shed and sectioned off half of it (8 x 8ft) for them to live in. I've ordered a large 6x11ft run to add on to the side with a catflap for permanent access so I'm really keen for them to bond so they all have lots of space. If it doesn't work, ill have to divide each space and have 2 pairs but they'd have to take it in turns to use the run. I keep telling them it's in their interest to co-operate! Inside the shed is a large 2 storey hutch with the door open (now occupied by Lucy) and a large dog bed filled with hay (where the others sleep now.) good idea to try the car journey technique, ill use a large box and do it this weekend to try to remind them to get on! Today I let them out into a fenced off area and Lucy did come down for a bit (couple of scraps but no injuries).
Ill keep you posted. I'm near Nottingham.
Sarah x
 
Update on bonding 4

A week after I left them overnight, they have separated into a 3 and 1. Lucy moved into the hutch and claimed it as her own, if she comes out they chase her back in. The other 3 have bonded well in the rest of the shed using the dog bed. Not sure what to do now. I have a run coming to go onto the shed side so need to have one 'household' I've left them a week to see if they get used to each other but it's not worked. I'm having to feed Lucy in the upstairs of the hutch as she won't come down. I can't move them all back to previous hutches as the 3 would lose their bond. Any suggestions? Options are I start with a 3 and try to bond the 4th but have to find another neutral space, but then when I put them back into the shed it may break down, I leave them as a 3 and a 1 but Lucy would be lonely and won't have constant access to the run, or I find another home for Lucy with a friend she likes? Any ideas? All my friends are bored of my bunny trauma now...
 
Can anyone help Sarah with ideas, please?

Oh no, Sarah, I was literally just thinking of you earlier; thinking I ought to log on and ask for an update... I really want this to work for you, it sounds like you have a lovely set-up you are preparing for them.

Hopefully my reply will help push this thread back up in the forum for others to offer some advice, but do try starting a new thread with a title asking for some 'help!' I say!

...I still think you're doing ok, and could well get this to work with the right help/approach I hope. Sadly I'm the other end of the country to Notts, else I would offer space/ an extra pair of hands to help, but in the absence of being there, I am more than happy to chat on the phone if you just want to chat to someone who won't grow tired of bunny talk (just PM me and we can exchange numbers).

In the meantime, for what it's worth, (and again, I'm not yet an expert, rather I am just doing lots of reading for when I attempt the same later in the year!) from what I've read/watched, it might only be that you gave them a bit too much space too soon when you moved them back to the shed -- if you watch "Mischief and Tinker's Mum" 's 3 youtube videos on her recent bonding, when she put the 3 rabbits back in to the cleaned living quarters she sectioned off the shed to give them a little bit less space than they would ordinarily have, and she sat with them while they re-settled.

Here is what I would try (again, just an idea, please someone who has been through similar step in and correct!):
...I would take all 4 for a car journey and then back to some neutral space (start quite confined, like the bath tub, then a pen somewhere in the house), get in with them/staying with them and ensuring all 3 interact with Lucy (keep placing them side by side with her, and keep stroking/comforting both parties with each rotation). Once confident all are interacting fully and are relaxed I would clean out and rearrange the shed again, and then take them back to a sectioned-off, smaller area of the shed with lots of new toys, munchies and distractions... I would perhaps only give them back full access to the hutches once I was happy there was better 'interacting' and sharing of space?

Keep us posted and feel free to PM me if you want to chat, sending positive thoughts,

Marie
x
 
A week after I left them overnight, they have separated into a 3 and 1. Lucy moved into the hutch and claimed it as her own, if she comes out they chase her back in. The other 3 have bonded well in the rest of the shed using the dog bed. Not sure what to do now. I have a run coming to go onto the shed side so need to have one 'household' I've left them a week to see if they get used to each other but it's not worked. I'm having to feed Lucy in the upstairs of the hutch as she won't come down. I can't move them all back to previous hutches as the 3 would lose their bond. Any suggestions? Options are I start with a 3 and try to bond the 4th but have to find another neutral space, but then when I put them back into the shed it may break down, I leave them as a 3 and a 1 but Lucy would be lonely and won't have constant access to the run, or I find another home for Lucy with a friend she likes? Any ideas? All my friends are bored of my bunny trauma now...

Is the shed neutral territory, where none of the rabbits had been before? If so I would section off a smaller part of the shed and not give them any tunnels, hutches or hides that they can claim as their own. Sometimes during bonding you can end up with a temporary split, when I bonded 2 pairs into a quad I briefly ended up with them acting as a trio and a single but they had to interact as I had them in an xl dog crate and then slowly extended their space.

Any time you move them or add space it is likely to trigger chasing/fur pulling etc, don't be tempted to extend space or move them too soon and leave it at least 2 days after any signs of chasing etc.
 
Is the shed neutral territory, where none of the rabbits had been before? If so I would section off a smaller part of the shed and not give them any tunnels, hutches or hides that they can claim as their own. Sometimes during bonding you can end up with a temporary split, when I bonded 2 pairs into a quad I briefly ended up with them acting as a trio and a single but they had to interact as I had them in an xl dog crate and then slowly extended their space.

Any time you move them or add space it is likely to trigger chasing/fur pulling etc, don't be tempted to extend space or move them too soon and leave it at least 2 days after any signs of chasing etc.

This is great advice from Zoobec. I wish you & your bunnies well
 
Thanks

Thanks both its really good to have the support. The shed was new to them all so they've only been in for a couple of weeks. I don't want to move them into the house as it'll be too warm (and OH won't be too chuffed) but I could consider the garage or shut the hutch off so the space is smaller? Thanks Marie I will do a car journey in a box and then do the sectioning off idea. I know my mistake was opening up the hutch too early. Actually as OH is in Oman until Wednesday, I could use part of the garage (move his gym out of the way)....and try that.
I think it's the worry of Lucy getting hurt that cripples me but having a plan is good! Ill keep you posted and thanks again.
It'll be worth it though, the set up will be great when Boyles finally deliver my run!
I may pm you Marie if I get stuck!
Sarah x
 
Very good advice from Zoobec.
I don't agree with 'stress bonding' which is what the car journey would be.
Good luck!
 
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