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Bonding 3 rabbits

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ClementineANDElsta

New Kit
Hi, I have a neutered male and spayed female rabbit who have been bonded well for about a year. I am considering adding a third, who is around 6-7 years old. He is Netherland Dwarf and has lived alone his whole life. I was wondering if bonding them would be at all possible, and whether it could damage the existing bond between my original pair?
Thanks in advance :)
 
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Well, I am a wimp when it comes to bonding - and even more so when considering adding to an already bonded pair. In short, I wouldn't attempt it as there is such a high risk of ruining the existing bond. I hope someone comes along with more constructive comments!
 
Its certainly possible but whether the rabbits agree is anyone's guess. My trio bond was hard work but very rewarding. It'd be nice for the lonely Nethie if it worked out - but do you have options if it doesnt?
 
Hi, I have a trio. I had 2 bonded sisters and added another 2 singles, a nethie boy and lop girl. It worked for a month or so and then 2 of the girls fell out. Now I have the 2 sisters and the nethie boy together. They are secure and the nethie boy has friends for the first time ( I adopted him from someone who'd always kept him alone). He went a bit mad to start with, all these girls to mount!! (they're all neutered don't worry!), but settled down and is very happy with his girls now. The girls bond is fine. I think it's worth a try, but obviously is a risk.
 
No one can know whether it'll work, it so depends on their characters. Read all the bonding threads and follow the advice to give it the best chance. Good luck!
 
I think I'd be nervous of introducing a third if your original pair are so happy as they are. It could work, but then it might not. Would it be possible to pair the new bun with a partner and have two pairs?

When we took on our doe Dottie, we considered whether we could bond her with one of our existing groups, but decided it was too risky and she now has a partner of her own.

We do have a trio, but the circumstances are a bit different we had two males who came to us separated after falling out and we rebonded them into a trio with our another single female at the time. It did work really well and they had a happy few months before one of the boys sadly passed x
 
ClementineANDElsta said:
Hi, I have a neutered male and spayed female rabbit who have been bonded well for about a year. I am considering adding a third, who is around 6-7 years old. He is Netherland Dwarf and has lived alone his whole life. I was wondering if bonding them would be at all possible, and whether it could damage the existing bond between my original pair?
Thanks in advance :)
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Mischief and Tinker's Mum has posted videos of trio bonding, and they are really informative - well worth a look! :)

Depending upon the personality of the little Nethie, I would go for it. That's just me, mind :D

Do a lot of research and then decide - hopefully something here will help you :D


http://rabbit.org/the-most-important-word-in-bonding-is-patience/

http://rabbit.org/introducing-rabbits-in-a-group-situation/

http://www.cottontails-rescue.org.uk/information/bonding-bunnies/ (good for pair bonding)

http://www.fatfluffs.com/info/bonding/

http://www.actionforrabbits.co.uk/bonding.html


There is also a very good book in RWAF shop:

https://shop.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/product/bonding-rabbits-by-fiona-campbell/


Good luck if you decide to have a go :thumb:
 
I have a trio - originally a m/m pair (litter mates) then added a female. The bonding process was easier than I expected, I'd never attempted to bond rabbits before so I read a lot I advance and was nervous of how it would go. They lived side by side for a few weeks while the female recovered from her spay then had 1 meeting in the bath which went ok. Same again the following day then I moved them to a dog crate and they were getting on so well I kept them together from that point on. They get on well most of the time (the odd bit of chasing) and it's lovely to see them all together. Very much depends on the personalities of the rabbits involved, and there is always the risk of breaking the existing bond.
 
The old useful topics sticky in bonding is where you can find the trio bonding video by Mischief and tinkers mum :thumb: there is also a sticky on trio bonding which is worth reading. Personality of the rabbits involved is a big factor in bonding. Bonding may cause your original pair to fall out but no one can say how it will go.
 
Hi thank you to those who mentioned my videos :) Yep I've bonded a fair few trios in my time and they've always worked out despite some of my rabbits being quite aggressive with one another initially. Here's where you can find the videos: http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?462466

The first 3 videos show how I bonded my latest trio where I added a male to my male & female pair. The last video was my trio before this where I had a lone female and added in an already bonded male & female pair. If you want to see how I dealt with some nasty fights then this is probably the video to watch as it was a harder bond and shows that even buns who appear to hate each other can eventually get along! Good luck, I think it would be lovely if you could give the little nethie a home! :love:
 
Mischief and Tinker's Mum said:
Hi thank you to those who mentioned my videos :) Yep I've bonded a fair few trios in my time and they've always worked out despite some of my rabbits being quite aggressive with one another initially. Here's where you can find the videos: http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?462466

The first 3 videos show how I bonded my latest trio where I added a male to my male & female pair. The last video was my trio before this where I had a lone female and added in an already bonded male & female pair. If you want to see how I dealt with some nasty fights then this is probably the video to watch as it was a harder bond and shows that even buns who appear to hate each other can eventually get along! Good luck, I think it would be lovely if you could give the little nethie a home! :love:
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I'm so glad you've come online and posted this MTM :D
 
I've just successfully bonded my only boy (castrated) to my 2 bonded girls as he was living alone. (Long story lol) I've heard of immediate bonds but never witnessed it until I bonded these 3. It can be done just really depends on your rabbits I think.
 
Me&MyGirlies said:
I've just successfully bonded my only boy (castrated) to my 2 bonded girls as he was living alone. (Long story lol) I've heard of immediate bonds but never witnessed it until I bonded these 3. It can be done just really depends on your rabbits I think.
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Absolutely :D

I bonded a three recently, and the boys took to one another within 10 minutes.

The girl took 6 hours before she deigned to groom anyone :lol:
 
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