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Bonding question

Monty's Human

Monty's Human

Alpha Buck
I have a quick bonding question - I have been looking through the links from old threads here, and feel much more informed than I did :D One thing I can't find definite information on, though (just contradictory answers!), is how long do we wait post-neuter before we can introduce Monty to potential new rabbits? We had planned on waiting 6 weeks to be safe, and were just starting our search expecting it to take a while, but an opportunity has arisen to potentially take in a female bunny. The only rub is that her owner wants to re-home her asap, which we obviously aren't prepared for. Some sites are saying that 2 weeks post-neuter it will be ok to introduce to a new bunny provided she is spayed (this bunny is). I don't want to do anything to jeopardise a potential bond, so I'm keen not to introduce her to Monty too soon, but I can also appreciate that we may lose the opportunity if we can't take her in soon enough.

I don't want to rush into something we can't handle, but this is so far the only bunny I've been able to find within a reasonably reachable distance who might be suitable. This is a bad time to be committing to bonding, and it's only going to get worse as the year goes on - so if we can't get something going this summer (and the rescue we've spoken to has been discouraging - apparently female bunnies are in demand round our way) it may become impossible to do anything until the New Year. In a way I would be happy to wait until a better time, but we only got into this now because Monty seems to be missing rabbit company, so I would spend the entire time feeling unutterably mean for keeping him alone. So I guess I do actually have a second question: is it better to take the plunge with this not feeling quite prepared and risk it going wrong, or wait until we feel more certain but risk Monty having to be lonely for all that time? (I once read that you're ready to become a parent when the baby arrives, so don't wait for a perfect time because there's always a reason not to do it - I get the impression that bonding is much the same thing?)
 
Yes, six weeks is what's usually recommended, I think.

But, if I was in this situation I think I would take the girl bun, but keep them separately till the six weeks was up. That way you don't miss out.

Thats providing though that you have somewhere to keep the new bun until it's time for bonding and still have somewhere neutral to do so x
 
Monty's Human said:
I have a quick bonding question - I have been looking through the links from old threads here, and feel much more informed than I did :D One thing I can't find definite information on, though (just contradictory answers!), is how long do we wait post-neuter before we can introduce Monty to potential new rabbits? We had planned on waiting 6 weeks to be safe, and were just starting our search expecting it to take a while, but an opportunity has arisen to potentially take in a female bunny. The only rub is that her owner wants to re-home her asap, which we obviously aren't prepared for. Some sites are saying that 2 weeks post-neuter it will be ok to introduce to a new bunny provided she is spayed (this bunny is). I don't want to do anything to jeopardise a potential bond, so I'm keen not to introduce her to Monty too soon, but I can also appreciate that we may lose the opportunity if we can't take her in soon enough.

I don't want to rush into something we can't handle, but this is so far the only bunny I've been able to find within a reasonably reachable distance who might be suitable. This is a bad time to be committing to bonding, and it's only going to get worse as the year goes on - so if we can't get something going this summer (and the rescue we've spoken to has been discouraging - apparently female bunnies are in demand round our way) it may become impossible to do anything until the New Year. In a way I would be happy to wait until a better time, but we only got into this now because Monty seems to be missing rabbit company, so I would spend the entire time feeling unutterably mean for keeping him alone. So I guess I do actually have a second question: is it better to take the plunge with this not feeling quite prepared and risk it going wrong, or wait until we feel more certain but risk Monty having to be lonely for all that time? (I once read that you're ready to become a parent when the baby arrives, so don't wait for a perfect time because there's always a reason not to do it - I get the impression that bonding is much the same thing?)
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Hiya :wave:

I had this earlier this year. I would *definitely* wait longer than 2 weeks. 4 weeks absolute minimum. 8 weeks is preferable and 12 weeks is fantastic. Hormones can take up to 12 weeks to subside (we tested all this out over years with rescue rabbits!). One month is definitely the minimum.

I would get her and keep her separate and wait as long as you can. I waited 2 months, but 6 weeks should be OK if she's a placid little bun and he's not too feisty :)
 
We would be able to keep them separately (ish). It would mean that one wouldn't have access to the hutch, however, and would have to make do with hiding under the bed for a hiding space. It might also remove the kitchen as a neutral space, as that's completely open from the living room (Monty just refuses to go in, so right now it would be neutral). It would still leave the bathroom as definitely a neutral space though, he refuses to go into that, too! :) (I would prefer to do it in the kitchen, but if needs must!) It would also mean that whoever was in the living room would have to be locked into the hutch for a few hours a night while the hamster had a run around (another reason we weren't planning to do this so soon was because Monty and Trouble share space happily, whereas a new bunny might not be so understanding).

tl;dr we can keep them separately, but only if both rabbits compromise a little - so as a short term measure during bonding it could work, but whether it would be do-able for the duration of bonding and for two-three weeks beforehand is debatable.

We are very keen to adopt the female bunny if we can, though, so perhaps where there's a will there's a way?
 
Sorry MM - you posted while I was writing my reply! I don't feel too stressed about taking her in and waiting for the one month mark - that would be a maximum of a fortnight of having to keep them apart. Six weeks makes me gulp a bit - and I think waiting for the twelve week mark would just be too daunting! It would all depend how they all settled in, though; if Monty's happy to spend a few weeks hanging out in the back of the flat (which is where he already spends most of his time), I think we could make six weeks, and possibly a little longer.

I also realise I forgot to say (my manners are atrocious, I do apologise) thank you (both) for posting! The internet was very contradictory on this, but our vet said six weeks (at least for fertility, and I would guess also hormones) to drop, so it's good to confirm that!
 
Monty's Human said:
Sorry MM - you posted while I was writing my reply! I don't feel too stressed about taking her in and waiting for the one month mark - that would be a maximum of a fortnight of having to keep them apart. Six weeks makes me gulp a bit - and I think waiting for the twelve week mark would just be too daunting! It would all depend how they all settled in, though; if Monty's happy to spend a few weeks hanging out in the back of the flat (which is where he already spends most of his time), I think we could make six weeks, and possibly a little longer.

I also realise I forgot to say (my manners are atrocious, I do apologise) thank you (both) for posting! The internet was very contradictory on this, but our vet said six weeks (at least for fertility, and I would guess also hormones) to drop, so it's good to confirm that!
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I spoke with my vet earlier this year, when I had cause to visit. The answer was definitely not within a month.

If you can make 6 weeks work, then go for it. I've used the kitchen even when one has been there before. Clean the floor well and put the litter trays and gubbins you'll be using in there, and Monty being male probably won't bat an eyelid :) No offence to Monty but males are usually easier on their territory than females :)
 
Thank you! :) We have arranged to take her in in just over a week's time (that will be three weeks post-neuter, so keeping them apart for a further three weeks - well, technically the Monday is the three week date, but I'm going to pretend it's the Sunday, as we'll need to start bonding at a weekend) so I have a bit of time to prepare everything. Would we be able to do a brief introduction when she first arrives? It will be less than a month post-neuter (she was spayed six weeks ago her current owner said), so I don't plan to start on anything, but I would just like to make sure that they aren't going to try and kill each other out of loathing, before we take her on. (She's not a rescue rabbit, so I feel like we're committing to her completely once she moves in). I thought maybe just a thirty second to one minute put them somewhere together (I think the bath tub is the time honoured tradition?) to make sure there's some hope of an eventual bond succeeding. I also don't know if it would be possible, but I know the advice for new bunnies is to let them have a couple of days in hutch when they first move in, so I wondered about letting Monty in for half an hour to an hour in the evenings when there's someone around to keep an eye on them and enforce no fighting, so that they are in the same room but not able to get to each other - I know some sources recommend this, would it be ok to do pre-bond?

(I think I read not to have the same bunny in the hutch every time, so this would either only be for the first couple of days, just so she and Monty can be aware of each other - I try and keep all animals in the house aware of what that new odd-smelling creature is so they don't panic if they smell them eg on clothes - or, if it seems to be working well, I might consider once she's allowed out putting one in the hutch every evening and the other free ranging, the switching over each day, if that would be advisable until we're far enough post-neuter to bond?)

Sorry, I seem to be the veritable question mark!
 
Monty's Human said:
Thank you! :) We have arranged to take her in in just over a week's time (that will be three weeks post-neuter, so keeping them apart for a further three weeks - well, technically the Monday is the three week date, but I'm going to pretend it's the Sunday, as we'll need to start bonding at a weekend) so I have a bit of time to prepare everything. Would we be able to do a brief introduction when she first arrives? It will be less than a month post-neuter (she was spayed six weeks ago her current owner said), so I don't plan to start on anything, but I would just like to make sure that they aren't going to try and kill each other out of loathing, before we take her on. (She's not a rescue rabbit, so I feel like we're committing to her completely once she moves in). I thought maybe just a thirty second to one minute put them somewhere together (I think the bath tub is the time honoured tradition?) to make sure there's some hope of an eventual bond succeeding. I also don't know if it would be possible, but I know the advice for new bunnies is to let them have a couple of days in hutch when they first move in, so I wondered about letting Monty in for half an hour to an hour in the evenings when there's someone around to keep an eye on them and enforce no fighting, so that they are in the same room but not able to get to each other - I know some sources recommend this, would it be ok to do pre-bond?

(I think I read not to have the same bunny in the hutch every time, so this would either only be for the first couple of days, just so she and Monty can be aware of each other - I try and keep all animals in the house aware of what that new odd-smelling creature is so they don't panic if they smell them eg on clothes - or, if it seems to be working well, I might consider once she's allowed out putting one in the hutch every evening and the other free ranging, the switching over each day, if that would be advisable until we're far enough post-neuter to bond?)

Sorry, I seem to be the veritable question mark!
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Hi there :)

There's always lots of questions, and also answers with bondings. I've done hundreds, but I never do the 'date' or swopping thing. I just put them all together when I decide to do it, and let them get on with it. My preference is not to let them have sight or smell of one another until the morning of bonding day. That way no one gets preconceived ideas of what's going to happen.

But that's just the way I prefer to work, and everyone's different.

I've probably give you all these like before, or you've read them already?

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


Book in RWAF shop:

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



Mischief and Tinker’s Mum
http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?462466-How-I-bonded-my-trios-videos!

(some contradictory advice, but that's the way of all things, isn't it!)
 
I read through them all over lunch yesterday, before committing to the female bunny. Thank you :) It's a very useful list!

I must admit, I would like to do the put-them-both-together approach, as it would be much easier for us mere humans if they could make it work that way. I can keep them completely separate until we're ready to bond - there'll be a door between them, so fairly separating! - so I'll do that, and just hope that they decide to try bonding when they do finally meet. (My major concern is that they'll be a pair who hate each other on sight and we'll never make the bond work. That would be... awkward in our current quarters).

Now just to make a list of all the things I'll need for keeping two rabbits (the things I do for Monty!)
 
Let me say first of all that I have no experience in bonding rabbits, so my thoughts are purely based on what would I do in the circumstances. It also seems that there is no "correct" way and people will have different views on how to bond, possibly also based on what worked for them.

Do you know the owner of the doe very well? Do you know if she is spayed? No chance that she's pregnant is there? I ask only because you said they want to get her rehomed as soon as possible.

Personally I would not introduce them for a very short while when she first arrives home with you. I think it is best to try bonding when both rabbits are reasonably settled and she won't be. I also don't think it's necessarily an accurate assessment of whether they will bond. I would keep them both completely separate until the 6 weeks have elapsed and you have time to bond them properly. Similarly, I wouldn't want to try pre-bonds, but I know that some people have done this successfully.

I would want to keep her completely separate from Monty also, because I would want her to be quarantined for a couple of weeks. I would also during this time take her to the vets for an examination. Do you know her vaccination history?

Btw in my view she is still a "rescue" rabbit, if her owner no longer wants to have her :)
 
Those are some good questions to keep in mind - thanks Omi! I don't personally know the owner, I found her through a listing on a website (thanks to MightyMax for first setting me on that trail! :)) but he has said definitely that she was spayed six weeks ago. The reason for needing a quick re-homing is that they are selling their house, so it needs to fit in around that. I don't know vaccination history, but I will ask before she comes to us; Monty is up to date on his combined vaccine, but our vet is one of those who don't currently have the RHD2 (I asked when we got him neutered, and I'm waiting for them to get back to me on whether they can do anything). I would ideally like to take her to the vet for a check-up, but that may have to wait for a few weeks; so far this month, we have had Monty's neuter, and the hamster is at this minute back at the vet for a fourth time (three week treatment for mites and now he's been squeaking all morning and we think has a UTI again - waiting to hear the verdict). So finances may not stretch to another vet visit for a wee while, particularly if we have to take the hamster back for a follow-up. The quarantine is a good point! Now I shall go and worry about that instead :)
 
Monty's Human said:
Those are some good questions to keep in mind - thanks Omi! I don't personally know the owner, I found her through a listing on a website (thanks to MightyMax for first setting me on that trail! :)) but he has said definitely that she was spayed six weeks ago. The reason for needing a quick re-homing is that they are selling their house, so it needs to fit in around that. I don't know vaccination history, but I will ask before she comes to us; Monty is up to date on his combined vaccine, but our vet is one of those who don't currently have the RHD2 (I asked when we got him neutered, and I'm waiting for them to get back to me on whether they can do anything). I would ideally like to take her to the vet for a check-up, but that may have to wait for a few weeks; so far this month, we have had Monty's neuter, and the hamster is at this minute back at the vet for a fourth time (three week treatment for mites and now he's been squeaking all morning and we think has a UTI again - waiting to hear the verdict). So finances may not stretch to another vet visit for a wee while, particularly if we have to take the hamster back for a follow-up. The quarantine is a good point! Now I shall go and worry about that instead :)
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Personally I wouldn't rehome the new bunny until they have both been fully vaccinated - especially the VHD2 vaccine, and until the immunity has developed.
 
Zoobec said:
Personally I wouldn't rehome the new bunny until they have both been fully vaccinated - especially the VHD2 vaccine, and until the immunity has developed.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, we may not have too much of a choice :( Monty is definitely up to date on his combined vaccine, and hasn't been in contact with any other rabbits. If our vet practice can't get the RHD2 vaccine then we won't have any access to it, so the only choice would be taking our chances with a new bunny or him living alone - probably for good (assuming the vaccine remains unavailable). At least this way it's only one bunny, instead of taking him to a rescue and lots of bunnies? (Trying to find a silver lining!)
 
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