Hello all,
We are at the initial stages of attempting to bond our rabbits, we've done lots of reading online but nothing quite seems to cover exaclty our scenario so it would be great to have some real advice.
Our Rabbits
Dutch - 8 month male Dutch Rabbit, he has been neutered for ~3 months. He is very happy but we were worried about the times we are at work and whether he would be lonely, so we thought it best to get him a friend. Until now he has been a house rabbit, with mostly free reign over the house. He has a dog crate as a 'base'.
Doris - 2 month female Dutch Rabbit, she obviously hasnt been spayed yet but she will be once a little older. Currently she lives in a playpen next to Dutch's dog crate (now moved to a neutral room). They are seperated by around an inch, close enough that they can just about get nose to nose if they both really try.
The bonding
Its been a very confusing first week. Doris appears to be in awe of Dutch and just wants to be with him, she is always trying to get his attention and she sleeps on the side of the cage closest to Dutch. Dutch on the other hand, doesnt really seem to care either way most of the time and just ignores her.
The few times they have got nose to nose, it has been interesting. The first time, Dutch actually started to groom Doris on the nose, which we thought was a great start. However, an hour or so later they met again, this time Dutch growled and lunged at her with his front legs. He didnt try an bite her, but it was definitely aggressive. Doris didnt bat an eyelid and just wants to be friends so bad!!
Last night, Doris actually managed to escape her playpen (She'll be going in a dog crate now too). She must have put her head/body up against Dutch's cage as there are some tuffs of her fur in his cage. She seems uninjured and unfazed, but do we need to be worried?
Im really struggling to read the signs, and wondering if we should keep them seperated for another couple of weeks or perhaps move onto the next stage?
Also, is mixing a 2month and 8month wise? Dutch is so much bigger that if a fight did break out i dont think Doris would be able to defend herself very well?
Any help appreciated, want to do what is right for the Rabbits but its very hard knowing what the right thing to do is.
Many thanks in advance.
We are at the initial stages of attempting to bond our rabbits, we've done lots of reading online but nothing quite seems to cover exaclty our scenario so it would be great to have some real advice.
Our Rabbits
Dutch - 8 month male Dutch Rabbit, he has been neutered for ~3 months. He is very happy but we were worried about the times we are at work and whether he would be lonely, so we thought it best to get him a friend. Until now he has been a house rabbit, with mostly free reign over the house. He has a dog crate as a 'base'.
Doris - 2 month female Dutch Rabbit, she obviously hasnt been spayed yet but she will be once a little older. Currently she lives in a playpen next to Dutch's dog crate (now moved to a neutral room). They are seperated by around an inch, close enough that they can just about get nose to nose if they both really try.
The bonding
Its been a very confusing first week. Doris appears to be in awe of Dutch and just wants to be with him, she is always trying to get his attention and she sleeps on the side of the cage closest to Dutch. Dutch on the other hand, doesnt really seem to care either way most of the time and just ignores her.
The few times they have got nose to nose, it has been interesting. The first time, Dutch actually started to groom Doris on the nose, which we thought was a great start. However, an hour or so later they met again, this time Dutch growled and lunged at her with his front legs. He didnt try an bite her, but it was definitely aggressive. Doris didnt bat an eyelid and just wants to be friends so bad!!
Last night, Doris actually managed to escape her playpen (She'll be going in a dog crate now too). She must have put her head/body up against Dutch's cage as there are some tuffs of her fur in his cage. She seems uninjured and unfazed, but do we need to be worried?
Im really struggling to read the signs, and wondering if we should keep them seperated for another couple of weeks or perhaps move onto the next stage?
Also, is mixing a 2month and 8month wise? Dutch is so much bigger that if a fight did break out i dont think Doris would be able to defend herself very well?
Any help appreciated, want to do what is right for the Rabbits but its very hard knowing what the right thing to do is.
Many thanks in advance.