Bonding not going great...

So..... because Scooby is so laid back and friendly I thought that bonding would be really easy, its proving a challenge though and I know some of that is probably me being a little over cautious but this is where were at....... we have been letting them meet on the sofa for 20 minute bursts, I have kept it short cause he is quite rough and a little aggressive and she seems petrified! Although he hasn't bitten her I have pushed him down a couple of times cause I got worried that he was really going to hurt her, he is a massive bunny in comparison to her and she is only 13 weeks!! She screamed tonight so I thought that was enough, this has been happening for 3 days or so now. I let him into her cage today (she wasn't in it) just to try and appease him. He is totally motivated by food and I sat hand feeding them pellets earlier, she was in her cage he was out but every time it was her turn he growled at her!! He has remained loving and kind towards me and still licks my hand after ive petted him but I don't know what the signs are saying..... I know its early days but I guess lots of people here have much more experience than me???

Sorry I don't really have any advice as I have never tried bonding a 13 week old bunny with an older one. She must have been extremely scared if she screamed

She does seem to be a "screamer", I hadn't ever heard it before but she has screamed twice now and both times to be fair to Scooby he hadn't marked her, I guess its quite frightening being so tiny with a big bunny climbing all over you, she is really quite happy sitting on the sofa with me, I would have more of a problem if she wanted to get down and explore!! We do make sure she has some down floor time without Scooby!!

Niklovesrats said:

She does seem to be a "screamer", I hadn't ever heard it before but she has screamed twice now and both times to be fair to Scooby he hadn't marked her, I guess its quite frightening being so tiny with a big bunny climbing all over you, she is really quite happy sitting on the sofa with me, I would have more of a problem if she wanted to get down and explore!! We do make sure she has some down floor time without Scooby!!

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Without being able to actually see the dynamics of the interactions myself it is hard to offer much advice. But from your description personally I would not attempt the bonding yet. I'd wait until the Doe is a bit bigger. A Rabbit only screams if they are in severe pain or utterly terrified. I could not persevere with a bonding that evoked a scream response from a Rabbit, but I'd put money on at least one 'bonding expert' to completely disagree with me on that.

Is your Doe a breed type that is always going to remain very small compared to Scooby ? Whilst size differences are not always a problem when bonding they cannot be overlooked as a potential issue if the much larger Rabbit wants to be the boss. It does not always work that way, I have had tiny Rabbits bonded with huge Rabbits and the tiny Rabbits were usually very much 'The Boss' , especially if the tiny Rabbit was a Doe.

Niklovesrats said:

She does seem to be a "screamer", I hadn't ever heard it before but she has screamed twice now and both times to be fair to Scooby he hadn't marked her, I guess its quite frightening being so tiny with a big bunny climbing all over you, she is really quite happy sitting on the sofa with me, I would have more of a problem if she wanted to get down and explore!! We do make sure she has some down floor time without Scooby!!

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Hi there :wave:

Sorry to hear about your bonding experiences. It sounds like a bit of a nightmare, and after all you've been through already, what a shame!

If a rabbit screams, it's usually because it's either in extreme pain, or in fear of it's life. It's something that most rabbit owners don't hear in a lifetime of keeping rabbits!

I would want to know exactly why she is screaming - whether it's pain or fear, just in case there's something else going on that hasn't been spotted.

In the meantime I would suggest putting a hold on bonding for the time being xx

They are the same breed, continental giants but obviously at the moment he is about 3 times the size of her!! They have only really spent at a maximum of 2 to 3 minutes a day together, I tend to have her up on the sofa with me and we wait for him to come up on his own, when he does he gets a bit aggressive and she screams but he has not actually bitten her or drawn blood or anything! He has also started leaving me a pile of poop just outside his litter tray, yes he is neutered! I will hold off for a bit, don't want her to be terrified every time she comes out!! She seems relaxed though, she stretches out in her cage and is quite happy for me to cuddle and pet her