Hi, I've been attempting to bond my female rabbit to a male friend (both neutered) for about a month now, but she is very scared during the bonding sessions. Neither of them has hurt the other one, but there have been a few scuffles between them (no proper fights, just a bit of chasing and the odd bit of defensive lunging from her and a bit of nipping from him). We intervened whenever it looked as though things could potentially escalate and distracted them momentarily until they calmed down.
They had one really good session where she was more comfortable and he was a bit more scared for some reason, which made him a bit more respectful of her space, and she was happily exploring and even groomed him for a bit. He has also groomed her once before that (we did encourage that with the aid of banana on her head). Aside from that, most of their sessions have been pretty similar - she sits in a corner breathing really fast and shaking slightly, or looking really ****** off, he comes up to her and she either lunges or grunts at him (not trying to hurt him, just 'back off') or just sits there and then he gets frustrated at her not interacting with him/grooming him/playing with him and nips her or just hops around her as if she isn't there. He's quite keen to interact with her and is quite excited about the whole thing, but she's much less confident about him.
They are both rescues and she was previously bonded to her daughter who recently passed away (so has definitely had some interaction with male rabbits before, but we don't know any more than that about her past experiences). He was abandoned in a park with a group of other bunnies when young, presumably his litter mates, and had been living on his own at the rescue for a couple of months.
She is a bit more relaxed now than she was - she will eat with him in there most sessions and will move around a little bit more, so they are making progress, but it seems like her fear is what's holding them back. I'm honestly surprised she's acting this way as she was usually dominant and bossy with her daughter. However, as the one session she wasn't as scared went so much better, my question is does anyone have any advice about how I can help her feel calmer or more relaxed?
We put hay and veggies in with them and a towel on the floor so she isn't slipping around. One of us is always in with them and providing strokes/reassurance when needed or distraction for him if he gets agitated. We've also tried tiring him out first so he isn't so excitable, by making sure he gets his exercise in the run before the session, which has helped a little (he's younger and faster than her and his sudden movements/binkies freak her out). We've tried increasing the space and making it smaller and settled on a middle ground (approx 2-3 ft x 2-3 ft). We've also added in hidey houses and a litter tray, plenty of toys etc. The hidey house and litter tray help her chill out, but cause more aggression between them as she sits in there and defends her 'spot' if he tries to come into it, which he sometimes respects and sometimes doesn't.
Has anyone got any suggestions of other things we could try to calm her down? Would something like rescue remedy or calming herbs help, or maybe adding in a toy or something that smells like her? Or should we try to stress him out/tire him out more so they're both the same level of scared/tired? (I wouldn't normally suggest this, we've been deliberately avoiding stress bonding, but things did go better when he was a bit more nervous/scared). Having to get her into a carrier before each session isn't helping either - she hates this, but then she hates being picked up too and we have to get her to a neutral space somehow!
They had one really good session where she was more comfortable and he was a bit more scared for some reason, which made him a bit more respectful of her space, and she was happily exploring and even groomed him for a bit. He has also groomed her once before that (we did encourage that with the aid of banana on her head). Aside from that, most of their sessions have been pretty similar - she sits in a corner breathing really fast and shaking slightly, or looking really ****** off, he comes up to her and she either lunges or grunts at him (not trying to hurt him, just 'back off') or just sits there and then he gets frustrated at her not interacting with him/grooming him/playing with him and nips her or just hops around her as if she isn't there. He's quite keen to interact with her and is quite excited about the whole thing, but she's much less confident about him.
They are both rescues and she was previously bonded to her daughter who recently passed away (so has definitely had some interaction with male rabbits before, but we don't know any more than that about her past experiences). He was abandoned in a park with a group of other bunnies when young, presumably his litter mates, and had been living on his own at the rescue for a couple of months.
She is a bit more relaxed now than she was - she will eat with him in there most sessions and will move around a little bit more, so they are making progress, but it seems like her fear is what's holding them back. I'm honestly surprised she's acting this way as she was usually dominant and bossy with her daughter. However, as the one session she wasn't as scared went so much better, my question is does anyone have any advice about how I can help her feel calmer or more relaxed?
We put hay and veggies in with them and a towel on the floor so she isn't slipping around. One of us is always in with them and providing strokes/reassurance when needed or distraction for him if he gets agitated. We've also tried tiring him out first so he isn't so excitable, by making sure he gets his exercise in the run before the session, which has helped a little (he's younger and faster than her and his sudden movements/binkies freak her out). We've tried increasing the space and making it smaller and settled on a middle ground (approx 2-3 ft x 2-3 ft). We've also added in hidey houses and a litter tray, plenty of toys etc. The hidey house and litter tray help her chill out, but cause more aggression between them as she sits in there and defends her 'spot' if he tries to come into it, which he sometimes respects and sometimes doesn't.
Has anyone got any suggestions of other things we could try to calm her down? Would something like rescue remedy or calming herbs help, or maybe adding in a toy or something that smells like her? Or should we try to stress him out/tire him out more so they're both the same level of scared/tired? (I wouldn't normally suggest this, we've been deliberately avoiding stress bonding, but things did go better when he was a bit more nervous/scared). Having to get her into a carrier before each session isn't helping either - she hates this, but then she hates being picked up too and we have to get her to a neutral space somehow!