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Bonding & Outdoor bonging question

bunny mom1

New Kit
Hello everyone,

New here, and I am sort of at my wits end with bonding 2 bunnies! My 5 year old neutered male rabbit lost his mate a few months ago to a heart condition, and I was given a very young female rabbit to bond him with, with the possibility of returning her if it didn't work out. The young female is only about 3-4 months old, not neutered yet. I watched tons of YouTube videos and followed instructions carefully, and it was coming along ok -- doing the bonding in the house to keep a close eye on things even though I have a large walk in enclosure outside that my male usually lives in. It was going ok for about 3 weeks when I followed these instructions: taking them in a cat carrier together in the car, then putting them in bathroom or tub -- with this they got along. Without doing the car ride, or when putting them into a larger space, they fought (no blood, just fur flying). Yesterday I had to move them outside to the large walk in enclosure, and because there is no neutral space there, it seems impossible. The young rabbit is in a large cage in the large enclosure, but when let out, they chase, hump each other and fight. Is this a lost cause? How can I hope to bond them in this space when it is not neutral (male bunny used to live in there). I'm 75% ready to bring the young female back and call it quits. Any suggestions, or does this sound like the right thing to do?

Thanks so much!

Julie
 
Can you not put them into another area which did not belong to your male rabbit for a while until he accepts her. The other point I would mention is, are you sure your new rabbit is a girl and not a boy? When bonding boy and girl the boy usually chases the girl for a few days until it all settles down. There might be humping and fur pulling but should not be any fighting. The female usually submits and keeps running away. Going off what a lot of folk do, can you put them in a small space and see how that goes?
 
I think because the female rabbit will be getting hormonal, I wouldn’t try any further bonding until after she has been spayed, and preferably after waiting 6 weeks after spay for her hormones to subside. You will find it hard unless you bond on neutral ground. When I bonded my outdoor rabbits, I did it inside when the temperature inside was similar to outside, and then moved them back outside once the bond was settled. If they have to go back in non neutral territory I would clean it and neutralise any smells with vinegar/water mix, and remove any furniture/toys etc so it looks different.
 
What Zoobec said

Waiting until the younger girl is spayed and only using neutral territory is a must. Putting your new, hormonal rabbit in a cage where it can't escape in your own rabbits territory is a recipe for disaster and I'm not surprised they've fought at all. Will the bond work now your at this point I'm not sure.

You might be better contacting your local rescue and getting them to bond for you or finding someone who offers a bonding service.
 
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