Feeling disheartened with bonding :(

I brought home a rescue bunny a couple of weeks ago, hoping to bond him with my widowed bunny Daisy. They first met at the animal shelter and there was a bit of chasing and mounting, but the lady at the rescue said it looked alright. They've had meetings every day, and some days have been better than others but on the whole it's not looking very hopeful at the moment. One day they were sitting down with their heads pressed together, but apart from that it's been nipping, growling and fighting, fur flying everywhere. It looks like Daisy doesn't like the new bunny, every time he comes near her she either runs off or lunges at him, which usually ends in a fight. She's always been calm so it's been a shock to see her being aggressive, and I've been feeling down about the whole situation. I just wanted her to have a new companion but I don't seem to be making any progress. The new bunny is so loving and friendly with me, and I think he just wants to make friends with Daisy. Has anyone got any advice please, or is it just a case of needing more time? It's just over two weeks since they met.

Bonding can be tricky at times! Have they both been spayed/neutered for at least 6-8 weeks? Are you attempting bonding on neutral territory where neither bunny has been before ? It’s difficult to say without seeing them but some nipping, mounting and fur pulling is normal but you don’t want circling as it can develop into a fight. There’s some good advice and videos of some bonding which I think are very useful in deciding what is normal and when you should intervene. I’ve always bonded when I can leave them together and supervise them constantly, it’s been good for cementing the bond fairly quickly.

Females are very awkward at times, sometimes they are scared so they attack, or they are very territorial so attack again. How are you trying to bond them? In a large space or small space like a Puppy pen? We will help you get them together. How old are they?

Zoobec said:

Bonding can be tricky at times! Have they both been spayed/neutered for at least 6-8 weeks? Are you attempting bonding on neutral territory where neither bunny has been before ? It’s difficult to say without seeing them but some nipping, mounting and fur pulling is normal but you don’t want circling as it can develop into a fight. There’s some good advice and videos of some bonding which I think are very useful in deciding what is normal and when you should intervene. I’ve always bonded when I can leave them together and supervise them constantly, it’s been good for cementing the bond fairly quickly.

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Yes they've both been spayed/neutered for a while. I am trying in the kitchen because that's neutral territory, but she still lunges towards him if he comes close I will definitely be reading more and watching videos, I need all the help I can get! Thank you for your reply, I will keep trying.

tonibun said:

Females are very awkward at times, sometimes they are scared so they attack, or they are very territorial so attack again. How are you trying to bond them? In a large space or small space like a Puppy pen? We will help you get them together. How old are they?

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Daisy is 7 and the new bunny (I haven't decided on a name yet!) is 3 and a half. I try to bond them in the kitchen which isn't too big.

It is best that once you put them together you don't separate, unless they fight. I scatter bits of food or some hay which seems to help them to start trusting one another. She lunges possibly because she is a little wary of him, she doesn't know him or trust him yet, but it only takes a couple of days before they start to feel happier around one another. Talk to them and reassure her that it is going to be all right. She needs a friend and he sounds very nice!

Hi @cyane182 how is the bonding going? I have had 2 bunnies living seperately for over a year now (they started fighting after the female was spayed and the truth is that I was too scared to do the bonding myself). I'm now 79 hours into bonding with my 2 so I just wondered if I could offer any support or share my experiences to help?

Below is where we are at with the bond now...however it wasnt plain sailing to get to this point.

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Crinklewhiskers said:

Hi @cyane182 how is the bonding going? I have had 2 bunnies living seperately for over a year now (they started fighting after the female was spayed and the truth is that I was too scared to do the bonding myself). I'm now 79 hours into bonding with my 2 so I just wondered if I could offer any support or share my experiences to help?

Below is where we are at with the bond now...however it wasnt plain sailing to get to this point.

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awww, well done on getting this far, it does tend to get easier with time

It was tough...I cried ha! But I'm hoping we are over the worst of it. I'm fully expecting to have a couple of set backs as I increase their space and introduce them back into the kitchen where they lived previously but keeping my fingers crossed it wont get set too far back.

So I can totally appreciate how Cyane128 is feeling and would love to be able to offer some support as I got some support from some lovely people who help at a rescue which gave me the confidence to get started!

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Crinklewhiskers said:

It was tough...I cried ha! But I'm hoping we are over the worst of it. I'm fully expecting to have a couple of set backs as I increase their space and introduce them back into the kitchen where they lived previously but keeping my fingers crossed it wont get set too far back.

So I can totally appreciate how Cyane128 is feeling and would love to be able to offer some support as I got some support from some lovely people who help at a rescue which gave me the confidence to get started!

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that's really considerate of you. I concur bunny bonding can be a frightening & lonely business ...so worth it though

Sorry it's taken a while for me to get back to this thread. Crinklewhiskers - the bonding is going better than it was the last time I posted. They haven't fought for a couple of weeks which I'm so glad about! Now it's changed to Daisy running away from the new bunny (George). If he just comes over to sniff her she runs away. It's an improvement, but she doesn't seem interested in being friends with him. She's not frightened of him, just not interested. Have you got any ideas for anything else I could do? Your two bunnies are gorgeous by the way! <3

Hi Cyane!

That's great news. I think all bonds are really different and the fact they are a bit indifferent to one another at the moment is a good sign I think. For some bunnies it takes a bit longer to do the typical bunnies in love stuff.

How big an area are they in at the moment?

Oh and thanks...they are cuties!

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They live in the garage at the moment, George is in a hutch with a run, and Daisy has got the rest of the garage. The door is open all day so Daisy can come out when she wants, and I bring George out to run around the garden every day. They meet in the garden, which is not huge but there's lots of room to run round. Should I try a smaller area?
Here is a photo of George, I've just worked out how to add photos lol. Daisy is the black bunny in my avatar photo. George seems very happy though, lots of running and binkying!

It's a good sign that your female runs away from the male, it means she is being submissive. Females are usually the more territorial so I wouldn't let her have too much space of her own or it could cause fights. If the female is running away it should only take 2 or3 days before they will settle down together, if you keep them together all the time. Separating tends to confuse them.

Just wanted to update you all that the bonding has been successful! They spent their first night together a week ago and have been fine since then. They've been sharing bowls, grooming each other and sitting together. I'm so happy! I think it was just a question of being patient, thank you for your replies x

I’m so glad it worked out in the end for you all

Hello - so glad to have found this forum and to have the opportunity to read all your advice about difficult bonding. I'm a new bunny owner who has an 8 month buck called Ren who has been castrated and a just over 5 month old doe who is being operated on now shock. I've had a difficult start to bunny ownership as the first bunny I got to be Ren's mate died suddenly a few months ago after a successful bonding and this second, older bunny hasn't been as easy. Their pens are side by side so that they get used to each other. She is very athletic and yesterday mangaged to jump over into his run (very high) causing a rucous (saw a bit of fur had been lost by both) and then hopped out again into garden. The vet has told me that this is a set-back and may make bonding them harder in the future, and to wait several weeks before trying. Has anyone experienced anything like this - did it turn out ok in the end or is it looking bad. Never expected bunny ownership to be so heartbreaking and anxiety-inducing!