cutieagouti
New Kit
Hello all! I am new to rabbit bonding and looking for any advice where people have had success bonding two mixed sex pairs of rabbits into a four. I realise I’m going in at the deep end bonding two pairs of rabbits at once, but I understand it can be done, and would like to at least attempt it as I have a lot of space and time for my animals and hope to be able to offer a home to more rescue rabbits in the future, for which it may be necessary to have a good sense about bonding.
I should mention that if bonding is totally unsuccessful, both pairs will still have a forever home and can live comfortably as they are - my main reason for wanting to bond these buns is that they could then enjoy the combined space, and a group bond will also hopefully prevent a lonely rabbit, should one of them find themselves out of a pair.
About my rabbits: my first pair of bunnies are male and female Netherland dwarves and have lived with me for well over a year now. They were rescues who were bonded at the centre i.e. not surrendered as a pair. My new pair are also male and female, mixed breed, mixed sizes and they were rescues who previously lived as a four and then a three (as I understand it, none of those four were related and were bonded at different times in their previous home, so these new bunnies do have experience living in a larger group and accepting rabbits they were not related or known to prior.)
I adopted the new pair over a week ago and following best advice, both pairs have been living side by side in 6ft by 18ft enclosures that are adjacent and I have been doing lots of scent swapping. Over the last few days I’ve seen them become familiar and mostly indifferent to each other. They often chase up and down the length of the run but after the first few days, any attempts to bite or box each other through the mesh has ceased, which seems like positive progress.
I am considering introducing them all for a short supervised bonding session at some point next week and am thinking of bringing them into the kitchen for this; which is a neutral space none of them are familiar with.
With them being mixed sizes, ages, breeds AND two male/female sets, is there anything I should consider to give them the best chance of success? Any typical behaviours I should expect from this kind of combo? Also, all rabbits involved are spayed and neutered.
I should mention that if bonding is totally unsuccessful, both pairs will still have a forever home and can live comfortably as they are - my main reason for wanting to bond these buns is that they could then enjoy the combined space, and a group bond will also hopefully prevent a lonely rabbit, should one of them find themselves out of a pair.
About my rabbits: my first pair of bunnies are male and female Netherland dwarves and have lived with me for well over a year now. They were rescues who were bonded at the centre i.e. not surrendered as a pair. My new pair are also male and female, mixed breed, mixed sizes and they were rescues who previously lived as a four and then a three (as I understand it, none of those four were related and were bonded at different times in their previous home, so these new bunnies do have experience living in a larger group and accepting rabbits they were not related or known to prior.)
I adopted the new pair over a week ago and following best advice, both pairs have been living side by side in 6ft by 18ft enclosures that are adjacent and I have been doing lots of scent swapping. Over the last few days I’ve seen them become familiar and mostly indifferent to each other. They often chase up and down the length of the run but after the first few days, any attempts to bite or box each other through the mesh has ceased, which seems like positive progress.
I am considering introducing them all for a short supervised bonding session at some point next week and am thinking of bringing them into the kitchen for this; which is a neutral space none of them are familiar with.
With them being mixed sizes, ages, breeds AND two male/female sets, is there anything I should consider to give them the best chance of success? Any typical behaviours I should expect from this kind of combo? Also, all rabbits involved are spayed and neutered.
if you can forage then branches of bunny safe trees to share from their respective sides of the enclosure.
