Rabbit Owner Chat V.2

[Arabian_Knight]

Have both been neutered? As this would help a lot to mix the two together.

[Kainé]

Have both been neutered? As this would help a lot to mix the two together.

Yes they are both spayed and neutered

[drift.]

Banjo when I first brought him home, he's so sweet and just follows you around like a puppy <:

[Arabian_Knight]

That’s a good start I have had rabbits for a long time.Try introducing the male to female in neutral ground so they get used to each,but patience is needed but you need to watch them closely and good luck.

[Burrito Bunny]

Drift.-
What acutie!!! He looks super soft omg.

RabbitFluffy-
If they are still nipping aggressively I wouldn't leave them alone yet. From time to time rabbits will nip. It's a way they communicate with each other. However, if they are doing it aggressively or once rabbit seems scared by the behavior then it's probably more than just a "hey, move over please!"
I bonded my rabbits by first putting their cages close together. That way they could see and smell the other one. I'd even switch them between the two so neither one felt superior (one cage was larger). Then, I got two stuffed toys from the store a rubbed them all over the rabbit. I even took some of their shedding and stuffed it into the toy before sowing it shut. That way the toy smelled a lot like the rabbit it was meant to represent. I then put the toys in with the opposite rabbit so they could smell and poke and eventually even groom the toys! I'd take the rabbits to meet each other on neutral ground for short periods everyday, gradually lengthening it as they relaxed with each other. Then, when they would only nip each other a little bit I decided to start the last phase of bonding. I put the two of them in a neutral pen, away from their two cages. Then, I set to work, cleaning the heck out of the cage which would later house both of them. This process took several hours, and during that time I kept an eye on the buns as they worked out their differences. By the time I was finished, they were snuggling. I put them back in the freshly cleaned cage together, watched them for any signs of fighting for a while before leaving. I'd quickly check back to make sure all was well, gradually lengthening the time between checks until they could live happily together!

[drift.]

@Burrito Bunny
he is!! he's a pure mini rex and I think I annoy him when I just constantly pet him because I'm obsessed xD

[RhythmicWolf]

hey all. sorry if this has been asked before, this is my first time on this thread!

ive got one bun named perry. hes neutered and about 5 years old now. hes seemed happy as a single rabbit for most of his life. we tried to take him to meet some buns at a local rescue once but he was completely not having it and was just fighting all of them. we decided it may just be best to keep him single

that was a few years ago. now, i've noticed he tends to get bored more easily and its driving my mom crazy because when i'm asleep (i'm pretty much nocturnal) he doesn't leave her alone and causes trouble downstairs. we've tried many toys with him, but he prefers..anything he shouldn't be touching lol

a few months ago i got two chinchillas. i set up a small area in my room for them to get some exercise. the first time perry saw them, he was actually interested and came over and sniffed at them. he showed no aggression at all, which surprised me a lot. we're now to the point that he will lay right up against the fence while they're out and he's not bothered by them at all

so, with all this said, i'd really like to try to bond him again. however, i have some concerns and i'm hoping maybe somebody here can help

first of all, he's a house rabbit. he's 100% free roam, like a cat. bonding needs to be on neutral territory, but there really is none in my house because he can go anywhere except my dad's office (and i can't conduct bonding in there). does anybody have any ideas on that? i've read that slippery hardwood floors can work too, and our kitchen is hardwood. he comes in to beg for food but maybe that can work?

second, a lot of what i read suggests putting their cages next to each other and swapping between them. perry doesn't have a cage. well, he does, but it just has his food in it. he's never locked in it at all

lastly, i'm unsure of where i could keep the new bun while they are unsupervised. as i said, perry roams the whole house, and i feel like fencing off part of it for a new bun might rub him the wrong way? and i don't feel comfortable keeping a rabbit in a cage

if anyone here has ever bonded free range rabbits, or has any advice, i would love to hear it. you're welcome to pm me as well if you'd like to talk more!

on another note, does anyone have toy suggestions? i've tried willow balls, wood chews, apple wood sticks, hay mats, woven hay balls. he ripped up one hay mat, but he won't touch the second one (literally the exact same product). the only toy he really likes is his treat ball - he'd push it around all day if i kept filling it haha. i hate that he gets bored but i have no idea how to entertain him. i've thought about making a dig box (he loves digging up the carpet) but i'm not sure what to use in it. a lot of places suggest wood pellets, but that's what i use for his litter. any suggestions on what i can use that he won't decide to use as a litterbox?

sorry for such a long post ;;

thank you!

[Raire]

@DaniVik
Oh no, what a rollercoaster of feelings you've had there! D:
Poor babies. ;w;

@spectacular.
Hi Baldwin! :3

My trio is doing alright, despite some ... arguments here and there. Tikki is showing more dominant behaviour by now and the other two aren't having it. Oh well. :'D

[spectacular.]

@thompheda
I don't have any recommendations about bonding as I have never done so, but with toys, I use toilet paper rolls and stuff them with hay. All mine go crazy for those. For a dig box, I'd recommend shredded paper, and it would be kinda hard to make sure he doesn't go to the bathroom in it, the only thing I recommend is at first letting him only play with it with supervision before giving him his litter box next to the dig box so he understands its not another litter box. c:

[Burrito Bunny]

thompheda -

For your bonding issue, I would suggest restricting both of them for the time being. A cage doesn't have to be small - you can get a puppy excersize pen from the pet store and use that for make shift cages. You can even buy multiple and connect them for greater area.

I would not recommend fencing only the new rabbit. That may make her feel threatened and your current bun can get a feeling of superiority due to his better treatment. I find equality is absolutely key. I used dog crates for cages during my bonding, only because I didn't have materials to construct another pen. My older rabbit was very upset at the downgrade but he learned to live with it and I still took him out for plenty of time each day. Once bonded I gave them back the space.

For a neutral space, you can do it in the bathtub. Even if it technically isn't neutral, it won't smell like much because of the constant washing. Also, the floor is slippery so the rabbits won't be able to get a good footing to fight each other. It's also small enough they can't just ignore the other one. Another alternative would be getting a puppy pen and doing it outside, supervised to make sure they don't dig out of course. Or, you can try working in the car while a parent or friend drives. This can be especially helpful because usually the buns are frightened by the vibrations in the car, and they'll snuggle for comfort instead of fighting.