Bonding my bunnies

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Hermelin

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I have a few queations on how to bond my bunnies and what would be the best way. I’m starting to regret I didn’t bond them first at the start and instead waited until the other one was also neutered.

Because they clicked really well and had no problem with being with each other. Their was a little chasing that soon calmed down and they would later eat together and groom each other. But I separated them because the new buck at that time was supposed to become my doe outdoor friend.

The problem is that the buck, I tried to bond with my doe. She really bullied him, even though he bowed down the head (letting her being the boss) she would one minute be calm and the next start to bite him. He soon learned to fight and attack back because he felt cornered. So now every time he sees another bunny he attacks.

I can still divert his attention from my other bunnies without problem with just calling his name. He will turn and come running to me to get a treat.

I’m planning to bond them on a neutral area outside on my porch and then move them indoors together, after a few hours. So they can be supervised 24/7 for a couple of days.

Will they manage to cooperate moving indoors, because indoor it’s both their home territory. They have meet each other trough mesh and one of the bunnies will start a fight while the other one will defend or ignore him.

They don’t react on each other smells, only the visuals they will get a bit edgy.

Stress bonding wouldn’t work with them, because both my bunnies feel really safe in the travel cage. They will often flop and sleep while going somewhere else. So they are extremely comfortable being in a travel cage. So that would just backfire, not even worth trying.

Or have I manage to ruin the chances of them bonding when the other one picked up the does behavior, with attacking other bunnies.
 
Bonding can be a tricky business and sometimes you have to follow your gut as you can read your rabbits better than anyone else.

I had a rabbit become very leery of other rabbits after we tried to bond her with a male that ended up being very aggressive towards her. Thankfully, we found a very sweet, laidback bun that was able to help her overcome her angst. It may take some time for a rabbit to get over the 'trauma' of being bullied.

You may be mis-reading part of the body language. Bowing the head down is not a submissive gesture (contrary to what one may think). That is what the dominant bunny (the one that wants to be dominant) will do as a demand for grooming. The rabbit that is putting the head down wants the other rabbit to do his bidding and groom him. Sometimes during a bonding, both rabbits will have a "stand-off." They will both put their heads down expecting to be groomed. The one that finally gives in and begins grooming is the one that would be accepting the submissive role.

However, that submissive one will eventually want the favor returned. If only one rabbit is doing the grooming and the other refuses, the one that is grooming may get fed up and get aggressive in frustration. Bonding is a two-way street.

Bonding on the porch for a few hours and then moving them probably isn't ideal. Normally, if one wants to do 24/7 watching, then that needs to be done in one neutral space. The porch is fine, but the idea would be for them to remain in that neutral space 24/7 for a couple weeks (if all is going well). One would be sure the bond is very firmly established before risking moving them to a new space, The moving can cause disruptions which are more likely if they aren't fully and completely bonded. If they are moved into shared space indoors, then territory issues could occur which could set them back (or worse).

It's tough trying to find neutral space if the buns are already free roam. I used a guest room once and turned it into a bonding room.
 
Maybe I should wait until my doe goes away or when I move away. Because the porch can’t be safe to stay for weeks on and I can’t secure it from my bunnies escaping.

Outdoor I have a cage which my doe live in. But she still have a couple of years living. Don’t really know how old french lop can be. But I hope she have many more years.

My bunnies have been in all the rooms of the house. So it would be nearly impossible to find a neutral area indoors.

I would like to try bonding my bucks, if they wouldn’t work I rehome one of my bucks. So they can have the best living arrangements. Because right now, I shift between how many hours they are out.

They shift between one night and day out, then being in cage. So during the night I shift them. But I want my bunnies to be free roaming all the time instead :)

I’m really attached to them.
 
@Blue eyes is absolutely right on the money -- bonding is so tricky, and not every trick or process works for every rabbit pair. I'm sometimes astounded that some people have bonded rabbits, despite them doing no bonding, and them some rabbits not bonding when everything was done "correctly". You know your rabbits best, but also continue to look at what you're observing and think if these signs could mean something different than what you originally think.

I have no bonding advice because I've never bonded before, but I will say that, although it's hard with the evidence you see, try not to regret waiting to have both rabbits fixed until starting the bonding process. From the many stories I've read, taking out the unpredictable hormonal factor really helps stabilize relationships for the long term, even though it may not look it right now.
 

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