A litterbox question? A bonding question?

[Catlyn]

I made a wooden litterbox for Storm's crate when he got used to the indoors with it. As he's now mostly free roam dad and i got him a bit bigger plastic container box roughly 40*60*17cm in size. Fits perfectly into his corner.
It would also fit in the crate if we so wanted to, thus the first question.
Since the wooden box fits better in the crate, i'm thinking of using that for the new bun. But will she get aggro'd if the box has Storm's smell on it?
or should we get a new separate box for her and then leave one when they successfully move together?

We rarely get rabbits in the shelters(twice a year at best), much less fixed ones, so the common methods in USA or UK don't work here. No FB group has posted a rabbit that matches our needs either. So our only option is to get a giveaway girl and get her fixing organized ourselves.
Thus i was wondering: how likely or not is it that they won't want to coexist no matter what?

 

[Hermelin]

My bunnies have never showed aggression to other bunnies smell. So it should be okay, I only get chined after jumping between bunnies or groomed, so they can mark me with their scent.

It’s good letting another bunny get used with the other bunny scent. It can help with bonding later on, at least what I’ve read about ☺

You have a boy and a girl, they will have a larger chance for sucess and also you have space for the bunnies. Sometimes it can take a bit of longer time for the bond to happen, but take your time.

 

[Catlyn]

That's reassuring to hear! My sis is skeptical that they'll bond and calls two buns free-roaming animal cruelty as she thinks that the whole house isn't roomy enough for them.
Bht oh well it's her opinion. She's not even home so it doesn't even affect her!

After we bring the girl home tomorrow she'll be in the crate for a day or two so she could adjust. Then we'll see how she does with that room.
Now there's another tricky question that has split opinions. Even if she's not spayed yet, is it still okay to switch up their apartments for nights or let them meet otherwise? I believe that both zuppa and diane r share different viewponts on that.

 

[Mac189]

I was lucky to have one of the easiest bonding experiences out there... and I thought Willa would be far too bossy to tolerate most bucks. I was terrified she would hate him, but aside from one bite, she was very open-minded. It doesn't hurt that Foxwell acts like the world revolves around her. I never realized how much Willa wanted a friend until I got Foxwell. While things can go wrong, girls and boys often love having a partner in crime. I tend to think smell is good for introducing a bunny to the concept of a new friend and between the bars interactions are superb for seeing how two bunnies react to the presence of each other.

I'd personally wait until she's spayed... I'm very paranoid about setting up a situation where someone could get hurt or spoil the opportunity to bond.

ALSO, congrats on getting another bunny! You must be SO excited!

 

[Catlyn]

I don't have her yet! The owner described her as being very chirpy and friendly that loves your pets but hates your lifts. We pick her up tomorrow! I was lucky to land a free time with the great vet at that city so she can get a checkup and the vaccine whenever after we pick her up! If she doesn't have a name i've decided to name her Lúmi! And yes, i won't let them meet each other yet until she's healed from her spay. She's a french lop i think?
If you haven't seen her pic yet:

 

[Mac189]

She's perfect! What a sweet face and kind eyes! That's so awesome of your vet! I also LOVE the name, does it have a special meaning? Breed distinguishing is not a strong suit of mine, but she sure is wonderful!

 

[Hermelin]

She’s really cute but don’t look like a french lop, the fur seem even to look like rex fur so maybe a mixed lop.

I hope everything goes well later on with bonding. Many have different experiece with bonding and recommend different things

 

[FuzzyBunny ph]

hmm with regards to the litterbox being a hand-me-down to your other bunny, I don't think it should bother her if it's been cleaned since Storm last used it

I have heard that switching litterboxes is helpful in bonding bunnies but I've never tried this so I'm not sure if this is true or if it depends on the bunnies

If both of them are fixed then I'm sure they'll be bonded soon! I saw a helpful video recently about bonding, it might help you

 

[Nuage]

That is a great name! What does it mean though?

 

[Catlyn]

Lúmi in general doesn't mean anything in our language, since we don't have that letter ú but i use it as a way to show that the letter is a bit stretched: longer than u but shorter than uu, and a bit of ü sound mixed in. The name was inspired by her coat though, as lumi with all hard short letters means snow in estonian.
I instantly knew what i wanted to call her but had to ask advice on deciding Storm's name. Go figure.
Thanks on all the amazing tips!

 

[Nuage]

Okay!

 

[Blue eyes]

I'd also agree that there is no point in trying to have them meet before her spay. If they did meet beforehand and got along wonderfully, it really would have no meaning because she will return from her spay smelling like a different rabbit (and she will be different as well). There is, however, inherent risk that they will fight if allowed to meet beforehand. If they do, it could sabotage future bonding chances.

So my take on allowing rabbits to meet before both are fixed is that it has no benefit, but comes with risk.

 

[Jmaner]

I made a wooden litterbox for Storm's crate when he got used to the indoors with it. As he's now mostly free roam dad and i got him a bit bigger plastic container box roughly 40*60*17cm in size. Fits perfectly into his corner.
It would also fit in the crate if we so wanted to, thus the first question.
Since the wooden box fits better in the crate, i'm thinking of using that for the new bun. But will she get aggro'd if the box has Storm's smell on it?
or should we get a new separate box for her and then leave one when they successfully move together?

We rarely get rabbits in the shelters(twice a year at best), much less fixed ones, so the common methods in USA or UK don't work here. No FB group has posted a rabbit that matches our needs either. So our only option is to get a giveaway girl and get her fixing organized ourselves.
Thus i was wondering: how likely or not is it that they won't want to coexist no matter what?

We acquired a bun and thought she needed a friend. First of all, she got super mad when we rearranged her room. We think she has terrible OCD and must perfectly know her exit routes. Then when we brought the new bun in, our older bun started growling and biting us. We had to separate them. I am not sure if all bunnies are like this. Both buns were girls. Our vet says she has two male bunnies that have always needed separate quarters because they would kill each other. Be careful.

 

[Catlyn]

Yeah, about that.... See the "what sort of mix is he?" For further details if i've managed to pique someone's curiosity.
Long story short, vet confirmed the new she-bun to be a he-bun, i didn't want to return him to where the dog would bully him so he's coming home with us. I'll try to try a male-male bond. Lűmi seems very submissive and friendly so i hope it goes easier in the future!

 

[Jmaner]

Good luck. Our Bun just wanted us. And maybe a boy bun lol. No girl buns. Weirdly she likes male people better too!