Bonding a Trio

[Holly W]

Hi All

So I need some advice ;

I have 2 neutered girls (sisters) 7 months old and I have a rescue boy (uneutered at present but booked in for next week) also approx 7 months.

My girls bond has recently broken since they were spayed. They currently live separately but we have occasional play dates. The play dates tend to get stopped when the girls start to scuff with each other.

The boy is also living separately and he is involved in the play dates but all he wants to do is mount them at the moment !

My question is, once he is spayed and all hormones amongst the 3 are settled , what is the best way to go about bonding them all?

Is it best to bond my girls first and then introduce the boy or would it be best to bond them all together as new buns ?

The reason we have 3 - we got the 2 girls together as babies, they got on perfect until being neutered . We were prepared for that and understand it may take time to regain their bond. We recently inherited the boy and we also thought it may be a good idea to have him as it may stop the girls from fighting for dominance ?

In the meantime while he gets spayed and recovers, should I stop the play dates so that they are completely new buns to one another once they are ready for bonding?

Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated !

 

[Blue eyes]

I think you are on the right track. Keep them all separated (no play dates either) until the boy's hormones have fully dissipated after neuter surgery. (This can be anywhere from 3-8 weeks.)

For trios, it is best to introduce them all at one time. Bonding a pair first and then adding a 3rd rabbit is not the ticket for most likely to succeed. Keep them all apart until bonding time.

For more on bonding trios and group, click on this site and then scroll way, way, way down until you see the title "RABBIT GROUPS AND TRIOS."
http://www.cottontails-rescue.org.uk/information/bonding-bunnies/

 

[Holly W]

Thank you for responding
The three of them have separate outdoor runs which are all next to one another so they can still see / smell / touch etc. Do you think I should separate the runs until all hormones are settled and they are essentially completely new buns to each other? Or do you think having each other’s scent and seeing one another will help when it comes to actually bonding?
Sorry so many questions lol! Buns can be complicated so I just wanna make sure I’m doing the right thing for them

 

[Blue eyes]

That's a tough one. There are no set answers. I would see how they are. If there are any signs of aggression between the fence, then I'd put up solid barricades.

Be aware that sometimes rabbits separated like that may lay near each other against the fence. This is often misinterpreted as being loving or cuddly but that isn't always the case. Sometimes it is a rabbit's way of saying, "Hey, this is my territory. Don't you dare come into my space."

I'd observe them and go with whatever your gut is telling you.

 

[Holly W]

Ah that’s good to know, they tend to lay against the fence next to one another and I always thought that was cute but now I know it may not be because they are being cute! Lol thanks again!