Bonding.. will it never happen?

[esmeraldathebun]

So for starters I have read a lot about bonding and watched a tonne of videos, so no patronising messages please. I have had Esmeralda for a year (two years old, neutered, free roam house rabbit, who is a little bit of a madam, never been with any other bunnies since before I adopted her), and I just adopted an easy going two year old neutered male with the hope of bonding them. (She is quite content on her own, I just don't like the idea of her being alone when I'm working and thought it would be nice for her to have a mate). I have used a baby gate to section-off the kitchen and hallway and he lives there while she lives in the front room. The first day they would chew at the bars and box but now they both are normal, living their own separate lives each side of the gate. They often sit either side of the gate just staring at each other, but he keeps peeing and pooping territorially at his side of the gate. As soon as I see it I pick them up and put them in his toilet and also absorb some pee before cleaning it and put that in his tray too. First question, how else can I stop this, or do you think it will just be a matter of time? Secondly, since they seemed quite content living near each other I did my first bonding session in the bath and they were fine, a little scrappy every now and then but generally just sat there with me stroking them to reassure them. The second session however ended in disaster and somehow she latched on his ear and now he has a small cut, to which he didn't really retaliate too much (he's also fine now just going about his day and running up to me when I go in the kitchen, no signs of serious pain or injury). I know it is not a speedy process and I'm in no way trying to rush it or in a hurry for a bond, I just want to know opinions on if there is any coming back from this or if this one bad experience will make it a tonne harder to bond? Also curious if anyone had a similar experience with a female who's never had any bunny interaction in her life, eventually bonding? I know some females are quite happy to live alone but I know it would be nice for her to have a friend when I'm not home for sofa snuggles.

 

[Blue eyes]

How did you choose him? (Did you have her meet other fixed rabbits to see which seemed compatible?)
How long have they been living side-by-side separated by the pen?
Is 'his' area a place where she used to be able to roam?

 

[esmeraldathebun]

How did you choose him? (Did you have her meet other fixed rabbits to see which seemed compatible?)
How long have they been living side-by-side separated by the pen?
Is 'his' area a place where she used to be able to roam?

No she never went in the kitchen where he lives now. It was open to her but she never went that way because she doesn't like the tiled floors there, that's why I chose it for him as it was the most neutral I could get. When they first met she mounted him and he took it well then they just sniffed each other and I took her away and so it seemed a good match initially. They have been living apart happily for over a week, even now they sit either side of the gate.

 

[John Wick]

I think prebonding measures would be helpful, like not having contact (so they forget the prior attack), but swapping their litter boxes and other items so they can get more accustomed to being intimately with the other's scent.

 

[JetFalcon]

I used to have a female bunny before she passed away. And I had her along with the male tan bunny in my avatar. Sometimes they bonded and licked each other, but that tan bunny was always determined to score with the female bunny. Sometimes the female would accept it if she was horny enough, but most the time she didn't want to have sex and she got very angry at him, trying to run away but the male wouldn't stop. And the male is super kinky, biting down on her scruff so she would have to submit and be raped.

I thought it was funny most of the time, but there were times I got very nervous a bad fight would break out because they made a ton of noise when the male chased the female around in the cage.

But now she passed away, I ended up getting another male rabbit from someone I met at the beach. And surprisingly, they get along much better than the tan one did with the female. The only thing that may happen is the small brown male bunny will want to hump the tan bunny, I think for domination. But not for sexual pleasure. But I never hear them rattle their cage up like something bad is going to happen, and I never had the fear of needing to seperate them, they seem very content with each other and I see them lounging side by side.

 

[Preitler]

I ended up getting another male rabbit from someone I met at the beach. And surprisingly, they get along much better than the tan one did with the female..

How old are the rabbits? They are both intact, right?

 

[JetFalcon]

How old are the rabbits? They are both intact, right?

Intact like neutered? One is neutered (tan one in avatar). And one is not neutered (brown one on left).

But amazingly they don't fight. The only thing is the non neutered bunny likes to hump the other bunny, even though they're both males. I tell people its for dominance, but I'm not sure if bunnies could be gay.

The tan one is about 2.5-3 years old, the brown one may be 1.5 years old now. I'm their second owner so I don't know their exact birthdate.

 

[Blue eyes]

It is for dominance. They establish hierarchy that way.