Bonding with a new baby isn't quite working out

[MrCarrots]

We picked up a little fluffy fuzzy lop at theweekend, Baby Boo is the most adorable pom pom with ears I've ever seenand we're both madly in love.



the problem is introducing him to his big brother, Carrots is about 4months old right now and while he's not interested in fighting thelittle one all he wants to do is mount and hump. I'm worried this isntsafe for a baby bunny as little Boo could get nipped, hurt andtraumatized.



From all the FAQ and post reading I've done it seems that bondingbabies to adults should be easier than 2 full grown buns, mounting is'normal' but it doesnt seem so normal when one of them is barely 6weeks old. Should we hold off on the introductions and try again whenBoo is old enough to defend himself?

 

[undergunfire]

From the advice that I have recieved, it is mucheasier to bond two mature adults that are already spayed/neutered. Ihave also read that male/female bondings are the easiest and male/malebondings being harder.

Babies personalities change too drastically to keep the bond there.Once the baby hits puberty, the bond can and most likely will be ruinedas the hormones are rushing in.

If I were you, I would keep them separated until they both can bespayed/neutered, wait a few weeks for them to heal, then try bonding.




- Amy (Mallory, Morgan, and Madilyn-Mae):hearts

 

[Michaela]

:yeahthat

Best to wait until both are neutered, but if you were able to housethem near each other (not in the same cage but close by) that mighthelp with bonding.

Males are usually neutered around 5 months old I think, and it takes a few weeks for their hormones to die down after that.

 

[bluebird]

barely six weeks old ,whoever you bought this from should be ashamed of them selves selling a rabbit that young.bluebird

 

[naturestee]

:yeahthat

And do keep in mind that a 4 month old male is full of raginghormones. Many will not only mount other rabbits of bothgenders (as will girls!), but will also mount stuffed animals, otherpets, and your feet or arms! You need to get him neutered,and wait for at least a month while his hormones decrease and hisremaining sperm die off (which does take at least 4 weeks).

It would be best to wait until after the little girl is spayed too.

I'm not sure what you've been reading that tells you to introduce ababy to an older rabbit, because most articles recommend only bondingrabbits that are already spayed/neutered. There are tworeasons for this. One is because it reduces territorialhormones, making them less aggressive and preventing mating.The other is that a rabbit's personality often changes when they hitpuberty, and it's very common for babies to start fighting with theirformer friends. This can cause serious injuries.

I recommend reading up on bonding in our Bunny 101 section:
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=12072&forum_id=17

 

[HoneyPot]

Yep, you need to let your little one get olderand neuter your boy. You can let them check each other out,live in cages that are side by side etc, but you should really waituntil your boy is neutered and then at least a month after that - thenyou can seriously try bonding them.

__________
Nadia

 

[MrCarrots]

Mr carrots is getting fixed next week,we put it off as he was otherwise fine (no spraying, no mood changes,no sex drive at all actually until the little one was introduced) butif the two are going to live side by side, if not together then he'llneed the snip.

I think it was the HRS faq on bonding, or the UK version that saidintroductions of a baby with an adult can be less stressful than twofullygrown adults presumably as the baby isnt a threat. Boo certainlywas very friendly and groomed and licked his big brother through thecage for the firstfew days whenwe had them side byside so it seemed like they would get along fine. But then the hormoneskicked in



We'll hold off until both are a little bigger & fixed

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

It is normallyeasier to introduce ababy to a rabbit that is over a year but what they don't say is thatonce that baby grows up, you may have to separate them and reintroducethem again anyways.