Bringing home a new bun-advice on bringing old and new buns together...

[andreabaylon]

Helllo bunny Friends!! Well we have good news in our household! We're expecting again!!! This Sunday we bring home our new, and very first, Flemish Giant!! We haven't decided yet on a male or female but it will be a light grey with a harlequin gene carrier (whatever that means!). Our ultimate goal is to have the giant be a 'house bunny', having the run of the house with a large kennel-type enclosure where we'll keep his food and peepee corner and so it has a place to escape, but we'd also like to have it be friendly with the two dwarves I already have. Any suggestions as to how to go about this? I have heard from many people that when introducing a new rabbit to a bonded pair, two males might fight to the death. Which is why we were leaning towards the female. But we also want the cuddliest bun possible, and males tend to be more affectionate. Thoughts?:biggrin::biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2:

 

[Maureen Las]

All buns should bealtered before you even begin bonding particularly with males.
maybe your dwarf rabbits already are???
in any case the flemish should also be neutered or spayed.

After the waiting period while hormones die down you could keep the flemish separate from the dwarf rabbits but in the same room separated where they can pick up each others scent.

2 unneutered males are a dangerous combo and 2 unspayed fmales are just about as bad.

congrats on your new big bunner :biggrin2:

 

[elrohwen]

What are the genders of your dwarves and are they fixed? All bunnies in the situation need to be fixed before introduction. Also, be careful and housing the new bun too close to the other two - sometimes the intro of a new bunny can break the bond of the existing pair so keep a close eye on your pair.

I think males are generally easier to bond into any situation, even with other males. Females can be very territorial and possessive of their original mates and not happy to add a new female in. I would recommend a male.

 

[andreabaylon]

Thanks for the advice everyone! My two dwarves are male and female. Only the male is fixed, the female is still too young. Yes, I think we are leaning towards the male now anyhow. I shall follow up with pics Sunday afternoon!!

 

[tonyshuman]

We tried to do a trio with Benjamin, Tony, and Muffin. T and M were already bonded. It didn't work--Muffin liked Ben, but Tony hated him. You can do trios, but it can be hard and sometimes it just won't work depending on the buns' personalities. Definitely spay and neuter before putting them together, even for a quick hello. A bad first experience due to hormones can taint future experiences with that bunny.

 

[Maureen Las]

I also attempted to bond a boy with a bonded pair. The already bonded male was extremely territorial of the female and would not let the new boy have any time with her.
I ended up bonding him with another bun.
Some folks on this forum can do trios howeverI am lucky ifI can bond a pair.