Building a new cage! Can I introduce? HELP.

[MaddysRabbits]

I have 2 rabbits.
Info;
1. Mac,4 yr old, female, lionhead mix, not spayed (unaltered), lives in a 1x2 store bought cage, She is blind in one eye because when the past owners introduced them they fought & The other bunbun scratched its eye and it got infected, Shes very sweet & curious, she loves hopping around new spaces, She will also just sit in my lap when I want her to.
2. Spunky, 4 yr old, female, lionhead mix, not spayed (unaltered), lives in a 1x2 wired cage, She is very calm, loves to be held but at times can be curious, she'll snuggle in your lap for HOURS,

They are the perfect bunnies! If only they lived together :/
To me, their cages are very unsuitable, So for christmas I am going to be making them a C&C cage (Cubes and Coroplast, guineapigcages.com) I will be making a 2x8 (2 grids by 8 grids) Cause I want to introduce them, But I'm not sure how to? How do I introduce 2 unaltered 4 yr old female rabbits? Right now their cages are next to eachother & I don't even see any interaction between them.

Can someone please give me some tips about introducing? How to? Where? How will I know if they don't like eachother? Or if they do?
Please let me know! Also, on their cage, is a 2x8 big enough for 2 bunnies? What toys can I put in there? how do I litter box train them?

Thanks!

 

[Yield]

Don't take this the wrong way please, I've had so many people go off on me for voicing my opinion. =(

With that said, in my opinion, I would not introduce them... not yet at least =P

Because:
From what I heard, girls are harder to bond, and with them being unspayed, they'll be even more territorial.
and
They may be the perfect buns currently, but bonding them changes them usually from what I've heard and from personal experience.

My bun Solara was the perfect little girl.. then I bonded her to Sabriel and now she runs from me and everyone else. =( She used to lick me and beg for pets... yeah that doesn't happen anymore. She's opening up after many months (I've had her for almost a year), but it's taking a long time.

I would work with them both first, get them used to you, bond with them first... Cause, I see that you recently got them. =) Usually it takes a while to bond with your bunny. I didn't do that with Solara, and as I said, she became really antisocial... =( It could be different with all buns, but I've heard of other peoples' buns doing that, so I'd be wary.

I would also spay them first if you have the money... They'll be more open for friends, and they will have happier, healthier, and longer lives =)

Anyways, I wish you luck with all of this =)
Someone else will come and give you tips probably.

 

[MaddysRabbits]

Thanks!
I might wait. . .I'm going to ask to get them spayed for my birthday in april If i don't have the money xD hahaha, !
Either way, Bonded or not, they always have eachother (they will be living RIGHT next to eachother, so they can always socialize without interfering with eachothers space, they will each have a 2x4 ;D
& They are doing great with bonding with me They don't mind me petting them or picking them up, they come up to me already during floor time, & they have never bit me
They don't run away from me either! they are pretty amazing

 

[Yield]

You're welcome!
That's good =3
I'm lucky, where I adopted my buns, they spay and neuter them at the Humane Society and the buns are only 20-30 bucks c:
Yeah, that's what I did before I bonded Solara and Sabriel c: I had their cages directly next to each other!
They also say you can switch their litterboxes and food dishes to get each other more used to each other ~
You sound like you have some great buns there!

My Sabriel was like that when I adopted him =) (he still is, but he runs from me when Solara does cause he likes to copy her, lol), but Solara I have to work with a lot, and Silas, I have to work with picking him up. He's been doing a whole lot better though! =P

You got real lucky there =)

 

[MaddysRabbits]

They were my cousins but she couldnt care for them anymore I'm excited <3

 

[DebsBuns]

I love lionheads. I'd like to have another someday. I'm glad they now have a good home.

 

[Yield]

Are these your first bunnies? =]

 

[DebsBuns]

Put a litter box in with the same litter you use for your piggies. Keep hay in it. When the buns go poo elsewhere put some of it in the box. Also put their veggies in the box, so they'll spend as much time in there as possible. It might be harder to litter box train them if they're not fixed. But you can. My french lop wasn't spayed and she was very good when she was younger. As she got older she became sloppier. Hind end problems because she was so big.Good Luck with the training.

 

[elrohwen]

I think having two large cages side by side is the best option for you right now. Honestly, two unspayed females will not bond - especially as they have been introduced before and have fought quite badly. Keep them next to each other until you get both spayed, then introduce after their hormones have died down.

Good for you getting them bigger cages to live in! They'll be much happier.

 

[MaddysRabbits]

Yes! They are my 1st bunnies.

 

[Yield]

MaddysRabbits wrote:

Yes! They are my 1st bunnies.

That's big =]
Yeah, things will go more smoothly with the two new bunnies if you wait until they're fixed and you have bonded with them before you try to bond them together, as Laura just said =]

Did anything specific get you "into" bunnies? =] Like, my dad is a Landscaper and he accidentally killed a mommy cottontail, and brought the babies home when I was younger, and that's what inspired me =]

That was when I was like, 5, I didn't get bunnies until when I was 16, and old enough to understand =P (That was my understanding age at least XD)

 

[tonyshuman]

It's not impossible to bond unspayed females, but it is hard. I would keep them side by side, remembering that you may have to have some physical separation between the cages, not just wires, as bunnies can chomp each other through the holes in the wire grids. You can also try the litterbox switching trick. See if they start to be interested in each other, and if it looks like they might get along, then you can try bonding. Otherwise, wait until they are spayed.