Bunny bonding - should I try a quad?

[Emma Nelson]

Hello,
I have 2 brother bunnies who fell out when they reached sexual maturity, they fight each time they are put together again, but they seem to like (after a bit of chasing) being alongside each other in runs. We rescued 2 does in February, and these both took a shine to one of the males, who has now bonded with them - so we have a loving trio. But also one brother on his lonesome! I believe he's not happy without another bunny to snuggle and groom with. I feel quite out of my depth to try to bond a quad, and I think it's not actually ideal to do so now that we have a bonded trio (I imagine the buck would not allow his does to mix with his brother, and their relationships would all suffer).
So, I am considering rescuing yet another doe (my partner will think I am crazy!) to try to bond with our solo brother. It feels like a risk; what if the bond isn't successful and I end up with 3 separate rabbit enclosures to maintain?
What would those of you with experience do? Advice appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Apollo’s Slave]

If I were in this situation, I would adopt another doe for the single bun. It would be quite hard a quad, and it would be easier to bond a second pair. It’s almost always possible to bond two rabbits but sometimes it isn’t worth the stress. Some rescues will do the bonding for you, or will allow you to adopt a different doe if that one doesn’t work out.

But that’s just what I would do.

 

[Emma Nelson]

Thank you, I really appreciate your thoughts.

 

[Mariam+Theo]

I would get another female for your male, but do bunny dating so that he can choose the rabbit. If he chooses the rabbit there is a large chance the rabbits will bond. If the rabbits do not bond, many rescues will allow you to return the rabbit, or swap it out for a different rabbit. If you try to bond him with your trio there is a chance the trio will break up and then you might have 4 different set ups to clean.

 

[Emma Nelson]

Thank you for your ideas!

 

[zuppa]

Hi, what age your first 2 brothers now and are they neutered?

Also can you give more info on your rescued females, their age and if they are fixed as well?

Was there any reason why you bonded two females with one of the brothers and not one female to each?

Can you tell more about new female you are planning to adopt?

Thanks!

 

[Button]

hope these help! I have bonded two unspayed females before. Just be patient and do not leave them alone.

 

[Emma Nelson]

Hi, thank you - the brothers are one year old, and neutered. I think we may have made mistakes along the way with our bunnies, as we are new to it all, so please bear with me - perhaps I should have ridden out the storms of them fighting so awfully, but it seemed to me that we should get 2 does and try to bond each with a female.

When we put our does alongside the males (3 outdoor runs), to observe who liked whom, how they all interacted (as a prerequisite to bonding) we were told by one bunny bonder that this would simply be frustrating the males, and to keep them all separate until we had the does spayed. But then lockdown kicked in - the does aren't spayed, and are now 6 months old.

Our males seem quite different in temperament, Benji is a bit grumpy and frightened, and he is the one who seemed less friendly to the does. We are new to this so maybe it was a mistake to let the bunnies choose - but we are where we are now, and we have a trio that I don't want to mess about with. So it's really our solo male that I am worried about.

Bunny rescues aren't doing trade or bonding at the moment, I may need to approach other sources - people who need to let go their bunny (same as a rescue in my opinion) .

Hm, not easy to arrange bunny dates during social distancing!

 

[zuppa]

In your situation I would try rehoming your single male Benji, he is neutered and maybe you will find a nice family who are looking for a companion for their female.

You have a nice trio already why complicate.

It is also possible that your females will get hormonal around 7-8 months, they can get territorial but maybe you are lucky and they just stay bonded for life.