Male Bunny Bonding

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Kimmie

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Hey everyone. I have two brothers that started fighting around 3 months due to testicles coming in. Had them separated until they both were neutered. I’ve been trying to bond them and I’m at a loss. Had them in the tub and my Rainy was grooming Stormy. He never reciprocated but didn’t object at all. did this on and off for a couple weeks. no Fighting at all. Decided to try them in a cage/run in the living room Stormy who was submissive in the tub started mounting Rainy and then started chasing him in a circle and then they started a big fight. So I took them back to the tub and they were fine and no Fighting. So the next time I did the tub and they started fighting after a Few minutes. 🤦‍♀️ So I waited awhile and now I tried them in the garage and Stormy was grooming Rainy for a complete change. So I will continue with this. I guess my question is, if they start fighting do I let them fight for a little bit or do I break them up right away? Like I did the few times they fought. I’m so scared for them to get hurt but maybe I’m breaking them up too soon??????? HELP!! tIA!!
 
I would split it up when it starts. I would let them hump one another but if one of them starts chasing the other I would split them up. And by split them up I don't mean taking them back to their cages, but just putting a broom between them for 2 minutes so that they can calm down.

Someone on here (I can't remember who it was) said that this is how they bond rabbits and I thought it might be helpful:
"(they have not met each other yet or done any sort of bonding yet.) I put them in cages or x-pens next to each other. NOT touching or in reach of each other or they will nip at each other. Close enough so they can investigate each other. After about 2 weeks I move the pens closer together provided they have not had any fighting. Then after a month, I start 5-10-minute sessions in the bathtub per night for about a week. Then on a Saturday I clear my schedule and move an x-pen in the living room where I supervise all day. I put them in there together right away in the morning and leave them in there all day. I watch closely and break up any fights if they start immediately. But, I don't take them out if they start fighting, they need to get it out of their systems. I will leave them in there all day and all that night, and sleep in the room with them if they still aren't getting along after the day. I usually have pretty good luck that they are getting along at this point. Then when I am feeling good and trusting they aren't fighting after a day or so. I move them back into the room they were in, in the same x-pen they were in the last day or so. I put it in the center of the two areas they were occupying before I moved them out. This way both their scents are there. Then I hang sheets or old towels around the outside of the pen so they can't see where they are, and they only see each other. Then play it by ear I see how they are doing, if all is going well and they aren't trying to escape I start removing a panel a day of the outside cover, so they slowly see their surroundings. Usually, they see their old habitat and get so excited to go back home with their new friend I don't make it to the end of the covers and I let them into their now shared area.
No stressing for me or the rabbits and it has worked every time I have tried it. I have used this for my female rabbits that I tried using other methods that did not work. I developed this on my own after lots of reading and trial and lots of error. My 7-year-old un-spayed female who I never thought would bond with another after she lost her mate has even bonded with another un-spayed female using this method."
 
I would split it up when it starts. I would let them hump one another but if one of them starts chasing the other I would split them up. And by split them up I don't mean taking them back to their cages, but just putting a broom between them for 2 minutes so that they can calm down.

Someone on here (I can't remember who it was) said that this is how they bond rabbits and I thought it might be helpful:
"(they have not met each other yet or done any sort of bonding yet.) I put them in cages or x-pens next to each other. NOT touching or in reach of each other or they will nip at each other. Close enough so they can investigate each other. After about 2 weeks I move the pens closer together provided they have not had any fighting. Then after a month, I start 5-10-minute sessions in the bathtub per night for about a week. Then on a Saturday I clear my schedule and move an x-pen in the living room where I supervise all day. I put them in there together right away in the morning and leave them in there all day. I watch closely and break up any fights if they start immediately. But, I don't take them out if they start fighting, they need to get it out of their systems. I will leave them in there all day and all that night, and sleep in the room with them if they still aren't getting along after the day. I usually have pretty good luck that they are getting along at this point. Then when I am feeling good and trusting they aren't fighting after a day or so. I move them back into the room they were in, in the same x-pen they were in the last day or so. I put it in the center of the two areas they were occupying before I moved them out. This way both their scents are there. Then I hang sheets or old towels around the outside of the pen so they can't see where they are, and they only see each other. Then play it by ear I see how they are doing, if all is going well and they aren't trying to escape I start removing a panel a day of the outside cover, so they slowly see their surroundings. Usually, they see their old habitat and get so excited to go back home with their new friend I don't make it to the end of the covers and I let them into their now shared area.
No stressing for me or the rabbits and it has worked every time I have tried it. I have used this for my female rabbits that I tried using other methods that did not work. I developed this on my own after lots of reading and trial and lots of error. My 7-year-old un-spayed female who I never thought would bond with another after she lost her mate has even bonded with another un-spayed female using this method."
Wow that is extremely helpful!!!! Thank you for sharing that!!!!! I always Remove them immediately from the area When they start fighting.
 
I have plans on bonding two males but don't have my own experience yet, what I can tell you from bonding male and female and two females, I have three successfully bonded couples at the moment and two couples work in progress.

When they start fighting I interrupt them but don't stop the process. After they calm down a bit I place them both together side by side and give them long session of love, sometimes I take them on me and we have a long conversation and again I keep grooming them together, they are becoming more relaxed and they are side by side all the time and listening to me and melting, after they are happy and relaxed again (maybe after 5-10 mins) I put them back together side by side and keep grooming, then we start again. Also, it is best to stop session on positive, not on fight, so they will remember something good about each other.

You said most successful session was in the garage so maybe do next sessions there as well, and be patient do more sessions and after you feel they are bonded make 24 h session and be there with them for 24 hours. After they are bonded in neutral territory you need to clean everything with white vinegar all their toys and everything, best would be to move them both together into some place foreign for both, it also helps if you can keep them for a week or a few days in a new smaller cages, and prepare completely new place for them with neutral smell
 
I have plans on bonding two males but don't have my own experience yet, what I can tell you from bonding male and female and two females, I have three successfully bonded couples at the moment and two couples work in progress.

When they start fighting I interrupt them but don't stop the process. After they calm down a bit I place them both together side by side and give them long session of love, sometimes I take them on me and we have a long conversation and again I keep grooming them together, they are becoming more relaxed and they are side by side all the time and listening to me and melting, after they are happy and relaxed again (maybe after 5-10 mins) I put them back together side by side and keep grooming, then we start again. Also, it is best to stop session on positive, not on fight, so they will remember something good about each other.

You said most successful session was in the garage so maybe do next sessions there as well, and be patient do more sessions and after you feel they are bonded make 24 h session and be there with them for 24 hours. After they are bonded in neutral territory you need to clean everything with white vinegar all their toys and everything, best would be to move them both together into some place foreign for both, it also helps if you can keep them for a week or a few days in a new smaller cages, and prepare completely new place for them with neutral smell
Thank you! This is great Info!! I am taking note and everything is g good so far. No fighting in the garage at all.
 
I am trying to find you said they were neutered at 3 months and how long ago that was? You surely know that after neutering they still need 6-8 weeks to calm down and stay separately, with one of my rabbits he was still too humpy after 8 weeks so we waited another month and then everything went very well, no humping or spraying, we had some fights and fur flying but now they are 2 months together and very happy, he's with an unfixed girl they love each other clean each other very happy they are a very beautiful couple as well
 
I am trying to find you said they were neutered at 3 months and how long ago that was? You surely know that after neutering they still need 6-8 weeks to calm down and stay separately, with one of my rabbits he was still too humpy after 8 weeks so we waited another month and then everything went very well, no humping or spraying, we had some fights and fur flying but now they are 2 months together and very happy, he's with an unfixed girl they love each other clean each other very happy they are a very beautiful couple as well
Yes Rainy has been neutered for 14 weeks and Stormy for about 4 months. So far so good. I’m learning a lot on this thread so thanks everyone!!!
 
Great! Please keep us updated :)
 
Thank you! This is great Info!! I am taking note and everything is g good so far. No fighting in the garage at all.
Great! Please keep us updated :)
i definitely will keep everyone updated!! I get scared because I tried Bonding Stormy with our spayed female Poppy and it ended up with her being rushed to the vet with the fur on Her chest hangin down like a flap! Vet was shocked she made it through surgery. So I’m taking this slowly and carefully. 😢😬
 
I have plans on bonding two males but don't have my own experience yet, what I can tell you from bonding male and female and two females, I have three successfully bonded couples at the moment and two couples work in progress.

When they start fighting I interrupt them but don't stop the process. After they calm down a bit I place them both together side by side and give them long session of love, sometimes I take them on me and we have a long conversation and again I keep grooming them together, they are becoming more relaxed and they are side by side all the time and listening to me and melting, after they are happy and relaxed again (maybe after 5-10 mins) I put them back together side by side and keep grooming, then we start again. Also, it is best to stop session on positive, not on fight, so they will remember something good about each other.

You said most successful session was in the garage so maybe do next sessions there as well, and be patient do more sessions and after you feel they are bonded make 24 h session and be there with them for 24 hours. After they are bonded in neutral territory you need to clean everything with white vinegar all their toys and everything, best would be to move them both together into some place foreign for both, it also helps if you can keep them for a week or a few days in a new smaller cages, and prepare completely new place for them with neutral smell
So I have had 6 successful sessions in the garage so far. Each one anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour. They are both grooming each other. i put some hay in with Them and they ate next to each other. They both were loafing next to each other and at times just ignoring Each other and sniffing the xpen. At what point should I move on to the next phase. Like in the living room? And how do I know at what point they are fully bonded? Like now when I put them each back In Their own areas after the session. how would I know if the bond Is going to get broke??? That’s where I’m confused. Lol here are some pictures. I wish I could upload a video of them but I don’t think it allows it?? :).
 

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They are doing great! I would just continue to have sessions in the garage, making them longer maybe you could just sit there with them reading or with your laptop or play some games on your phone, if you decide on moving them to your living room you should prepare it, make it unrecognizable for them, and remove their smells with white vinegar from everything, you can put a piece of a cardboard under that playpen and bring all stuff from garage they had in there, maybe cover playpens panels with blankets to create new territory. Then maybe you can leave them in there for londer, for 12 hours and be near them, then 24 hours and you can sleep with them you will hear if there's any fight. I say they are fully bonded after 3 days together without fights, then before moving them into new place together make sure that you removed their smell and maybe reorganise a bit their territory so they don't get territorial.
 
They are doing great! I would just continue to have sessions in the garage, making them longer maybe you could just sit there with them reading or with your laptop or play some games on your phone, if you decide on moving them to your living room you should prepare it, make it unrecognizable for them, and remove their smells with white vinegar from everything, you can put a piece of a cardboard under that playpen and bring all stuff from garage they had in there, maybe cover playpens panels with blankets to create new territory. Then maybe you can leave them in there for londer, for 12 hours and be near them, then 24 hours and you can sleep with them you will hear if there's any fight. I say they are fully bonded after 3 days together without fights, then before moving them into new place together make sure that you removed their smell and maybe reorganise a bit their territory so they don't get territorial.
ok!! That’s great Info once again!! Thank you!! I brought my tablet out to watch a movie but my daughter claimed it so I just sat and watched them. Hahahah.
im So scared to screw it up!! I screwed up with stormy (the black one) and our spayed female poppy. I tried bonding him and her a couple months after his neuterinG. ( his testicles dropped 2 months before Rainys) It was my first time trying to bond bunnies. I worked for a week and they were doing great so I let them run free throughout the house and it was great for a week and then they started fighting so I stopped and started over again and they ended up in a big fight and she got severely injured. Her whole chest flap of skin was hanging off her! Took her in and thankfully she made it through surgery because the vet said she didn’t think she would survive. It was about a week later that I realized what went wrong as I was researching more info. I wS putting them Im Their separate areas when I would let Rainy out to run!! How dumb was I!!?? I can’t believe it didn’t cross my mind that duh they need to stay together!! So now I want to do everything right and not screw it up again. :-(.
I appreciate your Information immensely!!! Thank you so much!!
 
started in the house bonding now! Prepared the cage in the kitchen after cleaning with vinegar. Have blankets all around. They haven’t fought at all!! They just charged at each other once or twice and I clapped my hands and told them no and put a cardboard in between them but they relaxed right away. They have been in for 2 hours so far. I’m praying this will work!! fingers crossed! 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼 Right now they are lying next to each other and snoozing!!❤️❤️
 

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Brill! Fingers crossed :)
Ok! So I had them together in the kitchen for 5 hrs yesterday and no fighting! And now today for 7 hours in the kitchen and now I’ve moved the cage into our bedroom after cleaning again and I will keep them there overnight so they are near me!! Tomorrow if there is no fighting in the night, I’m going to clean EVERYTHING and I bought a new huge dog run with a gate that will be their permanent home(when they aren’t free roam). Its brand new. im going to clean everything that thwy need for their new cage. And then I’m going to lock them in that cage all day tmro and possibly the night. Omg I don’t want to get too excited but boy I sure am!! I hope I did it!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
So far they have eaten together, slept next to each other, been grooming each other and no fighting at all!! Rainy occasionally humps poor stormy but he’s not minding at all. No reciprocating though. Gosh I hope this is it!!!! 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼
 
Well last night went fairly well I would say. Had a couple small fights that I had to fly out of bed to stop with a piece of cardboard. They calmed down pretty fast after. A handful of scuffles bit not sure if they were gonna fight or just annoyed with each other. I know rainy was very restless and wanted to get out badly! I think he was irritating stormy and that’s why they started To fight. They like to be able to run and they have now been locked up together for 21 hours. They want out bad!! Lol. So I guess I would call it a somewhat successful night. Not for me because I’ve only had approximately 3 broken up hours of sleep!! 😭😭😭😭😭. Now I have to rethink my plan today though. Not sure if I should move them in together today or not. ughhhhh why do they have to be so hard!!!!
 

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