Males Mounting?

[samanthaann]

I have Wilson, my 6 month old lop eared bunny, who has just now stared showing signs of maturity, (digging more, chewing, spraying, etc.) I'm going to get him neutered sometime in this coming week, but just adopted another bunny who is a few months younger and also an un-neutered male.

I introduced them to each other and Wilson immediately mounted the other bunny. I assume its because of his hormones, and his attempt to establish dominance in the house, but is there anything I can do to get them to be a little more friendly to each other?

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

It's really not a good idea to introduce 2 intact males, no matter the age. They can and usually will fight which can lead to injury, large vet bills and even death.

Get both neutered when they are old enough and give 4-6 weeks for the hormones to leave the body before you try to introduce them. You then need to introduce them on neutral territory, this can be pretty much anywhere that neither one spends time in.
Males can be tricky to bond even when neutered. It takes patience and time to introduce them properly so that they can get along. There is always a chance with any pairing that they will never get along, so you need to be prepared for that probability.

Read up on how to bond 2 rabbits. Knowing the basic process is very helpful so you can get the bigger picture on how it should progress.

 

[plasticbunny]

The chances of two unaltered males getting along is pretty much zero. My advice is to house them separately and don't bother bonding until they are both neutered. Even if they can successfully bond now because one is a baby, that bond will break when the baby reaches maturity. If the bond breaks, they can fight and that will push back the bonding process significantly.

The best advice I can give is, have them caged separately but close enough to see each other. Once the baby can be neutered, get it done and wait 4 - 6 weeks for his hormones to disapate. Then start introductions in a neutral space that neither bun has visited and go from there.

I know, it's soooo hard to be patient. My male was neutered four weeks ago and it seems like his hormones have pretty much completely died down. My female will be spayed on Friday, so 6 weeks from now, I should be able to start bonding them... And they've been living side by side for almost 3 months already. But I've had bonded pairs before and believe me, the wait is a small price to pay for the payback of seeing two bunnies snuggling and grooming. Cuteness overload! :biggrin:

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Sounds like they are both old enough to be neutered--need to do that with both before bonding or intro. Humping will still occur as a dominant issue but not to the frequency that they would at pre-neuter.

 

[samanthaann]

thank you so much!
i'm currently keeping them at separate locations, but I will be moving soon and hope to introduce them to each other in a new environment, which hopefully won't stress them out too much.

but since my oldest (Wilson) is used to running around all day, would it be best to keep them both in separate houses and let them run around together only once they're bonded?

 

[plasticbunny]

Well, I can tell you how my buns are set up, and how I plan to proceed with their bonding. Maybe that can give you ideas too?

Their "cages" (I use Xpens) are set up side by side at one end of our spare room. This way they can see each other clearly and have gotten used to each other's presence. The rest of the room is the communal play area, with throw rugs, toys, etc. Before I go to bed, I open Gus's door and he has 8 hours or so to go in and out of his pen as he pleases. Then, in the morning, I put Gus back in his pen and let Molly out for the whole day. She gets more time because she's so much bigger than him. They like to spend most of their time out sprawling next to each other's cage .

When it's time to start bonding, I'm going to use the kitchen. Niether have ever been in it before, and it's big enough for me to sprawl on the floor with them but small enough that they can't avoid each other. I won't use their communal area because either bun could claim it as thier own. Once they can get along in the kitchen for an extended period of time, I'll try them in their room.

Hope this helps you get a better idea of your own situation!

 

[samanthaann]

yes it does, thank you so much!