Rusty at rabbit bonding - Advice please!

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You can go ahead and adopt her and wait till bob(what a handsome boy) isn't hormonal but you have to be prepared for the fact that they may not get along. I got lucky with peeta and Polly. I picked Polly out and picked her up on the way back from vacation BC rabbit rescues are to far for me just to drive to. They took about 2-3 weeks to bond which is pretty short for rabbits, but I was ready for the fact that they may never get along. Also don't give up when bonding them. Some rabbits can take a very long but eventually learn to like the other rabbit. Also don't rush it BC sometimes 2 rabbits that seem to get along immediately can fight if put together too soon. Good luck!!

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Thanks for your thought flemish giant! I am glad things worked out with Peeta and Polly.

I think I will wait for a while. Maybe if the little dutch rabbit is still there we will try another date. I just felt like she was something very special, and I hate seeing them in those little cages.

My concern, is still his size. If and when he gets over his hormones, will he probably still try to hump other rabbits? I know it is also a dominance thing, not always sexual. I guess I am wondering if he is hurting the smaller rabbit when he does this?
No matter when or where we find Bob a friend they are very likely to be smaller than him.
 
When the rabbit humps its not in any intent to hurt the other rabbit just to show dominance. Your only problem would be if he tried to hump the smaller rabbits head. It could bite somewhere not too fun. I don't think he could hurt another rabbit trying to hump them. Plus if the other rabbits really small I doubt he could even hump the other rabbit it would just kinda crawl out from under him. This is my opinion anyway my rabbits are the same size.

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Usually those tiny rabbits are so fast, bigger rabbits have a hard time keeping up with them. That may negate the humping if she chooses not to let him too near.

It's difficult to know what is the best thing to do. I can understand your dilemma. Openly friendly rabbits right from the start, aren't common, you usually have to give them time to learn to trust you. And actually finding one that isn't afraid of children and is interested in being near them, is pretty rare. I would be pretty tempted too. It's hard to know how bonding would go with them, but the fact that she wasn't openly hostile to him is a really good sign. It's hard to know how it will go for him though, as the hormones dissipate, though in my experience, I've found the girl bun to be the more moody and harder to bond. Generally speaking, boy buns are usually more good natured and easy going, though there are exceptions. You could give it another week for the hormones to go down a bit more, and hopefully she will still be there.

One thing to be aware of with smaller rabbits and kids(or even adults), they tend to shoot around really fast and end up right under your feet as you are taking a step, so you sometimes have to be a bit careful walking around little buns. It doesn't seem to be that way with my bigger rabbits. They are usually a bit slower, so don't end up under foot quite so easily, plus their size makes them easier to see.
 
Thanks again flemish giant and Jbun. I really appreciate your comments. This has really been tough for me. I have never had such a large rabbit, and I have just been worrying so much that Bob will hurt a smaller rabbit. I have even been thinking he might need to stay alone, rather than risk it. He was acting quite silly with my cat today, sort of presenting himself for attention, with his head down. It made me feel a little sad for him since the cat is so not interested in being friends.
I emailed someone through the house rabbit society about his date at the rescue. I was just looking for all the help I could find. She got back to me today, and based on what I told her about the date she seemed to think the dutch rabbit would be a good match for Bob. That was good and bad news. I really do want to run back and adopt her, but I also feel like it is probably best to wait.
That little bunny really deserves a good home, so I feel bad hoping she is still there when we are ready, but maybe she will be.
 
Hello Again!

After waiting a little over a week we went back for the little dutch rabbit. The shelter did say they would take her back, and even do an exchange if things didn't work out, but I really hope that won't be necessary. We just picked her up today, so she is going through the initial getting to know her cage and us phase - with Bob it took a day or two for him to relax around us.

I am wondering when we might try the first bonding session? I realize she needs a period of adjustment, how long is normal? Currently she and Bob are in the same room, but she is in her cage. They have seen and sniffed each other, and so far I have only seen curiosity and no sign of aggression.

I will share a picture once she has settled in a bit and I can get a good one :eek:)
Her name is Iris. She seems to be a chocolate dutch, or mix as she does not have the customary white blaze on her forehead. She has a tattoo in her ear. She is a little less than 4lbs, and has very buggy eyes. She was brought to the shelter as a stray, found on a very busy street - so lucky she was not hit by a car. She was pregnant when she was found, but all her babies died after delivery :(

It seems she has had a very interesting life so far. I really hope she will be very happy with us since we are all very smitten with her already.
 
Yay!!! I'm glad she was still there. Hopefully the bonding goes smoothly. How you proceed just depends a lot on how she seems to settle in. Sometimes it's good to wait a bit and let a bun have time to settle and feel comfortable in its new home, and time to bond with the family before moving on to bonding with the other bun. But then with some rabbits it helps them to feel more comfortable in its new home and bond with people if it has another rabbit to help it feel safe and comfortable. So I guess just see how she is reacting to your family and her new situation and go from there.

With her having an ear tattoo, I would bet that she is full dutch but just mismarked. I hope she is a happy girl in her new home. Can't wait to see pictures :)
 
After the first couple of hours Iris seemed really comfortable with both, Bob and us. So I took them to our sewing/book room, which Bob has run through a few times, but not spent much time in. It went amazingly well!

I was initially worried that her behavior at the shelter might have been a fluke, but it was not. She is an amazingly kid friendly/people friendly rabbit. It also seems like she and Bob do like each other.

Bob still wants to hump. The thing that was kind of a surprise is that Iris will let him do this. She is super fast and capable of getting away from him, but several times she just seemed to allow him to mount her. I only let it happen for a short time before breaking it up because I am still a little worried she might get hurt.

They were together for over two hours, and most of their interaction seemed very playful and positive. There was never any sign of aggression. I separated them eventually because I was not able to keep supervising all night, and Bob is pretty persistent in wanting to hump. It seemed like Iris could take care of herself, but I just did not want to take the risk.

I feel so lucky right now. Bob and Iris really seem like a bunny dream team as far as overall personality and kid friendliness. They both love to be petted, and will nudge anyone around for pets, then sit and tooth purr as long as you are willing to pet them. Iris jumped in my lap a couple of times, and was as friendly and demanding of affection from the kids as she was from me.

Here are some pictures of the two love buns:









http://s471.photobucket.com/user/rabtgrl/media/IMG_8433.jpg.html

The thing to know about this photo is that my two year old daughter was already sitting there, and Iris decided to come right up to her and lay down.


Iris close up with a super tired Bob lounging by his litter box in the background.



Bob did chase Iris around a fair amount, but when he stopped she would come looking for him. Also, after his humping attempts she frequently binkied. This led me to believe that she was not very bothered by his naughty overtures. In general they were both doing a lot of binkies, and seemed very happy and playful together. There was no grooming other than one time when Iris licked Bob's tail. I will try them again tomorrow, and maybe let them stay together longer or forever depending on how things go :)
 
This is so great! She seems like a really good match for Bob and your family. If this is how it continues to go, I'm sure the bonding won't take long at all. I can't believe she just flopped down by your daughter like that. She just seems like the perfect bun :)

If you are wondering if Bob's humping is hormonal or dominant bun behavior, one way to tell is checking his little boy part when he is humping. If you can see it, then he still has hormones. With my boy buns it seemed to be after the 4 week mark that the hormones had pretty much faded, for the most part.
 
Thanks JBun :)

Bob and Iris were both spayed/neutered about 4 weeks ago, so hopefully the hormones will be leveling out soon. I am pretty sure Bob is hormonal, although I have not checked him as you suggest. He does a lot of honking which I always thought was sort of a mating call type noise. Also, he sniffs her very intensely with his snout right on her, and just generally seems very intoxicated by her.

They have been together in Bob's room for two straight hours now. I think Bob's humping attempts have slowed down a bit, possibly because Iris is not allowing it to happen much, or he is just tired. I am pretty sure they are at a grooming stand off right now. They spend a fair amount of time not interacting, then either Bob will do a honking chase, or Iris will come looking for attention. She puts her head down in front of Bob, hoping he will groom her I assume. Bob usually just does his intensive sniffing, and maybe some licking is happening, but it is more sexually intense type licking (if that makes sense) rather than grooming.Hope this is not too much information, just trying to describe their behavior.

Anyway I think they are still working on it, but still no fighting or signs of aggression. They have been sharing litterboxes, food and living space without any trouble that I can see.

Here is a photo from today. Please ignore the state of the carpet, I promise I do vacuum it.

 
In the interest of having a nice complete thread I thought I would give one more update.

Things were going so well on day two that I have let them be together all the time. They have now been together for three straight days without the slightest hint of trouble. They get along so well it is like they have always been together!

I still have not seen any grooming, but I am suspicious it is happening when I am not around.

I feel so lucky to have found two such sweet, lovable buns! We did do a date before bringing Iris home, but I feel that they share an easygoing personality that helps them get along just great. I have not seen any territorial behavior from either of them. They share everything without dispute.

Also Iris seems so comfortable in our home and with us. I realize it is very unusual for a rabbit to adjust this easily, and for two rabbits to get along so easily. I am not taking any of it for granted, and am super thankful!

I want to thank each and every one of you who commented, and helped me with advice and encouragement. I truly appreciate it!
 
I had one bond (only) work like that. It is so wonderful to have it all work out! Congratulations!

:great::yahoo::yes::clapping::dancingorig::jumpforjoy::highfive:
 
Thanks Blue eyes. No one I know in real life seems to think it is a very big deal that they get along so well. "Why wouldn't two rabbits get along?" I realize how lucky we are and am very thankful.
 
Most people think that ALL rabbits get along. They really have no clue how complicated it really is.

Wow, that was a fast bond! I guess those two were just meant to be together :inlove: Bob looks like he is in bunny heaven in that last picture, snuggling with his girl. I'm just so glad that it all worked out so well. I hope you still keep us updated from time to time, on how the happy couple is doing.
 
Just wanted to report that I have now seen some grooming, and the two buns seem totally in love. Bob is still doing his intensive sniff licking, but Iris has started licking Bobs face and ears.

Bob has really cut out the humping. Occasionally he will chase Iris while honking, but when she lets him catch her he just does his sniff and lick.

Since I have never seen Iris mount Bob and she seems to groom him more, does that mean Bob is the dominant rabbit? It really does not matter, I am just a little surprised. Iris does a lot of chin marking, and just seems the fiestier of the two, so some how I thought she would be dominant. But really they share everything with no issue, including eating out of the food bowl at the same time, and sharing the same piece of kale. So maybe they have a fairly equal relationship.

Whatever the dynamic of their relationship, they seem very happy together. They are almost always right beside each other when I check on them. My husband refers to them as Mr. Extra Large and Mrs. Extra Small. They are just so cute together, and we love them lots!
 
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