When can my rabbits live together?

[thetwobunnies]

I have begun to bond my rabbits - taking it slow. I don't know if this is normal but none of them seem to really care for each other? In the first session which lasted 15 minutes they were in the bathtub, but in the second one they were in both the bathtub and bathroom (outside of the tub cause my older one kept on jumping out) and they were pretty normal - they would both do their own thing, sometimes they would sniff each other - but in the second session I was petting my older male rabbit and he was very relaxed and laying down and his eyes were half closed but out of no where my younger rabbit comes sliding in cause the floor is vinyl and she was running around and he instantly got up (in a sharp jerky motion) and kind of lunged at her? He didn't attack he just put his head really close to her and didn't move after that - he was kind of frozen he didn't nip her or anything he just got close to her and froze up.

I offered treats so whatever tension there was would end. I let them play around for another 5 minutes before putting them back in their cages. There is no mounting, grooming (although they have groomed each other through the cages like once or twice - or it seemed like it LOL) so I don't know if this is a good thing? Because they aren't really acknowledging each other when out in the open? I will do 3-4 more sessions in the bathroom and then move to my room (outside of their cages) just in the open space in my room - which both of my rabbits have been in/ same room cages are in) and have at least 10 sessions in my room.

How long until I can house them together? My female is NOT spayed but this is because she is only 3 months old - I will be contacting a rabbit savvy vet about when I should spay her - this is not her usual vet but that is because she is on maternity leave she will be back later this month. My older rabbit (neutered) has seen her and she is great. She is also the official spay/ neuter vet for at least 2 rescues that I know of (including the one I adopted my older rabbit from) - meaning she gets in rabbits regularly and is probably aware/ used to having bonded rabbits come in.

I was planning on going to home depot today and buying the things needed for their new cage, all I need are some wooden dowels and plywood/ wood and stick on vinyl tile, the reason why I am buying this early is because the stick on tiles will "bubble up" if there isn't something heavy on them for a long time. When is the earliest I can house them together? How am I supposed to know that they are able to live together? They often brush by each other and neither of them get tense or anything they just ignore them - sometimes even move out of the other rabbit's way.

Also the cage is 56"W x 84"L x 42"H with a 56"W x 48"L second level, is that big enough for 2 medium sized rabbits? (4-7lbs?)

 

[LakeCondo]

At 3 months a female CAN get pregnant, & you may not be able to separate them in time to stop her getting pregnant. So if you have are unneutered males, she needs to be kept separate.

I wouldn't try housing them together until she is spayed, even though this probably won't be until she's 6 months old.

 

[JBun]

Them ignoring each other is actually a good thing. If there was outright fighting then bonding would be a much more difficult thing. I wouldn't be in a rush to move the bonding sessions to your room quite yet. Your boy may see that as his territory and it could instigate some aggression from him. You may want to keep the bonding sessions in the bathroom for a while, until they start being more interested in each other and actually start to get along. If you try and rush it too much, you could mess up any progress you've made. You always want to end the sessions on a good note, so if either rabbit seems to be getting upset, stop the session before any fighting starts. When they start grooming each when not in their cages, and wanting to lay down next to each other, then you can start letting them spend more time together in a neutral area. Once you get to the point where you can leave them together several hours together in a neutral area without any problems occurring, then you can think about putting them in their new cage together. If you haven't read Agnes and Archies blog, then you may want to read it as she details their bonding process really well, so you may be able to get some valuable info from it. How soon you are able to put your rabbits together just depends on each rabbit. Pay close attention to their behavior when they're together and don't get in a rush to accelerate the bonding too quickly.

 

[thetwobunnies]

My male rabbit IS neutered and has been since early jan.

Also, true, but they don't seem to be irritated at each other? But they don't care for each other also, they are both very curious and love to run around so it doesn't surprise me that they aren't really "into" each other.
Should I leave them in the bathroom for 30 minutes today? I don't want to rush them and lose whatever progress I have made, like you said, but I would like to do things as quickly as possible without over rushing them. Because they have been near each other for a month and their cages are near each other now and they will flop next to each other through the cages. And I will check out the agnes and archies blog.

 

[JBun]

30 min. might be ok, but it's more of just reading your rabbits body language, and watching for good signs that they are getting along, or negative signs that one of them might be upset, like grunting, pinning ears, lunges, circling to nip on the butt. But if they both seem curious, happy, looking around, then 30 min. may work out fine.

 

[thetwobunnies]

Thanks, yeah it's none of that. They both seem to be aware that the other one is there but don't really seem to interact with one another. There was only one "lunge" when I was petting my male but that was it, he didn't nip her or anything, he didn't move actually, after he lunged he just froze up so I don't know what that means. But after I gave them treats they were normal.
I will try 30 minutes later this afternoon. If everything is going well, and there are no complications or any negative signs, would it be possible to move them into the same cage by the end of this week? Or is that way too soon?

 

[JBun]

I would wait to even leave the bathroom for sessions, until they are interested in each other and calm around each other, and show they want to be with each other. You won't really know until you see these signs. It's always in the bunny's time, they pretty much decide how fast the progress is.

 

[thetwobunnies]

Ah, alright. I will do a session maybe 2? tonight, and I am usually always there sitting on the floor giving them occasionally pets if they happen to nose bonk me. Thanks!

 

[Dahlia-Romeo]

Sounds like your bonding is going good! Mine started out with my female nipping at my male. Ignoring each other is definitely better than aggressive behaviours.

I'm also seeking an answer as to when I can house my bunnies together. From what I've read, I believe you should wait longer than until the end of the week. When and if I finally can house my two buns together, I plan to do it on a weekend so I'm home to supervise... more than I would be able to if I were out during the week. Maybe that's a good idea for you as well?

Try putting them each other's cage before you home them together, too. I just learned about this idea and it helps them get used to being around each other's scent for long periods of time. Just switch which cage they're in every day.

I'd also wait for more promising signs like grooming and lying together. Mine started doing this just today and it seems like a huge improvement. Sounds like you're doing a good job already, keep it up!

Good luck! I hope they get along just fine.

 

[thetwobunnies]

Thanks! and that is a great idea, I will definitely be planning to house them (when I do) over the weekend.
I will try that switching cage thing today, it sounds like a good idea. And true, I guess I was rushing into it a bit Thanks, good luck to you too!