A Beginners Guide to Bonding Rabbits
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 มิ.ย. 2024
- Bonding rabbits is one of the most difficult parts of rabbit care. Rabbits are often very territorial and aggressive with one another when they first meet, so it's very important to have a plan and take it slow when bonding your rabbits.
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My name is Amy and I am the Bunny Lady!
I am a lifelong rabbit lover and have been specializing with rabbits at my local animal shelter. I am here to make sure all of you rabbit caretakers have everything you need to have a happy and healthy bunny in your home.
My mission is to help you fellow rabbit lovers get all the resources you need to help your rabbits thrive. A happy bunny is the best companion, and they are worth all the trouble those little fluffballs cause.
I have definitely had an easy time bonding both times. I also found banana puree on their foreheads helps encourage grooming.
lol, that's genius.
You thought I liked you? Actually I love banana puree that happens to be on your head for some reason. Turns out I like you even without banana puree on your head. :D
Oh I love that idea, thanks!!
I’m having such a hard time
LOL!!
I wish this was the first bonding video I watched! It answered literally every question I couldn’t find an answer for anywhere else. Thank you so much!
Hey Bunny Lady and Friends, here's my 2 cents. I have Lucy and Jasper, each about 6 years old. They get along great, took along time (a year or two) they go to grooming (car rides) together, I'ved moved them to better quarters together, to the vet, they do everything together. They have side by side cages and enjoy the companionship. New critters need to settle in before us humans can get and will get to see them love each other, give them time, and to get used to there own enviroment first, they want to see other rabbits, you second, thank you Bunny Lady
Your bunnies are BEAUTIFUL!! SO adorable!! 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 I really enjoy your videos and watching them! 🩷❤️♥️💜
its official, after this video i have no reason not to get another rabbit
:)
Bonded pairs are great! You’re gonna love watching your pair once they’re bonded!
Thank you for championing rescue. This shelter tech sees a lot of sweet rescue bunnies hop thru our doors.
Our bunny-bonding was quite fast as our first bunny tore off the (seemingly very sturdy) fence separating them during the first night and they seemed to get along well enough. Still took a few days 'til they started grooming each other.
When we first got him, our first bunny also was supposed to stay in his room for a few days until we were sure he's properly litter trained, but he tore of the fence as he wanted to hang out with us around the rest of the house. It's really a pattern with him if we ever need to fence an area off for any span on time. The little fella will literally spend hours per day chewing and tugging on a fence and it's amazingly difficult to make something that's removable so people can pass but still bunny-proof.
And what a wonderful addition Teddy Bear is! ❤️
Ohhhh you got a new baby! Teddy bear is so adorable.
Ikr
I'm so nervous to bond my bunnies. I got them from the same shelter and they live side by side. They seem to get along. They do everything together. They eat at the same time, sleep at the same time and groom themselves at the same time. I really do think they enjoy having each other nearby... but I'm so scared to let them meet. I know it's good for them to be together... but it seems like a nightmare to bond rabbits.
Have you made the next step yet?
@@PauseItMF I haven't had the time. I want to take 2 weeks off so that I can focus on bonding them. I'm probably going to wait until I move to a new place. That way everything is neutral territory.
@CyberLitaBot yeah my tei boys hate each other if they don't have a barrier separating them. I've stopped trying to bond them because they were just flipping out
@CyberLitaBot I wish there were more professional bunny bonders. I would definitely go through a service if that was even an optional I lived.
Good luck with your bunny and no worries if it turns out she's a loner. She'll be fine and happy with your company
@CyberLitaBot haha that's glorious!
My previous bunny was a white and gray lion head and I named him Gandalf. I even had a food bowl labeled Mithrandir written in elvish haha.
Aww the bunnies are so cute :D and the thumbnail is beautiful
Great advice. I just got another bun. First bun has been with us for 2 years. New bun is a bit younger but seems very sweet and willing to bond. The older one stomped and growled at first sight, but, he's starting to ignore the new bun when he free roams around his enclosure. He's definitely territorial but now I alternate when they free roam and I'm finally able to place them side-by-side in different enclosures and he's become much calmer than he was on day one. I'm going to keep at it, slowly, and see how this goes.
I was just thinking about this and then I seen the thumbnail,
Perfect timing!!!
Teddyyyy! I was looking forward to meeting him! Such a lovely bun. I'm glad he got along with Ellie :D
This has helped me so much. Thank you.
Hi Amy! I saw this video a year ago and have finally begun the bonding process with my current rabbit and a new rabbit. Thanks for all the help!
THANK YOU❤️❤️❤️
Absolutely helpful🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼
So helpful thank you ❤🐰
This is a great video. I recently brought a new baby girl into our home to keep my neutered Flemish company. You have some great tips.
Thanks for this in depth video
can’t wait to see more videos with teddy!
Super useful! Thank you
Adorable buns
I've watched this video multiple times, and I finally have a second rabbit in my house. And now I feel like I'm the dumbest person on the planet and have no clue what I'm doing. It all changes when you actually start 😂
I feel the same!! I felt so prepared before I bought my 2nd bunny home, now I'm about to start bonding in a week or so and I feel like I have no idea where to begin 😅 best of luck with your bunnies! ❤
@@sez_ hey you too! I recently found a Facebook group called rabbit bonding advice that I've joined and am reading EVERYONE'S posts to see just things in general in real time.
Hey lady! I am completely new to bunnies and while I am raising a herd for a completely reason, I am so glad to have found you and and that you know/understand what my bunnies purposes are. It’s been a lot of fun learning about rabbits and their behaviors! I have a doe and a Buck, and I do intended on breeding my buns because I have Champagne D’argents and they are a rare breed, so that is a large part of my intent, the other is for show. My buns both come from grand champion lines and I absolutely love their temperament and their adorable little faces! I’m still learning their charms and characteristics! My Buck has an awesome personality and is getting used
To me much faster than my doe. I guess patience will pay off! Any tips?
Thank you so much it was very informative :D
Awesome job
your two Bunny are adorable😃😃
OMG TEDDY IS SO CUTE🥺
Hi! I love your videos
Hi Amy, you are a wealth of good information! Thank you! I was wondering where to get those mesh plates you put between the x pens . I can’t find the link. Please let me know. Thanks again. 😊
I noticed a natural loofah in the background that looks like a great toy! Thanks for the idea lol
lolllllllll i loved your laugh at the reverse mounting :)
Thank You
Hi Amy, We are at the every day bunny swap stage of our bonding altered female/male buns. If both buns are going between the two separate enclosures every day is this still considered neutral space to have the short dates together time or is it necessary to find yet another room they've not been before? We have a small condo that are free roam female has been to every room but the one they are in currently side by side.
This was incredibly informative! We’ve gotten to the side by side living w/only a gate between them. They Groton & lay next to each other daily & every morning after eating always day good morning & give each other kisses. We are ready to move to the next stage and admittedly I am a little bit nervous about that part but after watching your video feel very hopeful! Is the stress bonding necessary if they have already lived together for months side-by-side & have shown positive signs?
My sweety momma bunny Bonabel passed a week ago at 6.5 years and left her last remaining daughter Yukie behind. I've been reeling and worrying about Yukie at the same time. My soul burns. They both had a room to themselves called the bunny room (free roam), but my house is small so neutral space is going to be an issue. I'm really stressed right now. I hope I can get her bonded with another rabbit but the only rabbits available are not from shelters. Can you still get a shelter to help out with bonding if I'm getting the rabbit elsewhere?
When do you move stuff into the pen? Should I start bonding with just them in the pen? Or do you immediately have hay and litter box? Greens? Neutral toys?
Sorry just realized I’m in my sons TH-cam account 🤦🏼♀️ don’t mind the TH-cam name
do you still have the link for the mesh squares? cant seem to find any. Thanks!
Hi!! During the pre bonding process when I house them next to each other...is it OK to avoid free roaming? I feel so guilty putting them back in play pens after they've each been "free roaming" in a bigger space 😭
Most people recommend swapping cages a week before formal bonding? I’ve been looking at rabbit binding videos for about a week and this is the first I’m hearing of this. I have looked forward to, I’m doing that right now with my rabbits but I didn’t know if it would cause more stress or if it would be good for them. Most videos I see you just talk about the bonding process but not preparation for the bonding process. I literally didn’t know if I should put them in a box together when I go pick up my rabbit for the first time the new rabbit, or if I should introduce them slowly.
What treats do you use to train tricks like the high five?
I have a question so my bunny is almost old enough to be fixed we planned on fixing her in January i had her since August but for Xmas my mom wanted to get me another rabbit from the place were we got my rabbit , the rabbits all come from the same mother im thinking and she just had some more when we went they were tiny since its from the same place do you think it will be okay to bring a younger bunny home? My rabbit is not aggressive and most she does is sleep and eat lol but i was thinking since they have the same mother and is from the same place she would recognize the smell and there wont be any fighting any tips would be helpful (and i love your videos btw)❤
If sometime during the whole bonding process, is it okay to use spaces that are not neutral? I saw the expen and it looked like a blanket on the carpeted area and is why I am asking. I can never understand because in videos before, noone said whether or not you could use neutral territory or not or switch. Basically asking if you can go back and forth to move forward in the bonding process, from neutral to marked territory.
As much as possible, you want to stick to a neutral territory until your rabbits are bonded. If you move them to a marked territory too soon, it's possible that they'll get defensive and aggressive toward each other.
teddy is so cute with ellie
When I first put my enclosures next to each other I had accounted for like biting distance but not boxing distance aha…..
My buns are only young and not old enough to get spayed. How shall I address the bonding now? One is 2 months and one is 3 but no vets in Yorkshire England spay under the age of 4 months unsure if this is the case elsewhere.
Hello! I have a 8 month old boy holland lop, and I want to get a second boy holland lop. Would I have success with keeping two boy holland lops together? For the second rabbit I would want a 3 month old boy rabbit. Would this be ok?
Do you have any advice on how to stop one of my bunnies from attacking cats and dogs?
Question if I've had them in separate pins next to each other (1 inch apart) for a couple of weeks. Should I start swapping them?
you mean swapping cages? yeah its a good time
I am just getting started in rabbits and I want to do it Colony Style I have taken care of animals for years and I used to work for a museum but they kept the rabbit separating them cages is it better if I get four or five rabbits at one time and allow them to slowly meet each other or is it better if I get one or two and then add the others in later given that they would all have new surroundings I thought it might be better to just start with all of them together at one time I'm planning on getting them this week from two separate breeders and I was going to ask them but they don't do Colony style they do separated cages which I'm not a real big fan of and want to have my animals as much as possible free range thank you and hope you can direct me accordingly
Thanks for the video! Any tips for bonding while spring fever is happening? Also, in your experience, how long spring fever usually lasts in rabbits? I see lots of good positive behaviours for my buns, but one goes into humping party mode from time to time and it's non stop for few hours. Then he will leave it and they go back into snuggling/grooming mode again. Any recommendations?
Spring fever shouldn't last too long as long as your rabbits are already spayed/neutered. I've really only heard of this phenomenon happening with very young rabbits, so the best course of action would probably be to just wait a month or two before starting to put the rabbits together in the neutral space.
@@TheBunnyLady thanks! they are both neutered and they are both around 3years old. I started the bonding around 3 weeks ago. They seem to be getting along really well. It feels the bonding can't finalise because of the humping. I didn't see any fighting or circling or lunging during the whole process. Do you think then a break might help? Oh!, I didn't do any stress bonding
Is there any "rules" as to where you set up the second enclosure? We're getting a second bun soon, and our current one likes to hang out right next to his pen during the day. Could we put the second rabbit in that space or is it too "marked"?
you shouldn't put a new bunny there. if your current bunny already claimed it that would just start a fight
my rabbit lunges at me but its like a playful charge and stops in my face stares and does it again. is he basically playing or is that some sort of aggression or frustration? Best way to explain it would be a dog trying to playfully get your attention
Hi, I have a question and I have two bonded brothers that are neutered and 1 year old. I am considering a girl but in Puerto Rico there are no bunny rescue places so the only choice I have is to purchase a baby female bunny. However I am scared of what I should do as far as bonding her with my bonded pair, one because she will be only about a month or two old and secondly because she cant be spayed until she's at least five months. What can you recommend?
Keep them separate until she is spayed, then wait until she’s done recovering and she isn’t acting hormonal anymore
Thank you so much for the great video. My husband doesn't agree with getting our 2 male rabbits neutered. So I guess your method would not work in our case 😭😭
Hey I was wondering why my rabbits litter habits have changed since I got them spayed. I got them spayed about a month ago at this point and they still use their enclosure as a litter box. They were fine before the surgery, but I’m not sure what to do anymore 🤷🏼♀️
I'm having the same issue! Had a perfectly liter box trained female. Not 3 months post spay she poops everywhere n started peeing to mark. What the heck!
Oh goodness, that's frustrating! The best I can say is try to be diligent about cleaning up after your rabbits. This way you can try to keep their scent in the litter box, which will hopefully make your rabbits more likely to use it. To make cleaning easier, you can line their enclosure with newspaper or puppy pee pads and replace any soiled spots every day.
@@TheBunnyLady thank you! ill definitely try that!
They might be experiencing hormone fluctuations … just a thought.
Can u do a vid on how to help your rabbit relax near you, like staying? Cuz my little bunny is amazing and he'll let me feed him from my hand and pet him and love all over him, but whenever the food is gone he just ignores me, so how can I encourage him to relax when near me? If you already have a vid on this can someone please share the link with me plz?
Try laying down with him just lay on the floor, he will get curious and come right over , especially if you look the other way! Ignoring them I find works wonders!!!
@@wnmforeternity Wow Ill try that, thanks!!
@@wnmforeternity Woooooooow, I literally just tryed it and it worked!!
he sniffed me, the room and then he lay down after that I managed to pet him until he fell asleep, thanks for the great advice!!
Guys I need help. I got a companion for my male flemish giant/ holland lop mix. And it is NOT going well. She’s adorable and sweet with me, but with him she’s so aggressive! They’ve had fights through the barrier (which has a mesh and a board so they can’t nip each other and can’t see each other). I wanted to wait for her to be 8-12 weeks post spay (she was spayed by the shelter a few days prior to me taking her home) so I know this is normal. But I’m worried he’s getting too scared to be introduced with her… What do I do?!
What about a rabbit that mainly grooms the other rabbit (so seems submissive) but also mounts the other rabbit (which is a dominant behaviour), seems to conflict it self if it’s a dominance play why does the rabbit groom the other rabbit excessively?
Has anyone been able to find those mesh storage grids??! The ones she listed are discontinued and I can’t find anything similar!! My bunnies can fit their noses through the regular storage grids, even the ones with the smaller holes. I have solid transparent ones but the mesh would be so much better cuz then they can still smell and see each other while also having that extra protection from nose nips!
I would like to know where to get them also.
Amazon
I have an adult male rabbit (4.5 years) and i am planning to adopt a 2.5 month old female rabbit. Is it possible for them to bond with that age difference? Is it dangerous?
@thebunnylady I have 3 rescues. I had a female 1st, then acquired 2 boys who hate one another 🤦🏻♀️ The boys have just been neutered. Where do I start? How do I go about bonding the 3 of them? My girl has already shown postive behaviour towards both boys 🥰 Please help 🤷🏻♀️
Did you figure it out? I’ve read it’s easier to bond a male with a male/female pair, so maybe bond the two most easygoing ones together first
I have a question for all the bunny people out there!
At the moment I have a pair and a single bun that I want to bond, but I don’t know how to should do it. Should I bond him with one at a time or at the same time? Or should I get him a partner first and then bond them as pairs?
Background: the single bun had a partner but she died so his owner gave him to me. My pair has their own room and for now I separated a part of it for the single bun.
Hope there is someone who can help me. :)
I am in that situation right now. I have a pair and a baby and wanted to introduce them so they can be a trio. Right now, they are side by side until she gets older. What did you end up doing? Introducing them one at a time?
My male bunny try's to climb onto the female they chase and run if the female has had enough then the female attacjs
Is it possible to bond a rabbit with other pets?
It depends a lot of the personalities of the other pets, but I've definitely heard of cats and rabbits who get along great together
Mm... I feel like, the more I learn about rabbits, they seem so much like us humans. :) They dont accept enything or anyone right away, but they have lots of love once they accept someone. :) I wouldn´t like being tossed together and live with just anyone! Maybe they smell bad, or are annoying... :P
Ahoj
Both had surgery, three years on and still failure
so will my bunny bond right away with her babies
I had to bottle feed my bunny because her mother rejected her. Saved her from being food for my husband. Because I bottle fed her did that create a bond with her?
Wow! I'm glad I didn't see this beforehand or I might have delayed a lot longer getting a new friend for Athena (5yr old Polish) when her mother disappeared. The guy I bought Honeybee (
I think my girl bun bun hates the new bun bun-
Can I bond a not fixed male bunn with a fixed bunny
I don't recommend it, un-neutered males will most likely spray your female even when they are bonded, he will most likely hump a lot more and it may take longer to bond them.
Noooooo
Ahoj zdravím všechny
I love the name teddy bare and I'm sorry if I you'd the rong bare