Bonding two rabbits, HELP!!

[BB03]

I just start to bond my two rabbits May and Autumn they're both female and they're both fixed. I know it's a little harder to bond females. Their cages have been next to each other for over a year, and I even introduced them together between two x-pens. A couple of days ago I finally decided to put them together in a neutral territory. I put them in a basket and there was of course mounting and some nipping, but thankfully no blood. The second day I put them in the same basket and decided to stress bond them, and this seemed to work they huddled close together. But May always try's to nip Autumn in the face which I dont like. Also when Autumn tries to mount May, May gets scared and tries to bite her and they start to circle. But I always stop it before it turns into a full blown fight. Today was the WORST day! I started as I normally do, I put them in a basket in a neutral territory and there was or course nipping, but then a fight started. Autumn tried to mount May, and May didnt like this and they started to fight and one of them SCREAMED. I quickly took one of the rabbits out, and I gave them a break from each other. I ended up putting the rabbit back in the basket and ended it off in a good note with force cuddles and a treat. I know I'll probably have to wait a couple of weeks to reintroduce them. But I dont even know if bonding them is even possible! I know when bonding rabbits one must claim dominance but when Autumn tries May gets scared and it turns into a fight. May clearly doesnt want Autumn to be dominant, but I know one rabbit has to be. If any of you have any tips PLEASE tell me. I really want them bonded because theres so many benefits of having a duo.

 

[BB03]

I also forgot to add that they cuddled together multiple times when I bonded them. It's hot and cold with them.

 

[Blue eyes]

Love their names!

You are wise to separate them for a couple weeks before (or if) trying again. Screaming is a sound one never wants to hear from a rabbit. That is a sound of dire, dire stress.

It may be that the two will refuse to bond. Given the history you describe, I'd strongly discourage stress bonding. I'm not a fan of stress bonding. I think it gives a false sense of bonding that is forgotten after the stress if removed. This is my opinion and I know some would disagree.

If you decide to try bonding again, I'd suggest trying a different method. There are two methods described at the following link. Choose whichever you think would be best. There are further links there that describe each method in more detail:
https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/bonding-bunnies.html

 

[BB03]

Love their names!

You are wise to separate them for a couple weeks before (or if) trying again. Screaming is a sound one never wants to hear from a rabbit. That is a sound of dire, dire stress.

It may be that the two will refuse to bond. Given the history you describe, I'd strongly discourage stress bonding. I'm not a fan of stress bonding. I think it gives a false sense of bonding that is forgotten after the stress if removed. This is my opinion and I know some would disagree.

If you decide to try bonding again, I'd suggest trying a different method. There are two methods described at the following link. Choose whichever you think would be best. There are further links there that describe each method in more detail:
https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/bonding-bunnies.html

Thank you so much. There was one day I forgot to mention that I didnt stress bond them. I put both of them in the bath tub and they seemed okay. They were cuddling and I was feeding them apples and they were eating them perfectly fine. May also groomed herself for a little bit. It's just that sometimes they get into a fuss but I often stop it before it gets worse. I just believe that one rabbit hasn't claimed dominance yet.

 

[Semac]

I had two females that I adopted from the Humane Society. They lived at the Society in cages next to each other for months. Everyone thought it would be an easy bond, ha, were they wrong. It took many sessions and lots of stress but eventually they bonded. I was someone fortunate as one of them (Mooki) was somewhat submissive to Cricket. I tried everything to bond them, the one thing that work was taking them for a car ride. You will need another person to drive while you sit with them while they are in a box. Both Mooki and Cricket passed a few months ago now (they died within a few months of each other), but they lived together for 7 years. They had their moments of discontent with each other over the years but, for the most part, they got along and I do believe they were happier living with each other than they would have been on there own.
Since they passed I have adopted more rescue rabbits. This time I have two pairs of female/male that I bonded. I must say it is easier to bond female/male, and they seem to more content living with each other than my two girls were. But it is not impossible to bond two females, it just takes more time and is way more stressful.

 

[BB03]

I had two females that I adopted from the Humane Society. They lived at the Society in cages next to each other for months. Everyone thought it would be an easy bond, ha, were they wrong. It took many sessions and lots of stress but eventually they bonded. I was someone fortunate as one of them (Mooki) was somewhat submissive to Cricket. I tried everything to bond them, the one thing that work was taking them for a car ride. You will need another person to drive while you sit with them while they are in a box. Both Mooki and Cricket passed a few months ago now (they died within a few months of each other), but they lived together for 7 years. They had their moments of discontent with each other over the years but, for the most part, they got along and I do believe they were happier living with each other than they would have been on there own.
Since they passed I have adopted more rescue rabbits. This time I have two pairs of female/male that I bonded. I must say it is easier to bond female/male, and they seem to more content living with each other than my two girls were. But it is not impossible to bond two females, it just takes more time and is way more stressful.

This is so helpful! How long did it take to bond the two females? Also sorry for your loss.

 

[Semac]

Hi BB03,
From the time I brought them home, it took a couple of months. At first I had them in a large room that was separated by a fence, one on either side of the fence. I made sure they could no bite or scratch each other through the fence (doubled up the x-pen so the could not get paws or noses between the bars) I would switch them back and forth, between sides, every other day. I did this for a few weeks. The next step was putting them in the bathtub, just a couple of minutes at a time. I also made a small crate, just big enough for the two of them to fit in, so they would be side by side (I used wire shelving stuff people use to build guinea pig cages, with a cushion on the bottom, see attached photo, you can get this stuff at Walmart in the shelving section) I would put them in the crate for a few minutes at a time, petting them all the while. The crate is also what I used to stress bond them in the car. I also set up an x-pen outside, I would put them in the pen and sit with them to break up any fights. I would always try to end bonding sessions on a positive note. The car ride was the "last resort" but it seemed to seal the bond. I only took them on two car rides. When I finally took the fence down in their room and let them live together, I stayed in the room with them overnight to make sure there we no fights. As I mentioned, their bond was not as strong and the bond my female/male rabbits seem to have. Occasionally there would be a minor scuffle but nothing serious. Mooki always relented to Cricket's bossy ways. I should also mention that there was never any blood drawn or screaming during any of their fights. Just the usual circling and nipping. I know not all rabbits can be bonded. You will most likely know if it is hopeless. Also, I always wore oven mitts at the beginning, just in case things got out of hand and I really had to get in there and separate them. Hope this helps, feel free to ask more questions.

 

[Semac]

sorry forgot to attached photo of C and C shelving

 

[BB03]

Hi BB03,
From the time I brought them home, it took a couple of months. At first I had them in a large room that was separated by a fence, one on either side of the fence. I made sure they could no bite or scratch each other through the fence (doubled up the x-pen so the could not get paws or noses between the bars) I would switch them back and forth, between sides, every other day. I did this for a few weeks. The next step was putting them in the bathtub, just a couple of minutes at a time. I also made a small crate, just big enough for the two of them to fit in, so they would be side by side (I used wire shelving stuff people use to build guinea pig cages, with a cushion on the bottom, see attached photo, you can get this stuff at Walmart in the shelving section) I would put them in the crate for a few minutes at a time, petting them all the while. The crate is also what I used to stress bond them in the car. I also set up an x-pen outside, I would put them in the pen and sit with them to break up any fights. I would always try to end bonding sessions on a positive note. The car ride was the "last resort" but it seemed to seal the bond. I only took them on two car rides. When I finally took the fence down in their room and let them live together, I stayed in the room with them overnight to make sure there we no fights. As I mentioned, their bond was not as strong and the bond my female/male rabbits seem to have. Occasionally there would be a minor scuffle but nothing serious. Mooki always relented to Cricket's bossy ways. I should also mention that there was never any blood drawn or screaming during any of their fights. Just the usual circling and nipping. I know not all rabbits can be bonded. You will most likely know if it is hopeless. Also, I always wore oven mitts at the beginning, just in case things got out of hand and I really had to get in there and separate them. Hope this helps, feel free to ask more questions.

Seriously thank you! I know this is going to be a long process, and I hope they'll end up bonded but who knows. Like I said thank you yet again.

 

[Semac]

Keep us posted on how it's going.......good luck!

 

[JBun]

I think sometimes with female/female matches, making sure they have lots of space to get away from each other when they need to is essential. I have a group of 7 with 4 females in it. Though group dynamics are a bit different, as well as the bonding, I've seen the group interaction over the years, and the females always need space to be able to get away from each other when needed. Like when the dominant female is being bossy, the subordinate females need to be able to have space to get away for a break, more so than the males.

With bonding it's good to be flexible with the whole process. If what you're doing doesn't seem to be working, and especially if things seem to be getting worse and not better, don't be afraid to change tactics.

If having them in a small area isn't going well, I would try opening that up and see how they respond to more space. Though always be vigilant and ready to stop aggression in it's tracks before it has a chance to escalate into a serious fight. Because once that happens, chances of ever bonding are almost impossible. Not to mention that it could potentially result in very serious injuries occurring. Also being aware, that there's also the possibility that more space may not be the solution, as some rabbits don't do better with more space but with less.

There's no hard fast rule with bonding. There's just starting out trying what works best most often, then adjusting as needed. All rabbits are different, all matches are different. So it's a matter of finding the best procedure for your particular pair. Also keeping in mind that some matches may not be suitable or work out, or at least not work out without significant effort and time.