Bonding?

[bunnysmom]

I got my very first rabbit (Bunny) lastSaturday, so I have had her/him for one week and one day. Ikeep Bunny in a cage with a few hours of playtime every day.Bunny is very playful and curious. About 10 weeks old now,but Bunny is big!

Yesterday morning I got my second rabbit (Bambi). Bambi is 6months old and just a very little bit bigger than Bunny.Bambi seems to be very calm and laid back, but I know he/she isprobably still a little scared from the change in environment.

I put their cages side by side. Initially Bunny (1st) was allup on the bars of the cage wanting to see Bambi. Bambi satperfectly still in a ball with ears flat. Bunny continued totry to shove her head thru the bars with her ears straight up andforward.

After a few hours Bambi's ears started to straighten and go forward, but she remained in a tight ball.

Last night we took them out seperately for playtime. Afterboth had been out to play and were placed back in their side by sidecages they were sniffing each other through the bars mutually.

Bunny is acting normal. Sleeping on her belly with her backlegs splayed out (so cute) and Bambi is sleeping up against the bars ofBunny's cage.

I am not experienced with rabbits at all, but it seems to me like they are taking to one another.

Is this naive of me? Could they behave one way while in theirside by side cages and then behave completely differently if we try toput them in the same room together?

I would love to introduce them, but I really don't want any fights.

I have been reading everything this forum has to offer on introducing rabbits and it really has me scared to even try.

Please give me some advice, input, and stories of your own.

Thanks so much!

 

[Spring]

Hi there!

Both are intact right? Since you aren't sure of Bunnys gender, I wouldleave any face to face bonding outside the cages until both areneutered/spayed. You know what happens if one is a male and one is afemale:shock:.

Having them close together helps because they get used to each others presence. Spaying and neutering also helps.

I'm looking into bonding my two girls once both are spayed. I've hadone bonding session and it went alright. There wasn't any fighting,just a lot of mounting. There was some circling at the end trying tomount each other, but over all it was a decent bonding session.

I have their cages less than a foot apart and during the beginning,they would sit as close as they could to one another. Now they don'treally pay much attention to each other unless one does something thatstartles the other or something catches the others attention. I thinkthe hormones are starting as there's been some nipping through thebars, but nothing major. I have to put sheets around Poppy's cage whenPebbles is out so that they don't get bratty and try to nip each other.

 

[bunnysmom]

I am not sure of the gender of either ofthem. I am going to be getting them altered. Bambiwill be first because he/she is older (6 months), then Bunny whenhe/she is old enough.

I guess I will have to wait until then.

I was hoping that 2 months and 6 months would still be young enough tointroduce them face to face without having to worry aboutbabies. It amazes me how early rabbits can breed!

I am getting a crash course on rabbits!

 

[Spring]

Oh yeah. Live and learn . Sounds like a plan with waiting until both are altered.

If Bunny was a boy and Bambi was a girl, they could possibly mate. It is crazy how young they are able to! :shock:

Ask as many questions as you like .

 

[aurora369]

Yes, buns can become sexually mature at very early ages.

There is a thread dealing with that in the Rabbitry right now, and whenI was at the vets with the member the vet said that sometimes rabbitscan be ready to breed as early as 6 weeks! Rare, but it hashappened.

So definitly keep them apart till they are both altered. Youcan let them interact by seeing each other in their cages and switchinglitter boxes/toys back and forth to get them used to each others scent.

--Dawn

 

[HoneyPot]

Yep - just as everyone else said - keep themapart. The good news is though - it really sounds like theyare taking a liking to each other. Flopping beside each otherand just chilling out is a really good sign. The other thingto keep i mind though is that Bunny is only 2 months... which meanswhen she hits her 'teenage' hormonal months, she may decide she doesn'tlike Bambi anymore....

So far sounds promising though!!

___________
Nadia

 

[bunnysmom]

It is funny that ya'll mention that switching stuff is a good idea.

Bunny has a few pot holders that she is rather attached to.She likes to lay on them and sometimes teetee on them. Weirdrabbit!

Last night when Bunny was out playing, I went to talk to Bambi and shewas trying her best to get one of Bunny's pot holders through thebars. So, I took it out and gave it to Bambi. Bambijust sniffed and sniffed. She was on full alert!Ears straight up and forward. I watched her to see whatreactions she might have, nothing strange at all. She wasjust so curious about the scents on it.

I think I will start switching things more often now!

I have been reading a lot about the teenage stage. I amnot looking forward to that at all! Can you get themaltered before that?

Bunny is mostly acting like nothing at all has changed. Theoccasional sniff in Bambi's direction, or nose through thebars. Bambi is almost always laid against the bars towardsBunny, if she is away from the bars then she is always facing them.

I sure hope they end up loving each other. I can't let themhave free roam in the house because I have a six year old son, a twoyear old daughter, a dog and a cat. So, I am hoping that theywill be able to keep each other occupied and happy when they can't beout.

 

[aurora369]

You can have rabbits altered as soon as thetesticles descend for a boy or at about 4-6 months for a girl (thebigger they are the longer you have to wait normally).

Having them spayed/neutered early will help to curb some of the teenagebehavior, but it won't get rid of the behavior completely.But it will most definitely help!

--Dawn

 

[bunnysmom]

We had Bambi out for play time this evening, and DH decided to let Bunny out just to see what would happen.

I was standing by with oven mits and a glass of water!

They totally ignored each other. They each went about theirbusiness of checking everything out and hopping all around.You never would have known that we had them both out at the same time.

What does this mean?

 

[aurora369]

It means that bonding will probably gowell. If bunnies ignore each other it's a good sign, not asgood as instant grooming but still good.

I would highly recommend not letting them out again, just in case youhave a boy/girl match. Two months is definitely early enoughto start being sexually active in some cases. Three months isthe normal age that most of my fosters testicles have started to appear.

--Dawn

 

[bunnysmom]

O.K., thats a little reassuring to a scaredycat. Thanks! I really hope it goes well when I canreally start trying to bond them. I plan on taking it superslow.

I told DH he was being silly for taking that chance lastnight. I told him what all I had read here, how young theyare when they are ready and just how quickly breeding takesplace! LOL! It's not something we will be doingagain any time soon!


Thanks!