Bonding

[Rayen]

I have two rabbits, a male and a female, both spayed/neutered. They do not fight, they've lived in the same room, separate cages for 5 months and tend to get along. The male (Quinn) will groom my female (Briar) but all they seem to do together is Briar shoving her head under his chin so he'll groom her and then he wanders off. They've just recently been playing together in the same room, where they both sleep.

I'm not really sure if it's going well. I mean, there's no fighting unless he tries to get into her cage, and then all she really does is grunt and try to get rid of him. She can go into his cage, all the way and rummage around and he doesn't care at all. But there's no real grooming, or even any togetherness time beyond the forced few licks that Quinn gives her when she rams her head into him. The rest of the time they're out together they just go and do their own thing. No mounting, no chasing, no eating together.

 

[Flashy]

Yup, that sounds like it's going really well to be honest. She is asserting her dominance over him by asking him to groom her. It sounds like with time they will make a good pair. Sometimes bunnies can be more chums than lovey, so you might have one of those pairs that just rub along, but the fact they are grooming is a really good thing.

How much time do they spend as a pair together?

 

[Rayen]

It depends, I try to let them out for their nightly exercise time (which is about two-ish hours) but if I see that they're getting fed up with each other, I'll put one back in the cage for a bit then let the other out after to finish up his/her outside time. Quinn was only recently neutered (about two-ish weeks ago now) so he still tries to make some babies every so often and she'll put up with one mounting before the grunting starts. He also wants in her cage (it's the bigger of the two and he loves going up to her second floor) and she just doesn't want him in there, and naturally he won't stop trying.

 

[Flashy]

I would suggest waiting until about 8 weeks after his neuter and then start in earnest. Take the cages out (or if thats not possible, close them), and then put them together and gradually extend the time. Normally its suggested you bond on neutral territory but if they can do well in the space they already know then thats a good step forward, but if it goes wrong, then start back on neutral territory.

 

[Nicky T]

That's good to know because i'm never sure if mine are loved up or not! They lick each other and occasionally sit together but not all of the time and they don't explore together. x

 

[Rayen]

It seems to be getting better, Briar doesn't care if I leave the door to her cage open now and lets Quinn just walk in there and do whatever. They run around together too. She eats whatever he has in his cage, the little pig! I end up having to restock his cage with hay before they go to bed, she won't eat her own hay, but apparently his is much more tasty.

I thought the only reason you had to keep them separated after their spay/neuter, besides the obvious healing period, was to avoid aggression caused by hormones? Quinn is far too timid to try anything, he's never even showed any signs of aggression towards her, even when she was grunting and charging at him when he first moved in the room (I was pretty sure I was going to have to let them live separately back then!). Obviously I don't let him chase her around trying to mount her, if I see any of that one gets put back in their cage until later to finish their time up.

 

[Spring]

Sounds like they are close (or are) bonded! . I think waiting the 2 months after the neuter is for hormones but also if the other bunny in question is an intact female - males can sometimes keep sperm in their system for up to 6 weeks - 2 months after a neuter. So if the other bunny is an intact female, it's generally advised to keep the newly fixed male away to avoid an accidental pregnancy. Since your female is already spayed, that's not a problem.

 

[tonyshuman]

Yeah it sounds like things are going well. I'd advise changing the cage up so that it's a bit different and they can share it. For instance, if it's two NIC cages next to each other, change the layout a little and merge the two cages. That way they may be more accepting of the other bunny in their cage. Outside of the cage, it sounds like they're pretty well bonded. Some bunnies that are bonded don't leave each others' sides, some do. For many, it starts like you're describing but after months of being together they get more cuddly.