Can my male start his bonding?

[Plymothian_Sophie]

Hi there, my male was castrated 4 weeks ago and I have already got a female, but haven't brought her home yet, I was just wondering if I can bring her home and start their bonding process? They will be kept in their hutch which has a piece of mesh in the middle so they can see each other, and they will also have access to a run, which has also been split in half until they are fully bonded, can I start their bonding yet? I don't want to bring Muffin (the female) home until his hormones have gone as that'll be unfair on him. What do you guys think? Will it be okay to start their slow bonding next week (which will have no physical contact for a week or so at the very least) or shall I wait a little longer?
Many thanks. Here are my two babies, Truffles is the black otter mini lop and Muffin is the chocolate wooly mini lop

 

[blwinteler]

I don't have an answer to your question, but those bunnies are super cute!

 

[Plymothian_Sophie]

I don't have an answer to your question, but those bunnies are super cute!

Thank you

 

[Devi]

From what I know it can take a couple months for the hormones to clear out fully. Also is she spayed? Her hormones can also get in the way of their bonding.

 

[Plymothian_Sophie]

No she isn't as she's only 12 weeks old

 

[Plymothian_Sophie]

I was going to bond then before

 

[blwinteler]

Bonding them before generally won't work because once she is spayed you will have to start over.

 

[whiskylollipop]

If you read pani's Felix and Clementine bunny blog, she did the same thing - neutered her male, got a baby female, and bonded them before spaying the female. It CAN work, but you have to be prepared to spay her as soon as she reaches puberty, or she will fight with the male and break the bond, possibly permanently.

 

[Azerane]

Yes, bonding a young rabbit to a mature one doesn't always work. I think Pani got lucky with Felix and Clem, but she had Clem spayed as soon as any problems started showing themselves and luckily they've stayed bonded. This doesn't always happen. You can try to bond them beforehand, but chances are you may have to start again after she matures/is spayed.

 

[Blue eyes]

I also agree that one shouldn't attempt to bond until the girl is spayed. A couple things to consider. But first, I wouldn't attempt to bond a male until 8 weeks after surgery. Sometimes it can take that long for those hormones to dissipate and you definitely don't want bonding to start off on the wrong foot. An early fight or aggression can greatly reduce the chances of a successful bond. Better to wait it out.

As far as the baby girl idea... often a baby will seem to get along with an adult rabbit. But it is usually just temporary. The typical scenario would be that hormones kick in (at 12 weeks, she will be right on the verge of that) and those hormones will cause issues with their relationship. If they are living together as a 'bonded' pair when those hormones cause issues, you may not happen to be there to see or to stop it. If they get into an all out fight, the consequences could be serious (or even deadly).

Never consider a bond with a baby rabbit to be a true bond. Those pesky hormones just get in the way.

It would be best to wait until your girl is spayed (and healed) and then try the bond. Even so, there are still no guarantees that they will bond. They may not. Though hopefully they will.

Attempting it now won't increase their chances of bonding later, but it does run the risk of decreasing their chances (if they fight).

 

[Plymothian_Sophie]

I am hoping that when I get her I can put her in the hutch outside, can I still put her next to him so they can still smell/see each other until she is done? I will probably get her done in 1/2 months, probably 4 weeks after I bring her home. Would it be safe to do this? The hutch I have has been specially designed to have a section in the middle so they can safely live side by side, and will be the only 'neutral' place I have as Truffles is a free roam house bunny who I am slowly integrating outside (my bf no longer wants him in the house) I don't really know what to do in regards to keeping them seperate, if I leave her in the hutch until they're ready to bond and them put him in that'll probably cause a fight, if I bring her into the house right away that probably will too, what can I do

 

[Blue eyes]

Most vets won't spay until 5-6 months of age. Will she be that age by then?

What kind of divider is it? Males have been known to impregnate females through cage bars.

Putting her in the cage now that will eventually be their cage could be problematic because she will 'own' the cage. Females can be so territorial about their cage.

Do you have anywhere in your house where your male has NOT ventured --- a bathroom, a closet, a laundry room? These would be neutral areas. A cage isn't considered a neutral area once either of them have been living in there.

Ideally, one would bond the two rabbits in a neutral area over whatever length of days/ weeks it takes, and then place them together into a cage that neither rabbit has been. If that isn't possible, then some have tried to make the cage a bit more neutral before placing them in there. This can be attempted by moving the cage's location, re-arranging things in the cage, thoroughly scrubbing with vinegar, placing brand new litter boxes, bowls, toys.

Until she is able to be fixed, I would not put her in any neutral territory you now have. Save that for the bonding time. You could put her somewhere in the house where your male cannot get near her. If you set up an x-pen for her, it should be in a closed room where he can't even see her for now. If that's not possible then just be sure to have 2 layers to block him from her (remember the thru-the-bars impregnating)

 

[gensbuns]

I personally would wait to 7 weeks and then try I'm still a noob at the rabbit game but I know enough that I would do that