# How do I go about bonding/reintroducing 3 bunnies?



## Rubyrubes (May 17, 2010)

Hi everyone 

To cut a long story short I have 2 bunnies that I thought were males but 8 babies later I realised one is female lol!! The male has been taken out and been neutered and living on his own, the female is still with all 8 babies (they are just over 4wks old). We want to keep one bunny and hopefully mum,dad and baby can live together as a trio. First question is, does it matter what sex the baby we keep is? 

Once all babies bar the one we are keeping have gone I'm going to get my female spayed, once she's recovered (vet said about a wk) do I put her back with the baby and will their bond be broken while she's been away being spayed? or do I reintroduce her to the buck and then the baby?

I'm going to get a huge hutch for them all to live in so what order do I put them in the new hutch? Also,when/how do I introduce my male? The male and female have lived happily since we got them
Last sept so I'm hoping they'll live ok again! 

And would it be best to get the baby neutered or spayed (depending on he sex we keep) while it's young or can that be done later in the year? 

Sorry do many questions.....I just have no idea how to successfully get the 3 of them to live happily together!


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## Guest (Feb 11, 2012)

No it doesn't really matter what sex but a doe will probably be slightly easier.
Once she has been spayed you might be able to put her back with her baby (only if you keep a doe) but there is every chance the bond will split so your best idea is to keep them all separate for 4 weeks after her spay (not one week) minimum because any mounting behaviour can rupture her internal sutures.

4-6 weeks after mums spay you can bond mum and dad back together (leaving baby separate for now), that bond will be very straight forward it is very rare for a buck/doe bond to fail (it can happen but it isn't really that common).

As for baby, if you keep a buck back then he can have his furry teabags removed as soon as they appear (so long as he weighs at least 1kg) at around 12 -14 weeks old.
If you keep a doe back if you find a fab rabbit savvy vet they can be spayed from about 4 months old, but with an average vet it is best to wait until 6 months before spaying due to the way the sexual organs develop.

Adding the baby will be slightly harder, you will have to wait 6-8 weeks after the babies spay/neuter before bonding them in because you want to make sure all hormones have disappeared to give the bond the best chance at success.

When you are ready to bond the trio make sure it is done on neutral territory and make sure you have the time set aside to watch them like a hawk.
You will want to put the buck in the bonding pen first, then the baby and then add the mum.
Chasing, mounting and fur pulling is all normal bonding behaviour ONLY split if there is blood drawn.
If they start circling you will need to distract them as that tends to lead on to locked on fights.

One they have been together for a few hours without any scuffles you can build up their space.
With a trio you need to go very slowly and if at any stage they begin chasing or fur pulling again just take them back a step until they have calmed down.


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## StaffsRmisunderstood (Feb 2, 2012)

Rubyrubes said:


> Hi everyone
> 
> To cut a long story short I have 2 bunnies that I thought were males but 8 babies later I realised one is female lol!! The male has been taken out and been neutered and living on his own, the female is still with all 8 babies (they are just over 4wks old). We want to keep one bunny and hopefully mum,dad and baby can live together as a trio. First question is, does it matter what sex the baby we keep is?
> 
> ...


hey :001_tongue: i used to breed french lops and miniature lop bunnys back in the day lol ,,, i found that 2 female bunnys will fight and so will 2 males.. so its better to have oposite sexs living together but 1 obviously needs to be neutered... but if ur wanting to keep a baby id advise u keep another male and have it neutered also as soon as old enough to prevent in breeding with the mother and fights with daddy :hand: ... also make sure bunys have plenty of space (huge cage/setup required) for adult bunnys and space for them to escape eachothers company such as seperate nestin boxs for each of them, also plenty of food to prevent arguments ... hope this helps x


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## Guest (Feb 11, 2012)

StaffsRmisunderstood said:


> hey :001_tongue: i used to breed french lops and miniature lop bunnys back in the day lol ,,, i found that 2 female bunnys will fight and so will 2 males.. so its better to have oposite sexs living together but 1 obviously needs to be neutered... but if ur wanting to keep a baby id advise u keep another male and have it neutered also as soon as old enough to prevent in breeding with the mother and fights with daddy :hand: ... also make sure bunys have plenty of space (huge cage/setup required) for adult bunnys and space for them to escape eachothers company such as seperate nestin boxs for each of them, also plenty of food to prevent arguments ... hope this helps x


Sorry (again) this is wrong. 
At the moment I have 2 trio's consisting of one buck and two does who live very happily together.
In the past I have had a group of 5 consisting of 2 bucks and 3 does.

In fact I even know breeders that keep entire does and bucks together without issue.


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## Rubyrubes (May 17, 2010)

Thanks v much b3rnie for all that great advice,will def come in useful! 
After mums spay and she's recovered what hutch do I put her and the buck in to be reintroduced?
The doe is currently in the double hutch with the babies (the one she used to share with the buck) and the buck is sitting on top of that hutch in an indoor hutch (they are housed in the garage) so I'm sure they are still aware of each other?
I have another identical indoor cage I bought just incase I needed it. I haven't yet bought the big cage I'm hoping all 3 will live eventually. 

Once the doe and the buck are living together again can I then put the buck, then baby then the doe into the new big hutch? So it'll be neutral territory to all 3. 
Sorry for more questions,I'm bit confused and want to get the bonding right, never done it before 
Xxx


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## Guest (Feb 11, 2012)

Rubyrubes said:


> Thanks v much b3rnie for all that great advice,will def come in useful!
> After mums spay and she's recovered what hutch do I put her and the buck in to be reintroduced?
> The doe is currently in the double hutch with the babies (the one she used to share with the buck) and the buck is sitting on top of that hutch in an indoor hutch (they are housed in the garage) so I'm sure they are still aware of each other?
> I have another identical indoor cage I bought just incase I needed it. I haven't yet bought the big cage I'm hoping all 3 will live eventually.
> ...


For bonding you will want a completely neutral area and you will be best doing the intros in a pen rather than a hutch so you can actually get in there with them if needed. So maybe use something to pen an area off in the garage.
It will be best to scrub the area and pen panel with white wine vinegar mixed with hot water to make sure the area is completely neutral.
Once they have bonded scrub down the hutch with the same solution before putting them in it to make that neutral too.

Once they are all bonded into a trio you will be fine to put them in the big hutch together so long as it is neutral


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## Rubyrubes (May 17, 2010)

So how long do I give them to bond until they can go into the double hutch? Are we talking the same day? I'll try and corner off part of the garage when the time comes and go from there.

Do they need to be bonded as a trio BEFORE I put them in the new big hutch? I thought you meant, bond the buck and doe (in cornered off pen in garage and then the double hutch) then put them in the new big hutch with baby too? 

Cos I'm thinking if they need to be bonded as a trio before I put them in the new hutch then they'll all have to live in a 4ft double hutch, which isn't big enough for 3? 

How long does the buck and doe need in their own to properly bond before I introduce baby to them?


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## Guest (Feb 11, 2012)

Rubyrubes said:


> So how long do I give them to bond until they can go into the double hutch? Are we talking the same day? I'll try and corner off part of the garage when the time comes and go from there.
> 
> Do they need to be bonded as a trio BEFORE I put them in the new big hutch? I thought you meant, bond the buck and doe (in cornered off pen in garage and then the double hutch) then put them in the new big hutch with baby too?
> 
> ...


I can't tell you how long the bond will take, that depends on the rabbits involved.
Some will take a day to bond, some can take up to a month.

Yes you have to bond the trio before putting them in the big hutch, and there is no point in bonding the trio until AFTER the babies spay because you will have to split for 4 weeks after the spay anyway so you would have to rebond them.

Soooo get mum neutered and wait 4 weeks (minimum)
Bond mum and dad (leaving baby as a single)

Spay/neuter baby and wait 6-8 weeks
Bond trio
After trio are bonded but in big hutch.


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## Rubyrubes (May 17, 2010)

Excellent thankyou so much 

Might be obvious but how do I know when the 2 are bonded successfully? Am I to wait until they snuggle together? Then same again with the trio, how do I know the 3 have successfully bonded and are ready for the big hutch? 

Also,will the 3 be ok in the double hutch while they're bonding? Hopefully it won't be for long!


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## Guest (Feb 11, 2012)

When they start snuggling, mutual grooming and are generally happy to be in each others company.
When they have been together for a few days without any scuffles you can slowly increase their space.
The double hutch will be fine for a few days.

Just remember if they start chasing again after a move or space increase just go back a step until things calm down again.

I wrote this checklist for someone else but this is what I tend to follow 

This is the method I normally use 

All rabbits involved need to have been neutered at least 8 weeks prior to starting any bonding.
Before bonding make sure you have the time to sit and watch them like a hawk as things can turn very quickly.
When you are ready you need a pen that is about 3ft x 2ft (depending on how many rabbits are involved) in a completely neutral area. (some people use the bath with a towel down).
When placing the rabbits in the pen you need to place the buck in before the doe, if you are bonding more than one doe you need to place the least dominant doe in first and work up in order of dominance.
Always use a water bowl as the spout of a water bottle can cause serious eye injuries if they knock it during the beginning stages.
No litter trays or food bowls as these can be something that encourages territorial behaviour.
Chasing, fur pulling and mounting is all normal bonding behaviour but if the chasing becomes too intense or they start circling it is best to distract them rather than letting it escalate.
Once they have been in the neutral area for a few hours without any scuffles you need to neutralise their enclosure (only if one of the rabbits has previously been in enclosure) with a mixture of Bleach, white wine vinegar and hot water (everything needs to be scrubbed) anything that can't be scrubbed needs to be thrown out. (Don't allow them access to their run until after the next stage)
Once they have been in their enclosure for 3/4 days without any issues you can allow them access to their run. 
During this time I find it best to scatter feed.
In my experience increasing space too quickly is one of the main issues as it encourages territorial behaviour.
If at any stage they start chasing and fur pulling again take a step back as this is normally an indication that you are moving too fast for the bond.
Don't split them unless they have a full locked on fight or blood is drawn as constantly splitting and reintroducing causes a lot more stress and can make the bond take much, much longer to achieve.


I think that's everything, sorry if it doesn't make sense


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## Rubyrubes (May 17, 2010)

Great thank you,I will def be referring to that soon! 

One more question, do I just add the baby into the double hutch with mum and dad (once I know they are bonded) won't they bully the baby as they will just be used to living there as a pair?


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## Guest (Feb 11, 2012)

Rubyrubes said:


> Great thank you,I will def be referring to that soon!
> 
> One more question, do I just add the baby into the double hutch with mum and dad (once I know they are bonded) won't they bully the baby as they will just be used to living there as a pair?


No you bond them in a neutral area as a fresh bond.


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## ChatterPuss (Sep 4, 2010)

StaffsRmisunderstood said:


> hey :001_tongue: i used to breed french lops and miniature lop bunnys back in the day lol ,,, i found that 2 female bunnys will fight and so will 2 males.. so its better to have oposite sexs living together but 1 obviously needs to be neutered... but if ur wanting to keep a baby id advise u keep another male and have it neutered also as soon as old enough to prevent in breeding with the mother and fights with daddy :hand: ... also make sure bunys have plenty of space (huge cage/setup required) for adult bunnys and space for them to escape eachothers company such as seperate nestin boxs for each of them, also plenty of food to prevent arguments ... hope this helps x


I have to disagree with this slightly. It all depends on the rabbits temperament. I have a trio and a duo of females happily living together and two females and a male living as a trio!! I found it very difficult to bond groups with two males and much easier with a male and two females!!! We did have a group of four but it was three females and a male. Whenever I tried to put two males in the groups we had problems. All of them were spayed and neutered first !!


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## Rubyrubes (May 17, 2010)

B3rnie said:


> No you bond them in a neutral area as a fresh bond.


Can I use the same place to bond the 2 then the trio?

And if it takes longer than a day for them to bond, do I put them into their own seperate hutches at night when i can't watch them or do I keep them together throughout the whole bonding process?


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## Guest (Feb 12, 2012)

Rubyrubes said:


> Can I use the same place to bond the 2 then the trio?
> 
> And if it takes longer than a day for them to bond, do I put them into their own seperate hutches at night when i can't watch them or do I keep them together throughout the whole bonding process?


You can use the same place but you must scrub it with white wine vinegar to make it neutral again.
Once you have started the bonding you need to keep them together, every time you split them you will have to start from scratch because every time they meet again they will need to sort out the pecking order again.


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## Rubyrubes (May 17, 2010)

Do you think that I could use a brand new indoor cage to bond them (neutral to both)rather than use a cornered off section of the garage? As cant really secure a suitable place for them if they have to stay there a few days. 
So would it be ok to put them in a neutral cage,watch them at first and just leave them there to live until I'm ready to bond baby with them?


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## Guest (Feb 12, 2012)

Rubyrubes said:


> Do you think that I could use a brand new indoor cage to bond them (neutral to both)rather than use a cornered off section of the garage? As cant really secure a suitable place for them if they have to stay there a few days.
> So would it be ok to put them in a neutral cage,watch them at first and just leave them there to live until I'm ready to bond baby with them?


you can bond in an indoor cage yes, but I wouldn't leave them in their until baby is ready because that will be quite a few months away


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