How to Bond Rabbits - Part 3If you've been trying to bond your rabbits and you've made it to part 3 of this blog series, don't worry - this is totally normal. Rabbits are often very challenging to bond, and it usually takes trying several methods and a lot of time and patience before you start seeing results. Please remember that each rabbit is very different. The bonding techniques that may work for some rabbits, don't always work on others. A good example of this would be the experience I had of bonding my own rabbits, Tulip and Pancakes (the adorable Dutch and Holland Lop duo in the photo). No matter what technique I tried, my two rabbits would not get along. It took bringing in a (temporary) third rabbit for both of them to get along. I still don't know how or why, but it worked. Don't be afraid to think outside of the box and beyond the bonding techniques I will be talking about below. Part 3 of the bonding blog series will cover:
Before You Begin If you haven't read part 1 and part 2 of this blog series, I highly recommend reading it first before proceeding. Part 1 covers the basics of picking the best match for your rabbit, rabbit speed dating, and good versus bad behaviours. Part 2 covers how to set up for bonding and early bonding techniques. This information will help to get your bonding experience off on the right foot. About Stress Bonding Techniques The most effective bonding techniques are stress based. Rabbits are a social and community based species that often seek comfort in one another when something is stressful to them. Using this behaviour to our advantage drastically speeds up the bonding process. Many people are hesitant to stress their rabbits, but we aren't talking about inducing panic, just a bit of discomfort. It is important to monitor your rabbits closely when performing stress-based techniques. Your rabbits should not be panicked and the stress technique should only be done for about 15 minuets. You will likely have to repeat stress bonding techniques every day for 1-2 weeks before you see positive results, but some rabbits may bond after the first or second time. The Scary Ride If you've ever had to take your rabbit somewhere in a car, you know that they are usually not happy about it. Car rides for most rabbits are rather stressful, and we can use this as a stress bonding technique. This bonding technique is one I use the most. To begin, you will need at least one other person to help you. It is important that the rabbits are monitored while someone drives. Place the rabbits in either a laundry basket (with a towel/blanket on the bottom and a towel/blanket over top so they don't escape) or a pet carrier. Whomever is sitting with the rabbits will want to prevent the rabbits from escaping and from fighting each other. I strongly encourage you to initiate "fake grooming" while on the car ride to keep the stress levels lowered and to encourage positive associations between the two rabbits. Take a short 10-15 min drive with the rabbits, maybe grab some drive-thru snacks or a coffee. A Bumpy Ride If you don't have a car, you can improvise with:
Loud Sounds You can try vacuuming near the rabbits to add a bit of stress, or bang on some pots/pans. Don't start right beside the rabbits, rather further away and adjust your distance/volume as needed to add the correct level or stress to the rabbits. Slippery Floor If you're having issues with rabbits lunging at each other, place them on a slippery floor surface or in your bathtub (no water). The lack of traction will make them less likely to want to continue this behaviour. What To Do After Stress Bonding More important than the stress bonding itself, is what you do immediately afterwards. The biggest part of bonding is getting the two rabbits to learn how to trust and communicate with each other. Set up a very small area (see photos below) that only allows your rabbits enough room to just turn around in. Be sure that you set up in a neutral area. This forced, close proximity to one another gives the rabbits no other choice but to interact with each other. Both rabbits will be slowly starting to relax and settle down after their stress bonding, and they need to remember that the same rabbit they looked to for comfort is still there. Monitor them closely, correct any bad behaviours by "fake grooming" for a short time or separate them if they fight. Try to keep them together like this for 15-30 minuets. After this time, you can gradually give them more space or end the bonding session on a positive. How Do I Know When My Rabbits Are Bonded? This can be difficult to determine right away, but ideally both rabbits should be able to spend several hours together without fighting, and they should be mutually grooming each other. Knowing when your rabbits are bonded is more of a progression than a definitive. You should start to see one or both rabbits grooming each other more frequently, they will begin to be more comfortable together, and squabbles should end. Give your rabbits more supervised time with each other and gradually increase the space they are in with each other. Some rabbits forget that they should still love the other rabbit even when given bigger spaces. How To Get Bonded Rabbits Living Together Again, this is more of a progression than something that happens right away. Your rabbits should be able to spend time together in a full sized xpen for 5 hours or more with little to no supervision. Your next step is to let them spend the night with each other unsupervised, then continue on to the following day if they are still fine by morning. If your goal is to have free roaming rabbits, continue to gradually increase the space the two rabbits are allowed to be in together until they are free roam. Have more questions about bonding? Looking for some one-on-one support? The Rabbit Lady is here to help you every step of the way.
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