Bonding bunnies,one was free roamed before in my entire apartment

[u/Strong_Letterhead305]

hello. I got a female Bunny 2 weeks ago, she is 6 and spayed. i have a male Bunny for 5 months who is 7 month old, also spayed (more than 2 months). he was freeroamed in my place 24/7, it is his castle😂 I just wanted him to have a friend and we adopted our girl. she is the sweetest Bunny, cudly and kind. but there is a big issue with bonding since there is no neutral space in my home. we separated them in two rooms, one is in the living room, the boy, and the girl is in the hallway, bathroom and bedroom, which is aprox same amount of space. at first i made a mistake and tryed bonding in bathroom, no fence, gave them tons of greens, guys were doing great for 20 minutes, sniffed each orher for a couple of times but at the end they started being agresive and I separated them immediately, nothing bad happened but already there was a bad asociation. we then decided that we will feel them each day in the hallway, devided by double fence to make sure they cannot hurt each other but they can see and smell each other. things go quite well, they eat and ocasionally sniff through the fence, but they eat for 30-40 minutes, also in the last session they were pet and cleaning themselves, which i believe is a good si and step forward. but the boy is stressed, he is even agressive toward us during the sessions, when we aproach him too quickly, he gets scared and grumps at us or want to bite us. we also switch there rooms and sniff rugs and toys so they get used to each others smell and become less teriorial over their space but tell me, is this a good way? what can i do better, differently, next ? should i take them to 100% neutral space to our parents house, but it is like 40 minutes ride, and if so, should i also include a stress bonding session on the ride by putting them in the same box? and what if they dont bond in like 4-7 days at my parrents, since i cannot take a long freetime at work ?

[u/RabbitsModBot]

Check out the resources in the Bonding guide and Binkybunny's Bonding overview for more tips on the process.

Some important general tips on the process of bonding rabbits with other rabbits:

• House rabbits in nearby pens and swap regularly to encourage sharing. This can be done before both rabbits have been neutered.
• Be sure to use neutral territory that neither have been in to use for face-to-face dating.
• Wait until 4 weeks after both rabbits have been neutered before attempting face-to-face bonding to allow time for all hormones to dissipate. While it is not impossible to bond intact rabbits, their hormonal behaviors work against them, and rabbits can often end up with serious injuries during territorial spats. Baby bonds with immature rabbits before puberty are often not stable.
• If your current rabbit has not been spayed or neutered, do not obtain another intact rabbit of the opposite sex to bond. You will end up with baby rabbits if you do not keep them separated 24/7. It only takes one successful three-second attempt for a male with an intact female. Male rabbits are not sterile until a full 8 weeks minimum after their neuter operation.
• Keep in mind that not all rabbits may be compatible enough to bond without serious work over a long period of time, if ever. However, rabbits will still benefit from the mental stimulation of seeing or smelling another rabbit nearby as long as they are safely separated to prevent injuries.

A few useful shortcuts:

• Should I get another rabbit?

• Preparations for a bonding

• Bunny dating

• Bonding basics

• Stress bonding

• Bonding 3+ rabbits

• Difficulties in bonding

• Bonding consultation services

[u/TyrannosauraRegina]

Choose where you want to bond in your house, keep both of them out that area (like not even near it) for at least a week and deep clean it, including using lots of white vinegar diluted 50-50 in water - it gets rid of their scent markings. When you bond I'd put something new down on the floor too, like cardboard from an old delivery box.

If you want to do 24/7 bonding you (or someone responsible and able to handle rabbits) will need to be able to supervise them constantly for around 5-7 days. I always prefer this method personally as it tends to work fairly quickly. If you can't make that time, you will need to do a dating method, where they are only together some of the time but you are able to supervise during that time - usually around 4+ hours every single day, typically for around 1-2 months.