How should I introduce and older female rabbit to a new one?

A friend recently asked me to take in her bunny, a 2 year old netherland dwarf. I have a 5 year old of the same breed. They are both females.





What is the best way to introduce them? The one I currently have tends to be rather dominating, and I don't want her to injure the other one. I do have seperate cages for now, but I would like to eventually have them share one cage, due to space constraints.





Any advice you have about getting them introduced and playing together would be great.





Thanks!How should I introduce and older female rabbit to a new one?
They should be spayed because unsp[ayed females can be very aggressive towards one another. (Even after they are spayed it can be a challenge). The reward of having a pair of bonded rabbits is worth the work, though. Here are some helpful articles on how to go about introducing rabbits.


http://rabbit.org/behavior/index.html


Look under the Socialization section.How should I introduce and older female rabbit to a new one?
They will probably fight at first. You have to first introduce them in a neutral area, like a small room, maybe the bathroom. Bathtubs work too. They will sniff eachother and probably hump eachother, it's a dominance thing. What could happen is that the older rabbit will try be dominant and the younger one will accept that, and then they might be fine. But most likely the younger one will fight back. You have to separate them if they start fighting. Keep putting them together every once and awhile. Take them places together. Stuff like that.





Another thing you can do (a breeder told me this) if they refuse to be friends is to get a small cat carrier that they will both fit in, so there is just enough room for them and food but no room for them to fight. Keep them in there for 24 hours together. Then they will be more used to eachothers smell and more comfortable with eachother, especially in awkward situations. This can really help to bond them.





I hope this works for you!
Introduce them to each other in a neutral invironment eg. the bathtub but keep a close eye on them as they probably will fight!!
Here is an excerpt from my website:





';1. Very rarely, a pair of two unspayed does or unneutered bucks will get along if they are littermates and are raised together. But most of the time, the best pair is a male and a female. However, both rabbits must be spayed and neutered before attempting to bond them. The surgery should be performed by a rabbit savvy vet, and is usually done when the rabbits are about 4-6 months of age, depending on the vet. The rabbits must be housed separately until they are altered, as rabbits are able to reproduce sometimes as early as 4 months old. There is also a recovery period for the rabbits after surgery before they are completely sterile, so I suggest keeping the rabbits separated until about 6 weeks after surgery. Once the rabbits have recovered, you are ready to start bonding.





2. I suggest at this point moving the rabbits' cages beside each other and switching each others toys around. This way each rabbit will get used to the other's scent, and hopefully be more open to a new friend.





3. Many people suggest a car ride as a ';first date';. They will sit both bunnies together in an open box or carrier, and have someone in the back seat to keep watch so that the driver doesn't have to deal with fussy bunnies. Driving in the car is a scary experience for rabbits who are not used to it, so most of the time they will snuggle up together for comfort, making their first experience together a positive one. I highly suggest this as a first step. Start out with a 5 minute car ride around the block, then after a few days try 10 min, then 15 min. If all goes well, you will have a solid foundation for your bonding experience. With the high prices of gas, some people have changed to ';washing machine'; rides- put the bunnies on a towel in a laundry basket and turn the washing machine on. The movement mimics that of a car, and you are also able to handle the bonding session by yourself since there is no need for a driver.





4. Next are play dates. Make sure that these take place in a neutral area, away from each rabbit's cage so that they have no need to be territorial right off the bat. Usually a bathroom or a kitchen is a nice place to work. Start out with just 5 minute play times together. It is suggested that you keep a spray bottle full of room temp. water on hand during these play times. Anytime one of the rabbits chases, nips, bites, attacks, or mounts the other, spray them and say firmly but without yelling, ';NO, (name)!'; and either separate the two rabbits or squish them together side by side so that they cannot fight anymore. Stay for 5-10 seconds, and then let them go again. Do this as often as needed to establish your dominance over the two rabbits. These play sessions can also be accompanied by the car rides if you are still having trouble with your pair getting along for the 5 minutes. Do a car ride, then come in and try to play. Once your pair becomes more comfortable with 5 minutes, move to 10 minutes for a week or so, then 15, 20, 30, and hour, and so on. Increase the length of time your rabbits are together based on how comfortable you feel with their improvement. However, if at ANY time they start fighting again, it may be necessary to back track to the beginning of your bonding and start over.';





For more information:





http://oakridgecare.bravehost.com/bondin鈥?/a>





Good luck!