Wednesday, May 12, 2010

How Do You Introduce a New Rabbit to Your Current Rabbit?

What is the best way to introduce a new rabbit to your current one? Also does the genders of the rabbits (2 girls being introduced vs 2 boys) change things? Thanks!How Do You Introduce a New Rabbit to Your Current Rabbit?
Very carefully and slowly and on neutral territory. Either pairing will need to both be altered. Two boys or two girls will not live peacefully together unless raised together from birth, and even then, will often begin to fight at maturity. Unaltered rabbits, generally, can not be housed together or allowed to play. Ever. There are tips here for a successful introduction: http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/intro鈥?/a> Patience is key, and do not allow any fighting, as that will prolong the bonding process.How Do You Introduce a New Rabbit to Your Current Rabbit?
Well for two boys, it is a very difficult matter. The males MUST be neutered before introducing them. I had two lionhead bunnies (brothers) from a very young age, and when they hit that testosterone spike the more dominant of the two beat up the other one. It happened in a snap, with no warning. Neutering a rabbit is relatively inexpensive, and works miracles. They should be introduced in separate cages pressed next to each other. It is an easy process and won't take long. Do the same for two girls, w/out the neutering part, of course! ;)
Rabbit introductions are done very similar to the way we introduce people:





Step 1 Introduce individual rabbits to each other using both first and last names.





Step 2 If you're introducing a rabbit who has a title - a doctor, for example - include the title as well as the first and last names in the introduction.





Step 3 Introduce the younger or less prominent rabbit to the older or more prominent rabbit, regardless of the sex of the rabbits. (However, if a considerable age difference lies between the two, it is far more courteous to make introductions in deference to age, regardless of social rank.) For example: 'Arthur Prefect, I'd like you to meet Dr. Gertrude Smith.'





Step 4 If the rabbit you are introducing has a specific relationship to you, make the relationship clear by adding a phrase such as 'my boss,' 'my wife' or 'my uncle.' In the case of unmarried couples who are living together, 'companion' and 'partner' are good choices.





Step 5 Use your spouse's first and last name if he or she has a different last name than you. Include the phrase 'my wife' or 'my husband.'





Step 6 Introduce an individual rabbit to the group of rabbits first, then the group rabbits to the individual. For example: 'Dr. Brown, I'd like you to meet my friends Kym Hsu, Shawn Kampbell and Michael Via. Everyone, this is Dr. Kurt Brown.'
It is nearly impossible to bond to rabbits if they're not BOTH fixed, regardless of gender. Female-female pairings are the hardest to do, followed by male-male pairings. Male-female pairs tend to work best and are the fastest.





You can't just put a new rabbit in the other's cage... they will fight and never have a chance to become friends. You have to let them adjust to each other's scent/presence by putting their cages next to each other for a while.





You can introduce them in neutral territory (somewhere neither of them have been before) for short periods of time. They may scuffle a little or hump (a display of dominance), and this is OK - they need to figure out who is dominant. If they actually start fighting you need to separate them immediately. Rabbits remember bad experiences, and too many fights can make it harder to bond them.





During this time you should swap which cage the rabbits are in, so they get used to sharing their territory with the other rabbit (well, the other rabbit's scent). When they can be in the same area without fighting, you can introduce them in the same cage for short times, until they no longer fight while in a cage together.





Always supervise them during this process - they can get into a fight if you're not around, and you won't be nearby to break it up.





Bonding can be as short as 2 days or as long as 2 years. If your pair doesn't get along right away, take it slow and don't force them together.
Two males should not be introduced, neither should a male and a female. Two females might be okay but there is still a chance of fighting. Rabbits are territorial. I would introduce them in a place that is neutral territory. Don't introduce them in one of their cages. Once they hop around and get to know each other you can try putting them in the same cage. Watch them. If they start fighting, kicking, pulling hair, etc you need to separate them. You can put their cages next to each other to help them get to know one another. Are they adults or babies? Babies often bond very easily. Adults take more time. Good luck.

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