Bonding

Question
Hello Christine, I recently wrote to you about my mini lops Poppy and Tansy and you were very helpful, thankyou! Yesterday I adopted a gorgeous little boy from a rescue. He appears to be adult (but still quite young) mini rex. He seems to have a lovely nature and loves being cuddled. I had set up a separate pen for him beside the girls. Tansy seems just curious about him but Poppy became quite aggressive towards Tansy (chasing her) as soon as she smelled him on my hands. I have rubbed pure lavender oil into my hands and patted them all to try to give them all the same scent (I have had success with this in the past) which did quieten her down a little. I want to start trying to bond them together and I was hoping for some advice from you. My plan is to put them all in a small pen under strict supervision and see how they react. I am worried that Poppy will become aggressive. She is quite a territorial little bunny. Would I be better off only introducing the girls to Merlin one at a time?

Answer
Karen,

Hello again!

Keep them together to meet all at once. Same concept as getting bunnies fixed together; if there's any smell one picks up, they both pick it up and it doesn't break the bond.

I would give them a few days to get accustomed to this new bun before you go making formal introductions. Let the smells mix a little and everyone get acquainted. Try swapping some toys or a blanket - not too many items, but just enough to start mingling scents.

When you go to bond, remember to use neutral areas and put pens side by side so there's no way to physically mix, but they can still lay next to each other. Maybe put a pile of hay in between as well so they can share a snack. Food is the tie that binds.

Did the rescue you worked with allow for "bunny speed dating", by any chance?

Christine