When I got Parsley, I was a first time rabbit owner and have to admit, I did get a fair few things wrong to begin with. The first week of Parsley’s life with me was spent in a hutch in my garden. Parsley made it loud and clear this is not where he wanted to be as he determinedly stomped his feet all through the night.

The truth is I’ve learnt and grown as a rabbit owner with the help of my bunnies, as they have learnt and grown with me as their owner.

Soon enough, he was brought inside and was promoted to house bunny. His hutch was discarded and he received his own indoor enclosure. When he was of age he was taken to the vets for all his injections and was neutered. Next came his litter training which he mastered like a pro. His reward was having free roam of my living room.

After a couple of months, my second rabbit Bugs joined the nest and thus began the tricky part… Bonding.

A few beginners tips

Firstly, it’s a lot easier to bond neutered/spayed rabbits as they will become less aggressive and territorial.

Clean the existing rabbits home as this should help reduce their scent (rabbits spray their urine when not neutered to claim their area and personal possessions. Another rabbit going into this environment may feel threatened)

Find a suitable area for bonding – Avoid slippery floors to reduce risk of injury as they may fight and run around. Additionally, an enclosed area where you would be able to intervene if necessary will help.

To bond Parsley and Bugs, I opted for the dreaded bath tub as my bonding area. Empty bath tub may I add.

In an unfamiliar surrounding it is a natural instinct for rabbits to comfort one another.

Other advantages include:

It has high enough walls to prevent an attempted escape But are low enough for you to monitor them and intervene if you have to Adding a rubber bath mat creates a non-slip surface to keep your rabbits safe It’s a new, unfamiliar, neutral area. Neither bunny has claimed this space as their own.

This tactic is known as forced bonding.

There are other techniques for forced bonding, but as you can probably tell by it’s name, forced bonding can be quite stressful for rabbits.

I placed Parsley and Bugs into the bath. Within a couple of minutes they huddled up together and Bugs started licking Parsley’s face. Success.

Tip: When bonding your rabbits look out for signs that they are becoming comfortable in each others company. This will indicate you’re doing it right. These signs include: grooming, eating and drinking. Rabbits generally don’t eat or groom themselves in the company of another rabbit who they despise.

Bugs joined Parsley in his indoor home almost immediately, however I kept a close watch and monitored their behaviour.

On odd occasion there would be a scuffle. Do not allow this to discourage you. This may startle you at first but only intervene and separate them if you have to. I would watch Parsley chase Bugs around for a while and when I felt it was necessary I would separate them and sternly say “No!”. Understand rabbits naturally adopt a hierarchy within in their nests and you need to allow them to establish who’s boss amongst themselves.

Bugs and Parsley became closer and closer each day.

Then in December 2012, I fell in love with my third rabbit Peter and brought him home.

I almost instantly regretted getting Peter simply because the peace was disturbed. His presence caused a stir.

Despite Peter being kept separate, his scent drove Bugs and Parsley to madness. They began fighting for the first time and made it clear to me Peter was unwelcome.

I knew I could not attempt my bath tactic again and bonding them would require a slower approach.

Remember, the biggest mistake you can make whilst bonding your rabbits is giving up.

Bugs and Parsley were upgraded from their indoor cage to a four foot square bunny apartment which meant the indoor cage was free to house Peter.

I placed Peters cage next to Parsley and Bugs bunny apartment which enabled them to smell and interact with each other safely.

In the beginning, Peter would hide or sit in a corner and stomp his feet. At just 12 weeks old he probably felt intimidated by the bigger boys approaching the bars of his cage . As time progressed, Peter came out of his shell when curiosity got the better of him and he began greeting Parsley and Bugs through the bars and sniffing their faces.

I kept their homes side by side for around two weeks. Every day I would stroke each rabbit individually and swap their soiled litter and toys. By doing so I was passing on their unique scents to one another. All three of them were showing calm behaviour so I felt it was the right time to bring them all together in one pen.

I made their pen ever bigger and gave it a thorough clean and within moments of being together they chased each other in circles and Parsley started humping both Peter and Bugs.

This is a non-sexual behaviour where one rabbit can assert their authority over another. Parsley being the oldest, strongest and biggest wanted to make it clear he was in charge.

It may look and seem distressing but only intervene or separate them if you think there is a risk of one of them being seriously hurt. The chasing, foot stomping and humping was intermittent and went on for about 10- 15 minutes.

Then all of a sudden, Parsley started grooming himself, Bugs laid down and Peter acknowledged that as permission to start exploring his new home.

Two years have passed and I can assure you all three of them remain the best of friends.

