Do bonded rabbits always sleep together?

Bonded rabbits spend the majority of their days and nights together. They tend to visit the litter tray at the same time, eat together and groom together. A lot of time is spent simply snuggled up together sleeping. They can become competitive with each other over food and attention from us.

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Are bonded rabbits always together?

It's important that rabbits live with at least one other rabbit at all times, so that they feel safe. As they're social animals, they also enjoy eating together, grooming each other and lying down together to keep each other warm. Living together will also make sure that they have companionship.

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What are good signs when bonding rabbits?

Good and bad signs when bonding rabbits
  • Sitting or lying side by side, even when the barrier is in between them.
  • Grooming each other.
  • Seeking each other for positive interactions.
  • Behaving normally around one another.

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Can bonded rabbits become unbonded?

Bonded rabbits can also break their bond. This can happen if they've been separated, for example if one bunny needs to spend a few days at the vet. It can also happen if you move house, move or change your rabbit enclosure, or upset the hierarchy by introducing new rabbits.

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How do you know if rabbits are not bonding?

Watch for aggressive behaviors: tail up, ears back, growling, boxing, circling, chasing and biting. If one of these behavior occurs several times in a row; if neither rabbit backs down; if it leads to further aggressive behaviors, it should be interrupted.

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Bonding Bunnies 101 - Bonding Behaviors

34 related questions found

Do bonded rabbits sleep separately?

Even the best of rabbit friends may still sometimes need a break from each other. House rabbits often spend a couple of hours apart a day sleeping or playing in different areas. The ability to do this reduces the likelihood of two rabbits fighting.

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What should you not do when bonding a rabbit?

Don't – Play favorites. Don't – Expect love at first sight. Don't – Hold a bonding session in the resident bunny's territory until after the bunnies spend at least 30 minutes together in neutral space. Be prepared for the potential that the resident bunny may become defensive or aggressive at first.

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Do bonded rabbits need human interaction?

Rabbits are very loving, social animals, which means they not only love to spend time with their humans – they require it. Without human interaction, rabbits can get bored, even to the point of becoming lonely and depressed.

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Is bonding stressful for rabbits?

Although trying to bond rabbits will inevitably be stressful to them, there are other factors that cause stress too and every rabbit owner should be aware of them.

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Is chasing normal in bonded rabbits?

Chasing is a normal behavior to expect during bonding that you should allow to continue. This is not a true fight where the rabbits are getting territorial with each other. However, it can look similar to other behaviors that are aggressive.

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How long should a rabbit bonding session last?

Bonding sessions may only last about 10-15 minutes at first. That is okay. Don't stress about it; you can slowly increase the time until they can spend hours together.

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How long does bonding bunnies take?

The whole bonding process can take as little as one day or up to several months – it all depends on your rabbits. Usually, it's a few weeks before your bunnies will be living happily together but it is well worth the wait.

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What happens if you separate bonded rabbits?

For bonded rabbits, the loss of a partner can be very traumatic. Bonded rabbits live very closely together, spending hours sleeping, grooming, eating, playing and "talking" so the sudden absence of their partner is difficult for them to cope with.

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Do bonded rabbits share a litter box?

Once your bunny is bonded it doesn't take any extra work to care for two bunnies. They share a house, food, water, and litter box. They will groom each other and keep each other clean and healthy.

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Can bonded rabbits share a cage?

While they shouldn't be in the same shared area together at first, due to rabbits being highly territorial, they should be able to see each other. Separating the areas with x-pens is a good idea as it allows the rabbits to see and smell each other, but not be in close enough contact to allow any biting.

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Do bonded rabbits grieve?

If your rabbit leaves behind a bonded mate, he, too, will grieve. Now more than ever, your surviving rabbit will need you to help him through his grief. Rabbit grief is very real. Just like people, rabbits grieve in their own way.

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How long can you leave bonded rabbits alone?

They will also take care of each other's play and grooming needs. Even if you have a pair of rabbits, 24 hours is the maximum time they should be alone. Like all pets, rabbits rely heavily on their owners. Domesticated rabbits lack the survival skills of wild rabbits.

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Do bonded rabbits bite each other?

Even if your rabbit is generally gentle and calm, when a new bunny enters the scene, you may see some very aggressive behavior. Rabbits can bite, claw or swat at each other potentially inflicting great harm. For this reason, all bonding must be supervised.

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How many hours of attention do bunnies need?

At a minimum, you should spend at least an hour with your rabbit every day. However, 3-5 hours (or even more) are ideal. You do not have to be giving your rabbit undivided attention during this time, but instead, make yourself available to interact with them if they want to.

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Are bonded bunnies less affectionate?

A bonded rabbit pair will prefer each other over humans, even if their owners are responsible for food and care. This doesn't mean you won't get affection from either rabbit, of course. Rabbits that live in groups will still be very affectionate with their owners.

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What is 24 7 rabbit bonding?

Basically, this method is bonding rabbits in a very small neutral space over a length of time and slowly increasing their space every 24 hours or every 2-3 days (depending on their progress), while still keeping them together until they are fully bonded.

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Do rabbits get lonely without another rabbit?

Rabbits are social animals, and, like us, can suffer from loneliness. Though there are exceptions, most rabbits want and need another rabbit for company. For this reason, we always recommend keeping rabbits in groups of two or more.

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How long does 24 7 rabbit bonding take?

There is no set time for how long a bond will take, some take hours some take days but as a minimum time scale we would suggest that you put aside two days at least where you can be with the rabbits 24/7 to err on the side of caution. Be prepared to sleep next to them and be on hand to ensure everything is going well.

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How often should you hold your rabbit?

Try to refrain from holding them every single time you interact with them. If you are trying to gain the trust of a shy rabbit, you will want to completely stop picking them up until your rabbit is very comfortable around you. Otherwise keep the cuddles to a minimum so that your rabbit doesn't become afraid of you.

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What time of year is best to bond rabbits?

Winter is the best time of year to bond, because hormones are less of a factor. Even neutered rabbits produce hormones, and most of these in spring and summer and that can make it a bit trickier.

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