# Introducing two new Bunnies to an existing paired bunnies



## Forrest (Mar 24, 2016)

Hi,

I want to adopt two new Bunnies from a Bunny shelter because I would love to give a good home to a bunny who doesn't have one. But the problem is I already have two bunnies which are paired and apparently bunnies are very territorial so I'm worried they will fight. I have only been at my new flat / house for a month now, so I don't know if that is long enough for them to fight over it.

Any advice if it is possible to bring in two new bunnies or will they just fight forever. obviously I don't want to upset my current bunnies too much. How long would it take to get them to get along if I can bring them in?

If there is a thread already open for this topic, please link it. I tried searching with no luck.

Thanks in advance.


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## Azerane (Mar 24, 2016)

Are the two new rabbits already a bonded pair, or are they separate? Any time you introduce a new rabbit or rabbits to an existing pair, there is always the chance that it will break the bond of your current pair. Fighting is also a possibility. Yes one month is long enough for your rabbits to be territorial. To introduce new rabbits to them you need to let the new rabbits settle in for a week or two and do scent swapping with items from their separate cages. Then you'll need to find neutral space in your flat (a place where your current rabbits have never been - the bathroom or a bedroom perhaps) and do the introductions in that room so that none of the rabbits have claim to it. It will likely take many bonding sessions from weeks to potentially even months to get them to bond, during which time you'll need to keep them in separate cages and give them separate free range time in the living area (or wherever they're kept). It can be a long process, especially when you're attempting to bond more than two rabbits, as one of your rabbits may get along perfectly well with two, but not the third and so on.


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## Forrest (Mar 25, 2016)

Thanks Azerane  Nicely explained
I would assume the two new bunnies would not be paired but familiar with each other. So it's similar to pairing single bunnies except with 2 and two.
I am worried about the breaking of the pairing with my two existing bunnies, don't want that to happen.
But thanks again for taking the time to explain it
:runningrabbit:


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## flemishwhite (Mar 25, 2016)

Actually, bonding bunnies has some other dimensions. Take my two Flemish baby sisters (6 months old). One tends to be dominant and one tends to be submissive. So much of the time, the dominant rabbit is very loving to her subservient sister. They groom and lick each other. But, the dominant rabbit will sometimes attack her sister...biting and tearing our fur. We used to have them in a pen in our living room, and then shoo them into the pen for the night. However they began fighting. We now have for many months allowed them free range in our house. The pen door is open 24/7. They often will be both in the pen, but they don't fight since the pen door open. Love my rabbits...they certainly aren't like cats and dogs.


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## ts786 (Mar 28, 2016)

I know this will sound silly, but rearrange the furniture right before the new rabbits arrive.


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## Forrest (Mar 29, 2016)

Thanks all for the responses, but I've been thinking about it and I don't want to risk my two current bunnies happiness ie. they break their bonding because one of them get along with the other bunnies better and the one is left by itself.


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