Bonding A Bunny Group🐰 *2 new furry friends!*

[@lucy3386]

So excited about this video! I have absolutely loved your videos since I got my first hamster 5 years ago, when I was 13. Its crazy that last week I rescued and brought home 2 bunnies. I can't wait to follow along on the journey xx

[@claireanderson1398]

Fantastic video Erin ....and that was a beautiful introduction with the rabbits ......glad everything went well ....keep up the excellent work 👏

[@ErinsArk]

Thanks so much Claire! yess it's lovely to see them as a group 😍

[@chlexiel.1022]

Erin- they all are so sweet. What blessed bunnies to live in your heart and your home💕

[@kristinawebb9615]

Omg how cute are the new fuzzy angora lop babies you added to the family!!! That color is called harliquin the one with the dark patch on its face I think u called it muttled coloring lol very pretty colors those faces are precious!!!!

[@teganwillow466]

I had to bond four rabbits - it was nerve wracking!! But so worth it. Good job.

[@sophienioche4949]

This was one of my favourite videos that you have done! Loved it so much, keep up the hard work❤️

[@ErinsArk]

Thanks so much Sophie, that's great to hear 😊💙

[@cee6097]

Aw. Such gorgeous bunnies. Hope bonding continues to go well :)

[@GerbilyWerbily]

Good luck with the group bonding! I’d love to one day have a large group.

[@susanaponte1579]

Erin, they're SO BEAUTIFUL! ! Such stunning rabbits, I knew they had to be Angora or something because their coats are gorgeous! You really did a great job with the bonding, paying attention to every detail!

[@ErinsArk]

Thanks Susan! It was quite nerve wracking 😅 they have lovely soft coats - lots of grooming for Enya! 💙

[@susanaponte1579]

@@ErinsArk She's a gorgeous bunny, I love that type of fur, but yes, I could just imagine the brushing situation! Lol, they have something called a hairbuster comb, it's from an online small pet company, although now I think they have products for dogs and cats as well, I know they have a U.K. branch. Small pet Select products are very, very good! I suppose you also have alot of companies in your area or in other parts of the U.K. that have similar things for guinea pigs and rabbits. I enjoy buying from Haypigs, that's based in the U.K., in fact, I find that part of the world has much better products as a whole than in the U,S.!

[@ARLimon74]

Beautiful bunnies 🐰 ❤! I am sure they will enjoy their new home 🏡 with you!

[@mightybruno]

I love them. Congratulations and best of luck with the bonding. 👍🏼

[@SMKification]

Oh, my!! Beautiful new bunnies 🥰💚💚 THEY’RE ADORABLE 😊💛

[@ElianaChinea]

I love your approach! You’re not a helicopter mom, you let bunnies be bunnies which is so important! Some KZbinrs out here just spread ignorant advice and don’t let their animals breathe. I always love your updates! Keep going!

[@ErinsArk]

Thank you!! I find that like you say, best to let them be, and let them go through the process without disrupting it (unless absolutely necessary). Glad you like the updates😊

[@meganellis2318]

The way you bonded is great, I've never thought to bond in a open area. most bonding videos bunnies are put into a small cage and that's terrifying, the submissive bun usually gets a beating. It's good you gave them the space to get away and to work it out themselves.

[@catherinewholey3630]

Totally agree with you that once you put a pair or group together, not to separate so they can sort out who is dominant and submissive once and for all. I have bonded lots of groups and currently have 3 trios. I have never done the play date method as, each time, they have to begin the bond again. I usually bond in a small space so it was interesting to see you bond in a large area and it really worked well! I will probably do the same in future as, watching your bond, I think it's less stressful for them. Your new bunnies are beautiful!

[@ErinsArk]

Hi Catherine, thanks for the comment! Yess I think it is less stress for them to not separate. I'd imagine the play dates would be a much slower process. They seemed to do quite well with the larger space - I think it helps if they can have their own space if they get overwhelmed :))

[@lapinuage]

Hey erin, congratulations for this bonding ! plz could you tell me how this is possible to get bunny with a such fluffy fur ? are they angora breed ? 20:53 what was this horn ?? ^^

[@ErinsArk]

Hi there! Thank you :) Yes that's right, I believe she has some angora in her, certainly Enya. I think that must have been from the road haha!

[@lapinuage]

@@ErinsArk awesome but so clever in this way cuz they can't get fur issues like you cut all the surface =) aw ok, i thought it was the postman bringing some new stuffs for the pigz and whole the gang :D

[@boscoitalics]

your bunnies are so cute and fluffy! I had one gray rabbit name Smokey, got him from 4H years ago

[@wendyhehn5844]

Oh Big Wig and the ladies! You have so much patience with all your “ meet & greets”! 🥰

[@Smith_Jnr]

Very exciting. Please keep us updated on their progress.

[@lynettetucker5236]

I love those 🐇🐇🐰 so cute they are quite large bunny's haven't seen this type.

[@lemon4grss]

New to your channel and l’m loving it already ❤️❤️❤️ Thank you.

[@ErinsArk]

Welcome!! Glad to hear that

[@libbysrabbits.8847]

Loved the video, I was watching your pets 2022 video qnd i couldn't see the skinny pigss or gerbals? What happened to them?

[@GhostiexEditz]

hello im so happy for you i love bunny's i wish i had some!!! there so cute!!!😊do you think you will ever get more guinea pigs?🐹 loved this vid❤💜

[@ErinsArk]

Awh thank you, glad you did!! I'll be doing a little update soon on my plans for Guinea pigs 😊

[@GhostiexEditz]

@@ErinsArk thanks!!!

[@thequeerbee2026]

I love to see so many groups happening now 😍 I really believe they thrive more in larger groups I recently bonded a trio and plan to add a 4th or 5th later on 🥰

[@PetConnectionInternational]

Awh, I'm glad it all went well 🥰

[@Abbayabbadoo]

Hi Erin! I was wondering, what cage do you use for your gerbils because I need a new cage but I don't have many surfaces in my room for a new one and I need some ideas

[@ErinsArk]

Hi! I tried out quite a few when I had mine. The LaOla Rodipet one, the Living World habitat and IKEA detolf they were in at one point 😊

[@Abbayabbadoo]

@@ErinsArk thank you so much! ❤️ I'm desperate for a new cage 😂

[@animalitos_31]

Que buen video y que hermosos los conejos adoptados son preciosos saludos desde Chile 💓

[@juliareeves8088]

Great video!!! Is the bunny bonding still going well? I am getting ready to try to bond 4 bunnies as soon as all are spayed and neutered. At what point would you feel it is okay to leave them together without supervision?

[@ErinsArk]

Hi Julia! All seem to be happy and content. That's exciting! I did check them closely for most of the day, but as the hours went on, I would leave them a bit longer each time. By night time they were much calmer and aggressive behaviour reduced, so I trusted they would be okay (based on how they were interacting) 🙂

[@Elizadk]

They are absolutely cuteness. They're gonna be a good group it looks like 😍😍😍😍 Will you ever get guinepigs again? Just wondering 🤗🤗❤️

[@wabarrelracer6510]

She still has pigs :)

[@charlottelake2646]

@@wabarrelracer6510 she only has one now xxx

[@wabarrelracer6510]

@@charlottelake2646 aw what happened to all the others? Sorry I haven't watched in a bit :)

[@charlottelake2646]

@@wabarrelracer6510 they passed away due to a viral disease I think xx

[@wabarrelracer6510]

@@charlottelake2646 aw

[@Sozzleknocker]

There are always exceptions, but this large space no intervening method is so risky. Are you familiar with the RWAF method? Nine times out of ten, a small space is better to start. Those rabbits can kill each other if they decide to.

[@teaartist6455]

There's a lot of different opinions on rabbit bonding and I personally (and probably many people from over the pond) would consider the American method(s) to be "risky" in much the same way. Let me explain. Rabbits are generally a social species and fights about rank are more about communicating to the other rabbit(s) than about harming them. Running, chasing, plucking fur, mounting, even how much distance they keep and how they react to another rabbits approach are all part of what is essentially a complex negotiation of rank and (to some degree) even expectation around said rank. That's not to say that nothing can ever happen - especially if the rabbit is poorly "bunny socialized"¹ - but if rabbits are free to "talk" without interference (be it directly from humans or due to a lack of space) it's rare for them to seriously hurt each other and far easier to notice if things do start to go south as you have far more obvious behavioural cues. (Though of course this does require some understanding of "Bunlish".) Putting them in a small space can hinder a lot of that communication and the methods they'd usually use to defuse a situation - such as giving one another space, eating and so on - and can even cause misunderstandings the same way a dead end can². Yes, you're much closer and are "supposed" to interfere at the slightest sign of aggression. But you're also creating an extremely explosive situation and preventing the rabbits from actually communicating which can in turn lead to grudges and increase the likelihood of aggression, including/especially dangerous aggression. So now you have a space where your rabbits cannot communicate AND where you are going to struggle much more to fully interpret the behaviour of your rabbits and thus will have a much harder time knowing how they actually feel and what they intend to do. I strongly suspect this is also where the idea of "Rabbits will totally murder each other" comes from. ----- ¹ Basically, having some degree of experience in communicating with other rabbits. Communicating with rabbits and being calm around humans/friendly towards us are two very different things (and one cannot, for example, gauge how well a rabbit will react to rabbits by looking at how they are with humans). The main issue with badly socialized rabbits is that they may be clumsy communicators, more likely to be scared of other buns and more likely to not have the best intuition for what is appropriate. In short they have much the same issues as a isolated home schooled kid has when leaving for college. Which doesn't have to be an issue especially with a patient and socially competent partner-to-be, but it's a risk factor and they should be watched more closely. ² A major part in early negotiations is that a rabbit that is willing to submit to another will withdraw when the dominant bun approaches. If they can't or if the only way to leave is to approach the other bun this may be interpreted as anywhere from somewhat cheeky to a challenge or - in the worst case scenario - outright attack.

[@Singasongtome]

Hey did you spay/ neuter your rabbits before bonding? I see this us a key factor before bonding? I have one bonded pair. I have a rabbit I adopted she isn't yet spayed, but my bonded who are,male and female and also brother and sister are both fixed. Are all of your rabbits? I plan to get yer spayed very soon, as I know it has health benefits:) Thanks :).

[@jenniferburns9231]

Are they all neutered? There's no mention of it.

[@robertabray-enhus3198]

Great video...they're so cute..if they're all spayed and neutered they should be OK with each other

[@charlottekaiser619]

Can I ask how you did it, I have a bonded pair and 2 single does and I can't get them to bond at all. They just fight viciously every time I try

[@HJBL1964]

I have the same problem.

[@charlottekaiser619]

@@HJBL1964 its so sad, I rescued a bonded pair, but had my other doe and a old lion lop and then I lost one and she won't rebond at all to my other girl. So stuck with two single girls. Makes me so sad that they won't experience

[@charlottelake2646]

@@HJBL1964 look at my comment xxx

[@Ardillasiempreverde]

Owww :3 ❤️

[@jessicachadwick6858]

I have bunny's I have 18 of them

[@rosiolopez3120]

💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

[@songsenkei]

RE: Orla and Bigwig, is he neutered?

[@thequeerbee2026]

They'd have to be in order to be bonded

[@ErinsArk]

Yes, he's neutered :)

[@annabelldaish9004]

Wood you get more guinea pigs