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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum BONDING I had no idea, now on the right track

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    • JoyCounts
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        Update: Everything below the dotted line was my original post and all posts before today (January 3rd) are before this update. I decided to update how my bonding is going because things are now definitely going for the better, and I thought maybe what is working for me may work for someone else who might come have a similar problem to what I had. I’ll put the actual details at the bottom, but I just thought I’d mention here at the top that I’m now just going to post progress and my occasional question.

        —————————————————————————————————–
        This is kind of a long post so you can know where this is at, but I’m at a loss at what to do.

        First off, Lua (my first rabbit) picked Puck (the new rabbit) out herself. I took her to the shelter and introduced her to six different bunnies, and she thumped and grunted at all but two, and then the second time I took her, one of those starting nipping and causing problems, and she had groomed the other ones ears (just once and never since then) so we decided that rabbit was the best choice to start with. We had them meet on one more date before deciding completely, and then he came home with us.

        They did great on the car ride home, but as soon as they got home Lua got really aggressive and territorial (as I knew she would) and attacked him. Poor Puck was extrememly confused.  Please note that I live in a rather small apartment (but only until June ish) so there isn’t much changing up I could do/am allowed to do. Well I had separate pins for them at opposite ends of the same room. Lua was constantly trying to bite him through the bars, and I was constantly chasing her away until her exercise time was up. This was only a few days because I took him home knowing that in a few days I’d be going to my parents house for a few weeks and it’s completely neutral so I thought it’d be a good start.

        Fast forward a bit, I took them to my parents house in separate carriers because of how violent lua has been, but they were facing each other. It was a six hour plus car ride. When we first got there, they were chummy and kinda snuggly, but then Lua when crazy and started her nipping which results in him scratching which results in a fight every time. Currently I have an x-pen split into two with square grids and they are living on either side. The first night (two days ago), Lua bit him through the bars when ever he put his face up to it too. I kept clapping and telling her no biting, and eventually it died down, and they would lay beside each other on either side of the bars. When not directly interacting, they are totally fine with each others presence and both have even flopped and stretched out.

        They were doing good with no biting all day yesterday and being kind of friendly through the bars, so I thought I’d try letting them meet without the bars. Puck mounted Lua and really quickly Lua turned around and started fighting and fur was flying again. I separated them as quickly as I could with a pillow, but now Lua has a sore on one of her sholders (which I put plain neosporin on) and I have a rather large pile of lost fur from both parties. And then as a result the biting through the bars started again.

        I’ve never done a bonding before, and I’m kind of at a loss here. I’ve been reading about all the tricks, but if I can’t get them in the same area without a fight breaking out, I can’t figure out what to do.

        The problem is I think they both want to be dominant, so I’ve not tried the banana on the head thing because I don’t know which head would work, if either. My best chance of a rabbit savvy vet is six hours away, so I’d rather avoid fighting and injuries (I’d avoid it even if I were back there).

        Any ideas on the best way to get on the right track? I really want this to work, but I’m really afraid I’m just screwing it up. 


      • tanlover14
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          You ABSOLUTELY cannot allow them to meet in Lua’s territory. You have to be creative and think outside the box in regards to introducing in neutral territory. My favorite is a large cardboard box. I have bonded many a bun in a cardboard box! Hahaha. It’s great for allowing no one to be territorial (which sounds like is your biggest problem). Lua is NOT okay with another bunny in her area and that’s perfectly normal because they’re not bonded. Until bonded, there is absolutely no interaction with them in a non-neutral territory until the final stages. You could also try the bath-tub, as I assume she hasn’t really been in there.

          Because of their interactions so far it seems they’re really frustrated. I would take a few days off from bonding. If you can’t separate them to different rooms put up a towel or blanket so they have no way of visibly seeing each other. It can sometimes only further their aggression as they want to fight but aren’t allowed to – kind of like taunting them with the other bunny. Give everybun some time to settle down and forget about the other rabbit. Personally, because there fights have escalated so much I’d not bond for 4-7 days.

          First time bonding is very confusing and stressful for everyone involved. Don’t be discouraged as I feel your problems are beginner mistakes and definitely something that can be fixed.


        • Sialia
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            Hi JoyCounts,

            I have no advice for you as I’m just at the start of bonding my two bunnies (neutered males) but I just wanted to say that I sympathize with you feeling lost as to what to do.  I’ll be following your posts to see the advice you receive.  I’ve received some excellent advice so far on here and have been trying a few things with my boys – mainly stress bonding in a laundry cart, and I’m planning on moving the first bunny (whom we’ve had for several months) into a different part of the house so that we can fully neutralize what will eventually be their shared area.  I can also sympathize with you about having a small area to work with.  Our house is small and the first bunny has claimed most of it, so there isn’t a lot of space left for moving him around.  But we’re working on it.

            EDITED TO ADD: Just read TanLover’s post and it reminded me to mention that when we first started letting our boys meet, it was in our bathtub, in which neither had been before, and then on the bathroom floor, which was also completely neutral for both.

            Are both of your bunnies fixed?


          • JoyCounts
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              Yes, both of them are fixed and have been for long enough for the hormones to work their way out of their systems. I’m at a different house right now and will be for a few weeks, so it isn’t Lua’s territory here, but I guess she thinks it should be. =/ I’ve tried the bathtub thing and it didn’t work as they just both hopped right out (my bathtub is kinda small).


            • JoyCounts
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                I also did the bathroom floor at one point. As long as I was petting both of them they were great and snuggly, but as soon as I stopped, fighting.


              • Sialia
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                  That’s good that you’re going to be at your parents’ house for a while. I think that will probably help (not that I have any experience, just based on what I’ve read).

                  One other thing I tried was for a few days before letting them meet for the first time in the bathtub, I introduced their smells to each other. I switched their litter boxes between their areas (first bunny is in the kitchen, new bunny is in my son’s room), and also put blankets or stuffed animals in with them and then switched those around. Maybe you could try that while they’re having a break for a few days?


                • tanlover14
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                    If she has EVER been in their house (without Peck) for even a few minutes, she has most likely claimed that area as her own. LOL. They are VERY territorial little buggers. When they begin fighting, you need to stress them. My favorite is the vacuum cleaner. I keep it next to them at all times and if they begin fighting, I turn it off. It stresses them out and startles them enough to stop the fighting. You can shut it off when they stop and if they start again, turn it right back on. I did this for about 20 minutes one day until they all finally stopped bickering! LOL. Another thing to try is banging on a pot with a metal spoon. The idea is to startle them and stress them into forgetting just how terrible that other bunny is. As mean as it sounds, it works incredibly well because it hones in on their natural instinct to rely on each other in the face of danger. Long story short: it teaches them to trust the other rabbit, which is essentially what bonding is completely about.


                  • tanlover14
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                      Switching litters is a GREAT idea. I would encourage you to do that while you take a few days off from bonding.

                      I saw the bath-tub didn’t work, so I would REALLY encourage the cardboard box or even a laundry basket I have used before. It also gives you the ability to kind of shake it around if they start going at it. Many people also like putting the laundry basket on top of the dryer with the dryer running to create a stressful environment. It sounded like the car-ride went well so you could always go back to that and try to work them away from the car-ride into another neutrally stressful area like the laundry basket on the dryer.

                      Remember, once bonded they will be bonded for life. They are making another commitment to the rabbit to be “best buds” or “mates” for life. It’s impossible to ask them to decide they want to share their house with someone forever overnight, so try to think about it in that way. It can be difficult but we don’t learn to trust our mates for life overnight so we can’t really expect miracles out of our bunnies either!


                    • JoyCounts
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                        thanks for all the advice. I’ve got a blanket between them so they can’t see each other right now, and I’ll switch the litter soon too. I’ll try some of the other tricks soonish, but giving them a break for now.


                      • tanlover14
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                          Keep me updated on how they do! =)

                          I’m in the process of bonding my sixth in my with my bonded group of five! It can really take so much time and effort but it’s ALWAYS been worth it in the end. Coming on here for extra help and support when you’re feeling frustrated has always been helpful for me, so feel free to rant! This is my fourth bond with this group (I started them as a trio and added them one by one after). So I definitely know the time, frustration, and energy bonding can suck right out of you!


                        • JoyCounts
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                            I just had the biggest scare of my life. Lua figured out a way to jump over into Pucks side. I think she was trying to escape (her favorite pastime) and instead landed in the wrong spot. Thank god I was awake, in the same room, and have been leaving the lamp beside them on. I was lying in bed and I hear skirmishing, and I look up to see them in the same cage, granted I had to reach for my glasses first. It took me way to long to figure out what to do, but I managed to grab the squirt bottle I’d been using, except the top flew off when I grabbed it, so I just dumped it on them, and scooped Lua up with a pillow. I was shaking so bad it took a few minutes before I was composed enough to look her over to make sure she wasn’t hurt. She lost a decent chunk of butt fur and had a scratch on her, but otherwise not too bad. Nothing time won’t heal. Puck lost some fur too, but I’ve yet to figure out where it is from and he looks mostly okay too. They are definitely not going to meet face to face for many days until all of us (especially me) can calm back down. I’m still shaking and scared. The source of Lua’s escape has been taken away for the night. I’ll figure something better out tomorrow when I’m rested and not shaking.


                          • JoyCounts
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                              Oh another question though. Puck is 8 months or so old, so he is still kind of in that teenager bunny stage, and Lua is probably 11 months, so she is probably still teenager-ish too. Does that make a difference?


                            • Zombie-Sue
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                                That’s good that you’re going to take a break. If possible, I’d move them away so they aren’t in the same room. Rabbits can hold a grudge, and they had a REALLY rough start. The blanket was a good idea–could you even move one into the kitchen?

                                Yeah, that can matter, even in unfixed rabbits in my experience, older rabbits are just more mellow, but not all the time either. You won’t really know how they change until they get older haha. But that doesn’t mean this bond won’t work.


                              • JoyCounts
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                                  At the risk of the break not being long enough, I wanted to see if I could do the same thing I did when I first introduced them to see if they’d get along for a little while. My time with completely untouched neutral rooms is limited, so I really want to take advantage of it while I can. My set up was to have them meet on my sisters bed (a place where neither of them have been before that is kind of bouncy) with a towel, a squirt bottle, and a pillow if I should need to stop a fight. The plan was to put them next to each other and keep them occupied with continuous pettings from us and an occasional treat, so they could associate good things with each other. Since Puck has been the most chill about all of this, we got him in place first, and then I had Lua in my lap until she seemed fairly relaxed. Then I scooted her up next to him.

                                  There was no fight this time, but I think part of the reason is because I didn’t let Lua nip Puck (goodness knows she did try a couple of times). Puck seems to really like Lua and has no problem snuggling up to her, and she was almost good with it but I think she expects him to groom her too, so every so often she would reach over to nip him, but I’d just push her head back some so she couldn’t, and tell her no biting (my hand stayed between her head and him anytime she positioned herself for easy biting and she knew it, so she didn’t bite me). The rest of the time, she just kind of curled around his head that was snuggled under her and seemed fairly content (picture below). They were like this probably about 10 minutes. We did not stop petting them the entire time as I’m still afraid of letting them just hang out. I’m really worried about the part where they are going to have to sort out the hierarchy, as this seems to be the big source of their fighting (more specifically they pretty much always started with Lua’s bossy nips).

                                  I think as long as this keeps going on like it has, I’m going to try some more dates like this one so they continue to associate good things with each other. Maybe I can iron out what might be a grudge on Lua’s part.

                                  All of your thoughts and comments are super appreciated! Knowing there is support and understanding here has probably been the biggest reason I haven’t given up on this working out. 

                                   photo LuaandPuck.jpg


                                • tanlover14
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                                    If this is what works for your buns – then I think it’s a wonderful avenue to take! The one thing I have learned from all my bonding is that every bond will be different and every bond needs to be approached in the way that’s most successful and a good chunk of the time, that’s through trial and error until you find a nitch that works out great for your specific buns and their interactions.

                                    This is actually very similar to the way I introduced my fourth to my bonded trio because they were quite aggressive towards him and we were making no progress in any direction because he seemed to be absolutely terrified of them. LOL!

                                    I wouldn’t be concerned about the pecking order and figuring out hierarchy. This will come in time as their relationship begins to develop. The more you are able to find bonding strategies that work for them, the easier any issues in the future will be. Having a good solid foundation in one area and then moving to a next step can do a lot in helping them establish a bond and pecking order with less issues. Just keep at it! Your buns with get there if you give them the time and patience they need. =) The more you worry about it, the more stress you’re putting on yourself. Deal with each new situation as it comes along. You just never know with these guys and you may not even have much issues if you can get them past whatever bump they have right now! If that makes sense… for example, with my fourth I almost felt like I was constantly fixing an issue and another one would arise. It wasn’t until I found a great bonding strategy that worked well with them (the cardboard box) did anything begin to fall into place at all – once I found that then it took a week longer to bond. But then when I added in my fifth, they had one issue and once we got past that issue, it was fine in the first week. You really just never know! So don’t stress about the future of bonding because even if you think you have a clue, they always manage to one-up us and show us we really know nothing! ;P


                                  • JoyCounts
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                                      So I’ve reached an interesting position. I’ve removed the blanket between them, and as far as I know, they have not fought through the bars since then, and they’ll both lay next to each other through the bars, so I took it as a good sign. I bought a small mesh dog playpen/carrier for their dates. It’s fairly small, so I can monitor it very easily, and it opens both from the top and the sides, so I’ve just closed up the side and kept the top open. I’ve only had it a short while, but I haven’t had a single intense fight since I started using, just a couple of start ups that I was able to reach in and stop right away (I also got some heavy-duty gloves after being bitten a second time). I put some hay in there, and occasionally put in some romaine and parsley just to give them something to munch on if they feel like ignoring each other.

                                      Mostly I’ve gotten lots of both rabbits presenting to each other by pressing their faces up against one another, one presenting to the other by putting their face under the others belly while the other doesn’t pay attention, or both not paying attention. I do occasionally get a little bit of snuggling. Today however, I am super happy to say that Puck actually started grooming Lua! Did it a couple of different times, and then threw in lots of presenting, telling her to do the same. All he got was Lua biting his butt a couple of times and her continued stubbornness.

                                      So now my question (which may or may not actually have an answer):

                                      Why do they bury their faces under the others bellies?

                                      I feel like they are having a hard time deciding top bun, and they are both being incredibly stubborn. I keep constantly telling them, “Look, we’re going to be one big happy family in the end, so just kiss and make up. Puck you have to woo Lua. Lua you have to be nice to Puck.” and then my mom walks in the room and tells me I’ve lost it. :p

                                      EDIT: I forgot to add that Puck grunted at Lua a couple of times when he was just laying down. Was it because she was annoying him??


                                    • JoyCounts
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                                        Warning Long Post 

                                        January 3rd:  

                                        Okay, tonight’s date has shown the most promise. It’s the least I’ve had to interfere physically (had to say no biting out loud a few times), and I only had to interfere when Lua was getting too bossy with Puck and nipping him too much and he retaliates. Most of the date they either faced off trying to get the other to groom, or ignored each other, but at one point I was petting Lua because she was getting restless, and Puck came over to snuggle with her (the picture below). He got as close to her as he could, and just made himself comfy. It was soooo darn cute. He’s completely comfortable with her around, and will do his dead bunny flop even with her there. She’s still a little more antsy, but I think it’s just her being bossy and wanting him to acknowledge her as top bunny. Mostly she’s perfectly fine with him too. The laying beside each other on either side of the bars of the combined cage is increasing too. Also I think she groomed him today, but it looked more like nibbling on his head, but he didn’t seem to mind.

                                         photo b5852ea0-3ef6-4de3-ac3e-1cbf30a38d70.jpg

                                        What I’ve been doing up til Now:

                                        So it’s all well and good to say “Yup they’re getting along” but I can tell you what I’ve been doing. I’ve not had a single stress date. It may be making my bonding time longer, but I just can’t bring myself to do that to the bunnies and things are progressing anyway. Most of what I’ve been doing is in the previous posts, but this will be a little more detailed. Also, one thing I haven’t mentioned is that my “dates” have been moving around, and I’ve only been doing one date a day (I’ll up it to two+ really soon).

                                        After the last semi bad fight where I had to separate them for a little while (and the last time I got bit) I decided to amp up my game. The next dates consisted of the mini dog playpen/carrier that I’d found with the open top and my heavy duty gloves. The playpen was little, allowing them to have no more than a foot of space between them.  The first couple of dates with that, it was just the two of them and my gloves. I discovered water does not bother either of them enough to break up a fight, so the squirt bottle is gone.  I put both of them in there and forced snuggles for awhile petting both of them. Then I just let them run around a bit on their own. If they started getting antsy, I forced snuggles with petting again. I probably let the first dates last about 20 minutes. 

                                        Third and fourth date was again in the playpen, with hay and some lettuce or parsley. I didn’t force any snuggles, and I let the run around. If someone was getting antsy, I just pet that rabbit until they had calmed down. This was the 31st when Puck groomed Lua (the post above). All of the dates in the playpen, I was able to stop any fighting before it started. These dates probably lasted closer to 45 minutes

                                        The fifth day I decided to switch it up and had the date on a twin sized bed in my sister’s room. Most of the date was ignoring each other. Lua nipped me because I was sitting on the bed with them and she either wanted my attention or wanted me to move, and Puck nipped my gloves because he was curious about them. So no bunnies were harmed in the nights date, but one bunny mama has a little whelp. No grooming happened on this night. Lua tried to sneakily bite Puck a few times, but between my telling her no, and just putting my hand between her mouth and him, she did not succeed. There was no hay or food this time. This date lasted over an hour.

                                        Tonight’s date was yet on another twin sized bed in my brother’s room. I tried to make sure I was messing with them less, so less petting and less interfering with nips. There was a couple of instances of Lua trying to egg him on, but a quick No from me stopped it.  There was an instance of circling that resulted from some butt biting, but I stopped it, held both of their heads down and told them No, then forced snuggles for a bit. And then another small tussle because Lua nipped him while he was in the corner that resulted in a tuft of fur pulled, but once again I held their heads down, told them no and forced snuggles. There was some voluntary snuggles in this date and most of the date went really well. I forgot to time it, but I’d say it lasted over half an hour.

                                        Every so often I switch the litter boxes, and I tend to give them their pellets right after the dates. The biggest key really seems to be showing them that I’m the boss (mostly Lua, since Puck isn’t really the one causing problems).  Lua now knows that when I tell her no, she better stop or I’m going to stop her, and she’s gotten much better about listening to me. I think once I get over the Lua being stubborn hurdle, it’ll all go downhill. I’ll also slip them a couple of oats while they are snuggling to say “Yes, good, do that.”

                                        Anyway, sorry for the long post, but I thought it might be useful.


                                      • Sialia
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                                          Thanks so much for the update, JoyCounts. It’s great to hear how things are progressing.


                                        • JoyCounts
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                                            They’ve Bonded!!!! Or at least are friends enough to share and not fight or argue.

                                            Real quick catch up: I posted the last update on the 4th.

                                            On the 5th, I had cleaned and de-scented my room as best as I could. I had a larger area for them to share, so I put in a litter box (actually just a plastic box for holding stuff to serve until I could super clean their actual litter boxes), the play pen I’d used for dates with the doors open, a tunnel they like to run through, some things to chew on and hay. The room has a big rug in the center, and then hard woods on the outsides. Since hardwood doesn’t bother Lua, it served as a place for her to run off to if Puck annoyed her since he wouldn’t follow. They were together in the room for 3 and half hours, and with the exception of Puck trying to hump her face and my having to intervene, there were no skirmishes or threats of biting. They were binkying all over the place, even when Puck was chasing Lua to try to mount her. They both seemed very happy, but that was probably because this is the biggest area they’ve been in for many days.

                                            In the afternoon of 6th, I brought both of them back to my room to see how long we could keep the peace, and they haven’t left yet! I had planned on just having a four or five hour date, but they were getting along fairly well, granted there was a lot of Puck chasing Lua, Lua hopping away just enough to get out of mounting reach, and Lua ignoring Puck otherwise. It became quite obvious very quickly that Lua no long minded Puck and was just playing hard to get. I gave them their dinner together, and that went well, so I decided to let them stay together overnight. I left a lamp on just in case I’d have to break up a fight, but the fight never happened. They’ve been together a full three days, and I’ve seen a little bit of snuggling, mutual grooming (mostly Lua grooming Puck though), and willingness to share things. There has not been one disagreement between them. I can even leave the room for a little bit at a time, and they are perfectly fine when I get back.

                                            I’m so happy that everything finally just fell in place. I guess they finally got over whatever hurdle it was between them. Lua has become even more social with humans as a result (was not really expecting that). It’s really great watching them get along.  Unfortunately my room has awful lighting, so no good pictures.


                                          • Sialia
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                                              Oh wow, that’s great! I’m going to go back and read the thread again because I’m going to start making a more serious bonding attempt again with my boys soon.

                                              Happy for you, and for Puck and Lua!

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                                          Forum BONDING I had no idea, now on the right track