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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum BEHAVIOR Bunnies bonding to each other vs me…..

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    • ImaBunnylover
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        I could use some help and guidance PLEASE!  

        So… I’m frustrated and stuck.  I love my buns, I really do, BUT I’M SO IRRITATED and don’t know whether they should all be together.  

        Here is the deal: My girl, Smoky, and my older boy, Whisper, are skittish and greatly despise loud noises, etc, which is totally understandable.  They had a rough past and although it was for a brief time, it was still a time in their life.  So: I get it, I really do.  I have spent lots of time laying on the floor with them, petting them, letting them come to me, letting them have their space, letting them eat out of my hand, not picking them up, etc.  They are really comfortable in their cages and in their 25 ft play environment.  They lay often around the corners of the main floor of the house, their cages, and their play pen, on their backs and their sides.  Once in a while they will even let me pet them while they continue to lay completely sprawled out.   They do a lot of things that SUGGEST that they trust me a little. After all, I know if they still thought I wanted to eat them they wouldn’t do many of the things they do.  

        Smoky is more active and more playful than Whisper, she seems to be a bit less nervous too BUT they follow each other around a lot of the time.  They just started grooming each other but they always move as far away from me as possible to do it.  

        * I think y’all should know that when I walk into their enclosure they hop on my feet, sniff me, etc., they aren’t scared and they don’t move away from me*

        Well, that’s frustrating to me because they have been with us for 3 weeks now and it feels like they just aren’t making much progress in trusting their humans.  

        ON TOP OF IT there is Skittles:  He came in a couple days later and is several weeks younger.  He doesn’t have the rough past and he WAS super social.  He liked to be held and did have to get tummy massages every day; he liked his love, not now though!   Now he goes and hides away with Whisper and Smoky and barely comes around unless I take him up to the bedroom.  If I separate him he LOVES attention!  He goes and plays, comes back, plays, comes back, repeat.  If he is around smoky and Whisper he stays with them and acts like he dislikes us!  

        ALSO:  Smoky and Whisper are potty trained in their cages but not when they are out together (Skittles isn’t quite there either way)- they don’t pee, they just leave pellets, are they marking their territory?  

        I’m so used to my past three bunnies (only one at a time) who loved affection, followed me around the house, came up to be petted, etc… I’m frustrated with this situation.    I feel like I’m doing something wrong with them and they hate me.  I’ve had them all for about three weeks now.  

        I’ve read so many suggestions on what to do but nothing is working and no one has a similar story to this posted on the web- they are geared more toward, “My bunny hates me,” not “My bunnies like each other, will they ever like me too?”  

        They are good bunnies and like I said, I love them, but I’m wondering if they would do better to not all be together since they are taking on the personalities of each other.  

        I don’t even know if this makes sense to you guys…. I know what I’m trying to say but please let me know if I need to clarify 


      • litheandgraphic
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          It makes total sense! For starters, some bunnies really do prefer the company of other rabbits to people. But don’t let this discourage you just yet! It can take some bunnies months to bond with people. Most bunnies take less time to bond with other bunnies than they do with people. Which makes sense, right? They can talk to each other and understand each other more than we ever really can. It would be like if you and some other humans were suddenly living and being taken care of by a giant bunny!

          Just give them some time. They will very likely start to come around and warm up to you and start to incorporate you into the warren. Give them some time. C:


        • Sarita
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            Well you never want to separate bonded rabbits. I think this is an opportunity for you to enjoy watching them together – it doesn’t mean they don’t “love” you, they just feel more comfortable together. And 3 weeks, that’s not much time really. Try not to be discouraged by their behavior together – it sounds like they enjoy each others company and that’s important too.

            They are marking their territory with the pellets – that’s common behavior.


          • ImaBunnylover
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              Thank you both for the encouragement I do enjoy watching them, I just wish they enjoyed being closer to me so that I could pet them as I watched :/ I can completely see why they would bond to each other faster though, that makes sense… although if I found a GIANT bunny, I might love it the second I saw him or her! LOL

              I will give them time and be patient. Do you guys think it’s ok to keep bringing Skittles to the bedroom a couple times a week for an hour or so away from the others or does that devastate him in some way? He hops, plays, and enjoys his pets when he’s alone….


            • Sarita
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                I think that would be fine to do that.


              • litheandgraphic
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                  I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that, but someone else can jump in and correct me if I’m wrong. If he seems happy, it’s probably fine.


                • ImaBunnylover
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                    Thank you both very much I hope they come around!


                  • manic_muncher
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                      Just wanted to hop in here to agree with what’s been said. Definitely don’t get discouraged. I now have 3 buns and it took 6 months for my first one to even act like he really liked being around me (about 2 months after his neuter). The second male was just neutered a week ago, and the female will be spayed in a month. Even though I have 3 single buns, they all spend a lot of time lounging around each other’s enclosures and are exhibiting positive signs of pre-bonding. I will say, since the two new ones arrived, my first bun really wants to spend time with one of the other ones, and less time with my dogs who previously he was tied to the hip.

                      I am interested in seeing how the dynamics work out once everyone is together, and hoping as time passes they will make time for me too! Good luck to you!


                    • ImaBunnylover
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                        Thank you so much for your input, that’s encouraging!

                        Smoky must have sensed my sadness this morning because she kept letting me pick her up in between her “chow downs.” Strangest thing too bc she usually HATES being picked up. Whisper and Skittles were more friendly this morning as well. Skittles doesn’t mind being picked up usually but Whisper finds it to be very frightening. They were both crawling all over me while I was in their space being SUPER friendly. Needless to say that provided a bit of comfort even though I didn’t attempt to pick Whisper up at all.

                        At what age do y’all recommended getting them fixed? Cinni-Mini was about 4.5 months old when I took her in but she died under the anesthesia :'( Needless to say it’s made me very hesitant about getting these guys fixed but I know it needs to be done. The vet told me Cinni’s age was appropriate but I can’t help but feel as though I should have waited; maybe she wasn’t strong enough bc of being too young(?) She was an “only bunny” so I didn’t have to worry about breeding but with these guys it’s a different story. I keep reading different ages to get them fixed at so it makes me so nervous!

                        Any advice? Also, do you believe it will help prevent them from marking territory?


                      • litheandgraphic
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                          I’m so sorry to hear about how you lost Cinni. I can understand how this would make you hesitant, but of course the breeding issue is huge, and spaying is basically necessary because it greatly reduces the chance of them developing reproductive cancers.

                          The House Rabbit Society says that it can be done at 4 months, but it’s better to do it when they get to 5-6 months. I would suggest waiting until they’re 6 months if you really want to be sure. You will have to keep them separated in such a way that they won’t breed, of course, and they may require re-bonding after the procedures, unfortunately. Spaying and neutering will most likely help prevent habitual territorial marking and aggression. These things may still happen, but you can work on that if they do once they’re fixed.


                        • ImaBunnylover
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                            Hey FunnyLookingRabbit! I LOVE your website! I spent some time browsing yesterday and was VERY impressed!

                            I know it’s necessary, I just can’t stand the thought; it kills me.

                            Thank you for the information. I feel as if I would be killing them if I separated them :/ They absolutely adore each other. Obviously Skittles and Whisper could be together but Smoky and the boys would have to stay separate at all times.

                            During the day I keep them all separated but in the same enclosure. Smoky and Skittles have dog crates with a litter box that stays inside of their 25′ enclosure. Whisper roams free out of a cage (in the enclosure) due to the severity of his FRS when I got him. Now that he is doing better I have ordered him a cage that he will be staying in during the day to finish up potty training (it should be here today or tomorrow). Smoky and Whisper are almost there but I feel as though they could use a little more taining time. Skittles doesn’t get the concept, LOL.

                            During the day while they are separated Skittles barely eats or drinks. As soon as he gets back to his friends he eats and slurps down water like there is no tomorrow; that scares me a lot. Whisper and Smoky also have better hay eating habbits while they are together.

                            I know Sarita really stressed not separating bonded bunnies- I don’t exactly know what counts as “separating” in this situation….. I don’t like that their eating habbits change when separated by bars.


                          • Sarita
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                              Cinni – what are the sex of your rabbits? The names really don’t help because they could be either sex :~)


                            • ImaBunnylover
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                                I’m sorry! Smoky is a girl / Whisper and Skittles are boys


                              • Sarita
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                                  Okay, got it – so Smoky (the girl) and Whisper (the boy) are close correct and neither are altered….while you really don’t want to separate if at all possible you also cannot risk the chance of pregnancy – obviously once Smoky is spayed any possible pregnancy would be eliminated. Males can still have viable sperm up to 30 days after a neuter.

                                  Have you tried just putting Whisper and Skittles together since there is no chance for accidental pregnancy with them? Obviously you risk hormonal bad behavior with 2 males (but it’s not always the case).


                                • ImaBunnylover
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                                    No, I haven’t put them together bc Skittles is potty training. However, it’s a great idea bc Skittles and Whisper get along fabulously.

                                    Whisper is only about 3 months and Skittles is probably 2.5 or 3 months as well so they haven’t quite reached puberty yet. They also don’t seem to be territorial over space in the ways of marking like Smoky vs Whisper (they don’t fight either).

                                    My main concern: Do you think Skittles’ potty training time would be extended sharing space with Whisper? I know when he has his play time with them he thinks of the world as his potty…. He does somewhat better alone in his cage.

                                    Do they start breeding at 4 months? I’m reading conflicting info everywhere I look.

                                    Getting Smoky spayed first is a great idea! Thank you for that advice, that’s fantastic!


                                  • Sarita
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                                      Some rabbits just don’t catch onto litter training as well as others unfortunately – maybe putting them together might make him learn it but most likely that is not going to be the case – more likely both might initially lose any litter training they have. That can happen even putting newly bonded already altered rabbits together – just no guarantee.

                                      I’ll be honest, I am not 100% sure on the breeding either but most people would err on the side of caution and separate unaltered mixed pairs (male/female) at that point just be on the safe side.


                                    • ImaBunnylover
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                                        That’s extremely helpful.
                                        Thank you.

                                        Skittles’ cage has a side door and so will Whisper’s so I guess when his arrives I’ll just open the two doors up and attach the cages so that they have adequate space and two potties; we’ll see what happens.

                                        I’ll continue to keep Smoky separated except for monitored play time and definitely get her spayed first.

                                        Thank you so much

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                                    Forum BEHAVIOR Bunnies bonding to each other vs me…..