Observations and Questions about having a “married couple”

[Little Lion Head]

So I thought I would share a little PumpRock update via some observations about a bonded couple and also to pose a couple questions. Feel free to jump straight to the questions if you don’t have time to read the update on my pair!

Being that we had Pumpkin for six months before we got Shamrock we’ve noticed more changes in her than him. When we brought her home she was very scared and skittish (still is in some circumstances) and you could tell she didn’t come from the best home (well homes, actually). So observations about Pumpkin:

-She’s less scared…of everything. But the big different is that she’s not afraid of new people. We had company all weekend and she let everyone pet and cuddle her.

-She doesn’t jump on couch really anymore. This is good and bad. She definitely doesn’t seek out our attention (but she still loves when we snuggle and pet her).

-She hasn’t had any litter box issues since the bond.

-She doesn’t hide under couch (maybe b/c Shamrock doesn’t fit?) nearly as much as she used to.

-She zooms and binkies more often (Shamrock does all the time!).

As for Shamrock, we had him for a couple weeks before we started the bonding process. The only big thing we’ve noticed with him is that he loved to be held when we first brought him home and now he doesn’t seem to care for it. In retrospect maybe he let us hold him b/c he was scared and now that he knows we’re not a threat, he’s not afraid to get away from us.

Some things about having a pair in general:

-I think more space is better. Just imagine being caged up with your hubby for long periods of time. Ugh…space is good. Plus, I’ve noticed that while do ALMOST everything together or at the same time, if we’re home during the day (nap time), they often nap in different parts of the living room.

-I see their bond continue to grow each week. While Pumpkin still does some humping, it’s only when there’s food involved. AKA if the food is not getting into her mouth fast enough, or if Shamrock gets a treat before her. I usually give her a treat first and Shamrock patiently waits his turn. If I do the other way around she attacks him with humps! And Pumpkin will probably never actually groom Shamrock; however, I have noticed her chinning him more and more. She’ll chin his whole body up and down and he seems really content when this happens. I think it’s her way of marking him as hers even though she’s too stubborn to actually groom!

-We really have to pay attention to make sure they both get what they need food-wise. Shamrock is bigger than Pumpkin but Pumpkin devours food way faster than him. We often sneak him extra pellets or watch them eat their salads to make sure he’s getting his fair share (and variety, as she’ll pick all the good stuff out of his!).

So that’s my PumpRock update and observations on having a bonded pair. I’m so happy we decided to get two buns. I think they are very happy together and there’s nothing better than seeing them flopped together!!

NOW, the Questions!

-For those of you that house more than one bun together; how do you know if one is having issues? Hubby noticed some small poops today and we’re assuming they are Pumpkin’s….but, who knows? I’m not super worried as they are both mowing down hay, but if it were something more serious, would you have to separate them to see what’s going on? I remember JR going through something where she couldn’t figure which M was the culprit.

-At this point when I see Pumpkin humping Shamrock should I just let it go (if it’s not his face of course)? I mean, I don’t know what’s happening when they are alone together the 16 hours we are sleeping/working, so part of me doesn’t want to interject. (He does chase her off when he gets mad).

-How can you STAND THE CUTENESS???? But seriously. They were so cute on their own, now it’s insane and I can’t get anything done b/c I just watch them….watch them eat, watch them cuddle, watch him groom her……..

And a few pics I took today!

[Pomandcourt]

Adorable! It’s so nice when they get along.

Not knowing which bun is having gut issues is the worst. Try and watch their behavior for an indication. Some variety in poop size is normal, provided the majority is healthy.
Even if you do know which bun is sick, don’t separate them (unless it’s contagious something contagious) buns heal much better when they’re with their bonded pair. Also, it can cause additional stress if they’re very close and are separated. When going to the vet, bring both of them whenever possible. If you know which one is sick, they don’t need to both be checked out by the vet, but the sick one will do much better having his/her partner for company.

I brought home a bonded brother and sister for my bun and they (the bonded pair) started fighting just from being near a new bunny so I had to separate them for a few hours. They were both incredibly upset. Especially Luke. He was desparate to get back to his sisterms.

Luke recently started humping both his sister and my other bun. I let it go a little bit as it’s how they establish a pecking order, but stop it if I goes on for more than a few seconds or he starts to become frantic. After all, I’m the boss bun

Cuteness cannot be handled. You should probably just give in and die of cuteness overload.

[Pomandcourt]

Adorable! It’s so nice when they get along.

Not knowing which bun is having gut issues is the worst. Try and watch their behavior for an indication. Some variety in poop size is normal, provided the majority is healthy.
Even if you do know which bun is sick, don’t separate them (unless it’s contagious something contagious) buns heal much better when they’re with their bonded pair. Also, it can cause additional stress if they’re very close and are separated. When going to the vet, bring both of them whenever possible. If you know which one is sick, they don’t need to both be checked out by the vet, but the sick one will do much better having his/her partner for company.

I brought home a bonded brother and sister for my bun and they (the bonded pair) started fighting just from being near a new bunny so I had to separate them for a few hours. They were both incredibly upset. Especially Luke. He was desparate to get back to his sisterms.

Luke recently started humping both his sister and my other bun. I let it go a little bit as it’s how they establish a pecking order, but stop it if I goes on for more than a few seconds or he starts to become frantic. After all, I’m the boss bun

Cuteness cannot be handled. You should probably just give in and die of cuteness overload.

[Pomandcourt]

Adorable! It’s so nice when they get along.

Not knowing which bun is having gut issues is the worst. Try and watch their behavior for an indication. Some variety in poop size is normal, provided the majority is healthy.
Even if you do know which bun is sick, don’t separate them (unless it’s contagious something contagious) buns heal much better when they’re with their bonded pair. Also, it can cause additional stress if they’re very close and are separated. When going to the vet, bring both of them whenever possible. If you know which one is sick, they don’t need to both be checked out by the vet, but the sick one will do much better having his/her partner for company.

I brought home a bonded brother and sister for my bun and they (the bonded pair) started fighting just from being near a new bunny so I had to separate them for a few hours. They were both incredibly upset. Especially Luke. He was desparate to get back to his sisterms.

Luke recently started humping both his sister and my other bun. I let it go a little bit as it’s how they establish a pecking order, but stop it if I goes on for more than a few seconds or he starts to become frantic. After all, I’m the boss bun

Cuteness cannot be handled. You should probably just give in and die of cuteness overload.

[Little Lion Head]

Thanks for the input Pomandcourt! Gosh your buns are so dang cute with all that hair!!!!

[JackRabbit]

I figured out the poop thing, but the pee is impossible to prove although my gut instinct was right.

I’m sure this is going to sound crazy, but….. On poops, the key is to get to know what each bun’s normal poop looks like. If you start seeing problem poop, look at all the poop and sees which which bunny’s poop looks normal. I know that Moshi’s poops are a little bigger and a tiny bit lighter than Marlee’s, and his also have a slightly different shape than hers. When Moshi was having mushy poop issues, there weren’t quite as many normal Moshi poops in the litterbox but there were plenty of normal Marlee poops which pointed to Moshi. Upon butt inspection (!), Moshi looked like he had sat on some mushy poop and Marlee’s butt was super clean. We have some medium sized darker poops appearing this week — plenty of Moshi poops in the litterbox, but the others are darker than either of their normal poops. Marlee just finished two weeks of Baytril which would explain a little difference in her poops.

[JackRabbit]

Oh yeah, as time goes on and the bond continues to grow, watch the relationship changes — they’re fascinating! Its like married couples who get more and more comfortable with each other, are less inhibited about saying what’s on their mind, and more likely to point out when the other does something annoying!

[Pomandcourt]

Oh my goodness! I did not mean to post that so many times. I’m on my phone and clearly it’s a tad glitch.

What a good point on the poop, Jackrabbit! I sort of do that with my two vs my other girl and didn’t even realize it. I have trouble distinguishing the little ones’ as I’ve only had them together. I’ll have to keep an eye on them and learn which is which.

[Little Lion Head]

Surprisingly the hubby is pretty good on the poop front. He always knows when it’s Pumpkin’s that aren’t right, but she is his little baby. Good advice JR!

I think it’s funny that the bunsitter feels like they’ve been together for years. I love how they can snuggle all day and then out of no where Pumpkin humps him and Rock chases her off and then the “tiff” is over. Just like a married couple!

[Sindri]

Since my 2 have been together they both have had their own health issues. Kilala had a cold once and Usagi had a UTI and gut issues. I noticed simply by their behavior. Mine lived separately for awhile so I got to know who’s poop was who’s.

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