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Forum BONDING Max and Meadow: Bonding Fun! *BONDED*

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    • Beka27
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        the bonding fun continues.

        okay… i am condensing everything into one thread b/c i forget what i have where.

        some background… in this thread, i talked about getting Max and a little bit of the preliminary bonding, as well as pics.  binkybunny.com/Default.aspx

        in this thread, i experiment with stressing them out on the washing machine.  this thread has video footage of how that went. binkybunny.com/Default.aspx

        you can also see the videos by going to my YouTube:  http://www.youtube.com/user/Beka27

         

        i’ll update later with how today’s sessions went.

         


      • Kokaneeandkahlua
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          I think my favorite one is the bonding 2 after the drier one…Meadow -> “GROOM ME!!” LOL too cute! I think your doing great!


        • Princess*Smudge
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            hehehe I agree K&K I was watching it and Meadow is so animated you can almost script the scene “HEY YOU FLOPPY EARED THING… I WANT TO BE GROOMED” and then when Max turns away she goes over to him to say “EXCUSE ME I BELIEVE I MADE A REQUEST!”.. the whole time watching Max I was just saying ‘come on you can do it just lick her head…. come on you’re so close’ lol my family in the room thinks I’m a little crazy


          • Beka27
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              here’s the video from yesterday afternoon.  sorry it’s so dark again.  i can see perfectly fine, but i guess when i’m doing this at 3-4 o’clock the sun is moving to the other side of the house and it looks like it’s pitch black.

              http://www.youtube.com/watch

              this is what went on yesterday.  we did another hour, no stress before hand.  the area is smaller with a NIC grid fence blocking past the dresser.  no fights.  there was one fur-pulling scuffle that stopped when the water bottle came out.  Max is afraid of Meadow now.  when she walks up to him, he thumps and then hops away quickly.  i was petting him a lot to try and calm him down…  there was possessiveness of the hay-filled litterbox the day before, so i added in a small cardboard box with more hay.  they both would take turns in the litterbox and nibbling from the other box.  the above video starts off with Meadow and Max nose to nose.  she presented to him for grooming and laid there for several minutes.  he just sat looking at her.  there was no grooming on his part (or hers).  i gently dropped a few drops of the water onto their heads, but still no grooming.  i would reach over and rub both of their heads myself, i guess to simulate grooming, is this a good idea or no?


            • Beka27
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                i took Max and Meadow in my room right after work. there were no fights. no fur-pulling. no nipping. Max was sitting in the litterbox and i lifted Meadow in there and they sat together, side-by-side for about ten minutes. Meadow continued to present herself for grooming and Max just sat there. i dripped some water on each of their heads… then Meadow started to GROOM Max’s ear. this went on for about a minute. she hopped out and came up to me, so i gave her some pets. i put her back in the box with Max and she settled down.  —>  http://www.youtube.com/watch

                she hopped out again, i gave her some more pets for a few minutes, and then i put her in the litterbox once again, and this is when she really went to town grooming Max. she licked his ear, inside and out and by his eye.  —>  http://www.youtube.com/watch

                THEN MY CAMERA DIED!!!   <——–Grrr…….

                 

                but there was GROOMING!  so that’s something, right?  it gives me some hope at least…


              • RabbitPam
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                  Wow, Beka, Meadow grooming him, not the other way round, looks terrific to me!
                  Maybe he’s just learned to play hard to get…..


                • Sarita
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                    Grooming is good. You still may have some way to go though. Sometimes the supervised sessions don’t tell it all, but I think you have made alot of progress. It’s good that you are persistent and keep a routine.

                    Bonding vibes for Meadow and Max.


                  • Beka27
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                      yes, Max is still pretty scared of her. i don’t blame him, she’s been less than hospitable this week… i’m just gonna keep with what i’m doing for now.


                    • babybunsmum
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                        oh wow beka… it really looks like you’ve made great progress!  max will prolly need consistant behaviour from mead before he relaxes around her.  interesting that mead is the one doing the grooming.  does that mean max will be dominant even tho mead is the agressor? 


                      • Beka27
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                          ^ ? good question… i took it to mean almost like it was Meadow apologizing and realizing that hey, this bun isn’t so bad. of course, i’m probably way off, but that’s my human interpretation… she was still presenting to him tho also…


                        • JK
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                            Looks like some great progress to me!!! Your persistence will pay off soon.  They are so cute.  Is Max good with the litterbox etc???Any marking from the little miss?


                          • Beka27
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                              Max is about 98% with the litterbox. he has never had a pee accident at all… just a few poops around. even those have pretty much stopped. Meadow was marking a lot more. she peed in the corner of the plastic cage bottom in the xpen for a couple days. she’s been leaving some poops around. i’d say she’s at about 90% now. i think she is doing it because everyday i switch their xpens.


                            • JK
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                                That’s pretty good then.  Max was an outside bun before, right? So if that’s the case then he probably had no litter box so he’s doing incredibly well!  All ready to be sent to me…


                              • Beka27
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                                  lol… i better get a padlock for the xpen…

                                  he was allowed to play outside, but he was housed indoors in bad or cold weather and at night. so he was litterbox trained. she said he would probably lose the habits for a few days but they’d come back… and they did. i have no complaints with him, except that he’s a bit scared of us. i haven’t been doing too much to bond to him b/c i’ve been so focused on him and Mead.


                                • kimberleyanddarren
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                                    glad to see its going well awesome videos!


                                  • Beka27
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                                      i just re-read Markus’ bonding thread. that thing is invaluable. thanks so much Markus for documenting everything!

                                      Max and Meadow sound a lot like Dono and Maryann. things are still the same after the weekend. Max is afraid of her, he will tense up and thump if she comes near him. if i put him next to her, he will either bolt, or hunch way down. if she walks up to him, he will jump over her to get away. she is seeking him out, but he’s trying his best to avoid her.


                                    • JK
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                                        That’s it!  I’m sending my lear jet out to pick him up!


                                      • Kokaneeandkahlua
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                                          Wow great progress Beka!! Looks like Meadow’s quite comfortable with him and even likes him. I’m sure, with good grooming like that, he’ll soon love her back!!

                                          IMHO I’d set up the xpen in that configuration that Maryann-Dono had and leave them in there together soon (maybe a few more sessions) but you look like your almost done bonding!!


                                        • Beka27
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                                            today we did another hour in the bedroom. there was no aggression, and Max seemed more laid-back. he thumped only once. he even groomed Meadow for about 10 seconds while they were sitting in the litterbox together.

                                            after that i let them out in their room together briefly. i put up the baby gate so they were confined in the area and opened up one half of the pen. they sat in the same side for about five minutes. Meadow did do a half-lunge towards him a couple times as he hopped around, but there was no real fighting, and then they ignored each other for the rest of the time, about 15 more minutes.

                                            if things continue like this for the rest of the week, i’m going to try something else over the weekend.


                                          • babybunsmum
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                                              oh beka thats fabulous!   grooming from meadow… yay

                                              i’m def following your lead with the switching of areas.  i just wish i could have bonding sessions at the same time.  ah well.

                                              so what’s next for the sweeties? 

                                               


                                            • Beka27
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                                                in your case i think just getting them used to each other’s scents will help. if they never see each other except in an occasional bonding session, they are not really getting used to each other as being permanent.


                                              • Beka27
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                                                  http://www.youtube.com/watch

                                                  here’s the vid of Max grooming Meadow.  he did it another time today for a few seconds also.


                                                • babybunsmum
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                                                    oh they’re soooo sweet together

                                                    max is the big handsome boy & mead is the little uppy eared pretty girl.  and they *match* !  i love how max went from itching his nose to grooming mead.  it was kinda like a guy’s move when they pretend they’re stretching their arms & then use it as an excuse to put their arm around you.


                                                  • MarkBun
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                                                      You’re right, they remind me a lot of Dono and Maryann. The moment Max moves, Meadow begins the dominance act. She immediately presents herself for grooming and luckily he did just that. If he can keep on following her cues, it probably will go much better.

                                                      Did you put them both into the box or did someone hop on in?


                                                    • Beka27
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                                                        one or the other was already in the box. i lifted the second bun in myself. should i not do that?


                                                      • Sarita
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                                                          I think it’s okay to put the other one in the box – hard to tell if the grooming was an afterthought or not, but at least they weren’t fighting and it seems like Meadow is starting to tolerate Max.


                                                        • MarkBun
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                                                            No, you can do that.  The HRS does that all the time to start off their bonding sessions.  Put them in like you had them and then pet both their heads at the same time for about 30-45 seconds straight so that they can get your scent and the other bun’s scent on them.

                                                            With Save A Bunny, they just put them into the same pen and leave it at that.  They do use their bodies as an obstacle though in the pen so one can hop around to get away.


                                                          • Beka27
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                                                              well, i tried something a little bit different today.  —>  http://www.youtube.com/watch   maybe it’s a good idea, maybe not, but it seemed to work fine for us.  i really have no other neutral space besides my bedroom, so i decided i was going to take a chance at putting them together in their own room.  their room was never used by Meadow before Max came to stay, so it is “shared territory”, not like the living room which was Meadow’s for 9 months before now.  i gathered all of my supplies, including a blanket from the living room.  i put up the baby gate blocking off the doorway, closed my bedroom door and closed both of their pens.  i brought out a second litterbox and a big plate of romaine, plus some new willow toys and the grass ball. 

                                                              we spent about an hour and 20 minutes in there.  there were no fights.  Meadow got antsy once when Max would not groom her when she presented, and once more when Max was hogging the veggie plate.  —>  http://www.youtube.com/watch

                                                              they did spend time eating hay side by side in the litterbox, and eating from the veggie plate at the same time.  Meadow was grooming him most everytime she was near him, he groomed her on the head a couple times.  at one point they were sitting facing opposite directions in the litterbox, and they were each grooming the others’ back.  i would have left them together longer but i had to get dinner together, and i did not want to leave them alone yet.  i am going to continue with this for the next few days and see how it goes… maybe even increasing their time together. 

                                                              http://www.youtube.com/watch

                                                              so far, so good.  i am confident that they will bond, and i’m hoping it’s sooner rather than later.  i think they are both really wanting company, and they seem calmer in the other’s presence.

                                                               


                                                            • babybunsmum
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                                                                good plan beka.  putting them together in their shared space really seems to have been a good move for a next step in bonding them.  now you can gradually increase the time they hang out ‘barrier free’ until you feel confident they’re okay to be together unsupervised.   seems logical to me.  i wonder what markusdark / sarita / binkbunny … think?


                                                              • Beka27
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                                                                  ^^^lol! i’m waiting with baited breath. i know it’s kind of unconventional to jump to this point, but i took my cues from their behavior. one of the articles i’ve been reading (and re-reading!) is an HRN bonding article —> http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/articles/bond.shtml

                                                                  it mentions “only out time” where they only get to play when they are both out, “pile of veggies”, and “forced snuggle”. i’ve been doing a strange combination of all of these, altho they each get separate run-time too.

                                                                  today we go to the vet together for the first time… so i’m hoping that will go well also.


                                                                • MarkBun
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                                                                    It looks like it’s going really good to me. “Neutral Territory” means an area that neither one has laid claim to yet. If it is a room that Meadow hasn’t used/been in before then it is Neutral Territory and you can use that area even if they both have cages in there. It was a good idea.


                                                                  • Beka27
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                                                                      *whew* ^^^LOL!

                                                                      you really are the expert… i trust your opinions Markus!


                                                                    • MarkBun
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                                                                        I always hate being called the expert since it took someone else to finally get my two buns bonded but yeah, I’ve learned all the tricks – just that I couldn’t get any of them to work for me

                                                                        As for ‘strangeness’ – let me know when you get to the point where you put them both in a box suspended by bungee cords and then we’ll talk strange.


                                                                      • Beka27
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                                                                          lol…. i’m hoping it won’t come to that. or the gorilla suit. (yes, i reread your thread the other day!)


                                                                        • Beka27
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                                                                            well, it’s been two full weeks

                                                                            we went to the vet on Friday, you can read about that here —->  binkybunny.com/Default.aspx    it went very well!

                                                                            when we got home, Michael wanted to go to the park so we did that.  i only had the bunnies together for about 20 minutes that day, in addition to the vet trip.

                                                                            Saturday i had to work, and Mike was golfing.  when i got home i did another 30 minutes with them, but then i had to clean up around the house (you know… mommy and wife stuff!)  Mike fixed my vacuum which had a lot of hay and fur stuck in it.  not sure how it got there…    i cleaned up the bunny room and i fixed the xpens so they were together with only one set of bars between the sides.  i watched them in their pens for about an hour to make sure noone was going for anyone else… they seemed fine.

                                                                            Sunday Mike wanted to go to the driving range, so he asked us to go.  we planned on doing some mini golf afterwards… but we only did 5 holes and it started STORMING!  we got off the course just in time and back to the car, and driving home it was HAILING!  crazy… but at least we got out of there in time!  at home i did another 20 minutes or so with the bunnies.

                                                                            so it was a pretty uneventful weekend.  yesterday (Sunday) Max was grooming Meadow for a good 30 seconds or so, and when he stopped Meadow inched closer.  he turned away and Mead kind of lunged at him.  i was paying attention but not really, so she didn’t even get a squirt b/c i missed the opportunity.  Max is not running from Meadow anymore.  even if she gets a little bit aggressive, he will back off a couple feet, but he stays pretty close.  maybe he’s trying to assert himself that he’s not just gonna go away?

                                                                            i think doing a bit less this weekend has been good for me. 

                                                                            i was starting to lose steam, but now i feel like i can start again with a fresh outlook. 


                                                                          • Beka27
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                                                                              yesterday, after one hour of out-time, i opened up one of the xpen doors and let them both hop in and out of it. Max was sitting in his litterbox, Mead started eating HIS veggies. they seemed pretty content to be in there together for about ten minutes, then i shooed Meadow out.


                                                                            • Kokaneeandkahlua
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                                                                                That looks really really promising Beka CONGRATS!!!

                                                                                …backup…gorilla suit? I don’t remember reading that!?!?! Details??


                                                                              • MarkBun
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                                                                                  It is in regards to a comment I made about bonding my two. Maryann didn’t seem frightened by anything – vacuum, car rides, suspension, etc. so I wasn’t able to do any sort of ‘fear bonding’. So I said that if all else failed, I’d go rent a gorilla suit and chase them around the house for an hour.


                                                                                • Beka27
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                                                                                    alright. they have been gated up in the bunny room all day, both sides of the pens open. they’ve been in and out of each side, and also sleeping next to each other. they’re sharing food, litterboxes and hay.

                                                                                    what is my next step? should i open up the bunny room and let them both venture into “Meadow’s territory” (the living room).

                                                                                    or… combine the pens somehow…


                                                                                  • Sarita
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                                                                                      I think I would combine the pen at this point if they are sharing.

                                                                                      It sounds like it’s progressing very well.


                                                                                    • Beka27
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                                                                                        what do you think about this set-up… so it can be closed at night if i feel it’s necessary… but left open during the day…  the little slashes are the doors of course.

                                                                                        and when should i introduce them to the together to rest of the house?

                                                                                        16303965671.bmp


                                                                                      • Sarita
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                                                                                          That is a good set-up – reminds me somewhat of Markus’s set-up too.

                                                                                          I think if they are just starting to bond keep their space small like this for at least another week before you let them out together. You want to encourage closeness.


                                                                                        • MarkBun
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                                                                                            You want to keep them in this setup for 2 weeks according to SaveABunny. You want them to get used to each other to the point that they think of each other as themselves. Then you can widen the area and let them go exploring.


                                                                                          • Beka27
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                                                                                              they were sharing the side yesterday.  the door was left open so they could have left at any point but they spent the whole afternoon sleeping together.  sometimes side by side, or at angles.  in this pic they were flopped out on opposite sides.  i don’t think Max could’ve been anymore relaxed…

                                                                                              this afternoon i switched it into the set-up i had posted above: “the modified Markus approach”  lol.  allow Max to demonstrate…

                                                                                              they can either have two separate pens

                                                                                              one larger pen with the door opened betw/ them…  nice jump Max!

                                                                                              for separate runtime (if i feel it’s necessary!) i can just open the left pen door, or move two panels to allow the right pen to be open…

                                                                                               

                                                                                              i have not put them together today yet  b/c it took me awhile to set this up and i have a doctor appt this afternoon.  i’ll give it a try a little bit later.  i think i am going to keep this set-up for awhile b/c i like how sturdy it is.  so, you’re recommending i leave them in the xpens for two weeks, or also let them in their room?  i still want them to have somewhat normal playtime…

                                                                                               

                                                                                              side note:  i figured out how Max is “eating” so many more veggies than Meadow…  sneaky bun.

                                                                                               

                                                                                               

                                                                                               

                                                                                               

                                                                                               


                                                                                            • JK
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                                                                                                The set up looks awesome and the pics are great!!!! You are doing so well with the bonding! Any humping? Someone sure likes the willow ball!  I’m fascinated they don’t scarf the greens in one sitting.  Edson inhales them. Is Max friendly towards you guys?


                                                                                              • Sarita
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                                                                                                  Cute pictures – Meadow is so sneaky trying to make Max look like the bad boy LOL :~)


                                                                                                • MarkBun
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                                                                                                    I put Maryann and Dono into the X-pen and left them in there for 2 weeks straight. Your pen setup has plenty of room for them to stretch their legs. YOu’d want to leave that middle door open at all times unless a fight breaks out. At which point, they both should go into the basket and on top of the dryer and then back into the Xpen.

                                                                                                    The less seperation via bars the better at this stage.


                                                                                                  • Beka27
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                                                                                                      at 4 this afternoon, i put them both in the xpens with the door open betw/ them. i had a doctor appt at 5pm and i left them together. i was SCARED! but i got home and everyone and everything looked fine. they’ve been pooping in one litterbox, but there has not been any other territory poops anywhere. so i should just elave them together like that overnight? i could leave my bedroom door open overnight (the pens are only about 12 feet away). does that sound like it would be okay, or should i divide them overnight? (i am a very sound sleeper…)


                                                                                                    • Beka27
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                                                                                                        Posted By knowltons4 on 07/01/2008 12:25 PM

                                                                                                        The set up looks awesome and the pics are great!!!! You are doing so well with the bonding! Any humping? Someone sure likes the willow ball!  I’m fascinated they don’t scarf the greens in one sitting.  Edson inhales them. Is Max friendly towards you guys?

                                                                                                        thank you Knowls.  i am trying.  it’s been about 3 weeks… so i don’t think i’m doing too bad.  i think i’m still more cautious than anything…  there has been absolutely no humping.  at least none i’ve seen.  it’s ridiculous the amount of willow they go thru.  for the first week or so, Max wouldn’t even touch it.  now he’s tearing it apart as quick as Meadow.  i just had to place another huge order…   i give them a lot of greens.  they will finish the big bowl within a few hours or so.  they munch a few leaves… then go away, then come back later.  they scarf the pellets, but i feed them separately, so it’s not a huge deal.  it was funny yesterday b/c Meadow and Max were eating pellets out of the same bowl.  but they kept mashing foreheads trying to get at them…  i put the other pellet bowl next to them but they kept eating out of the same one.


                                                                                                      • Beka27
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                                                                                                          WE SURVIVED THE NIGHT!!!

                                                                                                          i am exhausted.

                                                                                                          there were a few thumps last night, but i don’t know why.  i was watching tv and i had the door open, so i don’t know if they were in reaction to the tv… or some people were putting off some early fireworks outside… everytime there was a thump, i hopped outta bed and checked on them and they’re sitting there looking at me like… “uh, what?”   so i passed out.

                                                                                                          my husband left at 5 for work, and then at 6 am like clockwork… they become the energizer bunnies.  i hear munching hay, flying leaps in and out of the litterbox.  Meadow gnawing on her wood house.  there was this huge racket… bars were banging.  i leap out of bed again (as well as i can “leap” at 6 am) to see who’s killing who… and it’s silly Max trying to dislodge the makeshift hayrack… and he keeps banging it against the bars.  i got back in bed.

                                                                                                          my son comes and wakes me up a little bit later.  he says “Max’s ear is broken!”  again, covers fly… i high-jump the bed…  he shows me Max’s ear.  it’s just the little part that was injured when he was a baby.  whew.  leave it to him to not notice until right now…

                                                                                                          so day one… and all is well…

                                                                                                           


                                                                                                        • Sarita
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                                                                                                            yay! It sounds great – I know how hesitant bunny parents are about leaving their bunny babies together unsupervised during bonding but it has to happen and it sounds like they are well on their way to living happily together.


                                                                                                          • MarkBun
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                                                                                                              It sounds like yer buns will be fine if left alone. I know this sounds silly but everytime you run into their room in a panic, they get that vibe off of you and get a little jumpy themselves. Of course it is up to your personal vibe on things but I would leave them alone in there as is for a while now.


                                                                                                            • Beka27
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                                                                                                                that makes sense Markus. i’ll try and give them some privacy… lol.


                                                                                                              • Princess*Smudge
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                                                                                                                  Max’s flop is quite possible the CUTEST I’ve ever seen They look great together!


                                                                                                                • MarkBun
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                                                                                                                  • Beka27
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                                                                                                                      ^^^awww! Maxie! i know, i love his flops… the first time i saw his “dead bunny flop” his eyes were rolled back in his head.

                                                                                                                      i admit that i had to stand there until i saw a nose twitch… just to make sure.


                                                                                                                    • Kokaneeandkahlua
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                                                                                                                        You seriously have the CLEANEST carpet ever!! LOL You put me to SHAME


                                                                                                                      • Kokaneeandkahlua
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                                                                                                                          You seriously have the CLEANEST carpet ever!! LOL You put me to SHAME

                                                                                                                          I’m so glad the bonding is going so well-they are going to be the cutest couple!!


                                                                                                                        • Beka27
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                                                                                                                            lol… i had just vacuumed it when i rearranged the pens. it only looks clean for about 15 minutes then it’s a hay explosion…


                                                                                                                          • RabbitPam
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                                                                                                                              Posted By Samantha on 07/02/2008 2:13 PM
                                                                                                                              Max’s flop is quite possible the CUTEST I’ve ever seen They look great together!

                                                                                                                              That’s EXACTLY how I feel.

                                                                                                                              I think any two bunnies that mash heads to eat out of the same bowl when there’s another one right there are BONDED.

                                                                                                                               


                                                                                                                            • Beka27
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                                                                                                                                so far so good.

                                                                                                                                they’ve been together continuously since tuesday afternoon, so we are approaching the 72-hour mark. there has not been any fighting. i have caught them each grooming the other on several occasions. as i type they are sleeping together under the willow tent. i have let them out twice but only in the bunny room and my bedroom, i baby-gated the doorway to the rest of the house. i have noticed that they seek each other out now. where one goes (usually Meadow) the other follows a few feet after. Meadow was on my bed last night and Max kept periscoping as if he was looking for her. she would jump down and they’d go chasing together back into the bunny room.

                                                                                                                                i love seeing them interact like this. it warms my heart to see Meadow have a friend, and even tho it’s still in the early stages, i am very confident that things will continue to go well. i’d like to thank everyone who has offered me advice up to this point. it’s helped me so much, i can’t even adequately express my gratitude.


                                                                                                                              • JK
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                                                                                                                                  You’ve done such a great job.  This gives me great hope!  Has there been any change in Meadow’s affection towards her humans?


                                                                                                                                • Beka27
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                                                                                                                                    Meadow is (and i think always will be) a mommy and daddy’s girl. she was our everything for 10 months before Max got here, and i don’t think she’s going to ever not be affectionate towards us. i’m hoping that as Max and Meadow’s bond continues to strengthen, Max will realize that we’re good people and follow Mead’s lead. he is still pretty skittish around us, but he’s getting better. earlier today, i walked in the bunny room and Max was flopped and Michael was sitting there petting him. we can’t even pet Meadow when she’s flopped, she’ll bolt straight up as soon as we touch her. so i took that to be a good sign.


                                                                                                                                  • Kokaneeandkahlua
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                                                                                                                                      Awww that’s a GREAT sign!!!


                                                                                                                                    • Beka27
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                                                                                                                                        ^^^the caption for this one is… “AGAIN WITH THE FLASHY BOX!!!  darn woman!  go get us a carrot!”


                                                                                                                                      • Sarita
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                                                                                                                                          Oh, how cute! Really can’t they get a little privacy on their bunnymoon…


                                                                                                                                        • MarkBun
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                                                                                                                                            Yup, yer done there. Like I said before, keep them in close quarters for two weeks to make it set and then you should feel free to begin allowing them out together in other spaces.

                                                                                                                                            One thing to note though is that, just like any other couple, there will be spats from time to time. So don’t go crazy if you catch a couple of nips here and there. About twice a month, I come home from work or wake up in the morning to find a small clump of Dono fur on the ground and I know that Maryann has nipped him for one reason or another. Good thing that Dono is so fluffly.


                                                                                                                                          • Beka27
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                                                                                                                                              it really was frustrating and boring at times just sititng there supervising, but 3 weeks total of the actual bonding process was not as bad as i was expecting. tomorrow is one week of lving together, and i was going to let them out together, but i reminded myself to wait another week, just to make sure it sticks.


                                                                                                                                            • MarkBun
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                                                                                                                                                I wouldn’t give them full reign of the house the first time out. I’d probably just keep it to the hallway as you now have Max entering Meadow’s territory with Meadow right there to rebuke him. It shouldn’t be a BIG deal but just like a new bun, you want to gradually increase their roaming area. About a week of increasing the run area should be fine to then go to all over.


                                                                                                                                              • RabbitPam
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                                                                                                                                                • Beka27
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                                                                                                                                                    that is so cute Pam!!! thanks!!!


                                                                                                                                                  • MooBunnay
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                                                                                                                                                      Hhaha – that is adorable! They are totally the perfect pair Tell Meadow I say congrats on her new husBUN!


                                                                                                                                                    • Beka27
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                                                                                                                                                        it’s been a week and a half of living together. today while i was cleaning the bunny room, i decided to re-do their xpens (what is this, the 5th time? lol!) before, you’ll remember i had it where there was still a panel in between (the modified Markus method) but the door was continuously open so both sides were accessible. i had one litterboxes in each opposite corner.

                                                                                                                                                        i rearranged so it is now one big rectangle (2 panels by 4 panels) with no divider. i put the two litterboxes together at one side. after a week, i’m planning on phasing out one litterbox and they will have to share at that point.

                                                                                                                                                        while i was doing all this pen dragging around and vacuuming, i let them out with the baby gate blocking the kitchen, and my NIC grid fence (2 grids high, 8 grids long) blocking off into the living room. they were allowed to roam the bunny room, the hallway, and about 3 feet into the living room (AKA: Meadow territory). i am going to gradually start letting them into the living room bit by bit.

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                                                                                                                                                    Forum BONDING Max and Meadow: Bonding Fun! *BONDED*