I yelled at Delilah when I saw her in the pen. She knew instantly that she did something wrong and put her head down. She is just so nasty sometimes…He has been in the bredroom the rest of the day today. He was actually living in the bedroom and we moved him next to their pen. I think he will have to go back into the bedroom, he is just too nervous to be near the trio’s pen.

Delilah’s fur is so thick that she didn’t get hurt at all though I know Dennis fought her back. Rex hair is just not good for bunny fights! Dennis is dealing, I am sure the boo boo’s hurt a little. He is still eating, drinking, and pottying. He is just such a good bunny, it sucks he had to get hurt.

Yes it will just be a matter of time now. Dennis needs to heal and hubby needs time to cool off over the whole thing! He was so mad (at the bunnies) that this happened! Delilah is the queen *shutter* but she needs to get off her high horse at least a little bit!

Yes I am feeling better. I do see it too as a positive thing that Dennis jumped out. He is a little scrapper and will stand up for himself, which I think he did, but it got too intense for him. He does not like to fight, he will run away to avoid confrontation. He showed this in a bathroom session earlier. Getting Davey over on Dennis will be important. Davey right now will let Delilah know, with a nip, when she is behaving unacceptably towards Dexter or in general. He is the only one that can keep her under control! Davey where were you in all of this!

Yes I was just going to ask if someone could move it there!

I don’t know what Davey was doing! Had he been there he would have jumped in. I think once she got over there she got into a panic too because she was stuck adn couldn’t get back.

Petzy, could you change the title of this to something a little better sounding that “Wounds”! It is sounding a little dramatic now!

Here is a little info about the small sessions we have had so far: (all sessions have been on the bathroom floor, blocked into a smaller area)

First Meeting of Dexter and Dennis:
Dexter likes him, no aggression. Both thumped at first, Dexter groomed Dennis, Dennis flopped. Dex made one little nip at Dennis which set Dennis off into a little nipping thing. Turned the blow dryer on, stopped them in their tracks. When they first approach each other is when Dexter gets nervous and will thump or give him a little nip. They have had a couple other small sessions that have all been ok, Dexter grooms him, Dennis bit raisins off Dexter’s head. Only one sessions hasn’t worked out with them, and Dexter was in a weird mood that day and was not acting himself so we ended it on a good note. They both sit next to eachother for mutual pets, and will both take treats.

Davey and Dennis:
Davey likes him. No aggression at all, Davey even gave him a couple licks which is big for Davey! It took him weeks to groom Dexter, even just one little lick, and we had to use food on his face to get him to start. I think it was very positive. They sat next to each other for mutual pets. Davey’s first meeting with him he was too nervous to eat a treat, but after that he would eat them.

Delilah and Dennis:
Read the first post. She is interested in him and would go visit him in the bedroom (this was before the fight). They had a couple little tiffs through the pen bars, but nothing like she was when we were bonding with Dexter. She seemed like she was much better with him than she was with Dexter, but I guess not! Hopefully taking some time off from Delilah and Dennis bonding will help, although they probably have worked out most of their bonding issues, albeit not in the most ideal way.

We are using the bathroom/bath tub.

Yes he is very sensitive to bunnies approaching him now, he gets very scared and leaps over. His boldness has left him around other rabbits. I am going to try and get a pack of the grids or fashion something similar. Dex and Dennis have gone on one car ride together around the complex. Dennis tries to leap out of the box so we have to keep the top shut, so the cube would defintely be better for him. I think for now we will end up with two working trios, one with Delilah, Davey and Dex; and one with the boys. Even if they stay like that at least they can be interchanged between everybun. The boys will be great together- Dennis has already been seriously groomed by Dex and Davey a little bit. They will be lugged around a lot in the next few months. Anytime we go on a quick errand they will, most of the time, come with us.

That is different. I have never heard of a bunny not grooming! I do worry though about it a little though because some of them are very demanding of grooms…

Yes we will definitely be using the stress bonding with them.

Well last night we moved Davey into the bedroom, sharing Dennis’ pen that I divided up. He will spend the nights in there with Dennis, but return to the trio’s pen during the day and for play times. I will just say that Davey was not thrilled about being stuck in that little space but he will get used to it. He was driving me crazy trying to fall asleep last night; chewing the wire, digging, all the noisy things that keep you up! I had to create my own divider. I used the top wire part of the pet store cages with one of the larger flaps opened up. The pen is made around our dresser. Dennis I do not have to worry about chewing the front of the drawers off but Davey is a nibbler so I had to “heavy duty” his side. Hubby suggested that Dennis wear a little doggy sweater to protect his boo boos, what a sight that would be! I told him, maybe just a little t-shirt instead!

Please excuse the mess on the dresser. Most of it is Dennis’ boo boo cleaning stuff

I put hay on either side to encourage them to eat together. Dennis didn’t care and ran right up and started chowing down, but Davey was still nervous.

Davey was much more relaxed when I put him in the pen last night. No frantic digging, wire biting, or thumping. Dennis pays no attention to him. They don’t ever get “close” to eachother through the divider but Davey will lay down and stretch out, leaving his bum and tail right up against the divider…nothing! Delilah does not react any differently to Davey when I put him back in the mornings at all. She knows if Davey smells funny he is allowed to because he is secretly the boss of her. Why can’t they just tell me who is the boss of this group! All these games!

Today we moved Dexter into the bedroom full time now to try and get those two bonded. We rearranged the bedroom to give them a better bigger pen. There is no aggression what so ever between them, they are very interested in eachother and have had more interaction in one day than Dennis and Davey had in a week of him sleeping in there. We did a session and a car ride today. During the session Dexter is trying to be dominant over Dennis, and since the fight Dennis has become submissive- which is good. Dexter just doesn’t know how to act around him. He doesn’t know how to dominate another bunny. Dex will give Dennis a few little nips and a little chase, Dennis makes his weird little grunt/honk-thumps-then runs. Then I will sit them next to eachother and Dexter will start grooming him. Dennis has no clue when Dex pushes his head under his to do anything, which leads to Dex giving him a tiny nip. We have even let them run around in the bedroom together and Dex will chase a little but there is no all out fighting or posessiveness. I caught the loafed next to eachother through the divider today, weird…

The pen…Dont mind my fencing wire! It works for now! Getting another x-pen once they are bonded.

Dennis’ side of the pen…

Dexter’s side…(He has more toys in there now, it looks so boring in the picture!)

Dexter and Dennis are going to be easy. Today I did one bathroom session, the usual Dex grooming and small nips. They are starting to get a little possessive over the rung they are on so we out them in the kitchen and they ahve been in there for about 4 hours now. Dennis flopped, Dexter groomed, Dennis allowed Dex to mount him, ate hay/veggies together. A few pictures now and videos loading, so more to come!

I can’t get them to stack on top of eachother, sorry they make the page so wide.

Dexter is just a completely different bunny when he is not around her. He is not always watching over his shoulder of where she is, when she breathes, takes a step, wants to be in the litter box he is in, etc. He is just not on edge anymore. Davey and Delilah are kind of confused why he is missing (more Davey than her). Dex will still have play times with Davey mostly and her sometimes, but it will always lead to him getting picked on again. Just how Delilah is, which can get annoying sometimes.

That is our thinking too. We may try the quartet at some point but only around when we move, hopefully towards the end of the year. We won’t let the trios bond break either with play dates. I think we may work with Dennis and Davey too once Dex and Dennis are more secure. We may end up with two working trios and then work with Delilah when we move. We are also running out of neutral spaces in this tiny apartment that will be especially important with Delilah. The hallyway is longer than the kitchen, so they will move there for bedtime. I now have a trio and two pairs with four bunnies! However that works?!

I guess it is! Just today with Dex and Dennis I have seen more progress than after a month or so into the trio’s bond. Rexy bunnies unite!

I guess we know how to pick good instant bonding pairs! Davey and Delilah were luck, but these two just seemed to fit. No marking poos or pee even on the first night, Dennis just took to him. You need an instant one! You definitely deserve one!

Yes your quartet is enough, for now.

I know! This thread wasn’t very helpful at all! It is not normal!

Your bunnies are happy just how it is!

You can actually see all of them and their bodies in the pictures now. It was due for a change!

Haha yes, only brown. But EVERY shade of brown!

Ok…little update: Dexter and Dennis were instant! They are now best buddies! Dennis has still not figured out how to groom but has turned to chinning Dexter! Dex looks a bit confused when he chins his butt! He chins his nose and the tips of his ears, he doesn’t chin much else whereas Dex chins EVERYTHING in sight! They love to cuddle on the bed, that I have had to cover with the “bunny sheet” because somebunny took to peeing on my side of the bed! We will work with the boys now and try for a “boys trio”. Delilah is just cooky! We have a stunt stuffed bunny/kangaroo looking thing that we move back and forth. We put it into the pen with Davey and Delilah, Delilah went nuts digging at it. Davey got mad at her and started chasing and giving her little tiny love nips! He keeps her under control!

We did a little test the other night. We put Delilah under the top wire part of a pet store cage in the bedroom doorway. Dexter went crazy! He does not like her now, especially with his new found confidence and dominance. His tail went straight out (totally weird looking!:laugh and he got all musky, eww! It is weird to see him act so boldly since he was always picked on so much. He is so much happier though. He is a changed bunny! He will allow you to approach him now and pet him. Before if you even stood up he would bolt somewhere away from Delilah (to avoid getting nipped) to hide. He is so much friendlier now, much more accepting of pets and attention. Some of Dennis’ attention seeking has rubbed off on him! We will have to turn our focus to Davey now, I also need to see how Dexter reacts to Davey now too.

This is the one we have! I would like to call it a bunny but it is kind of off!

http://cgi.ebay.com/IKEA-Plush-Gray…dZViewItem

A Bilby is oddly adorable! One of those ‘so weird it is cute’ kind of animals! Yes its tail is almost as long as Dexters!