Not bonding with adopted rabbit

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This topic has 4sd replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 10 years, 8 months ago by Linette.

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- 03/24/2014 at 2:01 PM
  Linette
  Participant
  114 posts
  We have a neutered male rabbit. I’ve had him just over a year and he is amazing. Super affectionate and very relaxed. I was thinking of getting a job and sometimes we go away for the weekend and my boyfriend and I thought he would like a buddy.
  
  We are in the bonding process right now. A bumpy road.
  
  They will do head licking, then…the first one who makes a move the other will lash out at it.
  
  I know there MUST be some sort of scuffles and sorting out dominance along the path, but I am not sure how much to allow or when to allow it. Have not allowed any significant scuffles. broke up a few potential ones.
  
  He seems to want to groom her and be groomed, but them reaches up under her to nip her underside…what is THAT about?
- 03/25/2014 at 12:07 AM
  manic_muncher
  Participant
  1061 posts
  I’m hoping someone will see this that knows what they are talking about, since I don’t know. Perhaps move it to the Bonding section too.
- 03/25/2014 at 4:36 AM
  Roberta
  Participant
  4355 posts
  I have several bunnies to bond very soon when circumstances are right so I have followed a lot of the posts… Not an expert yet… I do know some of the first tecniques applied are stress bonding in the car in a shared carrier during short drives, putting them together in a bath tub where it is difficult for any bunny to get a good foot hold, confining them in a basket or box also using load noise like a vacuum cleaner or banging pots and pans if they start to scuffle. All things I am planning to use on my foster boys first, who lost their bond when they were neutered recently. Another two weeks and I will try to rebond them.
- 03/25/2014 at 5:39 AM
  Sarita
  Participant
  18851 posts
  Moving to Bonding.
- 03/25/2014 at 9:50 AM
  Linette
  Participant
  114 posts
  Thanks for moving this.
  
  I’ve heard about stress bonding, I sorta hate the idea, but then I think of how close I’ve gotten to some people in a matter of days when we went through a trauma together, and years ago I had two rabbits that didn’t care for one another in a trio, and a dog attacked and killed one, and the other two became very close…so I can see that it is actually just part of life and the way emotions work.
  
  Last night we had a good experience. My boyfriend got home from work a few hours early and we all got down on the ground in the hallway and had a bunny/people love in. I can’t guarantee things are hugely changed, but the energy felt good and this morning they sniffed one anothers noses through the pen and there was no nipping or scratching!
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