House Rabbit Community and Store
What are we about? Please read about our Forum Culture and check out the Rules.
The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.
- This topic has 6sd replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 10 years, 10 months ago by
.
-
-
Hi!
We recently adopted another bun (yay). His name is Buddle and he is a neutered male dwarf lop.
We also have our first bun, a spayed female dwarf lop (Marla).
We adopted her about 18 months before this. We did a lot of research and reading about buns being much happier together if the bonding all works out.
When we first tried to bond them, we kept it going for about 7 days, 20 minutes each time in neutral space.
All he seems interested in is mounting her! She stays very subdued and doesn’t explore or play or do anything after he does it. She just lies there in that cute little loafy sort of way. We’re not sure if she enjoys it or if he forces her to stay there because the few times she has gone to move he goes right back to her! We let them out in the living room together the other day (they live in there so we don’t usually do this, but thought we’d see what would happen!) and he got her in his pen, kept her in the corner and wouldn’t seem to let her out. He was lying next to her. It seems protective but it’s still not making me feel better about it all!
They are set up in their pens right next to each other and they flop right near the bars together all day, but when we let them go on a ‘date’ he mounts and she sits there all quiet and subdued again.
He also seems to dig in front of her, and then dig on her back! I’d leave them to get on with it as I have read that’s what you should do in some places, but he mounts her head sometimes and for his own safety, I can’t leave him doing that!
Is that normal? Should she not be playing and interacting with him and the surroundings, too?
I really would like them to be friends and they seem to be very interested in being with each other when they can’t properly get to each other!
Any advice would be brill, thanks!
-
I want to chime in here also. I just recently accidentally bonded two of mine and Clyde constantly did that to my female too. She weighs around 15 pounds and he is only about 7. If it weren’t for the weight difference, I would have thought he was forcing Bonnie to stay there also. Eventually she would start doing her normal thing and he would follow her around constantly, then mounting her whenever she stopped (even on the face like yours is doing). It bothered me quite a bit to see him act this way, as if it was the only thing on his mind, but she didn’t care, so I had to care less!
He will get tired of doing it I think pretty soon. It sounds like you are well on your way to an easy bond!
-
You sound exactly how I was feeling. I was the only one worked up, no one else in the house cared. Honestly, your situation sounds a LOT like mine. Bonnie didnt care about him being in her pen, he didnt care about her being in his… well.. no, he was amorous, but he wasnt aggressive is what I mean!
When I said accidental bonding, I meant it. I had 3 singles, and they all can see each other, they all watched each other out and running around during their assigned playtimes for well over 8 months. (4 months after the last surgery and time for hormones to dissipate) We tried bonding all three once or twice, but it was super stressful with the two boys, even though they both get along with Bonnie. One day I accidentally left Clyde’s door open when I let her out for her time… and well.. they are bonded. No fighting, only him following her in love. I let them stay out together for their floor time 6 hrs, next day 8 hrs, and then moved him in with her. They never fought and he stopped mounting her non-stop after 3 or 4 days. He still once in awhile mounts her, but she doesn’t care at all, like she has him on ignore!
Your bond could already be established and you really not know it because you are afraid that you haven’t gone through the bonding “process”. I totally understand! I say when you are ready, give them a try for a longer playtime session and if all continues to go well after a few goes.. maybe move them in together and see! (I AM NOT A BONDING EXPERT BY FAR!) I only have these 3 house rabbits and I got the first one August 2013. But from how it sounds, it seems promising.
-
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.