bonding troubles :(

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 6sd replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 6 years, 9 months ago by Manda.

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- 01/30/2018 at 7:10 PM
  mowingmylawn
  Participant
  52 posts
  hello! i posted a couple weeks back about stuff and im back. its been 3 weeks since my rabbits have been neutered and i read online that it was okay to start bonding. i also read that it was ok to prebond while their hormones are leaving. so today i decided to bond in the bathtub because it was stressful, neutral territory, and they were bonded before so i thought itd be easier on me. well i put them in put some food in and got really nervous. i let squirrel out and let them react through the bars. they seemed fine until i opened the cage and wham they started chasing. a big chunk of fur was pulled but my mom was there to help. i removed them and put them back in their cages. i gave them some lettuce for their troubles. im gonna start smaller nexttime. whatd i do wrong? im very much willing to start over in the waiting process and etc etc. i really want them to get along again and be a good mom
- 01/30/2018 at 8:58 PM
  Harley&Thumper
  Participant
  444 posts
  I would move both of their cages to the same room so they can see each other but can’t touch. And for a month swap litter trays or swap cages so they can get used to each other’s scents. After a month, if you see there are no signs of aggression you can try and bond in a large area that neither bun has been in before.
- 01/30/2018 at 9:57 PM
  mowingmylawn
  Participant
  52 posts
  so basically start prebonding again? okay ill try that
- 01/31/2018 at 4:24 AM
  Sirius&Luna
  Participant
  2320 posts
  What prebonding did you do? Have you been swapping them between cages and how did they react?
  
  It sounds like you’ve moved a bit fast, but also it’s good to start the bonding session with them both calm. So try stroking them both together at the start, before you let them interact. You don’t want them to go straight into chasing.
  
  After 3 weeks, it’s entirely possible that they’re still hormonal. Most places recommend 4 weeks for hormones to drain, but it actually took my male 6 weeks, so it might just be a matter of a bit more time.
- 02/07/2018 at 9:07 PM
  mowingmylawn
  Participant
  52 posts
  sorry for the late reply i wasnt aware that another post was on here. ive been doing cage swaps every other day, switching toys, litter boxes etc. when i switched one of my rabbits he pooped everywhere. im not sure if thats im marking his territory & being territorial or it just being litter training troubles. i dont ever see any signs of aggression, atleast from what ive seen. what are signs of aggression? just for a refresher. when i did bond i made a mistake and used a carrier that they have both been in. that mightve been part of the reason that it didnt go too smoothly.
- 02/08/2018 at 4:30 AM
  Sirius&Luna
  Participant
  2320 posts
  So signs of aggression when swapping hutches is things like biting and throwing litter trays, stomping, digging / you can see when a bunny is grumpy about it!
  
  It’s most likely territorial poops from your bunnies.
  
  The carrier could well have caused the fight, but I also think it’s worth waiting at least another 2 weeks, so that you can be sure all hormones post-neuter have drained.
- 02/09/2018 at 2:07 PM
  Manda
  Participant
  176 posts
  Try the car ride- that always worked for me- my Cinni was the most stubborn lop i ever did see when it came to bonding(she outlived 3 of them!) and she put up quite the resistance every single time. I had trouble with bonding her to Jaxx and one day I plopped them in a carrier and took them to Canadian tire, put them in a shopping cart and shopped for half an hour with them. Best of friends after that until Jaxx passed at the age of 10. So if you can put them in a box or a carrier and have someone sit in the back and supervise- try a quick car ride. I also found that it helped(bunnies are much SMARTER than we give credit for) to advise both bunnies that this is happening and they WILL be friends and they are going to BEHAVE and get ALONG! I said this each time it seemed to sink in.
  Be patient and keep at it- took me almost 2 months with Mr Buns and Cinni this last time but they became the closest, best of friends ever. Now Cinni has passed and in two months I am going to have to do it again with Ms Petunia and Mr Buns. Wish me luck!
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