Is the bonding process over?

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This topic has 3sd replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 6 years, 8 months ago by DanaNM.

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- 04/01/2018 at 5:08 PM
  bun1992
  Participant
  12 posts
  I know someone posted a similar question a few days ago but I think our situations are different enough to merit a new thread:
  
  I’ve had Miley (age 9) for just over 2 years, l adopted another rabbit named Anise (8 years old) to bond her with, but Anise is very rabbit aggressive so one gets one half of my apartment and the other has the other half. Despite Anise’s hostility, Miley was always affectionate with Anise and seemed to want her attention so last month I adopted Hubble (6 years old) to bond her with.
  
  For the first 2 weeks I kept him and Miley separated, but switched their toys and litter boxes so they knew each others scents. Then for one week I had them in adjoining pens that weren’t quite touching so they could see each other. Then just over a week ago, I started bonding them in a small neutral space and then worked our way upwards to bigger areas and then to semi-neutral, and non-neutral spots. It’s been a very easy bond: no fighting, a little bit of butt biting when I put them in a non-neutral area for the first time but we back tracked and that stopped.
  
  I put them together in my hallway and dining room yesterday morning and, since that was going very well all, of last night. I opened up the space they have access to this morning so they have access to their entire living space and there has been no fighting (even in my room, which has been Miley’s favourite spot for the past year). They are both currently sleeping under my bed, but on different ends. There’s been no aggression during the past 30 hours that they’ve been together but they’re fairly independent. They cuddle a bit during the night, but they’ve been sleeping in different areas throughout the day and just kind of doing their own things. Miley grooms Hubble a little, but not a lot. They did sleep close last night, but now that I opened up their area they’re sticking as close.
  
  By the time I’m supposed to leave tomorrow it’ll have been over 48 hours of them together, but I’m hesitant to leave them if they’re not more obviously ‘bonded’ – but if they are bonded and they’re just not overly affectionate, separating would be a bad thing. What are your thoughts? I guess we’ll see if they’re more cuddly once they start to wake up for the evening in an hour or two.
- 04/01/2018 at 7:43 PM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9054 posts
  Me feeling with bonding is that if you still aren’t sure, they aren’t quite there yet. When they are fully bonded, you’ll know!
  
  You should see a good amount of cuddling and usually grooming too. They should be very very comfortable with each other. Bonded bunnies will steal food from each other’s mouths and climb all over each other without trouble. They will often tend to mirror behaviors as well.
  
  It sounds like yours are almost there, but just not quite. I would restrict the space a bit again and see if that helps finalize things.
  
  I will say, if they have space to get away from each other, it is your call on whether to leave them together when you leave. Some people would say they are bonded at this point, but since your bonding process was pretty fast (1 week!) with not too much pre-bonding, I would be a little extra cautious in this last step just to be sure. As long as they can see each other it shouldn’t do any harm by separating them when you leave.
  
  . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
- 04/01/2018 at 8:17 PM
  bun1992
  Participant
  12 posts
  Thank you, that’s helpful! I put them back in the hallway and blocked my room off with a baby gate so my door is still open during the night and I should hear if anything happens. Your last point is well taken, when I leave tomorrow, I’ll use an exercise pen to separate them. The bars are about an inch apart so they should be able to see each other through them and have minimal interaction.
- 04/01/2018 at 8:20 PM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9054 posts
  Sounds like a good plan
  
  Now, if you wake up in the morning and they are suddenly super snuggly and loving on each other… I would probably just leave them in the hallway!
  
  . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
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