Is it possible for buns who originally hate eachother to eventually get along?

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 5sd replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 4 years, 5 months ago by DanaNM.

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- 06/02/2020 at 8:07 AM
  Babyfacecupcake
  Participant
  49 posts
  I am trying to bond my 4 buns. They are all spayed and neutered. I have 2 boys and 2 girls. And I’m having so much trouble with the same sexes. Its almost always an instant fight the second they are together. I am currently stress bonding for 20 min a day. I walk around in a laundry basket for 10 min and then i make them snuggle and i pet them for 10 min. Stress bonding before making them snuggle is the only way the dont try to fight while doing the snuggle part. I don’t have a ton of space. I’ve tried bonding them in the kitchen and bathroom area but it doesn’t make a difference. Everywhere else they have been when they have free roam time. When they are out for free roam time the girls will go up the eachothers pen and fight (no injuries) i have put a plastic playpen around their pens and blankets over so they cant see eachother. HELP! I love all of them and getting rid of one is not an option for me.
- 06/02/2020 at 10:41 AM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9054 posts
  It is possible, but you have your work cut out for you! To get a bit more info about what you’ve tried and how long you’ve been working with them, could you fill out the bonding template (pinned in the bonding section) and paste it in your reply?
  
  It may be necessary for you to take them to a completely new, very large space. It also might be good to have a helper. Have you tried all four together? The dynamics of groups are quite different so some people recommend having the whole group together for sessions, but the bigger the group, the bigger the space that’s needed (this comes from Margo DeMello of the House Rabbit Society). When she bonds groups of 3+, she will use a space that’s about as big as at least 3 x-pens linked up. She tends to use the marathon method but this isn’t for everyone (and is hard for less experienced bonders). So perhaps some calls to friends with large garages might be in order. You could do a car ride with them all together (stress), then try them in the large space and see how they do.
  
  . . . 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.
- 06/02/2020 at 12:19 PM
  Babyfacecupcake
  Participant
  49 posts
  <hr />
  
  Spay/Neuter
  Are your bunnies spayed/neutered? Yes
  If so, for how long (for each)?buttons about 4 yrs, patches about 6 months, ziggy 3 1/2 months, and velvet about a month and a half.
  If not, why not?
  Are you aware of reproductive cancer risk in females? If not, please read about it here.
  
  Housing
  Please describe your bunnies’ current housing set-up (living together, as neighbors, etc.). Live in expens, patches, buttons and ziggy are right next to eachother. I have to swap the boys every night. There has never been any fighting through the fence for the 2 just when in an open space (i think i might have rushed the bonding process and did it too soon after ziggys neuter) a couple feet away velvet is in an expen (not enough room to have them right next to eachother.
  
  Bonding background
  Did you allow the bunnies to “settle-in”? I definitely did with ziggy, patches, and buttons. I might not have with velvet. She had her own space for about a week and then i tried introducing buttons and she b immediately tried fighting with him.
  How would you describe your bunnies reactions towards each other (answer for each bunny): shy, scared, curious, calm, aggressive, excited, affectionate, etc.? Patches is affectionate with buttons and ziggy and aggressive towards velvet, buttons is affectionate with patches, through a fence doesnt care about ziggy, and curious of velvet, ziggy is affectionate with patches, indifferent of buttons, and im not too sure how he feels about velvet, and velvet seems to be aggressive with all. But now if she goes up to pens she doesnt seem to try to fight just walks away when they fight at the bars but if one of the buns goes up to her pen then she’s aggressive with them.
  Have you done any “pre-bonding” (cage or litter box swaps, etc.)? With the boys I have been doing cage swaps since mid March. I haven’t done too much swapping with velvet just whats in the free roam area. For about 2 weeks.
  If so, for how long?
  Have you started sessions yet? I have started stress bonding for only a week
  How long have you been working on bonding your bunnies? The boys I started beginning of March and they got into a fight that resulted in a torn ear in the beginning of April so I haven’t tried them again since. And just recently with velvet. Maybe a week.
  How frequently do you have bonding sessions, and how long are they? I have been doing just 1 20 min session a day. 10 min walking around with them in a laundry basket and 10 min woth making them cuddle and petting them. I have tried to just do the cuddle and pet and it results in patches and velvet pulling eachother fur out if i don’t do any stress work before.
  Have you tried any stressing techniques? I have with the boys and I have been doing it with all 4 since I got velvet.
  
  Buttons and ziggy I tried marathon bonding, stress bonding, having a small area, having a large area, taking them to a completely new place, taking patches out of the situation, adding her into the bonding. But as I said I think I may have rushed the boys and tried too soon after ziggys neuter.
- 06/02/2020 at 12:28 PM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9054 posts
  This is super helpful. Thank you!
  
  Are any of them currently bonded in pairs?
  
  A couple things jump out. One is that Velvet is the newest addition, was neutered/spayed most recently, hasn’t had much pre-bonding swaps, and seems to be the most aggressive. Also overall, you haven’t been working with them all for very long. Velvet might benefit from more settling in time, both to allow hormones to drain, and more pre-bonding. I interpret aggression in bunnies as defensiveness and fear, so she is probably feeling on edge with so many bunnies around.
  
  I have not bonded a group before, but I had bonded pairs that fought on sight, and stressing was what got us passed that. It did take a couple weeks of car rides to get past that though, and three months overall to get them bonded.
  
  If stressing is working, keep doing it, as long as no bun is getting overly stressed (no changes in eating or pooping afterward). If you have a helper, you might try a car ride with all four in a bin together.
  
  Some folks like to focus on the hardest pairs first, some like to focus on the easiest pairs first, others say you have to work with all of them together. I don’t know if I could personally handle four bunnies that all want to fight all at once, but I will PM you a video from a HRS conference that talks about bonding groups. The person giving the demonstration allows more fur pulling than I personally feel comfortable with, but they are very experienced and know when to intervene. It is crucial that none of them are actually allowed to fight. Since you had an injury in the past definitely proceed with caution. Rabbits can hold grudges over injuries, so it’s possible those bad feelings are still at play as well.
  
  . . . 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.
- 06/02/2020 at 1:37 PM
  Babyfacecupcake
  Participant
  49 posts
  Patches was/is bonded to buttons (it was a fairly easy bond) and then when I got ziggy she fell in love at 1st site with ziggy but still enjoys buttons company. I had a really rough time with the boys like I so she spends time with 1 of the boys at all times. When i swap them she will stay in her regular pen and its just a different boy each night. I had a really rough time with the boys like I said I think i rushed it so I’m hoping a few months later it will be better. Velvet does seem to do it out of fear even if there’s only 1 bun. It seems to mainly be the same sexes that are most aggressive with eachother.
- 06/03/2020 at 9:56 AM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9054 posts
  Gotcha. Yes hopefully a slow and steady approach of building trust and just giving them more time together will help them get there!
  
  . . . 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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