Reply To: bonding nippy bunny

[Floppy]

thanks for the reply! I’ve been holding bonding sessions daily 2-4 hours for the past week, in the bathroom in a pen about 1m x 1m. After the first few day, Floppy doesn’t hide in the corner anymore. They eat greens and hay on the floor when I spread them around calmly but don’t really go near each other much. Since I’m doing these sessions in the afternoon after work, they actually spend most of the time loafed sleeping even flop but not touching each other. I don’t really need to hover over them, but Audrey still bites at Floppy’s butt or face when they face head to head directly, and sometimes Floppy thumps or hops away before she bites. She also seems to have “claimed” two corners and sometimes grunt and lunge/bite at Floppy when he is at or near one of her corners, then I intervene and stop her. I tried adding two water bowls (brand new) some times but it seemed to make the situation more tense and they never drank from them.

my questions for longer sessions / marathon bonding

• How can I know when they are ready for 24h/marathon bonding? I did a session for about 6h on Sunday, and they spent lots of time sleeping and ignoring, there were still grunts and lunges and bites from Audrey (see above), and they never sat/lay next to each other touching (at most the two corners on the same side of the pen).
• You said “I usually get a pretty good idea after the first overnight whether it’s going to work out” By working out do you mean just for the marathon bonding or for the pair to bond? Also, what signs should I look for? Should I expect neutral/positive interactions (at least touching if not grooming). What if they still ignore or Audrey still bites at him?
• Should I start the marathon session in the same smaller bonding space? Then gradually increase space during the marathon if things go well? When can I introduce things like litter boxes or hideouts, and do they need to be completely neutral/brand new?
• How long should I be prepared for the marathon to last? If they are not making progress, should I return to regular bonding sessions?