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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 5sd replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 10 months ago by Deleted User.

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- 06/26/2009 at 10:37 PM
  Furface
  Participant
  618 posts
  OK, I’d like some thoughts & suggestions for my 4 some. LOL
  
  I have a pair (M & F) of altered 3.5 pound lops. They have been bonded for 2 years, never had a fight. ever. Dominance war humping only in the 1st month. They are 3.5 (F) & 6 or 7 (?) years old.
  
  I have adopted (April 09) a neutered rex – 6 pounds, 3 years old, who has been living in the same room as the pair for a couple of weeks now.
  
  I also adopted an unspayed, so far non spraying, lop – 6 pounds, also 3 years old.
  
  Brief introductions have been made between the new lop & the new rex. She humps & chases him.
  
  Eventually I’d like them all bonded & living together. I can’t afford to run out right away & get the new female spayed. She is currently living in a separate room. I’d like bring the lonely girl into the room with everyone else. This would give her a much bigger cage area, lower floor of a 4 story 2 X 3 NIC cage. I have plastic against 3 sides of the cage to protect the walls & chair in case she starts spraying. LOL
  
  I’m wondering what the best way to proceed is. Do I bring the lonely girl into the room with everyone else. Do I bond the new pair 1st then try to bond the pairs? Do I throw all 4 together & let them duke it out? Just Kidding. Do I try to bond the single neutered male to the pair 1st, & do I do that M to M then M to F. Do I approach that play dates with one on Mon & the other Tues, or play dates with one in July & the other in Aug (or after the July thing is bonded)? The bonded pair still get to live together during their bonding to the others(I hope)? Currently they get to run around the living room separately, well the bonded pair is together but the single guy alone. I can use the kitchen for neutral territory. I’m worried that the unspayed female may fight with my spayed smaller girl so, I’m leaning toward trying them last (maybe after the spay). Both males seem to be pretty relaxed & calm buns. Both females seem to be a bit more dominant & I’ve seen each of them charge. LOL The little one is a kissy sweety to me but she beat up a cat on a regular basis for snubbing her & once charged a German Shepherd. The newer bigger girl charged my hand being cage defensive the second day she was here. LOL She hasn’t done it after that though.
  
  OK, suggestions please. OH & am I going to need tranquilizers for me during this process? (maybe a shrink for thinking it can be done)
- 06/27/2009 at 4:24 AM
  RabbitPam
  Moderator
  11002 posts
  You won’t need tranquilizers, but a handy glass of wine might be helpful. (See Binky Bunny’s videos of bonding Jack & Vivian. LOL)
  
  I will let the bonding experts help with most of your questions, but clearly the wild card is not getting the new female neutered. I would urge you to consult with your vet about a payment plan, or shop for a skilled vet with lower prices, possibly at your local shelter. As you know, her hormones will play such a large part in the difficulty with getting her bonded, plus the separation period of surgery and recovery, that it would be worth it to get it overwith.
  It’s also vital to her health. How much were you quoted so far?
  
  My instinct says to bond them into two pairs first, so they are each in a couple so the worst case scenario is you have two set ups for two pairs. But the others have had success with groups so I will ask them to reply.
- 06/27/2009 at 4:44 AM
  Beka27
  Participant
  16016 posts
  The unspayed lop won’t be able to bond until after she’s altered. I wouldn’t recommend you have her in the room with the others b/c there’s a risk of her breaking up the existing bond betw/ your pair. In this situation, I would probably try and bond the 3 into a trio, that will likely take at least a few months, if not longer. At that point, your girl will be spayed and maybe healed up for a month or two, and then you can consider introducing her into the trio. They may be more accepting of her since it’s not going to be an “Us vs. Them” thing with two pairs going up against each other. There is really no tried and true method for bonding multiples, at least among this group, it’s still kind of uncharted territory. Did you bond your pair or they came to you bonded?
- 06/27/2009 at 11:54 AM
  Furface
  Participant
  618 posts
  Did I bond my pair? I’m not sure how to answer that. I had very little to do with it. LOL It was love at 1st sight. Really they were very easy.
  The female had the whole cage to herself & when the male came, I blocked off I/2 the NIC cage. They could smell each other only for a few days. Then some play time for a few days. Then a whole day play time for 2 days & they got along so well that I took the separator out of the cage. The male got neutered after they had bonded too. I know that I did everything wrong that time. I had no neutral territory as Bugsy already had free run of the apartment. I gave him i/2 her cage at 1st. I didn’t wait until He was neutered (actually I was told he was but when he started spraying her, me, & everything else, I figured out that I was lied to about that). I proceeded way to fast, they were living together in 2 – 3 weeks (although right after that I had to put the block back up so his neutering could heal so, they were back to sniffing for 30 days {stitch chewer} & after healing they were put right back together). It’s a miracle that they bonded with all the things I did wrong. I know multiples are suppose to be harder so, I’d like to approach it a lot better this time.
  
  OK so to bond the 3 do I play date the 3 together or 2 at a time? If 2 at a time, do I alternate days for the dates or have dates with both on the same day? They have had no nose to nose contact yet but must be familiar with each others smell already, both from the room air & me petting them. So far nobody has been very interested in smelling the places where the other just was. Also nobunny has peed on the sofa where the other just was.
  
  Oh, another thought who comes out 1st? Kitchen is neutral territory, does the new guy go in 1st or the pair(or 1 of them depending on the best way to go)
- 06/28/2009 at 7:43 AM
  Beka27
  Participant
  16016 posts
  LOL! Bunnies are like that! Sometimes you can do everything “wrong” and they just figure it out for themselves! It’s going to be some trial and error. Who do you think will be the most difficult to bond to the new guy? I would start with that bun first.
- 06/28/2009 at 12:02 PM
  Deleted User
  Participant
  22064 posts
  Furface, first of all I’d like to say that you did a great job explaining the situation… it can be confusing, you know?
  Definitely put the new guy in the neutral territory first, then decide which one of your pair is the melllower. Pick the more laid-back bun for bonding with the new guy first. As a rule, bond the easier bonds first, this will help you later with the harder ones.
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