A possible quartet? Pringles and Lola BONDED!!!!

[kralspace]

Totally stunned. After reading other posts, I built my 3-box ‘bonder’ and tried it out tonight. Not that I was thinking of bonding my two bad tempered divas, just try to defuse this territorial poo war and fighting through the bars. I’m posting a lot of photos in hopes that you guys with experience can tell me what you think is gong on.

Put both in the cage to look at each other a bit. After a glance they gave each other butt.

I dropped them into the center cube and was ready for a fight, I had the squirt bottle, a towel and put them side by side and started petting hard. They squirmed around until they had their heads in the corner. No fighting, no nipping, no humping, nothing but Lola trying to squeeze under Pringles. I was shocked to say the least.

I slacked off on the petting to see what they would do, after a couple of minutes they shifted even closer together.

I pretty much stopped petting and after a few minutes they shifted to turn into a head/tail with Lola still trying to gently push under Pringles and hide. I didn’t really touch them because I wanted to see if they would try to get away from each other, hump, whatever.

The little suckers stayed like this for almost 20 minutes with me just talking to them. I would have taken a video, but they didn’t move, but they were  both breathing fast the whole time. Lola was kinda bunched up, but petting Pringles for a second put her into a loaf. (eyes pop out)

 

After 20 minutes, Pringles sat up briefy and washed her face and groomed a bit, settled back down, and then Lola did the same thing. The whole thing lasted nearly 45 minutes, mostly with me sitting beside them on the bed going What The Heck?

I’d appreciate all you bonders opinions and suggestions for next time. The way these two carry on the bunny room I figured it was gong to be a bloodbath, the only one who got hurt was me, Lola got in two hickies while I was carrying her.

I am totally stunned and baffled at this point.

 

 

[Sarita]

Wow, I’m totally surprised too! Maybe they are mellowing in their age – it will be interesting to see how Pringles reacts when Lola meets Toby…

[kralspace]

ooohhh, that will be interesting. Or Daisy meeting Pringles again. Lola’s been very protective of him since he was dumped by Pringles. Man, I couldn’t think of anything better than being able to let them all live free range in the bunny room…lol

I laugh sometimes when I’m sitting in the living room and my wave of cats come through (well, just a 3 cat wave), it would be awesome to have all the bunnies travel through in a bunch.

I can’t believe these girls were such bluffers!

I hope Petzy and some of the ones who have bonded multiples can give me suggestions as to how to go on from here. It might have been easier to introduce a single (Charlie) first, but I’m a couple of months off from getting him neutered, but his he-man presence doesn’t seem to affect anyone.

I wonder if this really could work.

[Minty]

I just wanted to say that your bunnies are beautiful!! I haven’t seen pics of them since joining BB. You should post pics more often!

[kralspace]

Thank you Minty! I just never seem to have my camera around when there’s cute going on. I think each is beautiful, Lola’s very striking, being a white mini rex mix with those blue eyes. She’s molting right not so she looks like one of those flowers you blow apart…lol I like Pringles coloring, but with those large black spots around both eyes, it’s hard to see her pretty eyes.

These two have been blood enemies since I brought Lola home, putting them together and seeing them react so mildly has baffled me.

[Deleted User]

What is Neigey doing at your house? Lola looks so much like him!

That is a great start into bonding, a 45 min session with relaxing and face-washing. It shows how different rabbits act outside their territories. (This is why many bunny-dates look promising at shelters but then turn into harder bonds sometimes at home. )

Now Lola and Pringles have a place where they get along! This will be a remedial tool in their bonding; like Monkeybun had the cube always ready when things got tough between her two, you can always keep this ‘bonder’ at hand, too.

You won’t need stressors at this point. I would not move on from the bonder setup too soon, but have a weeks’s worth of sessions in it, and then transfer to a larger neutral area.

 

[kralspace]

I think I was surprised at the results because my entire house is everyone’s territory, including my bed (covered in a plastic tablecloth for this).

Since I’ve never let the two couples mingle, the extreme viciousness they’ve shown has been when one couple is out and gets close to the other condo.

I was worried about what would happen when they went back to their mates with the new smells on them. When it’s playtime and one couple’s out, if the girl gets close to the other condo, not only does the caged girl get so violent, but the couple will start squabbling inside the condo as well.

Last night, there was nothing. nothing at all. No chasing from the guys, the girls just ate and flopped out for a rest.

This morning everything was fine, I thought I might find some hair tuffs, but nope, everything’s cool. A very happy surprise for me!

If this continues on well with the girls, then what would you suggest? the guys together in the box? Lola and Toby? Pringles and Daisy?

I have to admit I was expecting so much trouble (I have Markus’s Maryanne on the brain) I never thought this far ahead to what might be.

[kralspace]

What do you think would happen if I switched the condos? Put Pringles/Toby into Lola/Daisy’s??????

 

Petzy, I’m curious about the Pringles/ Daisy/ Lola/Toby outcome. Pringles was first bonded with Daisy for 6 months. When I brought Toby home to foster, Pringles shamelessly abandoned Daisy for Toby. Daisy was so depressed he nearly starved to death until we got Lola. This is starting to sound like Desperate Housewives!

On the other hand. Daisy is an obsessive groomer and I think Pringles misses that. Poor Toby with his dental problems just gives her a half hearted lick every now and again, although she asks constantly. So the lovely Ms. Pringles might get the best of both worlds if  she plays her cards right!

[Deleted User]

I love Desperate Housewives.
Bonding two pairs with each other is the hardest way to make a quartet, no doubt about it. It’s not like it can’t be done, though.
The existing bonds may even break but not permanently. Or, they may stay intact!
As a precaution, don’t put the two bonded pairs together at all at this point. Each of your pairs here represents a closed society and that’s why you see those aggressive behaviors. Swapping cages may cause scuffles within the pairs as well, so I would not do it. I would focus on single bun to single bun bonding sessions and then swap partners. So after enough sessions you might be able to put daisy with Pringles again relatively soon because of their previous history together. And at that point, you can work on Lola and Toby (that’s a new bond, right?). You wouldn’t split up the pairs permanently but you would pair everybun with everybun until they all get along reasonably well (no bloodshed), and then you can cement them as a quartet in a neutral/changed pen, in your rabbit room.

[kralspace]

Thanks, Petzy, that makes a lot of sense.

They’ve all been in the same house together for four years now. Outside of their condos, they’ve shared the same play area (my whole house) that entire time. Maybe that will help me as opposed to two couples that are relatively new to each other?

Something else strange, this morning the girls were extremely friendly towards me. They usually stay on the lower floors snoozing, but they were up on the upper ones looking for breakfast and actively asking for pets.

Who are these strange bunnies!

[Deleted User]

The girls must be curious about one another. Four years of seeing and smelling one another is a long time.
Rabbits are full of surprises, aren’t they?

[kralspace]

now, if you could just figure out how to bond bunnies with weasels without anyone getting eaten.

[Deleted User]

Some bonds are just not meant to be…

[Deleted User]

…some bonds are meant to be. My Deirdra/Mops bond was one like that, and it did break up my previous Lint-Mops bond to a degree.

In the end the rabbits just shift their relationships around. Herds are flexible entities.

[Minty]

lol I love Mops in that picture. His face is just a ball of black fluff and it’s partially masking Deidra’s!

[Deleted User]

Thanks Minty! Mops is so hard to make out. He looks the same from front and behind….

[kralspace]

He does look like a fuzzy shadow, they’re both beautiful

[Deleted User]

I would like to bond Lola to Neigey

Lint&Neigey

[kralspace]

They’re so beautiful, I get jealous when I see your photos!

Monday Boys Night:

Second verse, same as the first.

Popped Daisy (dutch) in with Toby. Nothing. Sat next to each other just like I set them down, not looking at each other. Petted them for a few mintutes then just sat on the bed beside them.

After a few minutes they looked each other over and settled back down with Daisy snuggled in toward the back of Toby. They sat like that for an entire half hour of Pickers.

The second half they got a bit more active sitting up and looking around, moving around the cube a bit, but staying together. I saw Toby lick Daisy’s head twice.  Daisy’s doing his trademark frozen pose below. He had short periods of doing that, then snapping back with us. I sometimes wonder if he has absence seizures….

The last 10 minutes of the hour, Toby started grooming himself all over, then Daisy started and they groomed leaning on each other. You can’t see it because Toby’s so black, but he’s washing his face.

I put some greens in and fed them a few raisins, no competition at all, each waited his turn. When Toby dropped his because his teeth are a bit long, Daisy just sat there and didn’t try to steal it.

Again, baffled and totally pleased. To think that I’ve been through such hoops to make sure they never got together, they must really laugh at me in bunny.

As a sidenote, after I put Daisy back with Lola, I closed but didn’t latch the door because I was coming right back with greens. Charlie was out and about and he jumped up on the box they use to get in and out of the condos, pulled the door open and hopped right in. I heard all the running and found Charlie laying out inside the little wooden box in the condo that doubles as Daisy’s hidey box and a step up to the upper floor. Daisy and Lola were on the box looking like people who are scared of a mouse! They all ran together when I reached for Charlie, but there was no fighting.

Silly bunnies.

What do you think of the boys? They were much more laid back and relaxed than the girls.
 

[Lintini]

I was like…how did Monkey and Moose end up here….and why is Monkey so much bigger now? lol.

How interesting!! Silly girl bunnies! Best bonding luck!!

[mrmac]

That is amazing! You got lucky with this one! They will all be great together! The boys looks really good. Grooming themselves and even a couple licks to the other is awesome!

[jerseygirl]

This is fabulous!!! Things are certainly interesting round your place lately. Funny how the girls were the next day. Sucking up to you to have another girls night out perhaps? J&R used to be curious about the bathroom during and post bonding. I sort of found it like they were asking to go back in the tub for a session.

And the boys…your non-groomer grooming the groomer on 1st meeting? Wow!

When you’ve put them together in the cage bonder, is this in another room of the house? From what you’ve said, territory over their condos or their boys sounds like a big issue with the girls. So i’m thinking if you can do most of the bonding away from bunny room and completly overhaul their condos in time, things would go better.

Hope there’s some swift bonding happening for you and that Charlie can be added into the mix!

[Monkeybun]

What’s my Moosie doing at your house? *sniffles*

hehehe It’s funny what bunnies do, isn’t it? Moosie totally just flopped out right beside Monkey in our latest session.

[Lintini]

Lol See Lesley I thought I was in your bonding thread! How cute you both have similar buns!!

[Sarita]

I’m not surprised about Daisy – he seemed pretty amiable when I met him. Continued bonding vibes :~)

[kralspace]

Thanks for all the encouragement!

The bunny room is 12’x18′, with nic condos lining three walls. The short free wall has boxes so they can climb up and look out the window, a really big hay box and carpet and rugs to run on. I didn’t like them getting under the condos and peeing so I blocked them but put the concrete tubes running through them, they can run under the condos but only through the tubes and they love it.

I guess when the day comes to put them all together I need to totally change the room? I know I’ll dismantle the condos, except for the piggies and Charlie. Should I start over with strange new rugs and toys? Now that I’ve been paying attention to the details, they are only vicious about the condos, if someone comes close to them. Will making them totally disappear and putting several hidey boxes around the room take care of most of this maybe? I know for piggies you need to have one more box than you do pigs.

I am really excited about how this is going. I may try a Lola/Toby tonight and see what happens. He’s at the vet getting his teeth done today so he’ll be in a mellow mood after the girls spoil him all day.

 

This is what the room looked like back when I first got Simba, it’s even more crowded with condos now!

[Deleted User]

You don’t necessarily have to change your rabbit room. You could cement them, when the time comes, for three weeks (I’d give extra cementing time for groups) in another place and then transfer them back into the rabbit room.

[kralspace]

hhmmm, my house is fairly small when it comes to living space. The group bonding may have to be in the living room or my bedroom.

[kralspace]

It’s a good thing there was some shows on tv I wanted to watch tonight, because the bonding box action was pretty boring…..in a good way of course.

Each combo had 45 minnutes: Toby & Lola, Toby and Daisy, Daisy and Pringles, Pringles and Lola. Each time they just worked their way next to each other and relaxed. Even uptight Daisy loafed about. No one tried to hide under anyone or scrunch in the corner, it was just very laid back.

I guess tomorrow I might build a 2 cube box and try the couples with a little more room.

Crazy rabbits

[Monkeybun]

I guess all that living with each other in the same room has paid off. Now.. lets hope that works on my 2 lol.

Good bonding vibes from me and M&M

[Deleted User]

[LoveChaCha]

Posted By Petzy on 06/16/2010 12:01 PM

HAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!

Monkey is so tiny.

*steals*

 

[kralspace]

oh, you could be right, they all pay attention when Chef Ramsey is yelling!

[Monkeybun]

hehehe they do enjoy their NCIS and Burn Notice lol.

[Beka27]

What on earth?!!!?

I was only gone for 5 days… and you basically have a quartet?!!!!

Oh my gosh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[kralspace]

Hi Beka!

Yes, I have to say I’m shocked too. Originally as Head Rabbit who had had enough of Pringles and Lola being so nasty to each other and trying to fight their way out of their condos to get at the other, I was just going to force them together for awhile, not bond them. So they would accept that neither was leaving and they weren’t going to be allowed to fight.

Now, a week later I’m planning for a bunny room minus condos, which would be my idea of bunny heaven. It has been baffling, those girls have been so God-awful towards each other I was NOT expecting it to go the way it has to say the least…lol

[kralspace]

Been a long weekend so far………………………………………sorry for the long post.

Started out early Sat. morning by putting the two couples in a 2×2 grid box for a few hours, one bunny at a time, but as quick as I could fetch them. They bunched together at first, no fighting, no humping, nothing except being united against the crazy woman who thought this was a good idea.

After a while they separated into couples, but a flick of my swiffer wand and they’d pile back together. We did this for an hour and they all went to sleep.

I decided to bunny proof against a bunch of peeing and turn them loose and see what happened.
Here’s the room with cardboard in the corners, double fencing around the wood stove because that would be their favorite place to run and hide, plastic, towels and blankets to protect the couch and chairs. It’s a classy look I know……..lol, glad no one came over so far.

 

 

I picked the grid box up and they ran 4 different directions, Daisy had a ball in the big litterbox, Lola ran into a corner behind the couch, Toby on the coffee table and Pringles simply claimed the big rug in the center of the room.

From noon to evening they just kinda swapped places all over the room. No fighting, no humping, if someone moved into another’s space, the first one just moved somewhere else. There was a bit of funny charging, mainly between Lola/Pringles. They’d run toward each other, at the last second they jump in the air and each run a different direction. The first time or two I squirted both of them, but stopped doing that when I realized they weren’t making contact. It was kinda funny to watch.

Around 7pm I put out pellets and greens in several different places and everybody ate (I snuck Toby his grated carrots and cut up veggies under the coffee table)I decided to get the carpets and rugs out of the condos and put them in the living room to see if there would be any jealousy over ‘their stuff’. Nothing.

 We watched movies until 2 am and I turned the lights off and slept on the couch. I heard some moving around, nothing much.

Got up at 6am and found each couple had staked out a spot overnight, Lola/Daisyy in the chair and Pringles/Toby under the coffee table. They all scattered out to eat and went back to snoozing. 

 

 

Everybody’s grooming themselves and pretty laid back, if not mingling. Daisy has been binkying like crazy all morning up and down the rugs. The only fussing has been a bit of Toby and Lola charging at each other. Again, not touching, just launching into the air and passing each other.

During the last day and half they’ve been together, I’ve seen no humping, circling, some bluffing, but no real aggression. Pringles has established herself as alpha queen and lounges out in the middle. Lola has been the piss ant of the group. For the first few hours she hid behind the couch, coming out to peek around the coffee table, thumping like crazy for hours.

Daisy is one happy bunny binkying everywhere. Toby is just laid back moseying around and occasionally challenging Lola. There were a few minutes where all four were in the middle of the room, some would run and the others would leap straight up in the air as they ran under them, crazy. It’s about 9:30 am and the couples are each snuggled up and sleeping.

I’m think of taking their condos out of the bunny room and trying them back in there later today. Do you think I should leave the area open or maybe put some boxes, the mazes back so they can hide? I don’t know whether I should keep them in the open or give them places they can claim as couples. I could put the chair and coffee table in there for a while.

I have their litterboxes, rugs and bowls in the living room and there seems to be no fighting over their stuff. I’m going to clean and mop the bunny room with vinegar and try to make it look as different as I can.

[Deleted User]

Great!

Yes, do it: set up the rabbit room minus their old enclosures, but leave the room bare to be safe.
My trouble in bonding my quartet was that Neigey would end up singled out whenever I did sessions with all four. In this respect, bonding two pairs with each other has an advantage as there are two equal fronts and each bun always has somnebunny join up with.

Don’t take your eyes off them yet though, they will have to get to sorting out some things amongst each other first.

[kralspace]

Sounds good, Petzy. The troublemaker seems to be Lola, she starts staring at someone from across the room and seems to agitate them into making a move on her, but I’m squirting her and not the one she’s goading so maybe she’ll give it up before someone beats the crap out of her. Toby is her size and Pringles is almost twice as big. (you think she would have noticed this by now)

I was really prepared for a royal mess in the room, but outside of very few shotgun pellets, there’s really nothing. Nothing like they would do outside each other’s condo. Even the rugs that came out of their condos are pretty clean. and I notice I must have used the word ‘crazy’ a thousand times already, but it does seem so crazy the way it’s going. I expected some humping but haven’t seen a single incident.

[Deleted User]

The poowars will come, I am sure of it. But you know what? Ever since I quarteted by buns up there has been no more humping at all! Deirdra tries but it never materializes. It’s odd.

[kralspace]

geeez, I’m tired. But I can now hit a fly at 20 feet with my squirt bottle. Between Lola and Toby sitrring up squabbles it was a busy day.

Lola I caught and put back in the little box with Toby and she was pretty much ok afterwards. Toby kept chasing Daisy and didn’t care if I soaked him through and through, but he responds to a loud ack ack no! Not that he can catch Daisy who’s wicked fast, but I didn’t want him to get in the habit.

Feeding was sort confused, I hadn’t really thought that through. Luckily Toby was sulking behind the hay box so I could slip his plate with grated veggies out of sight of the others. No one’s eating much yet, but everybody’s pretty tired out.

I came back and found some chunks of white rex fur, but Lola’s shedding so heavily it wouldn’t have taken much to pull it off.

I have to go to work tomorrow  morning,but I’m coming home around 3pm so I can check on them. Hopefully they’ll do their snoozing thing all day.

I took a photo of the room before dismantling the condos (without the big litterbox and rugs usually in it)

 

and one just now. I like Pringles kicked back thinking “It’s good to be queen”

 

[Deleted User]

I think they are gearing up for a face-off, krals. I would mix up the pairs now in close sessions of two rabbits at a time.

[kralspace]

ok, I’ll start as soon as I get home. I sat in the room a bit this morning and saw both Lola and Daisy individually come up to Pringles several times. They would touch noses, Pringles would sit still, but the other bunny would turn and quickly hop in another direction. Toby was also out touching noses and not attacking.

Didn’t see anymore of Lola’s hair lying around, but each couple seems to have staked out a corner of the room again. Lola and Daisy don’t seem to mind when the others come to their area, but Toby’s still snarky if they come near his corner and has marked around it. I’ll give him some box time with Lola and Daisy this afternoon.

one thing I wasn’t expecting, but is very nice. The bunnies are all very open to hopping up to me and letting me pet them, even *gasp* Daisy. If they’re sitting on the window box it’s even easier.

Edited to add: Oh yeah, I forgot. Charlie’s condo overlooks all this and he’s really trying to get out and join in. I had to add another layer of nic grids and a roof and super tie the door. Then he tried to chew his way through the cloroplast. I feel sorry for him, but he’s just going to have to wait a bit.

[Deleted User]

I admit I forgot about Charlie over all this! Poor feller… what will happen with him? A quintet?

[Beka27]

Absolutely amazing.

Charlie will have his day soon.

[kralspace]

Second day:

The entire floor was covered in poo. Not piles, just thousands of them carefully spaced one inch apart. I’m kidding but you know what I mean. Just a few puddles of pee.

 I came in to sweep they got mad and all four ran to Toby’s spot behind the blue box. All of them squeezed behind the box.  Together. For about 15 minutes, no fighting, the ones I could see were loafing or just comfortable.

I put the greens out and peeked back in a few minutes later…… yes that’s Mr. Isolation Toby out there eating with everyone. Maybe he knew I was going to stick him in the box again tonight and decided to get along. There was no fur anywhere.

At one point, all four were lying in a square, like 2 feet apart just chilling. or scheming.

 

and here’s Charlies new compound, I had to completely grid him in to keep him from climbing out to join the group.

Progress? I think we’re all very tired. I’m going to watch them for an hour or so and go to bed.

 

[jerseygirl]

I am just loving this! I check in on developments with your crew and it cheers me up.

[Deleted User]

LOL, krals, you know it’s a lot of rabbits when you have to label them!

[kralspace]

I don’t know if it’s just because I’m so tired, but I’m really proud of how they behaved today while I was gone.

[Minty]

Wow, very cool to see the progress!
How come Charlie can’t be added to the group?
Is Toby the only boy?
I wish I had a bunny room like this!

[Monkeybun]

Daisy is a boy too

[Karla]

I love this thread – and all these pictures! That is so great you have been able to provide us with that.

And congrats on such an easy bond. So, I guess the next mission is a five-group (bah, don’t know the fancy word )?

[RabbitPam]

That is really amazing to see.

It’s just a roomful of bunnies. I think you need to teach them to play bridge, with Charlie as the substitute when someone wants to sit out. That should keep them busy for a few hours while you’re at work.

[kralspace]

or they could all play poker!

Charlie baffles me as well. The vet says he’s intact and of the age he should be a bratty hormonal teenager, but he doesn’t act like it, and the others don’t act like there’s an intact male in the area either. But I think I’d rather go ahead and have him neutered before introducing him to the group. And it gives me a bit more time to make sure the couples are comfortable together before bringing in yet another.

Yikes, four years ago when my son asked for a bunny for his birthday, I only envisioned a sweet little brown bunny…………..

[Deleted User]

Are the staying together f/t already?

[kralspace]

They’re been together since Saturday morning when we took over the living room. Sunday I just opened the right doors when I had the bunny room ready and they all hopped back there eventually. It’s only 4:20 here so I have a little while before I can go home and see whats happened. I would love to have a bunny cam, but would freak out if I saw a fight.

[Deleted User]

I am very curious how it goes on, your dynamics are very different than mine were at this stage; but I had a trio and a single to start out with.

[kralspace]

Lola and Daisy still seem to be very dependent on each other, no matter how far they roam they frequently wind up snuggling on that green rug that came from their condo. Pringles and Toby each have their same favorite spots to lounge as when they would just get out for playtime. They were always snuggly inside their condo, but pretty independent outside and that seems to have stayed the same.

But get THIS Petzy. This morning I peeked in the window and saw Daisy licking Toby on top of the head!!!!!!!

[Deleted User]

this is against all odds, krals. I am surprised. I kind of have to laugh how all this time you have been portraying these buns as nasty devils on a kill mission.

[Sarita]

Daisy licking Toby – no way…LOL – I mean that is no surprise since he’s a first class groomer.

LOL Petzy – that’s so true what you say too.

[RabbitPam]

Mutant Teenage Ninja Bunnies. Maybe they’re banding together to do evil elsewhere….sleep with one eye open tonight….

[MirBear]

O.M.G. LMFAO!!! ok im sorry but i though these bunnies were vicious little demons who hated each other.. and within what 3 days?? you have a quartet with a fith bunny risking a jail breakout to join lol!!!

[kralspace]

OMG! I don’t know what to say.

For four years these bunnies have acted like they’re going to rip each other’s throats out. I’m going to go back through my camera files and see if I can’t find some footage of Pringles storming back and forth across the lower level, growling and snorting and jerking on the grids with her teeth and claws….lol And Toby and Daisy doing those aerial dog fights, jumping at each other and meeting in mid air, fur flying everywhere. I don’t believe how they are behaving.

It’s a plan to drive me crazy so they can take over the house, I tell you! and it’s working!

Tonight the floor had maybe one third of the poo as yesterday and LOLA AND TOBY were snuggled together in the middle of the room with Pringles close by. Daisy was hanging out in his favorite litter box, out of camera range. They kinda sat up when they heard the camera, but I still got them together.

I’ll just post the photos from tonight because I have no words………..

[Deleted User]

I’m very happy for you, krals! It is such a relief when the rabbits can share a space.

[Beka27]

I’m just… still in shock. Heck, I may go and adopt two more bunnies tomorrow. LOL!

 

So aside from Dawn in AUS (whose bunnies were siblings), is it possible that you may end up with one of the first documented BB quintets?  (Is that the right word, I don’t even know?)

[Deleted User]

Since you have five, this is my BB challenge for you then: make the first quintet.

[kralspace]

I think I’m going to have too, Charlie has made it really clear that he wants in on it.

We may have to look at this as a four year bonding effort, since they had all that time to see and get used to each other before this. Without a fight Pringles has been acknowledged as queen and there have been no challenges. Although there’s not humping or fighting, I do see her assert herself a lot. She might walk close to Lola looking a bit aggressive, back up and tail out, but Lola immediately hops away from her and it’s over.

I do find it funny that Lola seems to have learned not to do that nananananananana to the others now that they could get to her. Maybe the curiosity factor someone mentioned smoothed a lot of potential problems over.

Heck, I don’t know, I’m just very very happy.

There was an escape this morning. I was in my bedroom and heard the nic fence rattle and I saw Pringles, Daisy and Toby run by. The fence had been scooted too close to the rug and they were able to get traction for an easy jump. So I took the nic fence up and there are signs on both the bunny room doors reminding us to completely shut the doors now.

It was totally fun to pull around the house and see 3 bunny heads looking out their window….. 😉

[Deleted User]

Posted By kralspace on 06/23/2010 08:50 AM
I think I’m going to have too, Charlie has made it really clear that he wants in on it.

We may have to look at this as a four year bonding effort, since they had all that time to see and get used to each other before this. 

 

a four-year bonding effort… you are the most dedicated bonder then! I look up to you

[Deleted User]

Krals, you won’t need the coyote calls after all, will you?

[Deleted User]

[kralspace]

aawww, I love photos of your group! Thanks guys!

Keep the coyote handy, it might be a last resort.

I’ve also reserved my other Ace in the hole—-my dog, Floppie. Just her walking through the room puts an end to any fighting and it becomes All Rabbits Against the Dog. When Lola and Daisy had hit that final level of bonding, but were still doing the petty squabbling, one visit from The Dog was all it took to settle that.

Multiiples run in my family 😉 my younger sisters are triplets, and within the triplets there is a pair of identical twins so maybe I was meant to have a group 😉

[Deleted User]

That’s funny, my family has multiples as well ~

[mrmac]

Congrats Kralspace! I am so happy for your and your bunnies!

[kralspace]

thanks mrmac!

[jerseygirl]

haha, that’s funny that your dog has a kind of bunny name.

Congrats kralspace! After losing 2 of your precious bunnys you deserve some bunny related happiness. This has been great to see from afar so thanks for sharing it.

I’m curious to know what the other Bunny Wrangler (aka your son) thinks of all this?

[kralspace]

Michael likes it. They like to play chase with him and now they have more room to run. He’s also noticed how they come right up to us for attention now.

I’m not sure what to do about Lola. This morning there were several tufts of rex hair around and she was very pushy about not wanting the others to come up to me or have any of the food, which I put in 4 different piles, or the pellets, or the water or the toys. It was mine, mine, mine about everything. She got into some circling with Toby and Daisy until they just left. She tried it with Pringles twice, but Pringles just kinda fluffed up real big and went into that aggressive stance and Lola hopped away.

Lola stayed on my heels so I let her follow me into the kitchen where she supervised breakfast. She’s gotten very demanding of pets from me since the change. I”m still adjusting the all their new attitudes since being free range in the room, but she’s a bit puzzling.

Do you think she needs more attention from me or time in the box with the others?

[Deleted User]

yes, Lola is needing some one-on-one with the others in paired sessions. It is normal in a group that one rabbit tries to get belligerent… if you deal with it early on it won’t be a big problem.

[kralspace]

Now I understand why Pringles would want to whop her little butt.

[Deleted User]

krals, the other thing you could do now is take the four and confine them in a neutral enclosure such as a 3 by 2 NIC cage for long sessions. Or if you made it big enough you could build a cementing cage.
Sometimes in a large space such as a romm bunnies in a group develop camps and you don’t want that.

[MimzMum]

Wow…I’m just getting to this now, since for me bonding won’t be an issue for awhile yet.
Most of the pix are not coming up for me at all. Can you give me a head/color count so I can picture all this in my mind’s eye, please?

I have to say kralspace, this gives me great hope that after almost three years together in the same room, but with separate pens, perhaps Mimz, Pip & Fiver may eventually have a trio. Pip is like my version of Pringles it would seem. She is the ringleader and most likely to take a chunk out of someone’s butt if they give her starch. I am not sure if a combination would make Mimzy do the Lola thing, or Fiver. I’m mostly worried about the two boys fighting, but I’m starting to think this really can be done, nonetheless.
Let’s pray the others don’t take on a pack mentality towards Lola. I had a group of chickens that did that to the runt of the flock and I always had to carry her around in my arms at feeding time so she wouldn’t be pecked to death. She would seek me out every time I came with the feed, like a drowning man with a lifeguard en route.
Going to stick this thread in my faves for future reference. This is great news that they have all come together so well.
I’ll add my congratulations, but also warn you to check for four little bunny pods under their litterboxes. This group seems a little E.T. to me.

Also what kind of dog do you have? I don’t recall you mentioning him before. (probably just my lousy memory)

[Elrohwen]

Wow, this is absolutely amazing!! I’m so excited for you and the new quartet. Can’t wait til you get all 5 together. I’ve read that once you have that many, you can introduce the new guy during feeding time and the others won’t even notice 😉

[Deleted User]

Elrohwen, I want to know if this is true.

[kralspace]

mimzmum, Floppie is an 18 yr old black someone-threw-her-out-of-a-car-and-she-was-pregnant dog. She was starved, skin and bones but she wouldn’t let anybody near her. The guy that saw her thrown out really wanted her but she was terrified of him. On a freezing day she was on my porch and let me feed and make her a bed and she’s never left my side since.

I can’t imagine someone throwing her out, she’s smart and understands everything you say but is still frightened by men so we wonder what happened to her. The vet did some xrays and said she had several broken ribs and other bones that kinda healed but it hurts her to pick her up. Everytime you looked at her she would roll over on her back, hence the name “Floppie”, I know not very ladylike.

She’s pretty much blind and deaf now, but she rules the backyard and still refuses to stay in the house. Her way of dealing with the other animals is to look at the ceiling and mumble, ‘this is not happening’. I used to take her to the barn with me and she would lay down and freeze when the chickens came running over. They’d sit on her and she’d never move a muscle.

Yes, I love her to death.

[Deleted User]

Your dog is 18? Can you you tell me the secret to such canine longevity? I really want my dogs sto live that long!

[kralspace]

I have no idea, Petzy, must be her mutt genes. My horse lived to be 49 so I’m used to my pets living a long time. The rabbits and guinea pigs have been a bit of a shock in that area, I want them to go on for years.

[Deleted User]

That is outrageous! Maybe it’s the place you live in? The water? I am shocked. so I guess you’ll live to be a hundred-and-fifty years old.

[Author]

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