Are my bunnies fully bonded?

[Ginger&Seal]

Hello, so I know a common way of knowing that your rabbits are bonded is when they both groom each other. I have been bonding my two rabbits through the TokiHut method where you start with a small space and gradually increase. Fortunately,  both my rabbits lay next to each other,  groom one another, and flop by each other. But there is one action that I do not like that I notice and that is my female will chase the male when he runs slightly (even in that small space I have them in), it does not seem playful. Whenever I see that I close their space a little bit more and spray her with water so that she learns being mean = less space. I just want some clarification if this behavior is somewhat normal.

[Wick & Fable]

The mere existence of grooming doesn’t actually mean rabbits are bonded– it is a positive sign, but it is a common behavior behavior present during the bonding process, as opposed to just at the end.

I would actually recommend not doing the water spray nor always reducing after this occurs. In actuality, as long as they do not escalate into a tornado, tense interactions like small chasing, lunging, and even small nips are a natural part of the process and are the rabbits communicating with each other about the hierarchy. That cannot happen if these communications and feedbacks are not occuring between the rabbits.

We have a slightly different method and progression for bonding recommended here: https://binkybunny.com/infocategory/bonding/

No bonding process is the same, so while the current method you are using may work for some rabbits, it will not for all. I would actually be worried about the moving and water spraying having your rabbit gain negative associations with the other rabbit. Remember rabbits aren’t mind readers, so there’s no way of knowing that your rabbit is actually linking your actions to the natural act of her chasing.

 

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.

[Ginger&Seal]

Ok 🙂 thanks for the advice.

[DanaNM]

How long have you been bonding them?

I think you may need to give them more space and let them work through this behavior. I would stop the chase if it goes on for more than a couple seconds, but I’ve found that some amount of chasing is part of the process. You don’t want it to escalate to fighting, but rabbits will test each other with chasing. If one rabbit always runs away, the chasing rabbit eventually learns the other rabbit isn’t a threat.

. . . 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.  

[Ginger&Seal]

This is actually the second time I am bonding them as the first bond between them was broken when Seal became very ill from an infection in his lungs and he had a catheter tube where he received his fluids and Ginger was biting it and he was without medication for a good hour. The vet instructed me to just bring Seal back the next day and then it broke off from there. He is fine now and healthy, I have been bonding them both for almost around 2 weeks. They have been in what I believe is a 1 x 2 x-pen, it’s a small area.

Thanks for your advice I will give them more room to work out their differences.

[DanaNM]

Gotcha, that’s helpful info!

Can you describe the chasing a bit more? Does it seem triggered by anything in particular? Are Ginger’s ears up or down? Tail up or down? From what you said so far, it sounds like nervousness. Like maybe Ginger gets nervous when Seal moves too quickly so she chases? If that’s the case, then I do think more time in more space will help.

. . . 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.  

[Ginger&Seal]

It seems that ginger will sometimes nip seal in the back to move and when he does move, he does it quickly and I guess that triggers ginger when he starts running fast. Before during their first time being bonded, this chasing only occurred whenever I let them out of their pen to run around more, in this case, seal would get the “zoomies” and ginger would proceed to chase but someone in the house would usually yell “no”, to make sure this does not escalate. I haven’t noticed their ears or tails. Seal mostly looks nervous and ginger has like her head poking outwards as if she’s ready to do something. Just recently, I let this go on for about a couple of seconds like you guys suggested but it’s kinda hard to let it happen. Pretty much if he moves fast around her she gets triggered and starts to run behind him and sometimes seal will stop running when he hops into the litter box she then proceeds to jump in with him and start nipping which leads him to run away again and she keeps chasing him.

[DanaNM]

Ok that’s helpful. And to answer your initial question, no they are definitely not bonded yet.

Litter boxes can cause disputes during bonding sessions if added too soon. What happens if you remove the litter box?

I’ve also noticed that when bonding goes on a long time in one location, the space becomes less neutral and they can get stuck in a rut. Could you try setting them up in a new neutral area and see if there are any changes? I usually just put down puppy pee pads instead of litter boxes until they seem pretty much bonded.

. . . 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.  

[Ginger&Seal]

No, not really, I live in a tiny one-bedroom apt, and before they pretty much explored the whole house together. I have a rug underneath them. I’m not really doing sessions, they’re together most of the time except the two days I am at school and no one is home, which is like only 2 hours out of the entire day, so day and night they’re together. Thanks again.

[DanaNM]

Ah, ok! That could be a big part of the problem actually. I was trying to bond in my studio apartment and mine hit a similar barrier, where they just weren’t quite getting there, even after several days of marathoning.

You might try to take them somewhere else for a weekend (like a friend’s house). I think since you’ve had them together for 2 weeks already it might be necessary to go to a new, very neutral spot to fully finish their bond.

. . . 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.  

[Ginger&Seal]

Ok I will try that thank you again!

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