Biting while bonding

[Hazelbuny]

I adopted a boy bunny named Brownie so my bun Hazel will not be so lonely when I am at work or school. They have been prebonding for a few weeks and I started bathtub dates with them. They are ok until Hazel moves in the slightest bit. If Hazel repositions herself or grooms herself Brownie will put his ears back and start biting her. He bit her ear one time and there is a small cut where he bit so he is not biting very softly. Hazel never fights back but she stays completely frozen. Sometimes he will put his head towards her to be groomed but she does not groom him. If she does the same he will bite her. Why does he keep biting her? Will they ever bond if he is biting all the time?

[A Happy Herd of Hares]

Are they fixed? It sounds like they maybe don’t like each other much, maybe try introducing new toys or another new area!

[sarahthegemini]

You should be stopping the biting. Biting isn’t okay.

Honestly I’d go back to prebonding for a while. And if they’re not yet spayed & neutered, that needs to be done first.

[Hazelbuny]

Yes they have both been spayed and neutered. I split them up with my mitts when he starts biting. How long should prebonding last? They have been prebonding for two weeks now. Their enclosures are near each other and I have been switching their living spaces daily. It’s so strange because they want to sit next to each other while in their pens and groom themselves and act comfortable next to each other which I thought was a sign they were ready to move on to a face to face meeting.

[Asriel and Bombur]

Are you bonding in neutral territory?

[Hazelbuny]

Yes I am doing bonding sessions in the bathtub which neither of them have been in. He nips my hand sometimes if I move it too fast in front of his face. He may be to be triggered by Hazel’s sudden movement because he does not bite her when she is sitting still. I adopted him from the shelter so they do not know his past. Maybe his previous house had a lot of grabby children but all they told me was that he was previously bonded with a male bunny that passed away so I don’t think it is impossible to bond him.

[LBJ10]

If they are having some issues with each other, it doesn’t hurt to take a step back and do a little more pre-bonding stuff for awhile. Sometimes bunnies just need a break. Nipping is normal, but biting should be stopped because you don’t want them to hurt each other.

Have you tried any other techniques? Like smooshing them together and “grooming” them both at the same time? Or taking them for a car ride together? Or even putting them in a larger, neutral space together? Sometimes all a couple of bunnies need is a little more room so they don’t feel “trapped”. There is no one way to bond, so it doesn’t hurt to experiment and try different things to see what works.

[Author]

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