Bonding Help

[OllieLoki]

Hey everyone!

So I’ve been pre bonding for about 8 days now and just letting my bunnies smell and get used to eachother.

Today I took them for a ride in my car for about 20min to stress bond them and they did great no fighting!

My question is, How long do I stress bond them until I put them together?

[DanaNM]

Hi @OllieLoki,

I recommend reading through the Bonding Info section for some tips on the full process of bonding, as well as some bonding journals on this site to get an idea of how things can go. It would also be helpful if you could fill out the “bonding template” and paste in the reply on this thread to give us some more background on your bunnies.

There are many ways to go about bonding. Stressing is one tool that can be used, but is not the only part of the process.

The basic process is that you need to supervise the bunnies in neutral territory (not necessarily stressful) until they trust each other and have sorted out their dominance hierarchy. One way to do this is to start with short dates, and slowly work up to longer and longer dates. During these dates your most important job is to prevent fighting, and always try to end sessions on a positive note (even if that’s the bunnies ignoring each other). Once you get to the point where they can spend a couple hours together peacefully, you can try longer sessions (4-8 hours), and then eventually overnight sessions (all in neutral territory). The final phase, called “cementing” is when they have stayed in neutral territory for 48 hours (minimum), with no aggression whatsoever for 48 hours and plenty of positive behaviors (cuddling, grooming, food sharing, etc.). After that you continue to supervise but can move them to semi-neutral territory, and then finally to their permanent home.

 

. . . 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.  

[OllieLoki]

Oh I didn’t see the template! so sorry!

Spay/Neuter
Are your bunnies spayed/neutered? yes they both are.
If so, for how long (for each)? Ollie the female has been spayed for 5 months. Loki the male has been spayed for over a year.
If not, why not?
Are you aware of reproductive cancer risk in females? If not, please read about it here. Yes I am.

Housing
Please describe your bunnies’ current housing set-up (living together, as neighbors, etc.). I have 2 pens setup IN MY BEDROOM WHERE I SLEEP side by side so they can see and smell each other without nipping.

Bonding background
Did you allow the bunnies to “settle-in”? Yes Ollie has been in my room since she was 2 months old and is now 10 months. I just adopted Loki over week ago and hes warmed up to my place.
How would you describe your bunnies reactions towards each other (answer for each bunny): shy, scared, curious, calm, aggressive, excited, affectionate, etc.? Loki is the calm one and doesn’t start fights, hes very calm and shy. Ollie since my bedroom has been hers for so long shes defensive and territorial, and also the one starting the nipping and biting of the cages.
Have you done any “pre-bonding” (cage or litter box swaps, etc.)? Ive been prebonding them for 10 days and have been swapping the bunnies pens everyday.
If so, for how long? everyday for 10 days so far
Have you started sessions yet? Ive only done a couple stress bonds and they have went well so far no fighting. But I tried doing 1 session and they started fighting after 2 min. So im scared and have just been doing stress bonds.
How long have you been working on bonding your bunnies? 10 days
How frequently do you have bonding sessions, and how long are they? I stress bond them every other day for about 15 min. I go on a car ride and put them in a laundry basket.
Have you tried any stressing techniques? Car Rides.

[DanaNM]

Thank you that is helpful!

So they don’t fight in the car?  What type of space did you try where they fought? Just to make sure I’ve got the timing right, you just have done a few stress sessions, but have been pre-bonding for about a week?

If they don’t fight in the car, I would keep doing car sessions (just keep an eye on the bun’s stress levels). After a few more days of this, then try doing a car ride followed by a few minutes in neutral space. When they approach each other, pet them both to keep them calm and prevent fighting (it makes them think they are being groomed). Always end on a good note, and so even if that means petting them both, or them ignoring each other. Don’t be afraid to be very involved at first to make sure they don’t fight.

 

 

. . . 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.  

[OllieLoki]

Yeah they dont fight in the car.

Yeah I got Loki 10 days ago and they been prebonding in my room ever since in the pens I setup for them. They fought in a neutral space in a playpen I setup near my kitchen.

okay Ill keep doing car sessions and after a couple Ill try doing a session in a neutral spot and see what happens!

I’ll keep you updated! Thank you so much for taking the time to help. Its my first bond and im nervous and want it to work.

[DanaNM]

Since you just got Loki 10 days ago, it almost might help to wait a bit longer to do sessions. Generally it’s a good idea to let the new bun settle in for a week or 2, then do about 2 weeks of pre-bonding, and then start sessions. This makes sure the new bun is healthy and feels safe, and allows them to get extra used to each other’s scents. I think since Ollie is still acting aggressive through the fence, extra pre-bonding might help them be more calm during sessions.

. . . 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.  

[OllieLoki]

Oh okay that makes sense. I’ll hold off and wait for sessions.

Should I hold off on stress bonding as well? And just stick to prebonding?

[DanaNM]

Yes I think just stick to pre-bonding for now 🙂

. . . 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.  

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