Bonding help

[The trio dad]

<p style=”box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1em; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5625; padding: 0px;”>Spay/Neuter<br style=”box-sizing: inherit;” />Are your bunnies spayed/neutered? Yes all three <br style=”box-sizing: inherit;” />If so, for how long (for each)? 4 years,2 years and 10 weeks <br style=”box-sizing: inherit;” />
</p>
<p style=”box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1em; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5625; padding: 0px;”>Housing<br style=”box-sizing: inherit;” />Please describe your bunnies’ current housing set-up (living together, as neighbors, etc.).  House side by side in 4 x 4 pens.</p>
<p style=”box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1em; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5625; padding: 0px;”>Bonding background<br style=”box-sizing: inherit;” />Did you allow the bunnies to “settle-in”? <br style=”box-sizing: inherit;” />How would you describe your bunnies reactions towards each other (answer for each bunny): shy, scared, curious, calm, aggressive, excited, affectionate, etc.?</p>
 
<p style=”box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1em; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5625; padding: 0px;”>vale: curious most of the time.  Gets a little aggressive when the duo thump.   He will be affectionate as well</p>
<p style=”box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1em; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5625; padding: 0px;”>cid: sometimes affectionate but mostly scared</p>
Kupo: affection and usually calm
<p style=”box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1em; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5625; padding: 0px;”>Have you done any “pre-bonding” (cage or litter box swaps, etc.)?  ive swapped litter boxes and for a couple weeks while vale was recovering from his neuter <br style=”box-sizing: inherit;” />Have you started sessions yet?</p>
<p style=”box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1em; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5625; padding: 0px;”>Yes , mostly every day.  Odd times I don’t. <br style=”box-sizing: inherit;” />How long have you been working on bonding your bunnies?  For last 2 weeks <br style=”box-sizing: inherit;” />How frequently do you have bonding sessions, and how long are they? Daily, between 15- 1 hour long<br style=”box-sizing: inherit;” />Have you tried any stressing techniques?</p>
I’ve done bike ride, and I carry them in a basket to the bonding area.

 

So my dilemma is we had a good start, we could stay in a pen 2 x 4 for 5 hours before I’d return them to their pens but a week ago something happened, I don’t know what I think the cat broke the top of the pens but the trio had a scuffle thankfully no wounds but since then vale has begun to spray every time one of the others thump.

 

They were doing super well before without much issue so I’m disheartened to say the least.

[The trio dad]

With the strangest development honestly I don’t even know.  These rabbits are confusing me.  😫

 

I placed them in a slightly larger area for bonding tonight.  Usually it’s a scuffle but this time it was just a lunge and a small chase and a spray.  No issue.

 

Added a litter box and usually this is a fight but nothing happened.  If anything they all crawled into the box with no issue.  I don’t even know what’s happening here and I am so confused.

[Wick & Fable]

Rabbit relationship dynamics, like human children, can be confusing. Consistency is key in bonding, so take the small victory and hope for the best moving forward! The cat scuffle definitely makes sense as something to muck up progress, so just keep moving forward and stay diligent.

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.

[The trio dad]

Wasn’t even a cat scuffle, my cats are dumb as hell sometimes and think flat things are solid when they are infact not.

 

Consistently isn’t a issue, unless I don’t have the energy or I’m away, bonding will happen in one shape or form.

[DanaNM]

Sorry I’m a bit unsure of your question, I had trouble reading your initial post. From the sound of it you have only been doing bonding a couple weeks and then there was a scuffle due to someone getting out of their pen?

It sounds like maybe things have settled down and they are doing ok in sessions again?

 

. . . 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.  

[The trio dad]

Well more then one scuffle to start with, first few times someone broke through my bunny proofing rooms ( vale ) and got into the fight with the other two resulting in blood and a missing chunk of ear when he was unfixed.

 

We had some really good progress for a week before my one cat thought my sheet and make shift roof was solid and broke Cid out who also happens to think the same as the cat and jumped into Vales pen resulting into a scuffle with only pulled fur.  Which ended with Cid reactive to vale.

And reintroduction no matter the place always started in a lunge and chase and lots and lots of thumping so I could only guess it was just stressing everyone out as after a half hour they were fine.

Turned out that they were just Hella awkward.  Since posting this they have been cohabitating in a pen together 24/7 with no fighting or any worrying behavior.  I guess it was a way to tell me they were ready to cohab after a bit.  As everyone has been snuggling, grooming each other without problems.

[Author]

Messages