Bonding help with free roam

[SarahR04]

Hi all

I have read many of the posts which have all been helpful. I’m now looking at help with the next step in bonding these two. I’ve filled the bonding template below. 

Spay/Neuter

Are your bunnies spayed/neutered? Yes

If so, for how long (for each)? Rodders has been neutered 4 months. Lily 2 months.

Housing

Please describe your bunnies’ current housing set-up (living together, as neighbors, etc.).

We have had Rodders for over a year. He is now 2 years old. He was a show / breeding rabbit. He is an extremely chilled rabbit. Timid and nervy of most things. Will sleep under our bed in the day, but joins us when we’re home from work in the lounge to chill and enjoy strokes on the floor. 

Lily is 3 years old, arrived mid August and settled well, she is very curious, comes to the cage when you come in the room. Loves cuddles and strokes from both of us. She is quite lively compared to Rodders. 

Rodders has free roam of the home. Lily is in a pen in the living room. We couldn’t set up next to Rodders house due to space. 

Bonding background

Did you allow the bunnies to “settle-in”?

Lily stayed in her pen for around 2 weeks whilst Rodders remained free roam. They had a scuffle through the bars the first night but since then nothing. Just laying by each other, attempted grooming through the bars (mainly of a night).

How would you describe your bunnies reactions towards each other (answer for each bunny): shy, scared, curious, calm, aggressive, excited, affectionate, etc.?

As above the first night they had a go at each other. Rodders has been aggressive, curious, shy. He often lays by or near the pen Lily is kept in. Mostly of an evening. During the day he sleeps under the bed or in a box which is opposite Lily’s pen where he can see her.

Lily has been curious of Rodders and has often gone to groom him through the bars when he’s laying close enough (Rodders will often move being caught unaware). 

Over the past two weeks we have been taking them into a fenced off section of the garden daily for bonding sessions. Starting at 15 minutes have worked to 30mins. Throughout they have mainly ignored each other. On occasion they will approach one another. Rodders appears aggressive in his approach and Lily runs scared. When Lily approaches Rodders he lunges at her. 

Other occasions they have chased each other, binkying and hopping over each other. Both have tried to mount one another too. But no grooming each other when together. 

Lily has managed to get into the main living space of which Rodders chased her out of his box grunting at her. 

When out in the garden today there was a good 15 minutes of ignoring but near each other until Rodders decided to chase Lily again grunting at her. Yet when inside moments later lays next to her when she’s back in her pen. 

There has been accidental stressing where a cat with a bell walked behind the fence and they both went in a hidey space together. 

I know things aren’t too bad as no true aggression has been shown since the first evening. But wondering where we can go next to get Rodders accustomed to sharing his space? 

Being our first bonding any tips and what to expect would be great. 😃

[Wick & Fable]

Rabbits can act very differently through a pen wall vs. when having real access to each other. As the owner of the space, some might interpret Rodders being by the pen as a dominant, rude move, expressing “Ha, this is my space. You can’t get here. I own this and am so relaxed.” … If possible, I’d encourage swapping Rodder and Lily’s space every couple of days so Rodder is not continuously owning the free roam space. It will likely help them when you eventually move dates indoors to the now semi-neutral space.

I would continue short sessions in neutral (the garden, bathtub, bathroom)… Ignoring is a great sign, but you need to move slow. I would not consider trying the living space until you can get at least 1 day of no negative interactions in neutral.

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.

[DanaNM]

I agree with Wick&Fable! I think side swaps will help. Do be sure they can’t nip noses through the fence, because that can increase hard feelings.

When they approach each other in bonding sessions you can also pet them both a lot and swap scents to try to keep everyone calm. It can also trick the other rabbit into thinking they are being groomed. 🙂

. . . 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.  

[SarahR04]

Thank you for your suggestions. I will try swapping their spaces. I’m not sure we would be able to keep Lily out without anyone here. She’s a little mischievous! I do have the ability to lock Rodders in his house in the living space. Would it be worth letting Lily have time to explore the living space with him safely away?

We had a lovely moment in the garden yesterday. Rodders went to groom Lily and she bowed her head. The moment was seconds but I’d like to see this as a positive sign.

Thanks again

[DanaNM]

That sounds like a very positive sign!

If swapping spaces fully isn’t possible you can also swap litter boxes (when they are sort of dirty). And letting them explore each others spaces separately is also good.

. . . 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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