Bonding Journal

[Jazlyn]

Day 1 of Swapping Cages

So last night I tried swapping Benji and Zel’s cages and it didn’t go particularly well. At first, they were fine. Their cage is one large pen with a temporary divider between them and it is kept in my room. So when they first started out, both were curious and seemed quite comfortable. They were still laying down and eating. Benji had climbed up the side of the cage a few times but I figured since the barrier is cardboard, he would just slip right off. Keep in mind, he’s also quite afraid of jumping. Ironic, right? Anyways, I didn’t think anything of it, I figured it was just him exploring. Well I was wrong. At 3am, I woke up because I guess I knew something was wrong. Benji was sitting in the cage with Zel. They definitely weren’t happy but I got to them before anything serious happened. Zel had a fur tuft pulled out and Benji had a few almost pulled out fur tufts. I ended up putting them back in their normal sides of the cage so it doesn’t happen again, and it hasn’t.

My question is, though, has this pushed back how much longer I have to wait to start bonding them? I figured if I started the cage swapping now, they would certainly be comfortable with the scent in 2 weeks and I would start trying then, but now I’m rethinking that. I haven’t swapped cages again yet, I might try again in a few days but find something to cover each half so Benji can’t jump to the other one. Zel only has 3 legs so I don’t have to worry about that.

[Bunny House]

Hi!

Are the two buns fixed? Also, I would put them back in their original cages for a day or two so they calm down, fighting can bring negative emotions to them , remember bonding can be a long process if not done right. Then switch the buns cages, make sure they can not get into the other pen and fight. Switch them out every day so they get each others scent. Let us know how it goes in a week, and I can help you out.

I have four babies and I know how hard it can be!

[Jazlyn]

Both are neutered, Benji for a month and Zel for 2 months now. I got to them early enough so it didn’t break out into much, just a little bit of hair pulling, but I’ve been nervous swap them again because I don’t know how to prevent Benji from jumping to the other side. He doesn’t bother when he’s on his side, but when they’re swapped, he does.

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By Jazlyn on 8/04/2017 2:02 PM

Both are neutered, Benji for a month and Zel for 2 months now. I got to them early enough so it didn’t break out into much, just a little bit of hair pulling, but I’ve been nervous swap them again because I don’t know how to prevent Benji from jumping to the other side. He doesn’t bother when he’s on his side, but when they’re swapped, he does.

If that’s the case, what about switching items (litter boxes, bowls, toys etc) rather than swapping the enclosures?

[Deleted User]

Can you not get something to cover the top of the pen? The two pens I purchased came with nets and that is currently what I am using. I just make sure they are extra secure and use lots of small bulldog clips to keep it tight so it doesn’t hang down anywhere. I’ve seen on here that some people suggest bed sheets/fabric cut to size. There may still be a possibility that he tries to jump over even when in his own side now he has had this little meeting with him, he may want to get to him again so you really should cover the top, that will minimise the risk.

[Author]

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