Bonding My Two Boys (Update: Picture Explosion)

[Malp_15]

I’ll give a little intro on my two boys first, for anyone who doesn’t know them.

Tait (black): 1.5 years old, 4lbs, neutered since 6 months

Nate (white): 3.5 years old, 3 lbs, neutered almost 4 months ago

They have only seen each other through the baby gate a couple of times, otherwise have had no interaction.

 

I’ve been holding off on bonding for a while now, basically because I’m a chicken and was worried that this would be the most difficult bond ever So on Friday night, me and my roommate were just hanging out and just said well lets just try. We stuck them in the tub and it went REALLY well. At first, they stayed on either side of the tub for a while and just stared at each other. Then they started to move around a bit, and would rub up against each other as they passed, with no issue. Then Nate peed and they both stepped in it, so they started grooming themselves right beside each other! So we ended it there to keep it on a good note.

 

Last Night: We put them together again. More of the same. Nate put his head on Taits back… I’m guessing for groomies? It was pretty cute either way Then Nate started humping Tait. Tait just tried to run away and didn’t get aggresive. Then Nate got a little to hardcore with it and ripped a good chunk of hair out of Taits back, while humping. So I pulled him off and stuck them side by side and we petted them till they calmed down and ended the session there.

 

So what do you guys think so far? Should I progress to a larger neutral area? Tait isn’t getting aggresive towards Nate when he’s humping, but he also can’t get himself free in the bathtub, because it’s so small. Or do you think I should give the bathtub a few more sessions first?

 

I’ll try to attach pictures later… Photobucket is not working right now :S

[Elrohwen]

That sounds like great progress!

It’s really up to you if you move to a new area, but here’s how I did it. I did bathtub sessions and gradually increased the time with every session until I was at an hour. My goal was for the sessions to be so boring that I could read a book and didn’t feel the need to have my eyes on them every second.

Once we could do that, I moved them into a hallway and started back at 15min or so, working up to 4 hours. Once we could do that and they were boring for 4 hours, I moved them in together.

We did have some scuffles after they moved in, early in the morning when they were probably hungry (Hannah gets very cranky when she’s hungry). I would recommend changing up your bonding session times to get them at all activity levels. I was doing them consistently around 2-4pm every day, so I think they were more subdued than at other times (which probably helped me initially, but prevented me from seeing problems later).

So not sure if that helped, but that’s what I did. Things are going well for your two, but they still need to work things out with each other. Just make the sessions as long as you feel comfortable with (doing more than one per day is good too) and move to a new zone when you think they’re ready.

[LoveThemBunnies]

I was going to start a thread to ask if it’s ever possible to have two bonded males (neutered of course), but it looks like it is possible. I hope it works for your guys.

Kim

[Sam and Lady's Human]

Its possible I personally believe the only issues that can come up is if neither is altered, or if there is a personality conflict. Gender doesn’t play a part in bunny minds

[LoveThemBunnies]

Well, I guess I never read that it “can’t” be done. It’s just everything I have read says male/female or female/female have a better chance of bonding. ?? And of course they must be altered.

Kim

[Malp_15]

Thanks Elrohwen!

I did another session in the late afternoon on the 24th for about an hour, without incident. Nate was humping Tait on/off but not to aggresively. I felt comfortable enough to go to the kitchen and back with them together (I was baking) and was pretty bored, by the end of the hour I’m always a little concerned because I’m so used to working with animals and seeing them fight, etc. that I will progress too soon because I’m more comfortable with the whole thing

I think tonight I will do another long tub session. Then move into the hallway for 10-15 mins and try to finish on a good note there.

I’m also worried about feeding time with the two of them together. Nate is so easy going that I don’t think he will be a problem, like seriously I wish you guys could meet him because it’s almost unbelievable. If you picture the most easy going, galung of a dog you’ve ever met, that’s Nate in bunny version. Tait on the other hand is very nervous around new people. He is totally fine with cats and will actually cuddle with them, but if it’s treat/food time and they’re around he will charge them… even though they obviously have no interest in his pellets & veggies

So with that, do you think I should start feeding them a bit during bonding sessions? Start with 1 bowl each, with some space between them. Then slowly move the bowls closer together, over the bonding sessions. Working until there is only one bowl. Or is that going a bit overboard?

[Malp_15]

@LoveThemBunnies, the consensus usually is that bonding male/female or female/female is usually the easier way to go. But it really depends on the personality of each rabbit. If you have two dominant rabbits male or female they won’t be the best match, but that’s not saying it’s impossible to bond them either.

I have one nervous rabbit and one easy going rabbit, so it looks like so far this will be a fairly easy bond. But I also never planned on getting a second boy rabbit, he just kind of fell into my hands, so I really lucked out.

[LoveThemBunnies]

How is the bonding going?

Kim

[Malp_15]

Sorry that I haven’t updated in a while It’s been an incredibly busy week, but this weekend is a long weekend so YAY!

Anyways I’ve kept it to 1 hour bathroom sessions, and a couple 15-30 min hallway sessions because I haven’t had much time. Everything is pretty much the same. I was thinking though for tomorrow that I would bring the rabbits to work with me and do some stress bonding. I would put them together in a carrier for the 5 min drive to work and put them in a kennel together at work and see how it goes. It shouldn’t be too busy this Saturday so I should be able to keep an eye on them, and there is always someone back there to monitor patients anyway. And if it all goes to hell, well then they can just go in seperate kennels for the rest of the day.

I have the next 2 days off too, to try and cement it… if all goes well on Saturday. Anyways thoughts? Yay or Nay?
Thanks!

[LoveThemBunnies]

I think it’s a great idea. You must work at an animal clinic. ??

Kim

[Malp_15]

@LoveThemBunnies, yes I do work at an animal hospital

 

So I mentioned this in the October Chat thread, but the boys are officially bonded !! I brought them to work with me in the same carrier and stuck them together in a kennel, feeding iintermittently and they had no issues! No cuddling or anything, but no fighting/humping/grumpiness. So I decided to block them in the hallway for a few hours once I got home just to keep the good time going. After 4 hours in the hallway, plus 9 hours at work I decided to put them together for the night and hope for the best! I cleaned out the x-pen and gave them each their own litterbox and dishes, to try and deter and fighting. I monitored them in the pen for a few hours before going to bed and they were both flopped so I figured we were safe. In the morning everyone was alive and I checked each of them thoroughly for scratches or wounds and everyone was fine They have since been living together full time for 5 days now!

 

Tait is used to being free-range, but Nate isn’t so they are being locked up during the day right now, but Tait seems to be ok with it. Nate’s litter habits have been very good though, so hopefully he can be free-range soon! They also like to pretend they aren’t lovers but they so are. Whenever I peek into the rabbit room they are snuggling faces and licking each other, but when they see me they break up and pretend nothing was just happening haha. It also makes me really happy, because they both are still mommy sucks! I’m hoping they stay that way because I had Tait as a single bun for a year and a half and Nate for almost a year, so our bond is really strong.

 

Anyways here are the pics I couldn’t get to work before  (all crappy phone quality, because of course my memory cards would go missing during bonding)

 

This was day 1 in the bath tub

 

 Day 2:

 I thought this was really cute, until Nate started humping Tait

 

 Hanging out at work

 

 First night together. I had to take away the cottontail cottage because Tait was getting possessive over it, but it’s been re-introduced since and everythings good.

 

 Back up to the usual antics, veggie stealing, before mom can put the new veggies into containers

 

 Nate being his normal sucky self. Whenever he wants pets he comes up to you, place his head on your hand, and pancakes on the ground And he’ll stay there as long as you’re willing to pet him

 

P.S. I weighed them over the weekend and they are both the exact same weight, at 3lbs 5oz! haha apparently it was meant to be?

[RabbitPam]

Adorable pix.

[tanlover14]

So happy for you! My two boys are TOTAL lovebugs together! TOTAL. Sidney just butts her way in when she wants some loving.

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