Bonding New Female to Existing M/F Pair

[MountOlympus]

Hi there!

We’re bonding a ~1 year old female named Circe to our existing M/F pair (Zeus and Persephone, both around 4 and bonded for 1.5 years).

Bonding Zeus and Persephone was a breeze, and we’ve been trying the same techniques we used the first time with the trio (stress bonding with a car ride, petting everyone in the bathtub/small box, increasing enclosure size as time passes without incident, etc.) They’ve been pre-bonding in neighboring cages for two weeks and seemed perfectly comfortable with each other throughout, including swapping litter pans, toys, etc.

However, Circe seems pretty territorial, even in neutral spaces, and will bite and start fights if someone else spooks her. Largely the fights are between Circe and Persephone, both females; Zeus doesn’t seem bothered by Circe at all. The biting can be pretty rough and I’ve got my fair share of bite marks and scratches from breaking them up (without an oven mitt, my error). They settle down well afterwards, and had a really great long day of bonding yesterday until two fights in the late evening forced me to re-separate.

What do you all suggest I try next? I’m thinking of trying to bond just Circe and Persephone like I did with Zeus and Persephone, since Zeus seems totally unbothered by Circe and the only problems are between the two girls. I’m not concerned about breaking Zeus and Persephone’s bond, since they are incredibly well-bonded.

Any advice? I appreciate it!

[DanaNM]

I think focusing on the two girls is a good plan. I have a failed trio that was the same combo… girls can be really tough. My two girls just were not make any progress after working with them for months, even though they easily bonded with males.

How long have you been working with them?

. . . 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.  

[MountOlympus]

We brought Circe home on April 27, so it hasn’t been terribly long. We’re in the process of moving, so I’d love to do as much bonding as we can before then but understand I might not get far before.

[DanaNM]

The move might actually be really helpful because you will have all new territory at your new place. If they don’t fight in the car you could even have them ride to the new place together.

Another thing to try is a larger space. I’ve always had terrible luck with small spaces, with things tending to escalate to fights much more quickly. So I would try a larger area if you can, such as an x-pen or two linked up.

. . . 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.  

[Author]

Messages