Bonding Pinky and Muffin Day 5

[Moonlightbunny66]

My two boys have been doing surprisingly well together. For the last two sessions, Pinky has been nipping Muffin’s butt a bit. But mostly grooming his butt, his head, and his cheeks. Muffin licked Pinky’s ear again today. They groom themselves and lay next to each other too.

I had to add litter boxes yesterday cause they were peeing on top of each other’s pee and pooping and getting cecotropes around the pen. They have been enjoying using them and eating the hay. I fed them some veggies together today with no issues.

I think in a couple sessions I’ll move to their semi-neutral space (my bedroom). Would this be okay? Their pens are in there and I let them out separately to play in my room. Of course I would clean and set up the bonding pen in the play space though. Is this semi-neutral?

Here’s a cute video from yesterday:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WLEqLEN7_ugou5j2ImFrMP1EwI8dSspQ/view?usp=drivesdk

[DanaNM]

I’m so happy you are having an easy go of it! How long are they spending in neutral space together?

I would probably consider your bedroom as not neutral at all really, since their pens are there and they play together in that room. But they might still be OK (I have sometimes skipped semi-neutral, but only have they seem super bonded in neutral). Maybe you could put down a new tarp or blanket, and then put some towels over the pen wall so they can’t see where they are?

. . . 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.  

[Moonlightbunny66]

Thanks DanaNM! They spent an hour and 40 minutes together today in the neutral territory. I’m thinking of doing 3 or 4 hours tomorrow since it’s been going so well.

Yeah I wasn’t sure about my bedroom. That’s a good idea with the towels over the pen. I’ll probably do that in a few sessions.

Is it 48 hours in a neutral or semi-neutral space without fighting to be considered a bonded pair? And once I can have them do that, do I have to wait to let them play together when they live in the same pen? Like let them settle into living together before being able to roam around my room? Thank you. 🙂

[Moonlightbunny66]

and here’s some cute photos from today 🙂

[DanaNM]

Oh my goodness they are looking so great!!! They look so relaxed around each other! Way to go! I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit jealous of all these easy bonds on the forum lately! LOL

I would try for a 4-6 hour session in neutral before making the jump to less neutral. You can also start in neutral, and then move to less-neutral after an hour or so and see how it goes. If they get tense, move back to neutral for a bit longer. It is also a good idea to try sessions different times of day… sometimes things can be peaceful all day, but get a little feisty at night when they get more active!

So once they can spend 48 hours together with no negative behaviors (scuffling, chasing, circling), and lots of positives (food sharing, cuddling, grooming), then they are bonded, but the bond can be a bit tenuous at first, so that phase is often called cementing. Some pairs can move to their final home no problem, but some need some supervision and to work out a few kinks once they move to their final home.

I’m thinking with your set up (and with how well they are getting a long), you could probably do a couple longer sessions in neutral. Then set up the less-neutral pen and see how they do there. If all of that goes well, you can decide when you want to start your cementing phase. When you know you have a few days where you can supervise them, you can start them off in the semi-neutral pen, and then rearrange, clean, and reorganize their final home.

After 24 hours or so if it’s all still going very smoothly, you could just open the pen and let them explore the rest of the room, including their final home. I like to supervise for at least 48 hours after moving into the final home, especially overnight. Since it’s your bedroom, you will hear them if there are problems overnight, so that’s good. When it gets to these final stages, it’s really about trusting your gut. In my experience, when bunnies are fully bonded it’s like they “click” and are just super relaxed with each other. Bonded bunnies can yank food from each other’s mouths, clamber all over each other, run past each other, and just generally get in each other’s personal space without any issues.

 

. . . 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]

Oh, and about your last question about play time, that depends. Some bunnies are fine to have lots of space together right away, others do better with restricted space at first, then gradually expanded. You will prob be able to gauge based of their behavior when you move them to non-neutral (or if you let them out to play and have issues, you’ll know to restrict the space for a bit).

. . . 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.  

[Moonlightbunny66]

Thank you so much DanaNM! I’ll use your advice. I did about 6 hours today in the neutral space with no fights. I checked on them several times. My dad was working in there most of the day today and told me they were good. 🙂

Should I do the pen with towels in my room tomorrow or do a 24 or 48 hour session in the neutral space first? I’m so tired lol.

[DanaNM]

That’s awesome!

Haha I know the feeling. What if you start off in the neutral space (for maybe an hour or so), then move to the room? If they do good in the new room, just keep pushing on through? If they start scuffling right away, you will prob want to just do shorter sessions in semi-neutral, or go back to neutral for longer.

(Also don’t be afraid to take a day off if you just need a break! Bonding is exhausting!)

. . . 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.  

[Moonlightbunny66]

Thank you DanaNM. That sounds like a good idea but also means the bunnies might have to go in the carriers three times. I’ve been using Muffin’s x pen for the bonding and it’s so difficult to collapse then move and set up… those things are so heavy!

Maybe I should take a day off tomorrow. It really has been exhausting. I’ve been getting delirious lol.

[DanaNM]

I understand! Yes a break might be nice then, especially before leading into marathoning.

In any case, if it doesn’t logistically make sense to start in one area then move,  you could always just try to start in the new room and see how it goes.

. . . 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.  

[Moonlightbunny66]

Thank you! 🙂

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