Bonding SEVEN Bunnies….

[tanlover14]

We have begun the bonding w/ Tucker to the current six… Oh man.  

I started last night around 9pm and they have not been separated since. It’s now 6:30pm here.   I am EXHAUSTED.  They haven’t been doing badly at all.  Tucker started out by humping everyone constantly which started a few bickerments but then he learned he wasn’t going to get away with humping Fleury and Sidney so stopped with them, Lacey and Simba just ran away when he tried, so he pretty much became only focused on Nora.  That went on for a good two hours.  Finally, he settled down in that regard.  

I started them in a set up like this for the FIRST introduction.

After an hour and a half I upgraded them to this area since they were doing so well. 

I wanted to dive in and see if anyone became aggressive over the food.  Went extremely well.  No food aggression and everyone was eating nicely together! 

They spent the night together in this area and it went pretty well.  I slept out in the dining room (right next to the doorway so I could see into the kitchen where they all were).  They only woke me up about 4-5 times scuffling but nothing major.  Tucker wasn’t even involved some of the time, just one of the Tans or Nora being brats to a bonded buddy. 

This morning I was worried Tucker wasn’t interacting enough so I changed it up to this. 

   

I have since moved the litter boxes about one “panel” of the x-pen closer as I still felt he was hiding out in the litter box that Tanger was in in this picture (bottom Right).  I’m not sure….. I need to figure out how to get him more involved with the group.  He’s fine with eating but he seems to be very skittish of the others which is what happened when we introduced Lacey as well.  So it seems normal, however I had trouble getting them over that with Lacey so… idk.  With Lacey, I just ended up putting them in their shared area and she overcame it in there… I’m not sure though..  I’m too tired too think… 

[JackRabbit]

You always make it sound so easy.

[manic_muncher]

So amazing.

[MoveDiagonally]

I’ve read articles that said the more bunnies you have the easier it is to add them. I’m not sure how many it would take but at some point you’re just supposed to be able to add them at a mealtime without having to go through the whole bonding process. I think that’s how the rescue I adopted from had so many rabbits living together in their sanctuary (20 or so). It makes me want to email and ask them!

Looks like everything is going great and Manny is settling in.

[Hazel]

Jeez tanlover, you might as well not bother making anymore bonding threads. Just pop in the monthly thread and say “They’re bonded!”

Seriously though, I’m very glad it’s going so well, you’re an expert! Congrats to you and Tucker!

[tanlover14]

There is still some bickering but not a whole lot…. However, they did just get into one squabble and I came on here to post the picture to a game called “Find the Bunny”.  After I got them all to stop, I couldn’t find Lacey.  5 minutes of pure panic of me searching… 

  

MD, I totally believe that is true as well.  From networking for rescue, I have met a lady who has two groups of 15.  Everyone calls her the “bonding queen” but she says the same thing about bonding them all.. Hahaha.  5, 6, and 7 seem to be so much easier than 4!  

Although, Nora has been nipping buns ever since we added Lacey and it’s driving me insane.  She doesn’t fight with anyone so I’m not sure it’s even a bonding issue – more just a Nora issue.  She will nip and she breaks skin!  She nipped Simba in his ear and pierced it straight through!  And all she was doing was nipping because she wanted to sit where he was sitting.  Grrrr.

Although, in other news… Lacey and Tucker are loafing together!  

[Zombie-Sue]

Fact: all tanlover does all day long is clean up rabbit poop. It’s all she has time for.

[JackRabbit]

So where was Lacey? I keep looking at that picture trying to see if she’s behind the litterbox but it doesn’t look like she’d fit.

[JackRabbit]

Zombie-Sue — as easy as she bonds bunnies, she probably has taught them to clean up their own poop! (b u n n y… w h i s p e r e r)

[MoveDiagonally]

JackRabbit – She’s behind Manny-Tucker! It took me a second too. You can see the top of her fluffy head above Manny-Tucker’s!

[LBJ10]

So Tanlover, who is this “Tucker” you are referring to? Did you get an eighth bunny? Where is he? I just see Manny in those pictures.

[JackRabbit]

MD – I was looking at the first picture. I thought the second pic went with the comment about them loafing together. I thought maybe the first pic had Lacey hiding somewhere. If not, why did she post the first pic? Did she want to show us the litterbox? It is a very nice litterbox. Or maybe the hay? Yep, pretty green hay, I can almost smell how fresh it is. Nice cabinets too, look like maple to me. Hmmmm . . . I still don’t know where Lacey was hiding the whole 5 minutes . . .!

[tanlover14]

Zombie-Sue, let’s just say I get A LOT of use out of my vacuum cleaner….  

LBJ, you guys are all so evil!  Pooooooor Mucker (see what I did there!) is probably having an identity crisis as we speak… I looked over at him… Nope, he’s got his head stuck in a pile of hay….  He doesn’t give two craps what we are all saying.   

JackRabbit, LOLOLOLLLLL.  It IS the first picture!  And she IS behind the litter box on the side (on the R side – you can see her little white puffs of fur sticking through!).  She is TINNNNNNNYYYYYY.  And apparently can hide anywhere.   I’m not quite sure how she fit there still…..

We have also upgraded to this!  Yayyyy.  Tucker has begun hanging out with Simba as well!  

  

He also seems to be a lot less nervous to walk around or “hang out” although he’s still skittish if someone moves to quickly around him, then he takes off running.  Nora is not putting up with him mounting her anymore so we will see where that goes.  Nora has nipped him a few times, just like she does with Lacey.  Grrrrr.    Lacey and Tucker are out munching on things together while every bun else is sleeping…… I think I may see a lovership forming……. 

But for real…. I may have to get a new rabbit to name Tucker since Manny is never going to go away!  LOLOLLLL. 

[JackRabbit]

Ya know, I thought I saw something between the litterbox and cabinet but the space looked too small to hold all that fur!

LOL – Mucker is great! If you can get the bf to go with that then I’m good! (Good luck getting a guy to agree to naming his part-bun Mucker!) You could have had a chance with Tanner (possibly Tanny but Tanner is sophistocated and masculine).

Maybe this bun *isn’t* the last after all?!?! There seems to be a trend here lately of BBers getting new buns in pairs . . .

[Deleted User]

Tucker? Who’s Tucker???

PS – Just going back to your original forum to add MD to team Manny!

[JackRabbit]

AH, are you following me?!?! I’m gonna half to get TL’s Nora after you ’cause I know I can’t fit between the litterbox and cabinet!

(MuckerMuckerMucker. . . !)

[Deleted User]

Just keeping an eye on you JR……
But please NO! I promise to be good (yer right???? ha ha ha), don’t let Nora go crook at me!

[JackRabbit]

Nora. Yea, that’s the ticket! He he he . . . (in an evil voice that even scared me)

[Roberta]

I am at 8 now that I have Pandora Parsleypants (not incl the 4 little girls still to be rehomed) You have one more to catch up. and we are both behind Bullrider.

[Deleted User]

I reckon Roberta’s surname is ‘Pants’! ha haha ha!

[LongEaredLions]

MANNY looks so cute with the group!
You do make it look so easy, TL!

[MissGabbster]

TL, you seem to have quite a few typos going on in your posts. You keep accidentally writing “Tucker” instead of “Manny.”

Good luck with your bonding!

[Roberta]

Just for you Andi I am going to start a new monthly thread regarding names…

[Deleted User]

Just remember the name ‘Manny’ is taken, but ‘Tucker’ is free to be used by anyone else…. HA HA HA HA!

Good one Roberta – I can’t wait! LOL!

Gosh, this is soooo funny! and everyone joining in (old and NEW member’s) has made both of TL’s threads something for us all to look forward too, besides getting Manny updates. BIG thanks to tanlover! No wonder Manny is ‘our’ BB bunny! ha ha ha ha……

[BrunosMama]

Tan, I must say I am impressed! We have 7 buns. Right now we are trying to bond 4 of them. You have given me hope that our dream of 7 coexisting bunnies can be reality!

[tanlover14]

Have you thought about trying all 7 together instead of doing the 4, Bruno???? A number of people I know find the larger groups easier than the smaller ones. My four were my hardest, this group is moving into their shared territory tonight! Tonight will only be their third night together! May be worth a shot to see how they all react together!

PS. For the record all of you… I’m sticking to calling him MUCKER! Hahahahahaaha.

We are in the middle of steam cleaning the bedroom to move everybun innnnn. This is always the scariest part! How they will all react when he’s in THEIR spot!

[MoxieMeadows]

Nooooo! Not MUCKER! lol
All these new bunnies! Don’t tempt me guys! lol

[BrunosMama]

We have thought about bonding all 7. But Bruno and Harley have such a tightbond we’ re worried it might get wrecked being with other buns. Plus Biscuit is just a baby, too young to bond yet. So wwe’re going with the 4 for now. then adding Biscuit when she is older.

[Amys Animals]

OMG Sandra you got another bunny!?! lol I need to check my FB and here more. Wow! You are so good with bonding. I get so nervous (which I know isn’t good around the buns). Today I am going to start bonding my 5. Hopefully it goes well, but I know Rascal doesn’t really like Marley. I am just wondering if it will be different adding my two other girls!

[MoxieMeadows]

How is the bonding coming?

[tanlover14]

TERRRRIBLE. UGH. I don’t even know if you were talking to me… BUT OMGGG. THEY ARE KILLING ME.

The Tans and Tucker get along PERFECTLY. My Lionheads have turned into such trouble-makers. They WILL NOT stop chasing him. Today I’m bonding with Tucker individually with each of the bunnies. Gonna try and see how that goes. Lacey is being the absolute worst. She was non stop chasing ALL night long. They’ve been keeping me up every single day. We have been doing bonding at night when I get home from work and then overnights… and then I put them all back together when I leave to go to work and then come home and do the same. No progress.

I’m not sure if any of you know who Margo DeMello is… she’s the President of HRS and has experience with larger groups… so I reached out to her and told her how the group is doing and what I’m experiencing. She thinks this is normal and said to just ensure they have enough space to get away from the rabbit causing the problems and so forth. And that besides nipping, it didn’t seem like it was going too bad. I also have another friend who has 2 groups – one is 15 and I believe the other is 11? She said she has seen this in her females before and has no solution and typically just lets them go.

I really don’t want to let it go though, I want them all to be close and HAPPY. And right now poor Tucker is scared whenever they come near him. I’m debating whether separating him and starting over with just dates instead of going right for it? Or whether I should continue the dates on the outside while they remain together 24/7. IDKKK. I’ve lost so much sleep and I’m not sure my brain is really working correctly anymore.

Exhaustion… ugh.

[MoveDiagonally]

Are they still in your bedroom? Have you tried moving them into a less territorial area? If yes, do they still chase? If no, I’m wondering if moving them could show you if it’s a territory issue or a social structure/bond issue.

I might also try different group combinations in your bonding sessions.To see if it’s just a Lacey/Tucker issue or a group dynamic issue. For me Monty and Helo weren’t fighting because of the group, they were fighting because they didn’t mesh as well personality wise. I focused on them one on one for a little bit and it did seem to help. If its a group dynamic issue then it might help if you can figure out which bunnies it’s tied to and then maybe focus on the bunnies involved in the dynamic/social issue for a bit.

I don’t know if any of that made sense…. I need more coffee!

[Roberta]

Maybe it’s time to bring something completely different into the works…. Is it possible the fuzzies have become accustomed to some of the bonding stressors ?
Maybe a load sports whistle or some of those sound bites of cats howling, maybe a different smell ?

[tanlover14]

I think you are both right in how you are viewing this… thank you both. I think a different outside perspective in necessary.

I would SAY personality issue simply because it seems to be them butting heads… BUT then I say social structure issue simply because some of you may remember this is the exact same problem I had with Sidney with Nora, then Nora to Lacey, and now Lacey to Tucker. SAME EXACT PROBLEM. It seems like the bottom bun and the “new” guy are always the ones battling this out. However, with Sidney and Nora I was sure Sidney was not the bottom rabbit and Tanger was but who knows.

I have done overnights with them in the kitchen many times this week. The same thing (although there is a TINY bit of progress I see in the kitchen overnights). But it’s very tiny. And it’s more centered around Simba who has become a bit territorial with Tucker. The Lacey/Tucker issue doesn’t seem any different no matter where I put them. I tried stress bonding just those two today. It went okay. They did the same thing they do in the group. Lacey nips at him and scares the heck out of him. And then when I stress them, she runs to him for comfort and he will run away from her because he’s worried she’s going to nip.

Literally, the only thing keeping my head on straight is that I keep thinking of all the advice I give to others about sticking with this!

Roberta, I definitely think you’re hitting a nail on the head about them not being stressed to the things we have used in the past. The vacuum barely works anymore. They hate it but not enough to stop nipping someone if they feel like it. I have tried going to the pump that blows up our air mattresses because it’s really loud. They ALL scurried away and hid but then of course Nora began nipping all the scared bunnies like she thought she could take over the group or something. LOL. UGHHHHHH. Maybe I should try some random computer noises online. Hmmmm.

[Roberta]

My oldest cat Bilbo can be an absolute turd…. He use to taunt Jebediah (who passed in February) by making low mewing noises that are also quite loud, pretending to be in distress.. Jeb would fall for it every time and come running only to get ambushed… Bilbo has not done it for a while but he decided to try it out on Luna the other afternoon and the buns freaked out, I suppose it also sounds like a hunting noise, it was scary for them as Bilbo has treated all the bunnies like his own kittens and adores them…. But that noise certainly had the buns heading for cover.

[LBJ10]

I know what the problem is Tanlover. Lacey is upset because you keep mistakenly calling Manny “Tucker”. I bet if you call him by his real name, then she will stop chasing him away.

[tanlover14]

LMFAO TO BOTH OF YOU.

Roberta, your animals I SWEAR are the best! Literally, everyone you have in your house is a total ape.

AND LBJ, lmao! Thank you for the good laugh. You’re right. I’ll try calling him Manny in front of Lacey and hopefully then she will recognize him! SILLY ME

I’ve been chatting with other random rescue individuals who ALL think I should keep them together and keep pushing through. I guess my question now would be should I do it more in the kitchen or should I continue in just the bedroom?? Maybe do an overnight in the kitchen tonight and then CLEAN the heck out of the bedroom and try again in there? Ughhhhh. SO MUCH STRESS. LOL

[LBJ10]

Is there any room left that is unfamiliar?

[I LOVE LOPS]

so many lovable bunnies!! you make it look soooooooooooo easy LOL

[tanlover14]

Oh kill me, I Love Lops! Definitely not easy but I do have to admit some of my struggles have been MUCH easier than others!!!

LBJ, unfortunately no… with seven rabbits and a one bedroom condo, they have been EVERYWHERE.

As an update though, I kept them in the open kitchen overnight. From 12-9am this morning we had no bickering. Lacey around 9:15 sent Tucker flying across the room twice. She did not nip at him but jumped in the litter box he was in and sent him running for cover. She did this twice and I noticed everyone was becoming anxious for veggies (they typically get them around 8:30) and so I gave them veggies. I have had no more issues and slept from 11-3 and have seen no more problems in the kitchen since.

I am doing a deep clean of the bedroom currently. And I plan on moving them back in there in about an hour to see how they do. I HAVE to have them in the bedroom when I leave for work tomorrow as we lock the door so no one can stumble upon them just in case maintenance came in for any reason. I could keep them in the kitchen overnight again but I hesitate because then I won’t be able to see how they interact together in that space before I leave for work. The boyfriend just left for a work trip and will be gone for a week so he won’t be able to stay home and watch them.

I do have to separate Tucker from the group every night now to feed him his extra pellets which sucks! I’m going to give him his extra pellets and then feed the others when he is finished and allow him back in there. A lot of people with the larger groups seem to think that you can add an addition easier around meal time when they are less focused on the new bunny and more focused on dinner AS LONG AS there are multiple dishes for everyone to eat from.

Thoughts?

[JackRabbit]

Curious, will you leave them all together tomorrow?

I know you’re exhausted, but you really have made so much progress. Wishing you would take a little “vacation” and come here and bond my three . . . !!

[Tessie]

Keep going! You must be exhausted!

Do the animal sounds work? I’ll have to try it!

[tanlover14]

Yes, JackRabbit – I haven’t separated them AT ALL since they’ve been together on Day One except to do Tuckers feedings to up his weight. I think it’s actually easier leaving them at home during the day than at night since my guys tend to sleep through most of the day! They are WAY more active at night. They’ve been in the kitchen all day together (I’ve been on here instead of cleaning the bunny room!) and they haven’t made a peep since everyone has been sleeping! LOLLLLLL.

And HaHaHa. A vacation for more bonding?! OYYYY. I love it but dang, these buns are making me need some sleep! LOL.

[JackRabbit]

My bunny room actually has a very comfy sofa that is also a sleeper sofa! See? Problem solved!

[JackRabbit]

Would be kinda cool if you had a web cam in there tomorrow . . . bunnies think no one is home, can sneak in a little nip, over a speaker comes booming “Lacey!”, all bunnies huddle together to whisper . . . bunnies bond over defeating the “the invisible one”. Another problem solved! Wow, I’ve just got all the answers tonight! (LOL!)

[tanlover14]

LMAO!!!!! How do we make such a thing happen???????????

[JackRabbit]

Duh TL! It all starts with you bonding MY bunnies! I thought that was pretty clear. Remember? Sofa bed in bunny room? The rest will just fall in place ..
.. trust me!

Edit: Taking advantage of sleep deprived people isn’t nice, but all’s fair when it comes to bunny bonding!

[LBJ10]

I think the food idea could work, especially if everyone is very food-motivated. Just make sure everyone has access to the food so nobody feels the urge to bicker and so nobody can try to block anyone else. Leopold is notorious for this. He will be munching with his mouth above the bowl. Wooly will come over to try to get a bite and Leopold will deliberately put his head back down in the bowl to block Wooly. He will still be chewing what’s in his mouth and everything.

[Katscarpena]

I would LOVE to see a video of this!!! Still trying with two of my 3… grrr…

[Author]

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