Bully bunny

[Allybobally111]

Hi i am new to your groupe and i need your help. My female passed away in july, and my male found it very difficult so i went looking in rescues for a spayed female witch i found in august, but the bonding has been difficult. Jack, my male keeps getting attacked by maya, my female. I put maya in a pen since jack was already free roaming, i switched their litter boxes, i made a pen in my living room for them to bond and it goes great, they lick each other, they stay side by side, so i try putting them together in the room were they have their stuff but maya is very territorial and so even when i change stuff around and i buy new litter boxes she still charges my male so jack runs away from her and hides under my bed and thats the only reason why its going “well” so far. This is the 4th time ive tried: the pen, putting them together and then back individually since they fight.. i don’t know what to do anymore. Jack is residually frightenned by maya and she’s a bully :/ [video width="1920" height="1080" mp4="https://binkybunny.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/05/20201111_135133.mp4"][/video]

[Hazel]

Sounds like things are moving too fast for Maya. How long did you do pre-bonding without any face to face bonding sessions?

[DanaNM]

I agree that it just sounds like things are moving too fast. Are you doing their sessions in neutral territory? If they are doing well in one space, you should spend a lot more time in that space to “cement” the relationship (usually 24-48 hours of positive behaviors with no scuffling or fur pulling). To get a bit more info, there is a “bonding template” pinned in this section. If you fill it out and paste it in your reply it will help us give better advice!

. . . 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.  

[Allybobally111]

It has been since august in all, fue weeks of seperated, fue weeks of neutral territorial, and then together

[DanaNM]

What do you mean by a few weeks in neutral? A few weeks of living together 24/7?

. . . 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.  

[Allybobally111]

No a fue weeks of putting them in a neutral pen in my living room for 30 mins to an hour at a time, i think ill try making a more secure pen since my male tends to jump out and leave them together a while, do you have any other suggestions? Is a carpet in their room problematique even if i wash it?

[DanaNM]

You need to do much longer sessions in neutral before moving them to a less neutral space. Try working up to 2-4 hour sessions a day in neutral. If those go well, you can increase time to 6-8 hours. If those sessions go well (all positive behaviors like grooming, cuddling, etc, and no scuffling) then chose a time when you can supervise for at least 24-48 hours straight and keep them together in neutral. You can try getting a taller pen, or adding some sort of lid if he’s jumping out.

. . . 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.  

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