Cage swap question

[Laragc]

We just brought Mila home yesterday. Both buns are in unfamiliar environments for them as we moved our other bunny, Sprinkles, out of my son’s room and into an x pen next to Mila for bonding. So far, they haven’t seem to have any issues being next to each other and have been doing the who can be the most relaxed bunny competition.

Mila came to us with a willow stick little triangular bunny hiding spot and has scrunched up her fleece blanket to make a bed in it. Earlier, I found her grooming the blanket.Sprinkles has never been particularly enamored of blankets. Instead, she has a cardboard box with hay in it that she loves. I want to do the switching of the pens with them for the next couple of days. My question is this- should I switch there hiding boxes given how different they are and given that each bond has a strong preference for their own type? Am I just defeating the entire point of the cage switch or is it reasonable to want them to be somewhat comfortable? Also, is it too soon to do the switches given how new this environment is for Mila? Should I let her get settled in for a couple of days first or does that not matter?

[DanaNM]

Hi there, welcome.

Usually it’s good to let the new bun settle in for a bit. Since she is pretty comfortable, a week would probably be plenty of time.

For swaps, I would just swap the buns and leave everything as is, unless Sprinkles is prone to chewing blankets. If you feel like they are really sad, you could add a cardboard hideout to each area. I mean, you could move their fav things with them, but it might help to have that “other” bunny’s scent all over their fav things.

I’ve usually done swaps for about a week, some recommend up to 4 weeks. You’ll want to gauge how they react after the swap, and if they are acting aggressive towards each other through the fence. I’ve usually waited until they relax near each other through the fence, don’t mark like crazy after the swap, and I start to see their behaviors sync up (eating and sleeping at the same time, etc). Based off their relaxed behavior so far sounds like might not need too much time.

. . . 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.  

[Laragc]

They started syncing today without switches. It was the good ole “oh you think YOU can eat hay, well, I can eat more hay…” bunny contest. My favorite is when they are trying to outdo eachother on who can be the most relaxed bunny. Sprinkles won with the effort of flopping UNDER her suspended food dish.

[Laragc]

They started syncing today without switches. It was the good ole “oh you think YOU can eat hay, well, I can eat more hay…” bunny contest. My favorite is when they are trying to outdo eachother on who can be the most relaxed bunny. Sprinkles won with the effort of flopping UNDER her suspended food dish.

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