Calypso’s new bunny, Echo – is it time to separate??

[Lara]

Calypso is a one and a half year old neutered male bunny. (I know, I know… he has a girl’s name. lol) Anyway, he’s been seeming kind of lonely, so we discussed it and decided to get him a new friend. He picked out Echo, an eight week old female. (He has great taste, because Echo was definitely the cutest bunny we saw! lol)

After their initial meeting, which went swimmingly, with Calypso actually acknowledging Echo, they had at least one table-top date every day. If I had the time, they had more. During these dates, they enjoyed some yummy veggies and Calypso *cough* asserted his dominence. Echo did not seemed to be stressed out, but just lay down whenever Calypso mounted her.  I would let Calypso do hios thang for a few seconds, then push him off.

Calypso is a full-time house bunny, so Echo has been in his cage half the time and her own, smaller cage the rest of the time. So far, the territorial markings have only gone as far as the immediate vicinity of the cages.

My question: Today is the first day that both bunnies have been out of cages and on the floor at the same time. I think it’s going great, but I’m slightly concerned about one thing. Calypso will lick/chew on Echo’s neck, at which point she’ll run a few feet away and stop. She doesn’t appear scared or stressed, and will immediately go back to Calypso. They are both comfortable enough to lay down together and Echo still doesn’t mind being mounted. Should I be concerned about this neck biting thing??

Thank you very much for any help/insight. This is my first bunny-bonding attempt. FYI: Calypso and I got Echo five days ago.

[Sarita]

That’s pretty common but you do want to watch out that it doesn’t get aggressive and that Calypso doesn’t break any skin. Especially since Echo is still a baby and still very fragile.

[BinkyBunny]

Sounds like things are going very well so far! I don’t know why but sometimes I find that some bunnies will groom each other roughly at first. Jack would lick and then pull out the other bunnies whiskers. He did this when he first bonded with Rucy, then when we bonded him with Bailey, and then he did that with Vivian. They would normally run off and he would learn to stop it, but it seems to mean something – not sure what. Maybe, “I will pull out all your whiskers so you can’t find your way around in the dark and so you will be forced to stay with King Jack” LOL.

Bunnies will also will sometimes bite on the back of the one they are mounting. Hopefully Echo, by running away, will encourage him to stop.

Do you plan on getting her spayed? Just note that as she reaches sexual maturity, she could display territorial aggression or dominance that could change their dynamic, so you will have to be careful.

If you do plan on getting her spayed, I would suggest that you take Calypso with when you go to pick Echo home from the vet and let them snuggle in the car. Have someone go with you so that if Calypso tries to mount her, it will be stopped right away. The reason to have Calypso join the car ride home is because after surgery, the returning bunny can smell unfamiliar with all the surgical vet smells and it can cause an unbond. The car ride home will help with that transition. You still will also have to be careful once you get home too that he does not try to mount her or attack her.

[Lara]

Thanks very much for both responses. As the day wore on, I found that this behaviour became less frequent. They seem to really be on their way, which is really great!

Yes, I am DEFINITELY getting Echo spayed, so thank you for the tips about bringing her home.

 

[Lara]

New question: When can I start leaving these two little munchkins in the same cage? Calypso is over his need to hump, as he has established his status as Bunny-Boss. lol. They are adorable together and I would feel extremely comfortable leaving them alone together. I have no worries about aggression or fighting. They love to hang out, and lay down and groom each other whenever Echo is out of her cage. Even when she’s in her cage, Calypso loiters around whatever side of the cage she’s on and they kind of snuggle through the bars… are they ready for cage time together?

[Lara]

 

Here are some pics of the little munchkins snuggling:

[Deb'sBuns]

How long have you been bonding them. Me. When they start getting along well I put them together and see how it goes. Just watch them. If
he gets too rough separate them.

That what I did.

[Lara]

The plot thickens…

I just had Echo out for a late night run around with Calypso, and right in the middle of snuggling and binkies, SHE humped HIM! I’m guessing that A) She’s settling in, and has decided she doens’t want to be the humpee; B) All those lovely little hormones are kicking in, since she is around 12 or 13 weeks old; or C) A little from column A, a little from column B. Anybody have any ideas which it is?

All I know is that, unlike an hour ago, I don’t feel comfortable leaving them unsupervised now that the topic of who’s top bun is disputed. I’ll keep a close eye on them. If anybody has any advice, I would appreciate it. Thanks.

[katiep]

I’m guessing, and this is just a guess from some research i’ve done on the internet, that the mutual mounting can mean “hey, i like you!!” along with column a and b. I think you are right just to keep them supervised until they are both fixed and hormones are relaxed. Good luck!!!

[luvmybunny]

Cute bunnies, good luck with the intros. I have a neutered male and just got a female companion for him. I am working on intros too. I hope your bunnies get along well. Sounds like they already are and that gives me hope for mine too!

[katie, max & penny]

what kind of bun is echo?? she looks EXACTLY like one of mine.

[Lara]

The shelter people said that the lady who brought in the bunnies said they were Netherland Dwarfs, but I find it hard to believe – she has the longest ears! Plus, her face doesn’t really look like a Netherland Dwarf, from what I know about them. I’m pretty sure she’s just a mutt of some kind… a really cute mutt! lol

I might as well give an update while I’m here… I think my bunnies are in love! Yay. It’s hard to be sure, because Echo spends time in her cage, while Calypso is free-range. Should I be putting Calypso in the cage with her now, so that they can hang out? I’m not sure which he’d prefer: to be able to cuddle and play with Echo in the cage or to have his freedom… any input? When she’s out, they move around as a duo for the most part, although right after she’s let out, she goes for a mad run around while Calypso treks up to the third level of the cage just to make sure Echo hasn’t rearranged his stuff. lol

I should go see if I can find some NICs at a thrift store, so that I don’t have to pay a fortune to expand their cages…

[Lara]

Okay… I don’t know if my bunnies are bonded. They’re definitely best friends, but I don’t know if they’re still working on bonding. They spend time together, but Calypso likes to hang out solo on the top level of the cage for a few hours every day. During his alone time, Echo usually has just been let out, so she is exploring and checking to make sure that none of her projects were disturbed. When Calypso is finished his with his chillaxin’, he heads down to the ground and they hang out for the rest of the day. They cuddle and play and take the occasional roadtrip into my bedroom, and there is no fighting (never has been), but I’m not sure if I’m convinced that this is it. Are my bunnies bonded?? And, if not, what can I do to strengthen their bond?

[katie, max & penny]

Sounds like it. My buns have their alone time, as well. As long as they spoon and groom, I would say that yes, they are bonded

[jerseygirl]

Sounds like it – congratulations! To me, bonded is just co-habitating together peacefully. The relationships can vary between bunnies. Housemates, best buds, married and/or living together(can be rocky),  to “joint at the hip” pairs.

[Lara]

Really??  That’s it? Oh, wow… I feel very lucky that it was so simple for these two. They liked each other right from the get go, and the only issue was the occasional humping! Woohoo!

[Lara]

Today I was given Calypso some lovin’ when I noticed a very small patch missing fur on his ear. There is no blood or broken skin, and it doesn’t hurt him when I touch it, but it’s a bit thickened and hard. I’m wondering if Echo could have done this to him? I’ve never seen them fight, and they still spend a lot of time together, but Echo is hitting adolescence. She’s about four months old, and, from what I understand, I should expect to have to separate them at some point before Echo gets spayed.

Should I separate them just to be safe or wait and see? I don’t want either of them to get hurt. Also, I’m not entirely convinced that Echo did do it, but I’ve never seen a mark like that on Calypso before. I gave him a good look-over and this is the one and only mark. Please help!

[Sarita]

Well, since you don’t know for certain that Echo did this and you haven’t witnessed any aggressive behavior then I would not separate them. Also you don’t see any other injuries either.

[MooBunnay]

My bonded bunnies had a problem with “barbaring” where the boy would groom the female excessively, which would lead to bald spots on the female, which could be what is going on here. Keep and eye on the bald patch and see if gets any bigger, or seems to be getting red. If it doesn’t seem to be getting any bigger or more red, than its possibly a bald spot just from Calypso going through a shed. All of my bunnies are also going through a big shed right now.

[Lara]

Well, it wasn’t time to separate then, but it is now! Echo is a hormonal little monster who won’t leave Calypso alone. He’s had enough humping in the past 24 hours that he chases Echo now when she tries to hump him. Soo… we’re going to put the relationship on hold until after Echo’s surgery. I’ll probably have to start from scratch, but I think that’s better than waiting for somebunny to get hurt. It is just humping and chasing right now, but I see great potential for fighting.

Two and a half weeks until the spay… I wish it were tomorrow.

[Author]

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