Does bonding seem like a no go after bitting?

[paulette79]

I’m looking to bond my 9 month old dwarf so she’s got a buddy. I volunteer at the shelter I got her from & I’ve put on hold one of the guys I’d like to bond her with if they get along. This Sunday when I came home from the shelter to make a long story short Elena bit me 4 times for smelling like the rabbit I’d like to introduce her too. At the shelter I held him a couple of times & the areas where he touched my skin (vs. my shirt which I had taken off when I got home) she’d sniff , lunge and bite me. Hard enough to break the skin. I initaially thought she was trying to get my attention to feed her but when I was putting her veggies in the bowl she attacked me. She NEVER does this- only a gentle “love nip” here or there. I put 2 and 2 together and took a shower. Once I smelled like myself again (sans other bunny) she’s was herself again.

I know rabbits are territorial and to her there was just another buns in the room that she needed to defend her realm against. So I’m wondering based on her reaction to me  if this is an indication that she’ll NOT like the male rabbit when I introdude them in neutral territory this weekend.

Any thoughts ???

[Sarita]

I don’t think it is. It may also be just an accumulation of smells at the shelter she was reacting too, not his particular smell.

I think you have to remember that aggression in a rabbit is usually fear, not being mean.

[Tate]

I’m having bonding issues too, but one of the most interesting things I’ve heard to do is get a stuffed toy bunny and let the new bunny that you are interested in kinda rub all over it so it’s fully saturated with his smell. Then you can put the “stand in” bunny in Elena’s cage and allow her to do what she wants to it. She will probably attack and bite at it for a while, but eventually she will back off because [obviously] the toy bunny won’t do anything, ie, fight back, run away, etc. She will not only get used to the smell of the new bun, but she will learn that attacking something unknown won’t get her anything.
Does that even make sense? Let me know if you need clarification and I can try to find the actual post where I found it.

[paulette79]

thanks everyone. I spoke with the women at the shelter who is going to do the bonding for me & she said that it’s common reaction & doesn’t mean she’ll hate the other bun (whew… I really,really like him).

I’ll be without my girl for week while she bonds w/ him or another “him” if it doesn’t work

[Sam and Lady's Human]

Why is someone else bonding your bunny? That seems weird to me?

[Sarita]

OneTwoThree, some rescues offer this service and it’s actually pretty neat because you have someone else doing the hard work in neutral space with no emotional owner to make bonding more stressful.

[paulette79]

The shelter offers it because the women who does it is very knowledgable about buns. She’s the “bunny match-maker”. It will be so much easier becuase they will be working in a completely neutral space for both of them. With my work & class schedule (last 3 weeks of the term) I just can’t guarentee that I have the daily sessions they need plus I don’t have the extra space to house and un-bonded bun.

2 days & counting. I’ve got my list ready if she doesn’t like the one I picked out. Thank God MY parents don’t try to fix me up with people.

[cainan]

Holy cow I would PAY someone to bond my bunnies for me! Talk about a full time job.

What I’ve been told to do lately is switch which pen they’re in every night for a week or so before I move to “heavy dating”. So far they’ve done some major destruction of each other’s things lol but the litter box habits seem to have settled in. It’s just a pain to make the switch!

[paulette79]

today was the introduction and it was a HUGE success. I didn’t have my phone handy to get a pic of when they were nose to nose snuggling. Now they are on their bunnymoon with the shelter worker!

[miley14]

my bunny bites her daughter every time i put them togeather again. the daughter is about a year old. her mom wont be with her.
is it from the small space or is it that she does not like her she pulls her fur im worryed

[peppypoo]

Miley14 – since the daughter is about 1 year old, they are both mature adult rabbits now. Unless they are spayed or neutered, adult rabbits rarely get along with each other; it doesn’t matter if they are mother/daughter. If you want to bond them and have them live together, get them fixed first and we can help you out .

[miley14]

ok thanks

[Author]

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