First Play Date

[Mimi_MonaLisa]

So after having Mimi (boy) and Mona Lisa (girl) live next to each other for like a year (lol) we finally decided to let them have their first play date. At first, Mona was super excited, running all over the place and following Mimi around. They were sniffing each other and everything seemed great. Then at one point they both relaxed and layed down about 2 feet from each other. I was super happy! I guess we should have ended it at that point, because after Mimi started to mount Mona. Mona didn’t seem to care and was just hopping around in circles. But then Mona mounted Mimi, and as Mimi was hopping away Mona was biting her a bit!!   We separated them, let them both relax, and put them back to try to end it on a positive note. They sniffed each other and sat next to each other calmly for like 30 seconds and then we grabbed them and put them away.

 My concern is.. did we ruin it?? We should have just ended it when they were sprawled out on the floor. But can we try again tomorrow?

[DanaNM]

That all sounds normal for a first date and fairly positive, but just to be clear, was this in neutral space???

Make sure you are in a very neutral space for any bonding sessions in the future, it’s super important!

Other than that, you can definitely do another session tomorrow. I find it helpful to set short time goals in the early stages, so I’m not tempted to push things too far (the temptation is very real when things are going well!).

When one bun tries to mount (which is normal), you should allow it, but if the other bun tries to run away, prevent the other bun from chasing. You can also pet them both and kind of press them into the ground when they approach each other if things are getting tense.

. . . 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.  

[Mimi_MonaLisa]

thanks for the assurances and tips!

we live in a studio duplex so their scents are pretty much everywhere :/ maybe we can mop the area to try to neutralize it a bit more?

[Nutmeg]

Also try moving things around a bit and blocking off areas so it makes it look like a new space… I bought a cheap carpet from walmart for $30 that I’m going to try with mine so it smells new.

[DanaNM]

Hi Mimi,

What about your bathroom? Do you allow the buns to go there?

If worst comes to worse, you can try to disguise an area by putting down some sort of flooring over your floor (like a linoleum scrap), and then block their view out of the pen with cardboard or blankets. I will say I tried that with mine and it didn’t work so well (I’m sure they could smell where they were, even though they couldn’t see). I had the best luck when I took them over to a friend’s house and it was completely new.

Member Sirius&Luna bonded her trio on her dinning room table, and that worked out well for her buns. (I tried my table once with my buns and they just jumped off… I just have difficult buns I guess).

. . . 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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