Gracie & Archie maybe bonded!

[skibunny8503]

So I blocked off our small hallway and put their litter, hay and water in with them; plus their cottage and a tunnel to play with.  They’ve been together since 11am this morning and it is now 8:30pm!  No fighting or mounting (well at first when we put them together there was a little but not any more)!  They’ve slept part of the day.  Archie has groomed her.  Gracie still hasn’t groomed him but we’ve only had her a few weeks and it might take her longer to open up to him.  Archie seems to be in love with Gracie but Gracie just seems to tollerate him but she does follow him sometimes.  They’ve sat in the same litter and shared hay.  We don’t have any organized right now to put them in one cage (plus they have a second level and if anything happens, it’s kind of hard to get back there), so we’re going to keep them in the hallway overnight and see how it goes.  Plus our bedroom is right there if anything does happen. 

If everything goes well, I’m thinking the next step is to make clean and spray their cage area with a water/vinegar mixture and make one big cage and not to seperate them for awhile? 

[MooBunnay]

Grooming is a great sign! You might not want to dis-assemble their current cages yet just in case, but I would agree that letting them spend longer and longer together will be a great way to make sure they are fully bonded before you commit to the one big cage. Everything sounds like it is going very well to me, but it will ultimately be up to you to put them together when you feel most comfortable, as you are the most in touch with your rabbits.

[skibunny8503]

We think everything went well overnight, didn’t hear anything except for Archie running around sometimes. Had to take out the cottage because they kept going up the floors and making lots of nose haha! Only problem was this morning we woke up around 7:30 and found Gracie trying to mount Archie. And they were doing so good too! She only did it for a bit. After she “tries” to mount him or they circle a few times, she stops and he buries his head under her. But other than that they’ve been getting a long great.

[Beka27]

Are they still together now? If you’re going to be home all day, I’d just leave them together. Is there anyway both could fit into one pen temporarily so you can make sure this is not just a fluke?

[skibunny8503]

Yup they’re together right now.  It’s been a little over 24 hours now.  They’re still in the hallway right now, baby gate blocking them from going into the living room and a makeshift nic gate to block them from going into the bathroom, office and our bedroom (and scratching at the doors).  I’ll be home all day long too.  I was home yesterday and sat on the couch, watched tv and monitored them all day…it was a bit boring but that’s good, rather be boring then have to come over there and seperate them.

 

[Beka27]

Awwww! They’re so cute. I definitely would not separate them at all at this point. This is when you enter the “honeymoon” period. They stay together in a confined area (their permanent home is usually best) for 2 weeks straight. They don’t get normal run time. They have to always be within about 8 feet of each other.

[skibunny8503]

Posted By Beka27 on 03/25/2009 09:35 AM
Awwww! They’re so cute. I definitely would not separate them at all at this point. This is when you enter the “honeymoon” period. They stay together in a confined area (their permanent home is usually best) for 2 weeks straight. They don’t get normal run time. They have to always be within about 8 feet of each other.

 

Yay!   My husband had already started building their new cage lol!  I was glad to get them out of the hallway anyways, there was poo & hay all over the place!  I put them in their new cage and she only tried to mount him once, which Archie is so fast that she couldn’t get on him anyways.  They both ran around to explore their new surroundings.  They haven’t quit figured out how to go to the next floor yet.  We have both litter boxes set up in each corner.  I’m going to stay in the office most of the day and work on some stuff.  Only time I’ll leave is I might get some McDonalds for supper tonight (mmm healthy! haha!) and it’s right down the street. 

Only thing I’m worried about is in a few weeks I have to take both of their poops to the vet to get tested again (since she had coccidia) but she hasn’t had any soft poos   And I was going to have his checked just for the heck of it.  But I gotta watch them when they go to the bathroom so I can seperate them.  That’ll be fun.

[jerseygirl]

Pic of them together is cute! Am I seeing it right, his head at her butt end and hers at his? lol

Is that the new cage set up you’ve just posted? Wondering if higher levels need to be blocked off temporarily. They won’t really be together if one decides to sit on top level and one stays on the floor.

[skibunny8503]

Posted By jerseygirl on 03/25/2009 09:40 PM

Pic of them together is cute! Am I seeing it right, his head at her butt end and hers at his? lol

Is that the new cage set up you’ve just posted? Wondering if higher levels need to be blocked off temporarily. They won’t really be together if one decides to sit on top level and one stays on the floor.

 

Haha yup they sometimes lay like that.  They go up to levels but they don’t stay there.  They usually stay on the ground and Archie never goes to far away from Gracie.  Gracie never really hopped up on other levels before but once she saw Archie going, she followed him and now can hop up the levels.  I think they’re learning a lot from each other….Gracie taught Archie to eat hay from the side of the litter  

They actually just hopped up the 3rd level and he’s grooming her right now  No trouble with them at all yet but I’ve been having this problem with Archie the past 2 mornings…he keeeps thumping!  We go in the room and he’s runs into his corner and looks scared.  The only thing my husband heard was a crow today.  But it’s weird that it’s the same time; 7:30am.  Hopefully it’ll stop because it is loud and our bedroom is right next to them so that was a wakeup call in itself!  I finally got up at 9:45am and he still was thumping a bit and I walked in a petted him and it was ok….maybe he was just trying to tell us to get up.

[MarkBun]

Yup, I’d say that you’re more or less bonded now. There will be some issues here and there as they settle in but you have a pair now.

As for seperating the poop for the vet – really after they have lived together for a month or so whatever one has, the other will have so seperation really isn’t necessary – unless the doctor specifically requests it in which case, always follow the doctor’s orders (well at least on something as benign as this).

[skibunny8503]

Posted By markusdark on 03/27/2009 04:24 PM
Yup, I’d say that you’re more or less bonded now. There will be some issues here and there as they settle in but you have a pair now.

As for seperating the poop for the vet – really after they have lived together for a month or so whatever one has, the other will have so seperation really isn’t necessary – unless the doctor specifically requests it in which case, always follow the doctor’s orders (well at least on something as benign as this).

 

Haha yeah you’re probably right about what one has the other one probably does too.  The dr. just asked for Gracie’s but I asked her if I can get Archie tested too just to be on the safe side and she gave me 2 containers.  I know when I pick up Gracie she usually gets scared and poops   I don’t think either of them have it because Gracie had soft poos and as soon as she got on the meds she stopped.  Only problem I’ve been having with Archie’s poo is he’s been getting hair in them every so often.  But he’s been grooming himself and Gracie (Gracie still hasn’t groomed him yet) but I’ve been giving him 2-3 papya tablets a week and he’s been eating plenty of hay. 

Yup no fighting or anything, I even trusted them enough to leave the house for a few hours to go to my folks’ house for supper.  Came back and everything was fine with them. 

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