Grooming on first bonding followed by a fight?

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This topic has 1sd reply, 2 voices, and was last updated 3 years, 8 months ago by DanaNM.

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- 08/01/2020 at 5:06 PM
  starlight
  Participant
  1 posts
  I’m currently attempting to bond 4yo neutered male (Nimbus) with a 4yo spayed female (Bagel).
  
  I divided my room in half and things seemed to be going well. Mirroring, ignoring each other, eating and laying nearby. After about 5 days like that, I switched their sides a few days ago. Today I removed the boundary for a quick date (probably not a great idea to not do it in neutral territory in hindsight). For the first moments it seemed to be going well. They were curious. Then Nimbus even began grooming Bagel! Right after that she got under him and a bunny tornado ensued. I’m not 100 percent sure who started the fight but I’m leaning towards the girl (Bagel). I had to break it up with my hands and got bit in the process by Nimbus, the bunny I’ve had for longer. After this Bagel seems to be angry at me. Shes not letting me pet her and grunting at me. Nimbus seems fine though.
  
  I definitely made some mistakes here but when I try to introduce them again under better circumstances will they be more likely to fight? I’m afraid I might have messed up a good bond with this bad experience. Was the grooming a good behavior and is it overshadowed by the fight?
- 08/01/2020 at 5:09 PM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  8930 posts
  Don’t stress too much, we all make mistakes during bonding!
  
  But definitely make sure the next session is in neutral territory! I would continue doing pre-bonding (side swaps) for another week or so. This will let them calm down a bit from the fight as well. The initial grooming was very good, the fight not so good, but not the end of the world (assuming no bun was hurt?).
  
  In future sessions be sure to prevent fights before they happen. So be ready right there to get your hands on them as soon as they get close to each other so you can stop things before they escalate. If you find they fight right away in neutral space, then go back to a bit more pre-bonding and you might try some stress sessions.
  
  . . . 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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