Is the bond breaking?

[Harley&Thumper]

So a bonded pair of Flemish Giant mixes was surrendered to the shelter and then briefly split because the shelter did not have a cage large enough for the two of them. This separation lasted for about a day before they were taken to the pet store which had a cage large enough for them. When I put them in their cage at the pet store, the male started to hump the female constantly. I didn’t observe any signs of discomfort or stress so I let them sort things out on their own. I just learned that the humping has been pretty much constant since I left but there is no sign of fighting or aggression.

Is the bond on the verge of breaking? Or did I just not do a good enough job cleaning up after the guinea pigs left and they are reacting t the smell?

[Mikey]

Sounds like they were not actually a bonded pair. Are they both spayed/neutered (and double checked, in case the owners lied/didnt know)?

[Harley&Thumper]

From what I understand they were spayed / neutered as they have been in and out of the shelter on more than one occasion (their most recent owners couldn’t take care of them anymore). The records say they have been bonded for at least 4 years but I don’t know how reliable those records are.

[Mikey]

It doesnt sound like their bonded at all, honestly. Moving around often can cause rabbits to unbond, and so can constant new smells and surroundings. Even if they were bonded at one point, it sounds like all of the shifting around has severed that bond.

[sarahthegemini]

Sounds like all the new smells and stuff have confused them and the male feels the need to reestablish dominance.

This shelter again 

[Harley&Thumper]

I’m sorry if I come across as ignoring your advice Mikey. But after watching them for an hour last night and seeing no signs of anger or aggression, I decided not to take one of them back to the shelter. If the humping is still continuing when I check up on them tonight then I will separate them.

Maybe this is a stupid question but does a rabbit’s honking noise change based on size?

Sarah, I know the shelter has screwed up in the past but what did they do wrong this time? I don’t think it’s fair to blame them for not having enough space for a cage that can house two flemish giants.

[Dface]

The absence of aggression doesn’t mean they are bonded. Only the presence of positive interaction should be indicative of a bonded pair.
If it were me I’d divide the cage let them see each other between the bars etc but the constant humping is cruel imo. It’s very stressful for the submissive rabbit, and it’s likely a fight could break out from what I’ve heard /seen. In general in bondin it should not be allowed to continue past a few seconds before the humper is pushed off.
I’d be with Mikey and say that this bond might be broken (but repairable) but would not continue to let one be so dominated (even if it seems fine with it)

I think Sarah’s exasperation comes from the separating rabbits repeatedly and the seeming lack of home checks is all. We know you’re trying to help, but it is a bit sad to hear these stories sometimes

[Dface]

Double post

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By Harley&Thumper on 5/17/2018 6:22 AM

I’m sorry if I come across as ignoring your advice Mikey. But after watching them for an hour last night and seeing no signs of anger or aggression, I decided not to take one of them back to the shelter. If the humping is still continuing when I check up on them tonight then I will separate them.

Maybe this is a stupid question but does a rabbit’s honking noise change based on size?

Sarah, I know the shelter has screwed up in the past but what did they do wrong this time? I don’t think it’s fair to blame them for not having enough space for a cage that can house two flemish giants.

This is another example of how the shelter is horribly inept and unprepared for caring for rabbits. Being split for a day isn’t necessarily terrible but they just don’t seem to give a crap at all and will separate rabbits willy nilly. 

Also, I don’t think you need to separate them just because they’re humping. Unless the humpee is distressed.

[Mikey]

You may not need to separate them; rabbits who have bonded before usually bond very easily back together (unless there was a bad fight). But, they may need a few bonding sessions to help the process along so he is not always humping her to the point of stressing her out. If you notice she is starting to get too stressed out or mad about the humping, then you need to separate.

And as Dface said, just because there is no aggression does not mean theyre bonded.

[Harley&Thumper]

I just wanted to give you guys an update.

They have stopped humping when they are in their cage but they still hump each other when I take them out to their exercise area.

[Author]

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