Lola and Louie bonding q’s

[Louiethebunny]

Hi, I have a few questions about how to go about starting bonding with Lola and Louie, I filled out the template below for what currently applies.

Spay/Neuter
Are your bunnies spayed/neutered?
If so, for how long (for each)?
Yes, Louie (m) for at least 4 months, Lola (f) at least 6 weeks.

Housing
Please describe your bunnies’ current housing set-up (living together, as neighbors, etc.).

Lola in a dog crate and Louie in xpen, approx 4-5 inches of space between. Allowing supervised free roaming for few hours each day.

Bonding background
Did you allow the bunnies to “settle-in”?

It’s been one complete day and both rabbits are settled, no thumping or aggression from either. Haven’t allowed interaction yet.

How would you describe your bunnies’ reactions towards each other (answer for each bunny): shy, scared, curious, calm, aggressive, excited, affectionate, etc.?

During the speed date, Louie was shaken up, some thumping, very minimal chasing, (more like Louie went to one corner and Lola followed) Lola sought out Louie multiple times, asking for grooming, she was curious about him, slightly affectionate, etc. During free roam time, Louie will try to stick his nose into Lola’s cage, and vice versa. During speed date, both rabbits were given a small piece of apple, and Lola tried to share with Louie.

Have you done any “pre-bonding” (cage or litter box swaps, etc.)?

Not yet.

[Louiethebunny]

My questions are:

Should I allow any interaction during separate playtime, for example, (if Louie goes up to Lola’s cage, should I allow him to peek in and interact? I’ve been scooching him away if he gets to close.

When should I start some prebonding? I’d like to do a week or two of cage swapping and such.

[DanaNM]

🙂 Very exciting!

You can for sure allow interacting, as long as it’s not physical (so not able to contact each other through the fence, just so there is no nipping).

Even though she seems settled, I would still wait a week before starting pre-bonding. This will allow you get to know her a little bit too before you start bonding. Then another week or two of pre-bonding after that. 🙂

. . . 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.  

[Louiethebunny]

Thanks for the reply! Awesome, I’ll let her chill out for a week then start cage swaps. The woman we adopted her from has a small rescue, with maybe 20-ish rabbits, and she helps other people with bonding, and she told us that because Lola was so great during the speed date, they should have a pretty awesome bond.

[HipHopBunny]

@Louiethebunny I am so thrilled for you at how good things are going with them! 🙂 You may very well have an easy bond. I agree with @DanaNM, let Lola settle in for a week, then start pre-bonding. I would do the pre-bonding for a few weeks, then start sessions. Have you heard of the ‘stunt double’ trick? It is in the RABBIT INFO bonding section, and I think it will help greatly with Louie and Lola.

Good luck with the bonding-though, I don’t think you’ll need it 😉 And definitely send pics of the process and updates on how it is going! 🙂

[Louiethebunny]

Hi.. its a few days later and I’m having a little trouble, so I wanted to check in here again. Lola seems pretty happy-go-lucky, and Louie not so much. When Lola was binkying and zooming around the rug, Louie thumped at her. Is that normal? I’m assuming that because he’s not used to living with other rabbits, it’s normal to notice some strange behavior. They also both seem to be curious about each other.. they will approach each other’s enclosures and try to poke their little noses through, but I do try to separate if they’re getting too close. I’ve been feeding them right near each other, so they can see each other eat through the xpen, I have both of their enclosures mirroring each other. I’ve also traded their chewing logs, they each have an apple log, and Lola tried to get to Louie’s through the cage, so I switched them and they both chewed them like crazy. I’m going to start cage swaps in a few days, and I’m hoping for positive reactions on both sides. Fingers crossed!

[Wick & Fable]

Thumping seems like a normal reaction to having an unbonded rabbit zoom-ing about! It could be an expression of frustration, fear, etc., but pretty non-threatening so I wouldn’t worry too much. My Fable thumps when I’m too loud while she’s sleeping, haha.

It sounds like you have a good plan going forward with pre-bonding procedures.

Re: trying to separate them when they get to close through the pen, I wouldn’t worry too much about that unless you have seen it lead to nips/aggression. I haven’t followed your journey closely, so unsure of the dynamic!

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.

[Louiethebunny]

@Wick: Oh, ok, they aren’t agressive, and haven’t shown any aggression, other than some thumping from Louie which isn’t really aggression, so I’ll allow some interaction, but the minute it turns bad I’ll separate. Their speed date went super well and ended in some cuddling, so hopefully their actual bonding isn’t too long and strenuous.

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