Months of ups and downs

[Christine Ann]

Hello all-

In January 2017 we adopted a mini lop girl. We got her for our 2 year old little boy Jersey Wooly, Pepper who lost his sister Sophie in July 2016.
We kept them separated until June, as it took a bit of time for her to get adjusted, be spayed, and hormones die down.
We moved to Brooklyn, NY in June and started to introduce them in the new neutral environment.

Firstly- Willow, our lop girl is a love. All she wants in the world is to cuddle. She ADORES Pepper.
She will NEVER bite or attack him unless he instigates. He will jump right in her litter box and she will stop eating and just cuddle him.
They’ve had so many good bonding sessions in the car, and have gotten to where they can be left alone in the neutral space of the bathroom-where I spend at least an hour a day with them. Pepper is the dominant- Willow showers him with kisses, and he kisses her back, but most of the time he is the one asking for grooms, then purrs away. When they are separated by a pen in the living room they will both run around happily and not bite through the bars.

Pepper is VERY much a mommas boy, so he gets jealous. I don’t think he’s 100% adjusted to not being an “only child” anymore. He will be purring in content cuddling Willow but out of nowhere will nip her. This isn’t a problem until we start introducing them in a bigger area. Willow runs after him just wanting to love and cuddle, Pepper will turn around and get defensive.

This Christmas they got in a bad fight. Willow nipped the side of his genital area. I’m calling in the morning for a vet appointment.
There is broken skin, very little blood. He is acting 100% normal, eating and pooping and drinking.
He does very well if I am there to pet him, and i can walk away sometimes- other times he gets more gutsy.
Mind you- Willow is a good 5 1/5 lbs and Pepper is a tiny 2 lbs.

Any tips on how to get them to be buddies full time? They have been making so much progress. He has given her kisses, purred a ton even when she jumped into his litter box. After a certain amount of time he gets antsy and is likely to nip. Most times Willow ignores it- other times she will defend herself.

I’m thinking we will go back to prebonding and start again slowly.

Any help is so so appreciated.
Merry Christmas!!!

[Mikey]

It sounds to me like he is more of an independent bun and she is very much the opposite. It sounds like he needs and wants his time alone sometimes, and she refuses to give him that time. If she is as needy as you describe, I dont honestly see how this bond will work as their personalities combat one another.

What prebonding have you done? What did you do for stress bonding and how often?

[Christine Ann]

I should add that he is neutered.
He is very needy as well- just in a different way.
For pre bonding we have had her in an x pen in the living room and let them sniff each other through the gate. They will lay next to each other against it.
Frequently we have switched their spaces and mixed their scents.

I’ve done stress bonding in the car, bathtub, etc.

She also was from a hoarding situation so I think that’s her need for closeness.

I don’t think he’s an independent bun- at least I hope not. He was very much in grief for many months when his sister passed.
We had a teddy plush bunny he would cuddle up to.
When he is with Willow separated by the x pen he will zoom and do binkies. He’s just moody.

[Mikey]

Like humans, bunnies can be independent and still like the company of another bunny It just really sounds like he is more independent while she is very dependent. She wants much more attention than he can happily offer, so hes acting out to show his dislike. If his dislike for her neediness gross, they will never bond.

[DanaNM]

Did you see what instigated the fight? It is important to determine the cause.

Also, how long were your sessions in the smalle neutral space? If only an hour, you’ll want to work up to several hours before expanding the space and/or moving to semi neutral.

All of that aside, since he was injured, I think a several week break is wise.

I wouldn’t be so sure that her running after him is wanting to cuddle. It’s quite likely she is chasing him and asking for grooms (which can look like wanting to cuddle), but this is actually a dominance display.

Any chasing lasting longer than 3 seconds should be stopped as it can lead to fights (which may have been how your fight started?)

. . . 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.  

[Christine Ann]

It was a territorial fight. Willow managed to get out of her enclosure – she was in a different space than usual since we were at my sisters house for the holiday.

I definitely will give them some space apart and try to go back to square one. I agree that I will try for longer sessions in our small neutral space. Usually it’s 1-2 hours, but I will give them even more time.

Willow will run after him and flatten her entire body to the ground, but the second he is near she will stand and immediately groom him all over for minutes at a time. We joke that she has no awareness of personal space.

Pepper is needy in the way that every morning he hops up and wakes me up with kisses. Follows me everywhere, demands pets and actually hops in my lap and bonks me until I am petting him- where he will sit in my lap for entire tv shows.
He will nudge my arm until I am holding him as he rests his head in my underarm/shoulder area, and he will purr and groom me for 20 minutes a morning if I let him. He does this as a routine and is unhappy if I do not!

They both definitely have their own personalities.

I will not give up on them!

[DanaNM]

Ohhhh, Ok! Well all of that sounds much more positive! Bummer about the fight… that is so frustrating and scary. Hopefully no one holds any grudges over the fight…

Assuming they are doing well after a break and a slow re-start, do aim for longer sessions (once you get back to where you were before the fight, with 2+ hour long sessions, with grooming and cuddling, etc.). Work up for 6-8 before you expand their space.

. . . 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.  

[Christine Ann]

Thank you so much for the help!!
I will try to update once things move along again

[Author]

Messages