My first bonding-Simon and Eloise

[Megsabelle]

Hello, it has been a while since  I posted!  To back up, once upon a time, Jack and Meghan (that’s me) adopted 2 baby bunnies.  Being nerds, they named them River and Simon (although when we went in to spay River and neuter Simon, we found out River was a boy).  Meghan, being a sap, was later convinced to take home Bubbles, a stray rabbit living at the animal shelter where she volunteered.  She renamed him Dexter and loved him lots!  But none of the bunnies got along well despite being neutered, so each had his own space.

Well, Jack and I broke up, and I took SImon and Dexter in the separation.  Sadly, the two never bonded, but spend the next few years living happliy in a “separate peace-” content to lay side by side and groom each other as long as they were separated by their pen walls.

Dexter passed away a few weeks ago- we never really knew how old he was.  He was fine at breakfast, but when my husband came home for lunch he was gone.    Dexter was my cuddlebunny and I missed him terribly, but not as much as Simon seemed to.  So, I took him “speed dating” at a somewhat local rabbit rescue.  He is rather timid, so we wanted a female of a similar age with a laid back attitude.  We met 6 ladies (including a bonded pair) and Simon seemed the most relaxed with Eloise, a 3.5 year old lop.  She was the first he met, and we tried her again last and there was no grunting, no humping, no fighting…mutual ignoring with some curiosity.  So, I took her home and they had a quiet ride together in the same carrier.  She and Simon were perfectly quiet the whole ride home. 

 

Once at home, I put them in their separate but adjacent cages, and Eloise seemed to relax pretty quickly.  She did exhibit some aggression towards Simon (grunting at him and charging at the pen) but also flopped in her pen on the side closest to his cage.  She also stood her ground and grunted at the cat, too- she is no shrinking violet!

The next night   I got them in the pet carrier and took them to the bathroom.  There Ellie set up shop behind the toilet while Simon explored.  She would grunt and lunge at him if he tried to get into her corner, but she did not pursue him, nor did he fight back.  After a few minutes, they each had their corner and proceeded to ignore each other, grooming themselves then laying down.  OK, I though, this is good, but maybe they need some human intervention to get the ball rolling…so I picked them up and put them in the tub.  Simon actually mounted Ellie a few times, but she did not turn on him or seem offended (though I pushed him off her).  She did grunt and nip at him a bit when she wanted to get past him (she can be a bit bossy if she thinks Simon is in her way) and there were a few circling/fighting bouts that I was able to easily stop and they did not go after each other immediately after I broke them up.  After 15 min. or so they both seemed tired and were right next to each other- heads together- so I pet both of them at the same time, hoping they would assume they were being groomed by the other.  The both relaxed, closed their eyes and stayed with their heads together and bodies parallel and touching for 5-7 min!  I thought that was a great breakthrough and got them back into the carrier and into their cages (I swapped them).  Ellie still grunts at Simon through the bars, but this AM I made sure to feed them right next to each other and there was no grunting.

I have repeated “tub time” every night and there is almost no fighting or humping anymore.  Ellie will still nip at Simon if she thinks he is in the way, but I am able to leave them alone (within earshot) and do things around the condo for an hour or so without issue.  She still grunts at him once they are back in the pens, though- is this normal?    Any feedback or advice is appreciated, and I will try to get some pics tonight.

 

In the meantime. here are some pics of Simon and River as babies, a mature Simon and my dearly departed Dexter.

[Deleted User]

What an interesting story with twists and turns. Rabbits are just as life is itself: always unexpected.
About Ellie and Simon, it is a good bond. The grunting is not at all unusual, some rabbits always grunt to express their wishes others do it very much during bonding. same goes for the nipping. If there is no fighting between them, you should be able to cement their bond in a neutral pen, or wherever you have found that they are getting on well.

[Megsabelle]

Thanks Petzy! I think I will try them in the kitchen next. I hope they bond well- I just want them both to be happy. Poor Eloise was unwanted and, being a little older, was overlooked at the shelter. I’m hoping they will have a happy “marriage!”

[Deleted User]

Happy ‘marriage’ vibes then!

[MissKris&Koji]

Dexter was such a handsome man! Even with the disapproving scowl.

I hope you continue to have a relatively peaceful time with the bonding and can put them together soon.

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