Next date?!?

[Lemski]

Are your bunnies spayed/neutered?

yes
If so, for how long (for each)?

Female 6 weeks

male 4-5 weeks
Are you aware of reproductive cancer risk in females? Yes

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

they are house side by side in pens with a board between them in a neutral room for 2 weeks

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

female has been with us for about 3 months and male 2 weeks
How would you describe your bunnies reactions towards each other (answer for each bunny): shy, scared, curious, calm, aggressive, excited, affectionate, etc.?

Curious, During their first date (at the rescue) the female was asking to be groomed and the male was interested in her and would have tried to hump her without intervention

2nd date was chasing, grunting and nipping. I ended it very quickly lol

this date (3rd 2nd at my house, 2 weeks after their 2nd in the bathroom with a blanket down so they had traction ) they both were asking to be groomed, they did some circling and nipping, the male humped the female, she thumped, I separated and petted them both, let them be and then they each kept asking to be groomed. Neither one did any grooming so I ended the session
Have you done any “pre-bonding” (cage or litter box swaps, etc.)? Not really but they share the same littler box and toys in their play area

If so, for how long? 2 weeks
Have you started sessions yet? Yes
How long have you been working on bonding your bunnies? Just starting
How frequently do you have bonding sessions, and how long are they? I was planning on twice a day- morning and evening sessions
Have you tried any stressing techniques? No

 

where do we go from here? I was hoping to do morning and evening sessions but unsure how long they should be. I was going off feel this date and wasn’t sure what to expect. I changed to the bathtub because it was smaller and neither bun has been in the tube. My girl has ran into the other room once or twice so I’m not sure if that is part of the reason the 2nd date did not go very smooth. Or maybe the boys hormones. . How long should I use the tube? Any pointers on where to go from here are welcomed!

[DanaNM]

Sounds like a normal early date to me! I would try to do the same type of date a few times in a row, and set a short time goal (say like 5-15 minutes depending on how long the last date was).

I usually try to repeat a date a few times to see if they make progress. If after several dates things seem to be getting worse, then I change up the set-up (either new space, or add stress).  Always try to end on a good note, even if it’s just you petting them both. Don’t be afraid to pet them when they request grooms. This makes them think the other rabbit is grooming them and helps build trust and good feelings. 🙂

. . . 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.  

[Lemski]

Great!!! I’ll try petting them when they are requesting grooming. They are so sweet together lol I worse some heavy winter gloves because I was scared they may fight. They seemed to like them though as far as petting goes. After a few tub dates I’ll move to another location. I work from home and my office would be neutral. Would you recommend the whole pen size or making it smaller? I keep reading different things

[DanaNM]

Dif pen sizes work for different buns, which is why you’ll see different recommendations. Some people swear by small spaces, I tend to have better luck with larger, especially once sessions get longer. In my experience, when they have a bit more space, they can get away from each other without it turning into circling (you can imagine in a tiny space, if one bun is trying to move away, the other bun might interpret that as chasing, and circling ensues). Alternatively, some buns tend to chase in large spaces but don’t in small for whatever reason. So maybe start with the full pen, and if that doesn’t seem to be working, you can try reducing it (or making it even larger!). LOL sorry if that’s more confusing!

. . . 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.  

[Lemski]

No worries! I figured different things work from different buns. Their first date was in a full pen and they did great. I’m not sure what happened the second but maybe I’ll try the pen in a different room

[DanaNM]

Yeah I’m guessing the good first date was because it was at the rescue, so it was very unfamiliar and neutral. If your office is neutral that would prob work well, and will be much nicer for longer sessions than sitting in the bathroom!

 

 

. . . 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.  

[Lemski]

Yes it will be!!!!!

[Lemski]

I have  done a few more dates in the tube lasting about 30 minutes. The male groomed the female once but hadn’t since. He’s flopped and laid down my her the last two dates. I want to switch the setting to my office so they can be together longer but not sure if that is a good idea since I’ll be working. They have never had a fight. But they do keep nipping each other. I’m thinking it’s because they both want groomed lol I know there are different styles of bonding and welcome advice

[DanaNM]

Sounds like very good progress to me, I think you could try some longer sessions in the office.

As long as you can keep an eye on them and they haven’t really been fighting, I think the office would work well. Sometimes being present but not “hovering” helps things a long once you get to this point. I would just have a backup plan (such as an extra carrier or pen) in case you need to separate them while you are at work (like if you need to step out of the office for a bit, or they are scuffling too much to supervise while working). Plus it might be a lot to go from 30 min to several hours, so having that extra carrier to give them a break after a couple hours might be necessary.

For longer sessions I like to put down pee pads, add a big pile of hay in the middle of the pen, and add a water bowl. I will also give fresh greens after a few hours to keep them hydrated. No litter boxes yet though, as they tend to get possessive over them.

. . . 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.  

[Lemski]

The pee pads are a life saver!!!! The hay has been good too. I haven’t tried water yet. But will this week. Their sessions have been around a hour (sometimes a little over). The girl has groomed the male for a few seconds today but there is still some face nipping from the male. I’ve been petting them both as soon as it starts which helps. Is there anything else I can do to help? I know bonding takes time and is work and I don’t want to rush anything. Just don’t know if I can add anything else

[DanaNM]

It sounds like you are making good progress! I would say just keep it up and start increasing the session length. See if you can slowly start to be a more hands-off as well. It would be good to see if the nips resolve on their own, which is a good sign and part of the process.

I do hate the face-nipping though, I’m dealing with some of that with my trio-in-progress as well. It makes me so nervous!

. . . 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.  

[Lemski]

Me too!!!!! Thank you so much for all your help. Good luck with the Trio!!!! I bet they will be bonded in no time 🙂

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