Pellet and Betty Bonding

[Corrie]

Hi all,

I thought I would write about Pellet and Betty’s bonding sessions since I am new to this and can sure use advice.

My boyfriend and I found Pellet (mini-lop?) abandoned outside this summer. We are not sure how old he is. He was in rough shape when we found him and could barely walk due to a bladder infection. To make a long story short  we nursed him back to health and got him neutered a couple of months ago. He is quite an outgoing, social, and fearless bunny. Not afraid of loud noises, people, dogs, movements or anything really. He loves to cuddle and we can pet him for hours.

So since he loves affection so much we thought it would be a good idea to get him a girlfriend. We got Betty from a local rabbit rescue group a week ago and are currently ‘fostering’ her with intention to adopt (if Pellet accepts her). We think she is a bit older as she has some grey fur, but she was also found abandoned in a box on the side of the road so we don’t know her exact age. She was spayed about 2 weeks ago. She is more reserved then Pellet and startles more easily, but also loves affection. Of course her ‘skiddishness’ could be that she is still just getting used to us. Both bunnies are free range in separated areas of our large apartment and can’t see eachother when we are not home.

So we started the bonding process by putting some of Pellet’s bedding in her cage and hers in his and switched their toys. Then, over a course of a week, we introduced the bunnies through a baby gate on semi-neutral territory- a section of the living room that Pellet only partially hung out in. Betty seems curious about Pellet and Pellet..well…it seems like he want to kill her. He digs and bites at the baby gate whenever she comes close. I’m afraid that he is going to hurt her through it so I’ve now doubled it up. The good thing is that he seems to be spending less time actually biting and digging at the gate and more time just watching her. (He used to dig and bite at the baby gate before Betty when he wanted out of his area).

So yesterday we thought we would try a face to face meeting. We took both bunnies into a hallway that neither had ever been in. We have a harness/leash thing for Pellet so we put that on him to control him a bit. I think that made him mad to begin with. So the meeting…Betty cautiously went up to Pellet to check him out and he immediatly attacked her. We separated them and decided to try it once more. Pellet attacked again, Betty hopped away and then turned around and attacked him. Fur was a flyin’, but no one got hurt.

Anyway, I am sure that introducing them so soon was a mistake. Also Pellet was all worked up before the meeting. Pellet is still digging and biting and the gate, but now it seems like Betty is reciprocating. So she seems mad at Pellet him for the way he treated her! I forgot to mention that this morning Pellet was being really aggresive with his toys.

I’m going to try the stunt double and switching cages throughout this week. Does anyone have any tips or thoughts? I really love both these little buns and have dreams of them cuddling together! I hope I didn’t ruin it by introducing them so quickly. I know bunnies can hold grudges.

 

 

 

 

[2lops]

Welcome to the forum! (:

It’s great your switching bedding and trying the stunt double technique!

Here’s what I suggest…

Betty still might be young if she has grey fur, some rabbits are born with it, I know when I bought Pudge his ears,tail, and fur coat in general all had bits of grey in them and they still do.

Since Betty got spayed 2 weeks ago,maybe wait another week to give Betty some more “calming down” time.
When you do bonding sessions try putting them beside each other and stroking there foreheads, that way they think it’s the other rabbit grooming etc. make sure you stroke gently but with enough pressure to keep both there heads down, ex. If pellet perked his head up and Betty’s head was down, he can easily sneak a hard bite to her.

Also if the leash makes pellet angry try doing the sessions leash-less but with a sprayer handy to squirt the rabbits when in a scuffle. Spraying may not work for the rabbits so always be ready to break up the bunnies with a stiff pillow or piece of cardboard. Personally I do it by hand because I know whenever I do lay a hand on the bunny who’s fighting they always stop, then I either start stroking the bunny for a little bit to calm it down or I place the 2 buns beside each other and start stroking both their foreheads.

Also try stress bonding if you haven’t already done so, do a bonding session in a stressful environment ex. put the buns in a box then load them in the car and start driving. If they are stressed or scared during car rides they might look to each other for comfort and snuggle closely to feel safe.

Hope that helps, good luck.

[Corrie]

Hmmm, well we haven’t tried any more face to face introductions.

Pellet has been quite energetic since their first meeting. He seems to be digging more, running around and in general just being more ‘busy’. The good news is that I gave him the stunt double and he sniffed it curiously and then let it be. Also they seem to be ignoring eachother more through the baby gate. Tonight we are going to switch cages. I know Pellet will probably be pretty upset about this.

corrie

[Corrie]

So its been quite a while and we gave up for several months. Every time there was a date they would have a huge fight. Betty even almost needed stitches once.

The good news is we recently moved which means all new territory! We have been switching territories every day, putting the buns in their cages next to each other every night, and doing daily dates where we bring both bunnies out in to the hallway and give them a plate of greens. They are both very good at just eating and ignoring each other which I take as a good sign. We generally keep them about 1 ft apart. As soon as they both are done we scoot them back into their rooms. We want to end on a good note and considering how bad it was this is really good to see. This has been going on for about a week

Yesterday the bunnies briefly sniffed each other nose to nose, but we quickly separated them because Pellet started grunting a little. Its hard to tell when he is going to be aggressive as he is a lop and we can’t read his ears. Betty seems curious at times and wanting to be aggressive at other times. Also Pellet keeps pooping everywhere during the dates.

We are wondering what we should do next? …Continue with the mutual feedings to build trust?..slowly bring the plates closer together? Take them on a car ride (Pellet doesn’t seem scared of the car)? Let them actually meet fully in the hallway (I have a feeling they will fight, but I could just be scared)? Wait until they are ignoring each other without the food distraction? Things are going well and I am hesitant to try too much too soon.

Thanks for any advice!

Corrie & the buns
I am wondering what hte next step should be?

[Deleted User]

At this point in the game, I would hold sessions in a very confined space where you can restrain them if need be and where they can’t take a run at one another, i.e. a box that fits both buns. Set them in it and pet their heads as 2lops described above so not to make it possible for them to bite. Transfer their scent from one to another. You can go on a car ride with that box of buns on your lap (have another person be the driver). You can then move on to bathtub sessions, armed with spray bottle. I would wait with the hallway until you see signs of budding familiarity between the two in the bathtub.

[Corrie]

Hmmm, okay. I guess I will try the box technique, but they are both so squirmy. I think it will be very hard keep them still. I may try it in the car first.

Last night they their usual date in the hallway, except neither were very hungry. At one point Betty sniffed Pellet’s bum. Pellet quickly turned around and we pushed them apart. Then Pellet decided to go back to the spot where Betty had sniffed him and pee there. We probably should have stopped the date them, but we decided to try and end it on a good note.

I started scratching Pellets bum as it makes him groom himself instantly and I thought this might show Betty that he trusts her and make both feel more comfortable. Betty was about a foot and a half away and moved about an inch forward and all of a sudden Pellet stopped grooming himself and attacked her. The fur flew, but we were able to separate them quickly. I am wondering if Pellet felt vulnerable and when he saw her move he decided to attack?

Its disappointing since things have been going so well.

Also, I am wondering if we should give Pellet less affection. Sounds strange, but he gets pets and love constantly and I wonder if we ignore him a bit he might be more apt to want Betty’s affection.

Thanks for any advice!

[Deleted User]

I agree with you that Pellet felt vunerable when he was grooming and Betty came up to him. Don’t worry too much about it. There will be fur flying, as long as it’s just fur, it’s OK. About the squirminess, when you have them in a box, wear heavy gloves as you may need to get your hand between them if they start biting. In the beginning they might. Once you push down their heads and start stroking hard they should freeze up. You may have them with their heads at opposing ends, I found that this sometimes helps prevent the biting. Start with a short box session. You can do it in the car, or on your running washer or dryer, or even on your lap while you bounce your leg up and down.

[Corrie]

We’ve been a bit too busy to do the box in the car, but we’ve continued with nightly dates. We moved to the front foyer (totally new to the both of them) and about two nights ago had both bunnies lying about 4 inches apart, back to front and petting them. They were both being very good, but when my boyfriend loosened his grip for a second to adjust, Pellet lunged and took a bit on Betty’s bum. He got some fur, but not real injury. Betty seemed slightly offended, but did not try to nip back. Since then, we’ve done two eating dates and they have both been good about that. Hopefully we will get to the car ride soon.

I go to Cuba though in two weeks and while I have a bunny-sitter coming to stay at my house. I know she will take great care of them, but I don’t trust her to do the bunny dates alone. I hope this doesn’t set things back too much.

Thanks for all the help!
Corrie

[Deleted User]

It is fine to suspend the bonding for the time you’re away. It won’t hurt anything. You will continue where you left off, that’s all.

[Jenna, Chubs & Comet]

Something else to maybe try is doing bonding session during the middle of the day, when both buns are likely to be sleepy. They may be more inclined to tolerate each other if they’re sleepy!

[Corrie]

Good idea! That will have to be on a weekend.

We did a date last night and Pellet was full of beans. It really seemed like he wanted to start a fight. I would give him a carrot and he would grab it and toss it away. I gave hims some parsley and he munched it angrily for a second and then stopped. He kept digging at me and trying to run towards Betty. We decided to end it before things got bad. Therefore the date lasted only about 3 min. I guess that is better than nothing.

Also, my boyfriend and I have noticed that Pellet hasn’t been quite the same bun since we moved. He seems generally less affectionate and interested in us. He is also not that interested in hopping around the new place. There is one section of the house that he has trouble with. The hallway has tile and the dining room is carpeted. He doesn’t go into the dining room (which leads to the living room) unless we literally grab him and push him out into the dining room. Then he is fine. I think it might be the change in texture from tiles to carpet. Its so strange. But he is also not going into the kitchen which is also tiled and directly connected to the hallway. He has always been a VERY confident (almost over-confident) bunny until late.

Betty loves the new place and has been more confident and friendly than ever.

Could their change in personalty be related to the bonding? I think Pellet might be humbled (and feels less secure) by having to share territory with Betty. He is no longer ‘king of the castle’.

[Corrie]

Hmmm, some news to report:

First, we have been able to get the buns side by side petting their heads a couple of times. We keep two gloved fingers in between their faces and have their bums and sides touch. Its so nice to see them touching (and not with teeth!). Sometimes Pellet is being too frisky and we can’t calm him down enough to get them next to each other for long. He will bite at our gloves, squirms and hops around. We let them eat near each other and just keep the date at that when he is on one of those moods. I am wondering if we are being too cautious now and should just let the buns really see each other without us handling them now? What should the next step be?

Also, for the past couple of days, Pellet has taken to running in circles in his original cage in the mornings. I say ‘original’ because we have been switching cages every day. Each cage is in a big room and during the day they have free range in the room they are in. So in other words, I don’t think his circling is because of frustration from lack of space. At night we put them in their cages (switching everyday) and put them next to each other. I am guessing his little running move is a territorial thing? He only seems to do it in the morning when we take Betty out of the room and let him out of his cage. He will run back into his original cage and start circling. He does not do the circling when we change rooms and he is in Betty’s original cage.

Corrie

[MarkBun]

I would suggest stress bonding.  I would find a pet carrier that can fit both buns inside of with very little room left over.  Here’s a photo of the carrier I used, it is roughly two buns long by two buns wide 

 

It is top loading which is important.  I put the aggressive bunny in first and then the new bunny in second.  I then quickly close and lock the top, pick up the carrier off the floor and give it a very light shake – sort of like you do when you try to get the water off of an umbrella.  If they begin to fight, shake it a bit harder.  The idea is that they’ll get so concerned about what is happening around them that they won’t bother with each other.  I would then take them on car rides.  If they’d start up, I’d simply shake it while it was on the seat, rocking it back and forth a bit briskly.  After about 10-15 minutes of this, you then take them out and do the regular bonding session as they tend to be a bit worn out from the stress.

The hard part is realizing that they are going to fight.  That they will get fur in their mouths.  There is a fine line between establishing dominance fighting and I want to kill you fighting.  The dominance one you want to take place for a little bit as it is the only way they can work it out.  But if any fight goes on for more than a couple of seconds (that feel like 30 seconds to us parents), then you should seperate them.  But you have to give them the chance to seperate/run away on their own as this is how they establish the dominance.

[Corrie]

Good news! We did our first car ride date in a box and it went great. They were both so stressed out that they forgot about fighting and were falling all over each other. We think Pellet may have lunged at Betty once or twice, but it was hard to tell exactly what his intentions were with all the commotion (we told the driver to drive erratically which he did!).

At one point Pellet gave up on trying to get out of the box and just lied down on top of Betty. She didn’t mind. She was definitely trying to go to him for comfort. He just seemed like “what the hell is going on” and gave up. Next one we will drive a little smoother and do a normal date right after. It’s so reassuring to make this little bit of progress!

[jerseygirl]

(we told the driver to drive erratically which he did!).

hahaha! Did you take a taxi?
Congrats on the progress. A stressor followed by calm time in a neutral space is a really effective technique. Goodluck for the future sessions!

[Corrie]

Yay…great news!

We’ve done more stress dates and things are going so well. We’ve just been putting them in a box and gently ‘shaking’ it up a bit. Then we’ve been doing regular dates right after. The first time the buns lied down beside each other and just rested from the stress. Today, after they both rested for a couple of minutes from the stress date Pellet went up to Betty and she lowered her head and he started sniffing her face. No fighting! So cute!

Then he started to trying to mount her which I know is normal. She sort of ran away from him, but I can tell that she doesn’t mind being the submissive one. I’ve read on a blog that I should try petting her head and let him mount her briefly (for 10 sec or so) so that he can establish dominance. I never thought that bunny humping would be the best thing I got for Christmas but it is! We are so encouraged. Thanks for all your help!

Tomorrow my we will do another date in the car to change things up and a regular date right after. I tried to post a photo of the two of them face to face…this time with no bars in between, but the file was too big. Happy X-mas!

[Corrie]

Pellet did the strangest thing yesterday during his ‘date’ with Betty. He was sniffing her bum which is usually a sign that he will start humping her, but instead he did a bunny flop! He did this twice. Perhaps he was trying to get a better angle to sniff her, but it seemed like a true flop. It was very cute even though his intentions were not. Any idea what this is about?

Thanks,

Corrie

[Corrie]

Good news! We sped through the last stages of the bonding process.

Pellet started getting over the humping and then we put both of them in both cage areas. They weren’t upset about it at all. That same night we caught Pellet grooming Betty. The next day they started playing with each other.

We still can’t get Betty to groom Pellet though.

They have been living together for over a week now and seem so happy! No fights or nipping at all. I am not sure there is much else in the world that makes me happier than seeing them together and in love!

[jerseygirl]

Congratulations! I noticed something similar with my own pair. Everything was so-so, then suddenly they were ok with each other. They seem to just iron out their last little issues themselves then everything is sweet. Enjoy your bonded pair and post some pics if you can.

[Author]

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