Posting for JLB – Attempting to bond, first attempt wasn’t great.

[jerseygirl]

This was a thread lost due to Forum glitch. JLB, if you are reading, you will need to register with the site again. I believe this thread had some replies and I hope you had opportunity to read them. Unfortunately, I was only able to copy/past your original post. Sorry for the inconvenience. ~ jerseygirl

Posted July 7 2018

Hey, thanks for taking the time to read this and reply. I have a lovely girl bunny, she’s spayed and a single bun. She has met a few of my friends rabbits before but always been shy and timid. I decided I wanted to adopt a bunny from my local shelter, and I found the sweetest little boy who was incredible calm and chilled, he’s neutered and smaller than her but he had been attacked by his brothers previously… he has a shaven butt because of this (which I was wondering if she could be interpreting as him flashing a white tail up at her as he runs?) Anyway they met and at first sort of bumped noses and moved on but then he ran across the space and she immediately started chasing him, her ears were back and she occasionally grunted. I separated them quickly for fear of her hurting him. Now he is in a small pen, and she is loose in the surroundings, when she comes up to the pen he moves over and they touch noses and then she hops away and they ignore each other. They both seem calm and not fazed. My stress is that when they are in the same space again she will chase and hurt him and if they were in a smaller space she might just attack him. I really want to try and make it work, could anyone give me tips or ideas on why they might not be okay with one another and how I can fix it so I can try and create a successful bond. Thanks again 

[DanaNM]

Realized no one had replied to this…

JLB, if you find this and read it, I hope you’ll keep trying!

What you experienced sounds fairly average for a first date. Bonding is really more of a process than a one -off attempt! I would say average bonds take several weeks to form, and some take months.

You didn’t mention what space you used for their date, but it is very important that you use a neutral terrirory (some place neither has ever been). Larger is often better as well.

Right now it sounds like you are doing pre-bonding, which should really help. You should swap their cages (who is one what side) every day or so, for about 4 weeks, to let them get really used to each other’s scent and lose track of who’s territory is who’s.

Also be very sure that they cannot physically touch each other through the bars, as they might nip, which will hurt bonding efforts.

After you’ve done pre-bonding, and when you have your good neutral space, I recommend using the petting or “smoosh” technique to help build some trust between them. When they come nose to nose, pet them both so they think they are being groomed, and swap their scents. Repeat this for several sessions until you notice they are more calm around each other. Then you can start petting a little less and see how they do.

If one bun tries to leave, stop chases after a few seconds to it doesn’t lead to a fight. You were right to stop the chasing, but you should always try to end a session on a good note, so they don’t learn that fighting or chasing will make that “other” bunny go away. If things get tense I like to pet pet pet until they are calm, and end the date a minute or two after they’ve calmed down.

Grunting, thumping, light nipping, lunging, pouncing, and mounting are all a normal part of rabbit communication and some level of these might happen for them to establish their dominance hierarchy. Your job to prevent fights and help them build trust between each other.

I recommend googling “Binky bunny bonding journal”, and reading some of the bonding journals from this site, especially the ones labeled “Bonded”. That will help you get a better sense of the process and different methods.

. . . 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.  

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