Prebonding

[Deleted User]

So, now that Quincy is neutered, bonding is in the foreseeable future (finally)! 

They have been able to see/smell each other through a baby gate for over a month now. For about 3 weeks I have been switching them, putting her in the bedroom and him in the rest of the apartment. But….. he chews everything and she doesn’t chew anything… So I don’t want to leave him out of the bedroom when I am not home because I’m afraid he will chew the baseboards to bits, just as he did in the bedroom. He seems to not be chewing in the bedroom anymore, but I can’t tell if he’s actually gotten better with the chewing or if he just wants something new to chew on. When he is out in the rest of the apartment I will sometimes catch him chewing on stuff. 

So, during the weekdays I switch them for about 5-6 hours, from when I get home from work until bed. On the weekends I switch for 8-10 hours (but not the whole day because Ophelia gets very upset about having to be stuck in the room and after a while she is manically digging at the gate to get back out. 

Will this be sufficient for prebonding? I know that traditionally people switch them entirely for like 1 or 2 days. But both get frustrated at being in the bedroom, of course because both would rather have the more spacious free roam. 

We have definitely made progress. Ophelia used to get absolutely insane when she was put back in her area and it smelled like him. She would run into the walls and attack us, thump, and then look terrified and frozen. Now when she comes back into her area she is totally fine. 

[sarahthegemini]

Would it be easier to just switch litter trays, bowls and toys etc rather than the actual buns? I did that with my two every day but then switched the bunnies every 5 ish days. I didn’t switch them daily because I knew Peanut needed time to settle and if I changed them every day he wouldn’t ever be able to feel relaxed.

[Deleted User]

Posted By sarahthegemini on 8/29/2017 5:06 PM

Would it be easier to just switch litter trays, bowls and toys etc rather than the actual buns? I did that with my two every day but then switched the bunnies every 5 ish days. I didn’t switch them daily because I knew Peanut needed time to settle and if I changed them every day he wouldn’t ever be able to feel relaxed.

It is quicker and easier to switch the buns, but I don’t HAVE to only do it that way. I could switch litter trays and toys, although they don’t really play with their toys at all. They just chin them when they first get switched and then leave them alone. They each have a stuffie, which I have switched out every 3 days or so for the past month, but both just ignore the stuffies. They each have a blanket that I could switch out too. I just thought that it might be more beneficial to switch the actual buns, because Ophelia is so damn territorial. I mean, I’m telling you she used to absolutely lose it when her stuff smelled like him. So I thought, maybe letting her get used to the fact that “her area” is going to smell like him would be good? Because I am really afraid that maybe they would get along in neutral territory, but if he was introduced to her area without anything prior that she might just attack him. So that was my logic for switching out the physical buns.

[DanaNM]

We have definitely made progress. Ophelia used to get absolutely insane when she was put back in her area and it smelled like him. She would run into the walls and attack us, thump, and then look terrified and frozen. Now when she comes back into her area she is totally fine. 

That definitely sounds like progress! Glad to hear she’s settling down (along with his hormones). Maybe you can combine switching them physically as you have been for short bursts, along with swapping litter pans for 24 hrs? 

You will need to consider what you’ll do about the new bun’s chewing once they’re bonded though…..

. . . 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.  

[Deleted User]

yeah I know. I don’t really know what to do about that. I put lime on the baseboard in my room and I think since then he hasn’t really been chewing. so I either have to do that or something. They kept chewing at the rubber stoppers on the gate and I put hot sauce on them and now they arent chewing it. But I’m not sure I want to put hot sauce on my baseboards lol. I have a $1000 deposit on my apartment and I’ve accepted that that money is going to have to be used to replace chewed baseboards, ripped up carpet sections and such. So mainly I’m just worried about him eating the stuff and the paint. Otherwise I think we’re just gonna foot the bill to replace the baseboards and such. I’m hoping that Quincy just accepts how Ophelia is and they don’t go on a chewing spree together once bonded … we’ll see I suppose.

[Deleted User]

Oh and I think that’s a great idea to use a combination of the two methods. I’ll allow them to be switched for a few hours and when they come back to their spots I’ll switch the litter trays to each other. Still getting used to each other’s scent and each other’s territory.

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