Quincy’s Dating, Part II

[Battie]

Hi again.

A few weeks ago I posted about Quincy’s dating experience, where I learned what a dominant bunny he is (though it should have been obvious, now that I look back).

I still think a lot about the first bunny he met and how lonely she was.  I’d really like to give her another chance and I think her passive personality might work well with his dominant one.  I want to call for another appointment this week, and these are my concerns if I take her home:

1) She seems like a bunny who might want to cuddle with me if Quincy doesn’t give her love at first.  Quincy does not cuddle but I learned last time that he gets aggressive if another bunny shows me affection.  Should I worry that that will continue, or can he get used to it as long as I give him the grooming he demands?

2) Now I know to expect that he will be aggressive and he does bite hindquarters. I hope he will work past this.  What signs should I look for that they will actually not like each other?

3) I’ve been told to bring a litter box.  What’s a good size?  Quincy’s big box is kind of stained, but I do have a small one that’s pretty clean.  Should I also bring my spray bottle to dissuade Quincy’s biting, or will that just make his experience more unpleasant?

I finally realized that his licking of my pillows and blankets is actually a sign of affection toward me.  He does it after I groom him or make him happy somehow, and makes a point to do it while I’m in his sights.  I learned from the language site that’s how boss bunnies groom by proxy.  So that gives me hope that he can love a bunny too.

Thanks for any advice!

[Battie]

Well, I did take Quincy back to the shelter, and it turned out that another rabbit was a better match. She’s a large, funny rabbit with one pointy ear and one lop ear. She also wasn’t going to take Quincy’s rudeness and is bigger than he is.

We put the potential matches into a crate and wheeled them around the shelter on a cart. With the first, the one I thought would work, they were quiet but very uneasy. The second rabbit curled up around Quincy, who snuggled against her. We stopped the cart and watched them for a while. They nipped a few times but stopped when scolded, and overall seemed pretty relaxed for a first meeting. Quincy’s nipping seems solely due to frustration at not getting the kisses he’s asking for, so we worked on petting both of them to make them feel loved. She would nip him back for being a jerk. 🙂

Even though the rabbit I’m adopting was my favorite, I feel bad for the first one. She’s been at the shelter so long and that rabbit I’m taking was newer and had such a good personality she probably would have been adopted soon by anyone. But she was also clearly better for Quincy, so I guess I need to stop feeling bad.

They think that even though she used to have people and her litter habits are perfect she’s not spayed, so I’ll take her home after that’s done. She can’t recover with them because they can’t hold an adopted rabbit for long, so I will definitely be back here for advice on taking care of a recovering patient!

Any other advice for bonding two feisty bunnies would be appreciated! 🙂

[Deleted User]

Congrats. You made the right choice — it has to be right for Quincy. Since the rabbit is yours, take lots of time, especially time for healing and hormones to settle after the spay, one month. I personally would not house the female rabbit next to Quincy while her hormones are still up. When it’s time to start bonding sessions, have a neutral space ready with nothing old of Quincy’s in it. Try offering two litterboxes at first. It’s good they had a first meet at the shelter.

[Battie]

Well, I brought Beulah home today. She was spayed on Friday, and she’s doing well. But Quincy is so much more vicious in his own territory!

I have her in a separate crate right now. She seems content and is really easy to handle (unlike Quincy, who never lets me pick him up). I knew Quincy was a little bothered by this new development, but I figured I should let him run around a little like usual. He immediately went to inspect her crate, which I thought would be okay. He attacked right off the bat! He was biting at her and making sounds like a vicious little dog. I was stupid and swiped him away instead of putting a barrier between them, and got a very nasty chomp on the wrist.

I made it so he can’t easily get in biting range again and I’m watching how he behaves. I’m trying to keep petting him and get him to be okay with it. Do you think after a few days when he’s used to her presence I can let him approach again? I won’t put them together until she heals, like you said, even if they do by some miracle become friends that fast.

Edit: Okay, do rabbits fart when they get aggressive?  The first time Quincy attacked, he left a doot and a really bad smell.  He just got feisty again, and this time there was no doot but still a bad smell.  Normally I don’t think bunny poop smells foul but this was truly bad.

[jerseygirl]

lol I really don’t know but my guess is his anal glands were working to mark his poop (territory) and maybe that’s what you smelt. Congrats on the new girl by the way!

[Battie]

Thanks! I really like her. I hope he will someday too! I was tempted to snuggle with her on the bed and watch TV because it’s nice to have a cuddly bunny, but I figured if Quincy smelled her there he’d pee on it like he did when I first got him and he wanted my bed to be his. 😀

[Battie]

So it’s been a few days and I’m not sure how things are going. Beulah seems to be happy overall. She’s an eager explorer and celebrates with big binkies. Her wound is also way less scary looking than I expected and seems to be healing fast.

I feel bad that I have to give them separate play times, which means less overall for both, but I live in a studio and can’t give them different rooms. (It’s Beulah’s turn out right now, and she flopped in front of Quincy’s cage. He flopped over too. And they’re both grooming their paws. Is that progress?) Quincy is definitely very curious about Beulah and frequently approaches her cage. I let him do it to see what will happen. He doesn’t always bite at her. Sometimes he’ll just bump noses with her and run off. But other times she does something he must find offensive, and he bites and claws. I can break it up pretty quickly though, either with the barrier or a quick spray of water. How do I read these actions? Is letting him do this productive?

And does it mean anything if they eat each other’s food in front of the other, or is that just hungry bunnies doing their thing?

Thanks!

[Deleted User]

Posted By Battie on 08/24/2009 05:53 PM

Well, I brought Beulah home today. She was spayed on Friday, and she’s doing well. But Quincy is so much more vicious in his own territory!

Edit: Okay, do rabbits fart when they get aggressive?  The first time Quincy attacked, he left a doot and a really bad smell.  He just got feisty again, and this time there was no doot but still a bad smell.  Normally I don’t think bunny poop smells foul but this was truly bad.

How do you pronounce that name ‘Beulah’? If I can say it I can remember it.

Her spay has been really recent. Quincy is acting as would be expected in the face of another rabbit having invaded his home, one with discernible hormones at that.

The bad stench I know from my bondings. It is not uncommon for the first few times they meet.

The aggressive stances through cage/gate bars I always found discouraging with mine, they look less than promising. When I was bonding my trio, I moved my female out of my room for night times because my other rabbit was really attacking her/trying to bite her through the bars. Even though is recommended to have the rabbits get to know their scent from either side of cage/gate bars,  I wouldn’t do it again with any rabbits whose hormones are still up. It creates undue aggression in my opinion. Sharing the running space at separate times will spread their scent around already. You could put up a visual barrier around her crate made of cardboard to curtail the cage/territorial aggression, just for now . You could use a stunt double at this point. Leave a stuffed toy in Beulah’s crate for a few days and when you brush her collect her fur and rub it on the stuffed toy as well, or attach it even like is shown in the BB bonding section. Leave the stunt double then with Quincy. It’s something you can do while you wait out the weeks for Beulahs’ hormones to settle.

Eating/grooming in front of each other is positive, but rabbits know that there are bars between them so these activities will mean more once they happen during bonding sessions in the open with rabbits having access to one another. 

 

 

[Battie]

Her name sounds like “BYOO-lah.”

Thanks for the advice. I can block her cage with cardboard, but unfortunately since I’ve only got one room I can’t separate the run spaces. When you say the biting looks less than promising, do you mean that it’s a bad sign, or that it just can make it look like things won’t go well even if it turns out fine in the end (*hopes*). Does Quincy pick up on Beulah’s hormones even though he was neutered long ago? Beulah isn’t bitey at all. She only boxes back if Quincy makes the first move, as far as I can tell. She did leave some doots on his linoleum though.

How do I keep them from eating the stunt double? 🙂 I haven’t had a problem with Beulah chewing inappropriate things yet, but Quincy will shred anything he can get to (except for toys, of course).

[Deleted User]

Nice name I like it.

Nothing wrong with using the room for both at separate times. I meant that it can appear as though they’re going to hate each other when you see them bite each other through bars. Sorry to be unclear. Yes, a neutered rabbit still picks up on hormones. Beulah might not show much aggression toward him because she’s new to this whole territory.
Hopefully, Quincy will consider the stunt double a toy then !

[Author]

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