Ready for marathon date?

[pinkiemarie]

I wanted to do a long date, like 8 hours, on Saturday and just wanted to make sure nobody thinks it’s a terrible idea. My trio is at a point where each bunny has groomed each other bunny more than once. Clover is still quite nippy though, especially towards one of the boys. They have both groomed each other, but she’s also still taking out hair from his haunch from time to time. I was thinking of doing a quick walk around the house or car ride in the carrier then about 8 hours in the bonding pen with litter and hay. Our most recent dates have been in the 2 plus hour range. Does this sound ok if she’s still nipping? I would be there the entire time and hoped it would just wear her resolve to nip at him so they would relax more.

[DanaNM]

Do things tend to settle down as time goes on in the 2 hour sessions? If so then I think it’s fine to go for it, as it might be good for them to work past the nippy phase.

I like to give wet greens in longer sessions to as a source of water. I usually don’t do litter boxes at the phase your in, but will put down a pee-pad with a big pile of hay on top of it.  🙂

. . . 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.  

[pinkiemarie]

Things do settle down as we’re in there longer. Usually she’ll nip a lot at the beginning and eventually it seems like she just gets tired and starts ignoring him which is why I wanted to try it. When she stops being rude is when he likes to groom her. Would a litter box be ok if it was fresh? I have one that’s not been used yet.  But I could totally do a pee pad too.

[Wick & Fable]

In my only (ongoing) bonding experience, the litterbox brought in challenges and I ended up removing it until I felt more comfortable with them in the current context. Even if it’s a completely neutral box, it invites being claimed as a space, and that may bring about defensiveness and aggression.

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.

[pinkiemarie]

That makes sense. I’ll do a pad instead. Thank you!

[DanaNM]

Agree with Wick, sometimes even a brand new box can cause disputes as one might try to “claim” it. I tend to add them pretty late into marathoning, like after they’ve been getting along for 24 hours or so. If they can all share the box happily, that’s one of my metrics for success. 🙂

. . . 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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