Rough bond advice

[kendall]

Spay/Neuter
Are your bunnies spayed/neutered?If so, for how long (for each)?

Rosie (f)  has been spayed for over a year and Gwen (m) has been neutered for about 5 months now.
Housing
Please describe your bunnies’ current housing set-up (living together, as neighbors, etc.).

they have been living as neighbors since July but I have moved Gwen into my bedroom in hopes of reducing some of the aggressive behaviors (hopefully for only a few weeks) since that is where I spend the majority of my time 

Bonding background
Did you allow the bunnies to “settle-in”?
How would you describe your bunnies reactions towards each other (answer for each bunny): shy, scared, curious, calm, aggressive, excited, affectionate, etc.?

yes they have been settled for quite some time now. They seem to enjoy each other’s company through the bars and I can tell that Gwen misses his friend in my room but when they are out together for sessions they are aggressive. Rosie seems more curious and laid back and Gwen is a bit more scared and on edge. But neither one will ignore the other during sessions, they are constantly asking for grooms and get upset when the request is not met.

Have you done any “pre-bonding” (cage or litter box swaps, etc.)? If so, for how long?

I haven’t done too much swapping but they have lived next to each other for about 7 months. 
Have you started sessions yet?
I have done about 4-5 sessions but they haven’t lasted very long since they have been super aggressive
How long have you been working on bonding your bunnies?
I have kind of been working on and off with them for the last few months, but I will have more time over summer break (about May) and was planning to work with them consistently then. 
How frequently do you have bonding sessions, and how long are they?
Our longest session was about 20-30 minutes but honestly I probably pushed it too far because they were almost fighting by the end of it
Have you tried any stressing techniques?

no, but I think that is where I will start over summer break.

Here’s the issue, Gwen is about double Rosies size if not closer to triple and Rosie can hold her own but she gets really scared when Gwen mounts. This results in circling and by the end of one of the sessions they were trying to full on fight. Gwen gets quite scared and lunges at any thing alive hence why they are living in my room. I guess I am just looking for advice on what to do up until summer time and on different (maybe a bit unconventional) ways of going about doing sessions. So far I have tried, small spaces, large spaces, spaces with me in them, and spaces with me out of them, all being neutral. When I start again, I will start with car rides but any other advice would be helpful whether it’s with prebonding or actual sessions.

[DanaNM]

Thanks for filling out the template!

So, I think my first move would be to do some cage swaps, or at least litter box swaps, and see how that goes. In my experience the mixing of scents is really what helps, and they don’t fully get that when they just live side by side (even though the settling in is great too).  I’ve noticed that sometimes buns that are crazy about mounting aren’t so crazy once they are really used to the other bun’s scent.

I think since they weren’t acting aggressive through the bars, I would go back to having them next to each other, and swap who is on what side every day or two for a couple weeks (and continue through the rest of the bonding process).

Then I would try a car-ride, maybe 10 min, and then end it there. Have the car running, have someone else drive, and be ready to break up any fights with gloves on your hands. Repeat that for a few days in a row if it goes well (no fighting). Then you can try a car ride + a short session in the neutral space of your choosing. The more neutral the better (so even a friend’s house if possible). Set a very short time goal, like 5 minutes, and when they go nose to nose asking for grooms, pet pet pet them both a lot and swap scents. This will help them think they are being groomed by the other bun. End the date when they are calm or at least not fighting or chasing, even if it means you are petting them.

Then repeat that date a few times, and if they seem less tense, you can extend the time goal, and ease off the petting a little. But don’t be afraid to have your hands on them a lot at first if it prevents fighting. This often will get them past that initial excitement that bunnies have in the early sessions and will help them to interact a bit more calmly with each other.

. . . 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.  

[kendall]

This helps a ton, thanks for all of the help!

[DanaNM]

You’re welcome!

. . . 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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