Should I halt the bonding process?

[Mirth]

So I brought home Daisy (female) almost 2 weeks ago to bond with Casper (male) who I’ve had for a year now.  I got her because they got along pretty well during the dating process at the shelter.

Casper is high energy and a curious bun.  Daisy was a street bun supposedly, and she is either extremely shy or extremely scared.  They are both neutered/spayed, with her getting hers done about 2 months ago.  He’s free roam and she’s separated from him by gates and walls in the dining room.  I built her a hidey box for her and she hasn’t gone in it yet in the 4 days it’s been there.  Sometimes I’ll open up her area, to see if she wants to explore while Casper is in another room, but she only army-crawls towards the edges but never crosses.  She doesn’t run when I pet her unlike Casper, and I can’t really tell if she’s enjoying them; her ears sometimes are crazy still but sometimes they are crazy soft and relaxed.

Anyways, I was told I could start the bonding process the day after I got her.  I do it in my bedroom which is neutral territory.  

For Casper, it’s improving drastically;  it went from a lot of humping and no grooming to some grooming of her face and very little humping.  And he likes to lay down by her, whether it’s during the bonding session or next to her gate at her home base.  To be honest, I actually think I’ve noticed an increased happiness from him overall since I’ve gotten her.

But for Daisy, I’m not sure if she’s improving.  She leans her head down to accept grooming, but after about 10 – 15 minutes she nips at him when he approaches, and continues to do that for the rest of the session.  I haven’t gotten a full 20 minute bonding session without her nipping.  She’ll lay down in the bonding area with him around, so I guess that would mean she’s sorta okay with him being nearby?

Anyways, I’m not sure what approach I should take.  Should I stop the bonding process and try to get her more comfortable in this new home first?  If so, when will I know she’s ready for bonding?  Should I continue the bonding but end it after 10 minutes on a good note?  Or should I keep doing the 20 minute sessions in hopes that she’ll get less nippy?

[Love4Bunny]

I brought my bun home and started bonding straightaway, and I think that it’s okay (but not 100% sure). Definitely do shorter bonding sessions 10mins and keep it positive. All the behaviour displayed seems normal and it sounds like it’s going well.

Keep the neutral space small, smoosh banana on both their heads to encourage grooming, put them side by side and groom them each with both hands to mix the scent. Or you could try car rides in a carrier. That didn’t really work for me, but it does work for a lot of people on here. You could turn the vaccuum cleaner on so the sound helps with stress bonding.

The hidey box thing is normal, so don’t worry. She’ll eventually get in there.

[Love4Bunny]

Does Casper groom Daisy? Or does he ask for grooming?

Yes, if they ignore/ tolerate each other, that is a good sign.

[Azerane]

My suggestion, if you’re not getting through a 20 minute session without any nipping, don’t do a 20 minute session. Set them up for success by doing shorter sessions for a week or two. Don’t leave it long enough where it gets to the point of nipping and end it on a happy note as you mentioned. Then once you’ve done that, gradually extend the sessions by perhaps a minute every couple of days and see how it goes. Otherwise, perhaps just before the time it tends to turn to nipping, you could distract with something like a delicious salad, so then they spend that time eating instead.

[Mirth]

Thank you both so much for your replies! I will stick with shorter bonding sessions starting today, and with the understanding that it’ll take a lot of patience with her coming out of her shell. I’ve got plenty of time.

I really like the idea of the banana, might have to try that! And I’m going to hold off on the stress bonding for now but I definitely will keep it in mind if there isn’t any progress in the coming months.

And Casper does groom Daisy, yes. He puts his head down in front of her too like he wants to be groomed by her, but she doesn’t groom him, just sticks her head down immediately after as if she’s the only one who deserves being groomed.  Makes me feel bad for my little guy.

[Love4Bunny]

Haha, the struggle is VERY real, Mirth. Yes, I wasn’t sure of whether you felt you’d tried everything, so def. do stress bonding at a more applicable time.

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