So close…but so far!

[KytKattin]

So I’ve been slowly bonding Nova and Hubble in my spare time. I have it so they get together about 2-4 times a week and spend about 5 hours when they do. I mostly do this outside in an ex-pen set up in a rectangle with a blanket over it for shade and antihawkness. This has been steadily getting better between them. Nova started with attacking him in a strange dash and nip (that didn’t even pull out fur). If she ignored him and sat to close he would goose her and she’d run off like a wild bun. On another day I did actually find some fur that had been plucked from Hubble, but there wasn’t much, and Hubble was none the worse. Then the last time I had them out Nova wanted to be cuddly with Hubble, putting her head under his. He even licked her once! He actually did most of the ignoring that day. After they had their outside time I brought them in and let them both run around my room with Nova’s cage open. Hubble actually hopped in (yes, he hops now!). Well Nova ignored him for about 2 minutes before jumping in her cage and just looking at him. She’d kind of lunge at him to move him, but it wasn’t terribly agressive. But I know this rabbit, it was escalating. So just before she started to go in for her real, fur plucking attack I told her no (which does stop her, thankfully). I figured we were done for the day and plucked Hubble up and put him away.

So we’re close, but still not there yet. I think I need to put Hubble in her cage (without her in it) for a few hours/days. Since he’s become a lot better about the litterbox I figure that there isn’t a reason to not move them in together, at least for a few hours during the day until I get him eating a little better/his teeth done. Which I just found out would be about $300! Ouch. I’m calling around on that and I’ll post updates later.

[Beka27]

I usually recommend that you switch cages/pens every night. So one bun gets a cage for 24 hours, then you switch them. This will start to get them used to each other’s smell and should hopefully prevent them from becoming territorial. Females are traditionally more territorial than males b/c of their nesting instinct, even after spaying, some of that instinct remains.

[MooBunnay]

It sounds like things are going quite well if they can be together for 5 hours without getting in any major fights. As you can tell from when Hubble got in Nova’s cage, the real challenge will probably be getting them to get along even when they are not in the neutral territory. I agree with Beka’s idea of switching their cages when you can so that they can get used to being in each other’s territory. This may cause them to start doing some territorial pooping, so be aware of that, but I think it will help ease the transition for them from neutral territory to non-neutral territory. When they are bonded and you are going to move them in together, you’ll probably want to put them in a cage with brand new flooring, a new litterbox, and possibly even a new configuration so that neither bunny thinks it is “their” cage and not the others.

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