Stalled Bonding- Chasing and Butt Biting

[Dabby]

Hello Friends!

I am currently trying
to bond my 5 year old spayed doe Hazel to my new 5 year old neutered male
Henry. I’ve had Hazel since she was a kit and I adopted Henry four months
ago. He was fixed at the shelter a couple days before we got him and we waited
a month before we started bonding.

Hazel had never met
another bunny before and was cautious with him. Because this is my first time
bonding buns I went as slow as possible. We kept them separated
but within view of each other. All was going well so we set up an xpen in
a neutral area and placed both bunnies in the pen. The plan was to let them hop
about and eat snacks together for about a minute and I was prepared to
stop any fights that might happen. As soon as Henry caught sight of Hazel he
went over to investigate, I didn’t see any signs of aggression on either
side. Then Henry raised his tail and bit her butt before I knew what was
happening. Hazel ran and He chased. I separated them as fast as I could and put
them back in their pens.

Every time I put them
together as soon as Hazel catches sight of him she will run and get to high
ground, out of reach (Henry has a gimpy leg and so can’t jump up to get her).
Sometimes he chases with a raised tail, sometimes he does a loose follow, ears
up. If Hazel stands her ground and lets him approach he will sometimes lay
his ears back and charge her. I always interrupt and they have never
fought. Sometimes he will catch her and bite her butt before I can stop him,
when this happens I put him in time out. When they are in their separate pens
Henry will mirror Hazel and lay as close to her as he can.

I don’t know how to go
on from here. As long as Henry keeps chasing her Hazel will be afraid of him. I
don’t want to discipline him for normal bunny behavior but I also don’t
want Hazel to be scared of him. My family is becoming impatient
and I won’t be able to keep Henry if he continues his shenanigans.
Any Ideas?

Please don’t pull any
punches. I need to know what went wrong and what I need to do next. Thank
you for your time!

 

[Bunny House]

Hi. Have you ever done any prebonding?

[Dabby]

Hello! Thank you for replying!
I have done some prebonding. I switch their boxes and treat toys daily. I tried switching the bunnies pens once but I worry that that is teaching Henry that he owns the house and doesn’t have to coexist with Hazel. Does this concern have any merit?

Their pens are separated by a gate and they eat close to each other. They do not bite each other through the fence.

[sarahthegemini]

Actually, swapping the buns between pens/enclosures should have the opposite effect – it will help spread the scent of both bunnies and will make them lose track so to speak of what is ‘their territory’ It’ll get them used to sharing space because they’ll smell themselves and each other. I would advise that you swap them between enclosures daily or every few days. Do this for a month. Your rabbits might be a little bit miffed to begin with but this (and any aggression) should subside. You could even put a stuffy in each pen (and swap that too) so that any aggression is taken out on the stuffy. The idea is that after sufficient pre bonding, the bunnies are able to have a physical introduction without attacking one another because they would have already gotten past the angry stage without putting either bun at risk.

[Dabby]

That makes sense, I’ll start now. Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge with me, I really appreciate it!

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By Lepus2800 on 9/07/2018 8:38 AM
That makes sense, I’ll start now. Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge with me, I really appreciate it!

You’re welcome

[DanaNM]

Hi there,

I just wanted to add that when you are putting Henry on “time out” for chasing/nipping, that is teaching him that chasing and nipping is the way to make that “other bunny” go away!

When he chases and nips, rather than separating them, try petting them both side by side and swap their scents. See if you can get them to relax near each other so they can start building trust and a calm association. You should always end the session on a good note, and never separate right when they chase or fight. Pet them until they are calm again and then end then.

I’m not sure how many sessions you’ve had, but the things to try (in addition to petting), when things aren’t going too well are : a smaller space, a larger space, and/or a stressful environment (car rides can work wonders). If you’ve been using the same neutral area for many sessions, try setting it up in a different neutral space.

. . . 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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