tell me there’s still a chance…

[cainan]

I’ve had Banner here now for three weeks.  He’s set up in a pen next to Merry’s and they seem to be very curious about each other – they flop down next to each other (across the bars of course) and sleep, etc.  There’s never been any aggression or anything.

Over the past few days Merry’s been really cranky – she’s taken to jumping up on her favorite chair and instead of lounging like she used to, I noticed that she’s digging.  Worse, though – she’s grabbing the blanket covering it and obsessively biting it – kind of like a dog who grabs onto something and wont’ let go.  When I approach her, she lunges and bites me!  She’s never bitten me before (at least not viciously).

I figured that Merry was feeling a little resentment over being in a pen again when she used to have the open pen and the dining room to herself all day.  But today when I went to go get her food, I left the door to the bunny room open a crack and she snuck in. She went over to say hi to Banner, and it looked like they were fine, but when they touched noses through the bars of his pen – she bit him!  It felt like she was trying to lure him into a trap and then *chomp*.

Banner’s surgery won’t happen until mid-week the week of 3/21, and then he’ll be confined in the pen for another two? weeks after that to let the hormones settle.

Am I being paranoid, or does it now look like this isn’t going to work?  I do admit that I’m probably overly upset over this because Merry’s never been mean and vicious to ME before and it hurt me

[jerseygirl]

There is still a chance!

I wanted to say that as soon as I read the title before I’d even read your post. lol But truly, it is such early days. I wonder if she’s reacting to him now that he’s coming into bunny puberty?

Most often, bonding will take some work and consistancy and you sort of have to be prepared to see the more aggressive side of rabbits. It can seem like it’s not working then all of a sudden they turn a corner and become more inseparable.

Do your best at keeping interactions between them positive. Maybe you’ll need another separating layer between the pens.

[Deleted User]

Not to worry. She may reacted this way b/c of the intact bunny’s scent on you. You cannot judge a bonding based on interactions that happened when one or both were still intact. Once hormones have been checked, it’s a new game. If there is aggression during the bonding process, know that it is pretty standard, and that it will pass, especially if you use neutral territory and stressors.

[cainan]

ah, I never thought that HIS hormones would affect HER
whew, you guys have made me feel better! and yes, his scent is definitely on me, so that would make sense.
thanks

[Author]

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