Their First ‘Date’ (awwwwes!)

[MimzMum]

Well this has been an exciting and unexpectedly great afternoon at my place.

I put out the exercise run, like I usually do for the afternoon, and carried Pip out to it so she could have some free run around time out of her habitat.

And then I got a wild hare…I mean, hair…..

I went and got Mimzy out of his habitat and crawled into the run with him in my arms and Pip on the floor.

For no less than 15 minutes, Mimzy sat in my lap shoving his nose under my arm and demanding pets, while Pip proceeded (after much initial caution) to skirt around us and sniff his bum, my bum and his face. He mostly sat in my arms tucked up, not really scared as much as just trying to be invisible and if I stopped noserubbing him I’d get a swift niplet and would have to begin again. I didn’t have to restrain him at all, like I usually do. At first I thought, ‘Oh, this is bad, he’s not even remotely interested and doesn’t seem like he will be at any time soon.’

Pippy was persistent though, having been a store bought bun, she was eager to have a new playmate. She kept sniffing (especially his posterior, which I guarded like a hawk from any potential nipping) and trying to get him to ‘come down and play’ by tearing on her phone book and hopping around. We watched in awe as she performed her FIRST BINKIES EVER right in front of him to cheer him up. It was most definitely directed towards his line of sight.

I was about ready to put him away, thinking, ‘Well, that’s long enough for the first time,’ when he suddenly decided, ‘Alright Mom, I’ll go check this out since it seems to be so important to you.’

He got down on the floor and the two slowly crept towards each other. Much friendly sniffing on both sides. Then…well…Mimzy just did what came naturally and hopped on Pip’s face and ‘asserted’ himself.

My daughter immediately cries (even though I WARNED her this might happen) ‘Augh! What is he doing?? He’s squishing her!’

I had to calmly remind her that this was natural and that it was liable to happen quite often as they got toknow each other. This produced a lot of impertinent whining on her part, but I was firm and calm and showed her I would not let them hurt one another. And it turns out I was right, he would keep slowly hopping over, sniff her and she him, and then climb on her face and either flatten himself down or try to mount. I continued to separate them when I feared they might do harm, but after the first few tries, Pip got the idea and removed herself from the situation and would take off for the other side of the pen. He wouldn’t chase, just loped over and she would scurry away again and by the time I was ready to separate them, they were obviously quite finished with the little charade for the moment and enjoyed a nice carrot treat. (When I first tried to pick up Mimzy, he ran off and joined Pip on the other side of the run, and he sniffed the carrot she was eating and then her face…she was like ‘Nothin’ doing, bubba!’ and spurted off again to the opposite end.)

But on the whole, no real violence to speak of and I think…*crosses fingers*…that they might actually LIKE each other! 0.o

LIttle girl and I are a bit worn out by all this, but we have good hopes for the future for these two. At least now they know what that strange smell is that they get a whiff of when each uses the exercise pen on the day after the other has used it. ^^

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[Beka27]

very interesting.  is the plan that they are going to be bonded then and live together permanently?  that will make outtime so much easier on you guys.  they won’t have to take turns.

[MimzMum]

Yes, this is what I’m hoping for. We have been perfectly content, if they could not get along, to make separate areas for them so that they could live peaceful lives with us, but if they can find solace and companionship in each other, I’m all for it! ^^
One other thing I remember, Pip tended to tuck her nose under Mimzy’s chin. Is that the request for a grooming from the dominant bun? If so, I don’t think she got her message across. :-/
I also kept the squirt bottle handy and gave them a shot when it first looked like they were going to fight, which of course they didn’t. Hopefully I didn’t muck things up. >.<

[Beka27]

i’ve never bonded buns… just read about it.  i’ve heard some folks say to put a bit of baby food or canned pumpkin on the bun’s forehead asking to be groomed to encourage the other bun.

[MarkBun]

This was a very good first date. I would say that things went well. Yes the nose under the chin says, “you groom me,” and the buns don’t always get the message. It could also be that Pip said, “oh, you think YOU”RE the boss?” and then mounted him in return. But this is all quite natural and a good thing going forward.

You can also just use water on their faces to initiate grooming. Buns see something ‘out of place’ on another bun and often instinctually go to fix it.

In addition, I have found a loud clap is just as good as a water bottle at stopping a fight. The good thing is that you are well bonded to both of the buns so they will read off of your emotions. So try not to be timid or afraid of what will happen when they’ll meet. From what it sounds like, neither are in the mood to hurt one another so just be confident and hopeful – but not fearful.

[MimzMum]

Thank you for your advice, Markus, actually I’ve been waiting to do this forever it seems like, being very afraid it would turn out like the end of Watership Down, and I am very happy it’s going so well! After that first attempt the other day, Mimzy was much more calm and seemed very content that evening in his habitat and Pip was quieter during the evening in my daughter’s room than she’s been in a long time. Due to our busy schedule yesterday, the buns did not get a chance to meet, so we put them together for much of the day today.

There was more mounting on Mimzy’s part, but the difference in Pip today was surprising. She immediately took the submissive pose and so Mimzy decided to grab her fur, which I separated them for so he wouldn’t injure her. This happened a few more times, then Pip turned around and nipped his rear flank, which kind of set him back a bit. For the rest of the afternoon, he would only approach with caution, no fear, and if she bolted off he would sit back as if to say, “Okay, okay…playing hard to get are we?” He would wait for her to return, then try a dominance move again, and again she would dart off and he’d have to wait for her to come back.

After awhile of her just keeping her distance, you could see he was a little put out. So HE tried to entice her to play today by chewing on the phonebook and cardboard strips I had inserted as a distraction. After a few futile attempts, he just settled down and waited patiently for her to come back to his side of the xpen.
She took her time and mostly would hop down and back (trying to get behind me so she could observe him. He would just sit, almost with a Cheshire grin on his face. His patience with her was astounding to me.
And she with him. She put up with several mounting attempts, sadly most from the front, and would just duck her head. I think at one point they tried grooming each other, but I think they’re still a bit unsure.

I finally got to a point where, after sitting in the xpen with them for a few hours and feeling very cramped, I had to excuse myself for a few seconds and left them with my daughter. She got into the pen with them. This seemed to calm them both down a little more and before I knew it, when I returned, we were having a ‘chase’ game. Not the threatening chase down and hunt, but an actual GAME. There was no anger, no fear, no tension. You could see they were both enjoying each other’s company. It floored me no end! It didn’t last very long but I could see there were going to be binkies coming soon, and I was right. ^^

Later I brought out a neutral litterbox (since they’d been in awhile and I was sure SOMEBODY must have to pee) and placed the willow tent in the middle of the pen for some privacy. Mimzy went in directly, chewed some cardboard, and Pip would just circle around, poking her head in from time to time. Mimzy would sniff at her, she would think, “Uh-oh, here he comes again!” and bolt. He wouldn’t chase, but would step out a few paces and either try to show he wasn’t aggressive or go back in and shrug it off. Since they were doing so well, I also hung a water bottle, placed a water bowl and a few pellets, hovering in case a fight broke out, and only Pip hungrily ate. Mimzy just watched her from the tent, nonplussed. There was no fight for food whatsoever.

By the time I’d finally put him back in his habitat (since I don’t feel comfortable enough with them to leave them in the xpen overnight) he was tired but happy. Since he hates using the public bathroom, he went straight to his box and pooped. I gave him a treat and called it a day.

Pip is still in the xpen currently. She can always use a little extra run time to wear her down for the night. LOTS of energy, that one.

I also took the opportunity of having Mim out to find those pesky anal glands. They’re there alright, despite what my vet said and they do appear to have some dark waxy substance in them, but I simply couldn’t get him to hold still enough tonight to get to them. I think with my husband’s help, we’ll get him cleaned up tomorrow. There is no smell from them and no irritation anywhere to be seen. I look forward to the opportunity to gently instruct my vet on this subject when I speak to her again. Since rabbit hygiene is so important I can’t imagine her wanting to be ignorant of such facts.

If I am reading the buns’ body language correctly, this is a surprisingly comfortable situation for both of them. Instead of having to be out of their habitats all by themselves all day, and just going to a lonely pen at night, they now have a companion who helps them to feel a little less alone…even though they both appear very attached to myself and my daughter.

Soooo…my only question is, since things are going so well, when do I have to keep the buns solidly together to cement the bonding process? My daughter is concerned that the both of them will have to bunk together somewhere away from her, as there’s no room in her room for both of them, (Pip sleeps in her room and Mimzy sleeps in mine, at least until summer is in full swing, when he will want to be in the Bun-Galow), and I certainly want to be able to continue to be close to Mimzy also. Am I naive to think that Pip and Mimzy will continue to accept each other this well if they have to sleep in separate compartments at night?
I currently have nowhere to set up the xpen or habitats so that I can watch them all evening and prevent any possible altercations. So despite the ease of the bonding so far, I wonder if I have made a grave mistake? I’d like the buns to be together, but now my daughter is showing reservations that she is ‘losing’ her bunny.

[MarkBun]

Well since they’re both at home now and seem comfortable, I’d probably keep on doing the dating thing until you get more groomings and ideally a cuddle between the two. At that time, I’d probably work on the together forever time.

[kimberleyanddarren]

aw they are cute and i am glad it went so well! btw which bunny is which in that photo as they both look identical hehe!

[MimzMum]

Okies, will do on the dating. Yes, I am so looking forward to that first cuddle, they came SO close yesterday, but Pippy’s still a bit skittish.

K&D, my bad…lolz. That’s Mimzy (neutered male) in my lap and Pip (spayed female) on the floor. He’s a Thuringer lop and she’s a half-lionhead. In fact, my daughter loves piccies of Hopscotch, since they help her think of what Pip looked like as a kit. ^^

[kimberleyanddarren]

hehe its cute cuz in that pic mimzy doesnt look like a lop but in your sig he does they are both uber cute though, keep us updated on the cuddles

[Gravehearted]

yesh – this is the third time i responding since my responses keep being eaten! so – here’s a reader’s digest version:

– mounting should decrease in a week or so, but humping the face is very dangerous – since Pip could bite him and do serious damage. So if he’s humping the wrong way – turn him around for sure

– it sounds like they are making excellent progress so far! keep up with the sessions for sure, you might also swap litterboxes first and then pens to help them adjust to each others scent

– the goal with bonding really is for them to be living together. maybe explain to your daughter that they will be much happier living together. the fact that Pip did her first binkies upon meeting Mimzy is a testament to how happy and excited she is abount having a friend. I’m not sure how old your daughter is – but if she’s 8 or so, you might have a faux bunny wedding for them

keep up the great work – and hope they’ll be grooming soon!

[MimzMum]

Well day 3 was a day of chasing and dominance moves. They both seemed to feel like they’d wanted the xpen to themselves that day. So we had them together for a bit, then retired them to their separate pens.

But today is day 4…and Houston…I think we have liftoff.

BTW, this was taken while the dog was inside, on the carpet away from where the buns are sectioned. They could only hear him making noise. Pip was obviously frightened and Mimzy, being the chivalrous gentleman was nudging her nose with his as if to say, “Fear not, milady, I shall protect thee!”

It was too cute. ~.~;

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