Too cute to split up!

[Poppyhani]

I’ve posted quite a bit about them now, but I’m going through the process of bonding my doe and buck, Poppy and Sorrel, and they’ve been absolute sweethearts. Sorrel, a very shy bun, is currently binkying everywhere around her as I write this post.

Currently, they’re in the same enclosure because they’re pretty much flatmates and with the constant cage switching, they’re so used to each others smell that they don’t mind me taking out the middle partition to join it into one big cage. Their first meeting was in the bathtub, but again, that went so well that I thought I should try them on their territories. Early on, they established that my buck wanted to be most dominant, but my doe wants to hump him now too, and I’ve had to break up one or two circling scuffs that only result in them flopping together after I’ve split them up. They flop together constantly, groom constantly, he follows her and sleeps next to her whenever she lies down. He’s absolutely smitten, but I refuse to rush it. He’s pretty heartbroken when I split them up, haha.

They have very long sessions together, a few hours at least, but when did you know when your buns were ready to leave overnight? I definitely want to do more sessions, but they’re just so cute together that I feel so bad every time!

[DanaNM]

Sounds like it’s going smoothly!

I would say when they can spend several hours together without scuffling, you are ready to try for overnight in neutral space (with you supervising of course). I usually sleep on the floor near the bonding pen. Believe me, you will wake up if they start scuffling!

. . . 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.  

[Poppyhani]

Hi Dana! They hadn’t scuffled for the few hours before I went to bed, so I testingly left them overnight since they’re right beside my bed. Conclusion: very smoothly. They did wake me up, but it wasn’t a scuffle; they were excitedly binkying all over the place!

I split them up this morning since I had to go out to my local rabbit shelter to volunteer, but they looked so sad. Poppy even began licking Sorrel through the bars. I’m starting to wonder if they’re already almost bonded and I’m just being paranoid!

[DanaNM]

That sounds so wonderful! It does sound like they are almost bonded! Some bunnies just go together like that.

It can be so hard to split them up when they get to this point, but it shouldn’t hurt their progress, and is the safest thing to do. That said, you will know when it’s OK to leave them. Trust your gut.

Are they sharing food, litter box, and just generally relaxed around each other?

I would continue keeping them together whenever you’re home. If you have 48 hrs when you can be home, leave them together for the whole time. At that point, if they are still doing great, you can move them to semi neutral, etc. You might also choose to keep them in neutral until you have a few more days off to supervise in semi.

Once they are good in semi, then you’ll have to make the call about when to move them into their permanent home. You’ll want to clean really well, and try to rearrange things so it seems like a new place.

. . . 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.  

[Poppyhani]

Oh, I think I mentioned it in my first post, but I moved them out of their neutral place already. They’re both in their permanent area, since their separate pens were just one big pen halved down the middle. I do think they’re so accustomed to each other because theirs smells have been mingling for weeks, not to mention I’ve been swapping what side of the pen they’re on. Now that you mention it, I think I was too quick on that…

I cleaned it out thoroughly the night I posted, which might explain why there was absolutely no scuffles at all. They’ve shared litter boxes, food, do their own thing and flop together like they’re chilling on the bunny beach. I’m beginning to recognise I may have been very lucky with this one!

I think I’ll stay with them the rest of this weekend and monitor them, since I accidentally skipped a few stages. They were so relaxed in their neutral area that I thought to test them in each others pens, and there was no difference in their behaviour, so I may have jumped the gun. D:

[Poppyhani]

Hehe, captured this before I turned the lights off. They’re so sweet together.

[DanaNM]

Well that’s just great!

And yes, I think if you monitor them the rest of the weekend and they are all good then you should be good to go!

I can’t see the photo but I’m sure they are adorable!

. . . 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.  

[Poppyhani]

I just want to say a huge thanks to your support, Dana! ☆ Today I was able to crown them officially bonded, after spending the last 48 in the same cage together with only cuddles and grooming, and today I walked into them following each other everywhere. They’re absolutely adorable together and as my first bond, I was so terrified, and I’m glad they made it easy for me. Again, thank you so much!

[Gordo and Janice]

Congrats Poppyhani! You make them sound adorable and sweet for sure. I hope you can fix the picture, would love to see you three’s accomplishment.

[BB8]

Congrats Poppyhani! They must be so cute together!

[Poppyhani]

Thank you so much guys! Here are a few pics of them together and in their pen just following each other in general.  Excuse the mess of their pen, they’re getting litter trained but they still love to poop there and then.

[Gordo and Janice]

Precious, precious! They look very happy together. So cute. Congrats again.

[Poppyhani]

Thank you so much!! Its so refreshing to have bunnies together, I’ll never go back to the single bunny life.

[DanaNM]

How wonderful! So happy for you! And lucky for you you had an easy time of it!!

. . . 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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