When to try non-neutral territory?

[pinkiemarie]

Me again. I took this week off work to do ultra-marathon bonding. I’ve finally got TIME to do this. We’re doing great! The first night not much happened. The second night the little guy mounted both big bunnies nonstop. Yesterday morning I added a used litterbox from their house and it didn’t cause a single fight. Last night I barely heard a peep out of them. Today, so far so good. I’m comfortable leaving the room for 5 to 10 minutes! The little guy is spending more time in the group so I don’t want to rush into the living room play area until he’s more integrated, but can anyone point to any signs on what to look for to know when you’re ready to try an area that isn’t neutral? Nobody is displaying clear dominance yet, but with a trio I’m not sure if dominance is more nuanced and maybe I won’t get the clear “I’m boss” behavior I’m expecting? Idk anyways, we’re so close and I don’t want to mess this up!

[Wick & Fable]

I personally would say if they can go a full day (or two if you can swing it) there with no issues, then you can start– that’s just me! With my rabbits, they can be fine for the large majority of the day (9+ hrs), but it’s those later hours where the stuff starts to come out as they get a bit rowdy and more active.

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.

[pinkiemarie]

Yes I agree! The little guy definitely gets more aggressive at night!

[DanaNM]

Yay! Great progress!!!

I’ve always waited until the seem bonded to move to semi-neutral. Are you seeing grooming, cuddling, food sharing?

You’ll want to see positive behaviors, not just the absence of negative.

I feel like it’s better to spend longer than you think in neutral. Like personally, if I think they are doing great in neutral for at least 48 hours, I feel ok leaving them unsupervised in that space. But if I have to move them, then I know I need to supervise them closely again for at least 48 hours. The last time I marathon bonded at my friend house, I knew after 48 hours they were fine there, and opted to leave them there during the week while I went to work , rather than have to move them home and not be able to supervise.

ultimately trust your guy! You know them best! 🙂

. . . 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.  

[pinkiemarie]

I am seeing grooming and food sharing and cuddling! They’re doing so well!

[DanaNM]

That’s so exciting! yayayayayy!

. . . 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.  

[pinkiemarie]

Haha ok, they’ve been so good so I took them upstairs to see if they could run off some energy. I took all of their toys and their mini maze out so nobody would have anything to claim but the space and man were they not ready lol they got about two minutes of really good exercise though 😆 They were instantly calm when I brought them back to the ok bonding area though so we’re getting there, just need to stay here longer.

[Wick & Fable]

It’s OK! Some days are better than others– what’s most important is not ending on that “bad” note, so it’s good that they were calm when bringing them back to the bonding area.

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.

[pinkiemarie]

Yes and they got a little treat and ate it nicely with their little snouts together. They had been very good but I wasn’t sure if they were ready so I gave it a shot. No biggie, they’re good now!

[pinkiemarie]

I’m not sure what’s going on but about 1 Thursday morning I woke up to the little guy attacking Clover. He has now claimed the litter box so I removed it and put in a baking sheet, but he’s still defending it as his territory and will not allow Clover to go there. He’ll lunge at her and be very aggressive so she’ll also be aggressive. I’m not sure what I need to do. I took them on a car ride yesterday morning and it helped with some of the aggression but he’s still defending territory and doesn’t want anything to do with her. I have an extremely hard time with calling it quits as well because I no longer have a fully bonded pair of rabbits. He’s still getting along with his brother but they’re only half bonded. Any advice would be appreciated!

 

Edit also I’m planning to ask my boyfriend to watch them today after the pet store opens and go get him a small animal hideaway that’s only big enough for him. They definitely make them meant for animals smaller than rabbits and since he’s about 2.5 lbs I think I’ll be able to find one that’s just him sized.  Since he’s so much smaller maybe he’ll feel better if he has his own house that the big bunnies can’t get into so they can start sharing the box again?

[DanaNM]

Ahhh such a bummer. Where there any changes that might have triggered this? How many litter boxes do you have? Usually you need at least 2 for trios.

Do you have anywhere else available you could try working with them? Like maybe a friend’s kitchen or garage? I’ve noticed when bonding takes a long time, the neutral spaces end up becoming less neutral. But moving to a brand new neutral spot can sometimes help get past these final hurdles.

. . . 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.  

[pinkiemarie]

Well, I don’t know what the deal was but they’ve made up. He’s no longer guarding the box, she’s no longer nipping at him, and he’s been sitting about 6 inches away from her for most of the day. I do only have one box in here because they’re Ina pretty small area but I can add a second and see if that helps keep things calm.

[DanaNM]

Well that’s a relief!

 

. . . 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.  

[Wick & Fable]

There are so many things we cannot observe/perceive with rabbit relationships… again, just remember the idea is the big picture and day to day fluctuations can be OK and natural!

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.

[pinkiemarie]

Yes definitely! These two have had some major issues in the past so seeing them back step like that was scary but they’re so much better today 🙂

[Author]

Messages