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I Hold my hands up....I need bonding help! U/D I quit!!

Sooz

Wise Old Thumper
I have hit a deadlock with Tarquin and Bella, everytime we take two steps forward we take one step back.

Thursday I set the up in the kitchen, totally neutral with hidey holes and food scattered about. They were fine for about 30 minutes and then had a big fight which left Bella with a bite above her eye. I believe the trigger for this was T approaching her while she was eating some celery.

I treid them in the bedroom after checking them both over and after Becca had left incase her presence caused a problem. This time T was the aggressor scrapping at bella's head whenever she came near.....she retaliated.

Next we spent 3 days getting 'acclimatised' sharing a room and run and taking it inturns to be in the cage but always within sight of each other. Lots of sitting side by side and nose sniffing.

Today I started the bond again in the kitchen. Within 45 minutes with pleading and honey i had them lying side by side. Still a few scraps started this time by bella but not nearly as bad as before. I hand fed them side by side to start combating any food aggression and they were fine. After about 2 hours we had T grooming bella but she did not return the favour, previous to this they would sit nose to nose, heads low and frozen waiting for the other to give in and groom. T is scared of bella and runs from her if she approaches him to fast or from behind.

I thought at this point, great we are making progress but alas, within an hour another big fight broke out and they are back in the bathroom, still in view but seprated.

So what do I do next? I have thought about sending them back to Becca with instructions for a slow bond and also trying some bach remedies to calm them. Are they too young or should we wait until they have been neutered for longer (T is around 7/8 weeks and i think bella is nearer to 6). I really dont want to give up on these two but my nerves are shot :(
 
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Well I've noticed that in the year that Benny and Maa have been 'next door neighbours' they have got fond of each other, not that I would try bonding them as I think they are both happy, but sometimes it does take time for them to accept each other, especially if they've both been single for quite a while as I think they bond to humans in that scenario, so you are breaking a bond to make a bond - which is bound to be harder.
 
I always try to start and stay in one place, rather than keep moving them about, I find moving them from one place to another often results in a fight.

I am not sure how many bondings you do, with me I always rotate the places I bond in, I have 3 areas I use in the kitchen, one in my hall and the other my cloakroom. If I am doing a quick bond where they are going to go home or over to another foster home for a few days I will use the garden (weather permitting). This gives each place time to loose its smell of the previous rabbits which were bonded their last. Any slightest smells of other rabbits I find often sets of fights.

I tend to try and keep my distance if they will allow me to do this, being too close I find can disturb them.

I would just start again in a room which does not smell of any rabbit and just keep going, separating for a few minutes only. With the terrified rabbit syndrome this is something which will sort itself out in time. Duchess I bonded recently had the same problem and would just run away terrified, given time she will learn that things are ok and she doesnt need to run. It is something which they need to work out for themselves.
 
Do they have to bond?

Chocolate was a nightmare to bond, but a year on she was living with all the buns I'd tried to bond her with initially.:rolleyes:
 
Its going to make life quite difficult for Becca if she has two seperate house bunnies but there is the option of trying it slowly over time with them living near each other and spending a litle bit of time each day together.
 
That suprises me that your having probs with tarquin cos he's such a lovely friendly bun, I would have thought he'd have bonded no problem.

I don't know what to suggest. I've bonded all my buns into the pairs their in now, but they were all easy and I had no problems.

Nicola
 
You’ve been doing a brilliant job with Tarquin and Bella and I’m so sorry they’re causing you so much worry and hard work. You know I’m willing to try anything with them, but not at the expense of you, and I can’t imagine how you are feeling having to keep separating them. Whatever you decide we should do I am happy with. I have plenty of room and love – two big cages and lots of space – and will make it work. When they’ve both calmed down again a bit we can perhaps try again. They obviously quite like being near to each other, and maybe that’s what we need to give them for a while.

Thank you for all you have done. I would never have attempted two rabbits if it hadn’t been for your help, support and advice.

I want you to know I haven’t just been thinking and worrying about Bella and Tarquin. I’ve also been thinking and worrying about you. I don’t know how you are doing what you are doing. Take care and see you later. Give B+T a kiss for me.

Rebec x
 
Hows things this morning with them ? sorry I cant give any advice because its you I have my bonding advice off ..
Hope things are okay.
Karen x
 
Oh i feel exactly the same! These silly little buns have got me right confused! Ive been bonding them for about 2/3 weeks now and one minute they'll get on like they could never be apart, lying together grooming one another and then all of a sudden something will happen (god know what!) and it'll all kick of, a massive fight! :( I've brought a lovely girl in with my boy. She's a sweetie and will never start a fight but certainly wont take a battering! She gives as good as she gets lol. :lol: I think it more Ringo he doesn't seem to know what he's doing! One minute he'll put his head down and she'll wash him the next he's stealing her food and trying to nip her!
They have got some silly ways!!
 
Oh i feel exactly the same! These silly little buns have got me right confused! Ive been bonding them for about 2/3 weeks now and one minute they'll get on like they could never be apart, lying together grooming one another and then all of a sudden something will happen (god know what!) and it'll all kick of, a massive fight! :( I've brought a lovely girl in with my boy. She's a sweetie and will never start a fight but certainly wont take a battering! She gives as good as she gets lol. :lol: I think it more Ringo he doesn't seem to know what he's doing! One minute he'll put his head down and she'll wash him the next he's stealing her food and trying to nip her!
They have got some silly ways!!

If the fights are over fresh food cut them up in really small pieces and put them in two bowls for now until they stop fighting over food. Whilst bonding it is often necessary to have 2 of everything until they calm down.

If you can just go with these together don't separate them, after a while they will settle down. If you feel you need to split them when they are fighting, just stick a broom between them and hold them apart for a few seconds and then release them.
 
Thanks for the advice. I have given them sperate bowls because of the fighting but sometimes Ringo sticks his big head in the bowl and gets all involved! Other times they'll happily sit together and munch out of the same bowl! I guess they just need a bit more time to iron out all the rules between them. I'm sticking with it though when they are snuggled up together they look so happy! The broom idea sounds like a great one!! I'll definatley try that to give them a chance to calm down without totally seperating them!
 
My group of 4 girls are really happy together, but sitting where I am now, sometimes I'll hear a commotion from the shed outside the back door, and go in to find a few tufts of fur (different bunny each time), and all 4 girls snuggled up together innocently 'what us, fighting? Nooooooo - we are such devoted sisters!' :rolleyes:

I always put pellets on the floor, tipped from a big dish (large plant pot drip tray actually) in a line shape rather than a round heap, so there's no fighting over a dish, and veg is always chopped up and easy for them to grab and run :)
 
Well we decided to call it a day with bonding these two. The aggression is mutual on both sides and they were getting very stressed out and jittery. Tarquin decided that one corner of the kitchen was his and Bella kept antagonising him by running into it :roll: .

The fights were worse than previously and water spray had no effect...at one point each had hold of the others neck :? grabbed hold of them both and neither would let go :shock: it took me a good couple of minutes to seperate them and Tarquin has a lovely bite on his shoulder.

I dont see the point in forcing them together when they have made their feelings towards each other so clear as it is obviously not to their benefit so they will both be living next to each other as single house rabbits with seperate free roaming time.

If there attitude seems to change over the next few months or the course of Bachs does any good then we will try again but at this time there is no-way they are gonna kiss and make up!

Im gutted :(
 
I'm so very sorry that this hasn't worked out. :cry:

I brought Bella and Tarquin home last night and they spent quite a bit of time sniffing and chin rubbing in their separate cages. They still seem interested to see each other through the bars of their cages, and they can't do each other any harm, so that's the way they'll stay.

When Bella had her turn out of the cage she spent quite a lot of time near to T's cage in-between racing round and getting reacquainted with all her favourite spots and toys. When T was out he just wanted to stay close to me, but as he hadn't spent much time exploring the house previously I think that will change as he gets more familiar with the house.

I am so grateful to Sooz for having a go and we were so hopeful that they were a match made in heaven but it's not meant to be and neither of them will miss out. Their cages are close to each other and Oliver wanders in and out, and in the evenings they'll both get special time out of their cages. I love them both dearly and can't imagine life without either of them.

Bed Time:

Bed-Time---2.jpg


BedTime.jpg


Breakfast Time:

Bella---Breakfast-Time.jpg


Tarquin---Breakfast-Time.jpg
 
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This is only the second one that has out and out failed on me and its the first where the aggression has been mutual on both sides...usually one nibbles the other into submission but these two were stubborn and no-one gave in :shock:

Cant wait to see Reubens again :D
 
oh no what a shame it hasn't worked out.

Tarquin has still got a really lovely home though.

So Becca, are you on the look out for more bunnies now?:lol: :lol:

Nicola
 
This is only the second one that has out and out failed on me and its the first where the aggression has been mutual on both sides...usually one nibbles the other into submission but these two were stubborn and no-one gave in :shock:

Cant wait to see Reubens again :D

Thats how it was when I tried bonding Audrey with my sisters rabbit Maureen-they were both on the attack. I've never seen bunns so aggressive. They just would not accept each other whatever I did, despite both being spayed.

Maureen now has a husbun who she took to straight away.
 
oh no what a shame it hasn't worked out.

Tarquin has still got a really lovely home though.

So Becca, are you on the look out for more bunnies now?:lol: :lol:

Nicola

Hi Nicola :wave:

I would never say never, and once I've recovered from the worry and got into a good routine with Bella and Tarquin and let them settle back down again, who knows what might happen :lol:

The cages they both have are more than big enough for two bunnies so you never know. I don't think I'd better look at the RIN section for a bit though! :)

I'm actually quite excited now I've got over the initial upset of knowing it's not going to work because I'm really looking forward to T bonding with me, and I already have a good bond with Bella (very much on her terms!), so none of us will be missing out, and in fact if they had bonded really well I might have felt a bit left out if that doesn't sound daft!

Not sure how Sooz would feel if I asked her to help me again ... :lol: :lol: :lol:

Rebec :)
 
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