Bonding - Please help! Manchester area

Hi, I have had a female rabbit for a year now and she is about 2 years old. At the weekend, I adopted Dopey from Elaine who is 4/5 months old. They live in an area under the stairs and are seperated by mesh. Both are spayed/neutered. I have tried bonding them, yet as soon as he gets close to her she just fights him. He has now started to fight back and she has ended up with a cut over her eye.

Has anybody got any extra advice or does anybody live in the manchester area who would be able to help me out here.

Sorry for the long post.

Hannah

:wave: Am sure some expert bonders will be along in a bit but in the meantime have a look at this:

http://www.cottontails-rescue.org.uk/matchups.asp

That's good advice on that link Rachel

I'm wondering if you tried them in a neutral area? Once they've injured each other they aren't very forgiving so it's going to be very difficult to make them bond now I think

Thanks for your replies

I've read all the information I can find on the net and in books I have and followed everything as well as I could.

I really wanted them to bond and would be grateful for any extra advice/help.

Hannah

Bond them in a place not nown by neither of them.
Make sure there is plenty to do for them, such as food and hiding places.
Rabbits that fight don't have to be seperated if they only do it to look wich one is gonna be the top rabbit.
But if its no longer play fight but a serieus fight you have to sperate them inmediatly.
The chanche that rabbits wich has gone to that point can by mated is slim.
My advise: Seperate them for al long thime, so that they cant see each other.
Let them forget about each other and their grudges.
Than try again in an infomaliar place for the both of them.
And once jou have put them together and it go's fine, don't seperate them any more.

Well if you've done the neutral area bit and they're both neutered it may just be a case of 2 dominant bunnies and a personality clash - If neither bunny refuses to be submissive then they will fight.

I read a post from someone here that said they take a slower approach to bonding 2 like this - put them in the neutral area then as soon as they go for each other, seperate them (wear gardening gloves - I pop a washing basket over one of mine to seperate) - she said she does this every day, seperating them immediately there's trouble, and always in the neutral space.

Apparently it takes several months but the time between them going in and starting to fight gets gradually longer, till they are not fighting at all. Then you can think about leaving them together in the neutral area for a few days/nights, supervised, whilst rearranging, cleaning and redecorating the area they are going to share - just to make it seem new to them both.

Or you could do as I do and have 2 single bunnies living next door to each other as I'm scared of bonding

nannybonk said:

Hi, I have had a female rabbit for a year now and she is about 2 years old. At the weekend, I adopted Dopey from Elaine who is 4/5 months old. They live in an area under the stairs and are seperated by mesh. Both are spayed/neutered. I have tried bonding them, yet as soon as he gets close to her she just fights him. He has now started to fight back and she has ended up with a cut over her eye.

Has anybody got any extra advice or does anybody live in the manchester area who would be able to help me out here.

Sorry for the long post.

Hannah

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Hello Hannah

I would say if things haven't gone well from the first meeting take it very, very slowly.
I would put them in a neutral room and keep mixing smells ie swapping litter trays, swapping cages, letting them both exercise in the same area (not at the same time) but so they can both see each other.
I'd put their food bowls opposite one another so they can eat together through the mesh.

I'd let them get used to each other & their smells first, if you carry on like that for a week or so and see if you notice any difference in their behaviour ie. lying near each other or mirroring each others behaviour etc..
Once they seem settled with each other introduce them for 5 mins and slowly build the time up.

I know a lot of people prefer different methods but I found this has worked for me in the past during a difficult bond.

A manchester person! ^-^
I think I bond my bunnies different to other people.
But have you considered investing in a watergun type thing? Because when they fight, a quick squiet of this separates them without you risking injury, and as long as you're watching closely, it should prevent bunny injury, too... I've heard of using this to 'wear them down'. In the end - and it can take a while - they stop trying to fight and sit watching each other.

There's also some trick with putting both in a box or carrier and placing them on top of a washing machine, or in a car - the stress of the movement and sound makes them huddle close for reassurance.

Thanks for more advice, I appreciate it.

I think I just need to take it a bit slower as you are all saying. I have probably been a bit impatient as I see all your pictures of your bunnies loving each other and I would love for mine to love each other in that way. We thought we were doing the right thing by getting her a friend, but I have been gutted that they have just been fighting.

I went in to their living space earlier and they started scrapping through the mesh that seperates them. It's like they forget about each other until the see the other one and then they scrap again.

I'm too scared to try the car thing as I dont know if I could seperate them quick enough.

So you think I should just keep them how they are at the moment for a while and see if they decide to like each other through the bars and then start bonding slowly in a week or so?

nannybonk said:

Thanks for more advice, I appreciate it.

So you think I should just keep them how they are at the moment for a while and see if they decide to like each other through the bars and then start bonding slowly in a week or so?

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Hi

Are they in neutral territory or in the area that your girly bun has always been in?

I'd keep swapping them around into each others pens day & night so that no bun gets territorial over any area, mix the poops up & the litter trays.
Get them used to each others smell as much as possible.

If your going to take it slowly look at months rather than weeks so you don't feel the need to rush.

They live in the area that she was in. I am swapping them over regularly and have their food next to each other to encourage them to be social whilst eating.

Do you think they will bond in time or am I gonna have two single buns forever?

Hi

I'm in Oldham. I bonded mine by oing into the area between the two front doors - nice and small - and neutral - armed with a pair of thick oven gloves and a waterspray. I sat on a stool in one corner and they were each in a corner. Every time they tried fighting I sprayed them with water and separated them, with onlythe gloves getting hurt. I spent 15 minutes the first day and about 30 minutes the second. At other times Tosh, who I'd had for a year and is a neutered netherland dwarf is able to go where he likes in the house and Tish the new bun, was in a playpen in the middle of the living room. They could see, smell interact but not fight with one another. Every now and then I'd swap them over and put Tosh in the play pen - which he hated. On the 3rd day they were fine, but we separated them when we were out of the room and at night. They went from fighting like crazy to best friends in just a few days.

When we first tried them together I thought they were going to kill one another. I did find Tosh attacking an oven glove which was on a chair the other day though :lol:

nannybonk said:

They live in the area that she was in. I am swapping them over regularly and have their food next to each other to encourage them to be social whilst eating.

Do you think they will bond in time or am I gonna have two single buns forever?

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The main problem is that you have introduced him into her territory, and she's defending it. I'd advise you to try to find a room that is new to both of them and if you're not confident about putting them together then keep them in seperate cages/crates in the same new room and watch and wait until, as
Missy has said, you see them mirroring each other's movements and even lying side by side(though with the mesh between them). All's not lost..I'd definately give it another go...but you really do have to do it somewher out of her comfort zone:lol:

Ok, thanks.

This is gonna be difficult trying to find somewhere for them to go. y hubby keeps suggesting the shed, but I feel mean putting them out there. Flopsy (the girl) has never lived out of the house!

Why do I always think things are going to be easier than they actually are?!


Please send happy bonding vibes

nannybonk said:

They live in the area that she was in. I am swapping them over regularly and have their food next to each other to encourage them to be social whilst eating.

Do you think they will bond in time or am I gonna have two single buns forever?

Click to expand...

Hi

They really do need neutral territory. do you have a spare room or could you section an area Kitchen or lounge off?
If there's really no way of using another room you could try cleaning the area with white vinegar to get rid of any familiar smells but neutral territory is the best.

Bonding is quite stressful for buns and if your girly bun isn't used to living outside it could add to the stress for her?

Another thing I found with my boy bunny was that he had bonded really well with me so wasn't keen on a friend, he was one, I had to kind of withdraw a bit from him so he would look to her for company instead of me.

Where abouts in Mcr are you?

Fingers crossed they will bond in time, I find the slowly, slowly approach is less stressful for bunny mummies too

Im in Wythenshawe. I will just have to make somewhere else for them. It will have to be somewhere upstairs as she has access to all of downstairs.

Thank you so much for all your help, I really appreciate it.

Han

I haven't managed to move them out of her area yet, still arranging another place.

They do, however, seem a lot calmer with each other and are sniffing and looking at each other rather then scrapping or trying to bite through the mesh, this has got to be a good sign right?