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Bonding advice please!

H

Hazel at RabTowers

Warren Scout
Have put a thread asking for advice on the rabbit chat page, perhaps this one is better.

Picked up a mini rex from a rescue this aft and been trying to bond her with my two girls and nethie boy in my kitchen all aft.

At first there was chasing (mainly I think coz my new girl is very nervous) but now they seem to have settled down and she is sitting touching my nethie boy who keeps grooming her.

The old girls keep sniffing her and she seems ok, but still very nervous and scared of sudden movements. She hasn't realy moved much from a corner all aft.

What I realy need help with is what to do when its bedtime. Usually my three sleep in an open hutch within a garden shed. Do I risk putting all four in together if there is no further chasing, or should i put my new girl in a closed hutch within the shed so she can see but not touchthe others - am scared that although it seems to be going ok, they could fight in the night and I would miss it.

If I separate them now though will i have undone any good which we have acheived this aft?

What does anyone think?

Please help - this is my first time at bonding and I sooo want it to work out for the new rabbits sake.
 
Is there anyway you could keep them all in the kitchen overnight and tomorrow maybe? The most time you can keep them on neutral territory, the better, especially as it seems things haven't really settled yet? I've spent many nights on the settee and it is a good way to keep an ear on things if it kicks off.
 
Hazel at RabTowers said:
Have put a thread asking for advice on the rabbit chat page, perhaps this one is better.

Picked up a mini rex from a rescue this aft and been trying to bond her with my two girls and nethie boy in my kitchen all aft.

At first there was chasing (mainly I think coz my new girl is very nervous) but now they seem to have settled down and she is sitting touching my nethie boy who keeps grooming her.

The old girls keep sniffing her and she seems ok, but still very nervous and scared of sudden movements. She hasn't realy moved much from a corner all aft.

What I realy need help with is what to do when its bedtime. Usually my three sleep in an open hutch within a garden shed. Do I risk putting all four in together if there is no further chasing, or should i put my new girl in a closed hutch within the shed so she can see but not touchthe others - am scared that although it seems to be going ok, they could fight in the night and I would miss it.

If I separate them now though will i have undone any good which we have acheived this aft?

What does anyone think?

Please help - this is my first time at bonding and I sooo want it to work out for the new rabbits sake.
Click to expand...

You have a few options:

1. To bring the lot indoors where you can keep an eye on them all, I would not risk putting any newly introduced rabbit into a situation where they cannot be easily observed. When I bond animals I always start early in the day where I have a couple of days free where I can continue to observe them all the time if required.
2. Abandon the bonding and restart on a morning when you can observe them continuously if needed for at least 48 hours. Bonding groups is more complex and requires longer times than when bonding a pair.
3. Put them in the hutch in the shed ensuring that it has been thoroughly cleaned out with a pet friendly discinfectant which is highly smelling and spend the night in the shed supervising them all.
 
Thanks to you both - we are leaving them all in the kitchen overnight providing things carry on as well as they have been doing so far.

Since the last post she's coming out of her shell a bit more and is being groomed by the others now, whilst she is still nervous she is letting them do it.:):)

She is eating and pooping too, and is moving around the room rather than being stuck in her corner. Thanks again, and please send Ruby some bonding vibes _ I thinkshe has had a bad start in life and I want to make it up to her.
 
Aww bless her... things definately seem to be looking up! You do want things to go well especially after they've had a hard start, don't you.

Not sure if you've done this already, but before they go out to the place they've lived before, you'll need to empty it and thoroughly clean it out to get rid of any scent of the others. If you've got time, a lick of paint or varnish is a good cover up? Failing that, use vinegar to wipe it all down.

Hope you manage to get some sleep tonight anyway!

Sending bonding and peaceful night vibes!!
 
Thanks for that.

Not sure if I will get any sleep.:roll::roll:

I am so worried it will all fail and I'll have to keep her apart from them or worse still, re home her.

My three seem ok with her - still grooming her and sniffing- but she is still not sure of them and has found herself a spot under a cupboard, but they seem to be following her in there:.....................
 
Hazel at RabTowers said:
Thanks for that.

Not sure if I will get any sleep.:roll::roll:

I am so worried it will all fail and I'll have to keep her apart from them or worse still, re home her.

My three seem ok with her - still grooming her and sniffing- but she is still not sure of them and has found herself a spot under a cupboard, but they seem to be following her in there:.....................
Click to expand...

As long as there's no serious fighting I'd be tempted to leave them to it. You're right in thinking if you seperate now you'll undo all your hard work so far.

Good luck, I'm a failed group bonder so probably not much help to be honest :lol:
 
Well, things seemed to go ok last night.

Ruby had holed herself up under the units ........ and so had everyone else. No fights.

This morning we let them all out into the garden and the chasing began in earnest.

There is no real aggression, they just come up to sniff her, she gets scared and sets off and the chase begins. (Feel awful letting them chase her around but she is a bit on the large side so could do with the exercise.)

I just feel that as theres no nastiness I should let it run its course, but i am a bit worried she will get more and more scare - how do you tell?

The chasing isn't constant by any means they spend ages ignoring each other or sniffing too.

At the moment ruby is in the kitchen and the others keep coming in to sniff her and then going out again.

I really have never done this before and hoped it would take an hour or tow and be doen with:)lol::lol:) but obviously not.
 
We always use a much more confined area to begin with. They have to interact more that way and without space to chase it's over a lot quicker. After they have settled in their small space we gradually increase it before releasing into their pre-cleaned permanent territory. :)

We have two groups of 4, a pair and a single house bun. Our group bond failed but mainly because I ran out of time. :(

Hope it all goes well for you.

Maria x
 
What I seem to be finding is that they are tolerating each other when they are in the (neutral) kitchen, but once all get into the garden the chasing starts.

When they get tired of chasing she sits on her own and they ignore her.

The more we see the more we think Ruby has never interracted with other rabbits before and isn't sure what to make of them.

She has been in the kitchen for most of the day with the door open so they can come in and sniff etc, but she hasn't plucked up the courage to go out to them much at all. Now they are all in the kitchen for the second night:roll:

What i am really aiming for is for all four to go into the hutch within the shed at night, but that seems a long way away.

The best I have acheived today is very wary toleration......but I suppose it could be worse.

When will I have an idea if its ever going to improve?

How long did your four group take to bond Maria?
 
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