Bonding vibes required.

[jrn1310]

My challenge of this week is to bond two sets of rabbits. One is a lovely shiney black boy called Jack who has a proven track record of being difficult to bond with a lovely grey female called Emily. Emily and Jack have already had a few scuffles and Emily has been bitten on the ear by Jack :( They are currently playing hard to get.

I also have 2 other rabbits who have arrived who their own has been unsuccessful in bonding. These 2 I havent put together yet as I want to get Emily and Jack settled before I even put these anywhere near each other.

Tonight is going to be a long night :shock:

[Woodlouse]

Sending lots of bonding vibes. Hope it works out positively :D x

[Maizy]

Oooh good luck Janice, I've seen the other posts and this sounds like a challenge. Keep us posted!:D

[BinkyBun]

Good luck!! Sending lots of boning success vibes your way!

[Bavarian Bunny]

Awww, poor Emily. :( I think Jack needs to learn some good bunny manners. :D

[March Hare]

Sending TONS of vibes your way, Janice! If anyone can do it successfully, YOU can!!!!!:D :D

Hope you manage to get a bit of sleep! xxx

[jrn1310]

We are still having the odd fight with Jack and Emily, but they are getting shorter and the odd one is now self terminating .... so I am a little more positive than earlier. Other times they are playing hard to get.

My other pair are very similiar. I will get my exercise giong from room to room :lol:

[tigerbabe]

:wave: for anyone that doesn't know Jack is my little monster :lol: (third from the left in my siggy)

I think he must have an ear fetish... that's where he injured the french lop he was tried with a little while back. I did have a word with him about being a gentleman before we left tonight, but I don't think he was listening :rolleyes:

In case there was any doubt, I think I can safely say.... Janice has nerves of steel ;) :shock:

I hope the cake makes up for it a little bit Janice ;) :lol:

[jrn1310]

I hope the cake makes up for it a little bit Janice ;) :lol:

The cake is beautiful, at 2.30 this morning I was sitting eating a slice :lol:

The night has been long ..... I slept on the sofa with a number of times I had to get up to separate either one or the other pair.

Both pairs are still having a go at each other, Jack is always the one to have a go at Emily, the time span between this seems to be getting longer in between and they are at times stopping themselves without any interventions which I consider is a positive thing.

After my boiler repair man comes this morning, I have to pop out to get a parcel, both sets of buns will be coming with me in top opening carriers ..........

[Neil-and-Maria]

Good luck - hope today is the breakthru day :D

Maria x

[Paul&Olenka]

Olenka and I are keeping everything crossed that Janice can settle Vernon and Chrissie together.
Vernon, a gorgeous Lionhead, has been with us since June last year and tragically lost Mona, his g/f, two Saturdays ago to a dastard fox as she ran playfully in our garden.
He's been putting on a brave face since and licked Chrissie's nose when we first introduced them last week but she attacked him (almost funny given's she's half the size of Vernon) and it's been downhill since. Keep the faith that love will win through!

[Bavarian Bunny]

Sorry to hear about Mona. :( I hope the new pair will get along eventually. More vibes for Emily and Jack, too. :wave:

[jrn1310]

So far this morning things have been reasonably quiet, although we have a VERY long way to go. I do think we are possibly making progress although very slowly.

Chrissie and her partner have spent time sitting apart, I am trying to encourage them to sit together in the litter tray which they would not tolerate last night without a fight. They are still having the odd chasing episode which on the odd occassion I am having to separate them. They sit quietly for about 15 minutes before Chrissie makes a retreat. This is them.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y190/girlie1310/CIMG0022.jpg

Jack is still on the odd occassion trying to reduce the amount of loose fur that Emily has, they stop if I clap my hands and don't need to be physically separated now ... probably famous last words :?

They will spend time in the same tray on their own accord, Jack will spread out in a very relaxed manner whereas Emily remains on guard waiting for the next attack.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y190/girlie1310/CIMG0020.jpg

[March Hare]

I don't envy you at ALL, hun.....I am getting heart palpitations just READING about it!!!:shock: :oops: :lol:

Keeping all fingers and toes VERY firmly crossed!!!!!

[jrn1310]

All afternoon I have not physically had to separate either of these 2 pairs of rabbits.

Vernon and Chrissie have had one short lived chase after each other, generally they are sitting at opposite ends of the pairing up pen unless I pick Chrissie up and put her in the litter tray to sit with Vernon where she still stays for a short while before moving off for a wash. They both seem fairly chilled out this afternoon and both have sat and groomed themselves.

Jack and Emily have both spent the time in the litter tray together, again only a couple of chases both stopping spontaneously, Jack is very relaxed spreading himself out whereas Emily remains quite tense.

[March Hare]

That is sounding promising, Janice!!!:D :D

I shall tentatively begin to uncurl my toes.....which appear to have locked in the curled position since I first read this thread!!!:oops: :lol:

[jrn1310]

I shall tentatively begin to uncurl my toes.....which appear to have locked in the curled position since I first read this thread!!!:oops: :lol:

That is my feeling exactly. Whilst I would like 2 pairs of loved up rabbits, I am perfectly happy for now with a little chasing with no fighting, this is a big move forward from overnight. One step at a time is all I ask ;)

[tigerbabe]

I can't say I blame Emily for being tense, I feel a bit bad for inflicting Jack on her :lol:

It all sounds good for the moment though... I've still got everything crossed for both pairs.

[jrn1310]

I have just spotted Jack licking Emily, he then ruins it my pulling on her fur! She was very mature and just moved out of his way.

I think we are slowly moving in the right direction, I am just hoping that we won't go backwards and remain moving forward even if it is very slowly.

[tigerbabe]

oh that's really good news :D

[Neil-and-Maria]

Hope it all continues to improve. :D

Maria x

[jrn1310]

Hope it all continues to improve. :D

Maria x

Thanks

Compared to last night, everything is so very quiet which is really brilliant progress. If we can get through the rest of the evening with minimal chasing I will be really pleased. I will try the apple sauce treatment later to try and encourage them to groom each other, hopefully by this time tomorrow they will be so much nicer to each their intended partner.

I will update this later.

[Bavarian Bunny]

Oh, they will all have punk hairstyles again. :D Glad things are fairly quiet.

[Paul&Olenka]

It sounds very promising. We both hope that Vernon and Crissie will get on well. Vernon deserves a loving partner as he is so sweet. Once he took a treat from Paul's hand and brought it to Mona to eat, he is a real gentleman in the rabbits' world.

[jrn1310]

It sounds very promising. We both hope that Vernon and Crissie will get on well. Vernon deserves a loving partner as he is so sweet. Once he took a treat from Paul's hand and brought it to Mona to eat, he is a real gentleman in the rabbits' world.

I am really pleased with Vernon and Chrissie they are now very quietly sitting washing in their pairing pen, they are obviously feel happy enough to wash which is good. The fact that there has been no chasing for a few hours now and also no fighting since lunch time is a definate progression from their previous existance. Hopefully overnight they will stop playing hard to get with each other and move their relationship forward.

[jrn1310]

Jack's trip to Twickenham was his last chance of finding a new woman, I can now safely say he will not remain a lonely old man forever. I have just caught him carefully washing Emily's ears .... it makes the damage to my 'rabbit separator' all worth while :lol:

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y190/girlie1310/CIMG0024.jpg

Vernon and Chrissie remain distant but not fighting ... so that remains a positive thing.

[tigerbabe]

Ok I'll admit that's made me so happy that I was literally bouncing round the room :oops: :lol:

[Bavarian Bunny]

Yay!!!! Well done!!! :D

[Sooz]

Ok I'll admit that's made me so happy that I was literally bouncing round the room :oops: :lol:

Is Jack yours :oops: I had no idea :lol:

[tigerbabe]

Is Jack yours :oops: I had no idea :lol:

Yep... the girl you helped me out with (Poppy) is his ex :lol:

[jrn1310]

Ok I'll admit that's made me so happy that I was literally bouncing round the room :oops: :lol:

I said I would do my best, as Gisela will tell you not many buns fail my bonding methods :lol:

I have a feeling you thought he would be coming home alone.

[Maizy]

Oh this is great news; well done Janice and lots of luck to Jack and Emily!:D

[Bavarian Bunny]

What kind of cake did you get? :D

[jrn1310]

What kind of cake did you get? :D

A very special one an assorted berries cheesecake :lol: I have been very good I had a piece at about 2.30 this morning before I settled down on the sofa, please note I did clean my teeth afterwards :D

[tigerbabe]

I have a feeling you thought he would be coming home alone.

Yeah I did and seeing him hanging onto Emily's ear last night didn't make me feel any better :shock:
The fact that he's cleaning her is brilliant though, he'd never do that with Poppy.

I'm starting to think you have magical powers Janice :lol:

[Bavarian Bunny]

Yeah I did and seeing him hanging onto Emily's ear last night didn't make me feel any better :shock:
The fact that he's cleaning her is brilliant though, he'd never do that with Poppy.

I'm starting to think you have magical powers Janice :lol:

Did you meet Emily last night then? I keep looking at her hutch, but she isn't there. :( She always gave me such a friendly welcome.

[donna-arc]

This is making me soo nervous I can't bear it! Janice I absolutey forbid you ever to move away or stop doing the ARC bondings!

[tigerbabe]

Did you meet Emily last night then? I keep looking at her hutch, but she isn't there. :( She always gave me such a friendly welcome.

Yes, I had a lovely cuddle and a little chat to warn her what she was getting into before they went in together. She's lovely :love:

[Bavarian Bunny]

Yes, I had a lovely cuddle and a little chat to warn her what she was getting into before they went in together. She's lovely :love:

She is quite demanding with her nose rubs. :D

[donna-arc]

Did you meet Emily last night then? I keep looking at her hutch, but she isn't there. :( She always gave me such a friendly welcome.

Oh this made me sad, I know what you mean, she was always so glad to see me when I looked after her and now she's all scared and doesn't know what's going on.:cry:I'm worried for her,I hope it works out.

I'm sure, given enough time, Janice will succeed with both pairings x

[Bavarian Bunny]

Oh this made me sad, I know what you mean, she was always so glad to see me when I looked after her and now she's all scared and doesn't know what's going on.:cry:I'm worried for her,I hope it works out.

I'm sure, given enough time, Janice will succeed with both pairings x

I think she was probably a single bunny for most of her young life, so being with another bunny is quite a shock. Especially when he goes straight for her ear. It would be great if all bondings were love at first sight. Less cake, but more sleep for Janice. :lol:

[jrn1310]

Less cake, but more sleep for Janice. :lol:

I can cope with that. I am off to my real bed in a minute, the house is strangely peacefull tonight when compared to last night. I can hear them from my room and the plastic trays make all the movements so much more louder.

[March Hare]

Hope things continue on smoothly through the night Janice, and that you are able to get some much deserved rest!!! :D xxx

[jrn1310]

I was woken a few times overnight by the wind and the rain against my bedroom window, but not at all by any of the rabbits. I even made myself go down stairs to check that I had left the doors open so that I could hear the buns if they started kicking off .... but they were open.

This morning Jack and Emily were in their litter tray, Emily facing the wall which is her frequent position, both of them boldly got out to hoover up some of the SS pellets I distributed on the floor ...... I am still feeling good about them.

Vernon was still sitting in his usual corner, Chrissie however had positioned herself nearer to him than she had ever dared sit down previously on her own accord. When I sprinkled there Excel on the base of their area, Vernon confidentally lent forward and started eating, they both just got on with eating ignoring the other one ..... my confidence in these two is growing now.

For both of them, this is real progress in such a short time. 24 hours earlier they were both really attacking each other and now I can almost forget that they are actually in the house.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y190/girlie1310/CIMG0025.jpg

[March Hare]

That is FANTASTIC, Janice!!! :D :D Vernon and Chrissie appear to be quite relaxed with each other in that pic.......I think your magic is working yet again!!!!!:D

[jrn1310]

That is FANTASTIC, Janice!!! :D :D Vernon and Chrissie appear to be quite relaxed with each other in that pic.......I think your magic is working yet again!!!!!:D

I have had a couple of little short lived fights since, mainly over food as Chrissie is quite keen on her food and she is quick to access it, Vernon is also keen but a little plumper but stands back and lets her have it, he then has a go at her :oops: I am sure given time we can sort this out.

[jrn1310]

Just caught Jack demanding licks from Emily, she gave him one lick and backed off nervously ... not sure if it was my presence which put her off or whether it was the fact that Jack has not always been very gentleman like to her :D

[March Hare]

That is a BRILLIANT breakthrough!!!!!:D :D :D And VERY brave of Emily!!!! What a sweet girl.....and it sounds like Jack is falling for her charms, too!:D

[tigerbabe]

Just caught Jack demanding licks from Emily, she gave him one lick and backed off nervously ... not sure if it was my presence which put her off or whether it was the fact that Jack has not always been very gentleman like to her :D

Hopefully that's a sign that Emily's bringing out Jack's less yobbish side :rolleyes: :lol:

[Paul&Olenka]

Great work Janice, both with Jack/Emily and Vernon/Chrissie. I never imagined Jack demanding licks from Emily when I saw him bite her ear on Sunday evening. How rewarding that must be! Still keeping the faith!

[jrn1310]

Emily and Jack have had a good afternoon a couple of very short chases but generally quite quiet. Emily is beginning to trust Jack now which is really good. Emily and Jack should be ok to go home tomorrow evening.

With Vernon and Chrissie we are not having as many chasing episodes as we did yesterday, we have a situation where they are both playing hard to get which is really not helping me assist them to progres at the moment. So whilst we have moved on a lot since the constant fighting situation at their old home, we are a little static at the moment. They are both lovely rabbits, Chrissie is a typical dutch and a little impatient with Vernon as he refuses point blank to give him any attention and nips him every now and again as if to say 'why are you ignoring me'. Vernon is totally ignoring Chrissie and just wont admit she is there almost next to him. His testosterone levels seem to be a little on the low side, if you get my drift :oops: Hopefully if Vernon budges and starts giving Chrissie some attention we can change this round quite quickly.

[tigerbabe]

Emily and Jack have had a good afternoon a couple of very short chases but generally quite quiet. Emily is beginning to trust Jack now which is really good. Emily and Jack should be ok to go home tomorrow evening.

I wasn't bouncing around again... honest :mrgreen:
I hate the idea of single bunnies but I really did think Jack was destined to end up on his own. Thank you so much Janice!

I'll keep everything crossed for Vernon and Chrissie

[Bavarian Bunny]

Sounds good. :D Guess I can scrub Emily's hutch then, she won't be coming back. :(

[jrn1310]

Sounds good. :D Guess I can scrub Emily's hutch then, she won't be coming back. :(

Emily will not be returning to your home, I am pretty confident about that!

[March Hare]

That is GREAT news!!!!!:D :D :D

Poor Gisela.....somebody fill that hutch for her QUICK!!!!! :lol::lol:

[katie7]

Woohoo super Janice to the rescue again :D

[Paul&Olenka]

Janice, it was lovely speaking to you earlier this evening.

We just wanted to say that it is absolutely amazing what you are doing. Your patience and motivation are fantastic!

Thank you so much for everything that you are doing for Vernon and Chrissie. We hope that Vernon will finally realise how lovely Chrissie is and give her some attention! It would be fantastic if Chrissie could stay with us!

[jrn1310]

Jack and Emily went out to their new home last night. I do hope that they are being good and settling in.

Vernon and Chrissie I have been struggling with and there remained a lot of nipping as Vernon was totally ignoring Chrissie, Chrissie seemed to end up nipping Vernon as a means of trying to get attention. Unfortunately this didnt work either and was causing Vernon to get a little withdrawn, but resulted in now additional attention for her. For this reason I have abandonded the pairing up but put Vernon in with Holly who is a small lionhead. My intention with bonding is to have 2 happy bunnies and a happy owner and I am not convinced in the long run I would have achieved this with Vernon and Holly.

Within 5 minutes Vernon is a different character a lot more active and now persistently humping Holly, something he never did with Chrissie. This will all settle down quite quickly over the next day or so. There has not been a single bit of fur lost.

This is not a good picture but gives an idea to Paul on the size and colour of Holly. Holly is quite a bit smaller and lighter than Vernon.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y190/girlie1310/CIMG0027.jpg

I do so hope that this works out for Vernon and Paul is happy with Holly as a partner for Vernon.

[jrn1310]

This morning we still have a bit of chasing as he is looking to mount her, however absolutaly no fighting at all. Hopefuly as they day goes on they will become calmer.

[Bavarian Bunny]

They look like a lovely couple. Fingers crossed that this will work out now. :D

[jrn1310]

They look like a lovely couple. Fingers crossed that this will work out now. :D

It is amazing the difference between what Vernon was like and now, yesterday morning he was totally blanking Chrissie, lat the moment his name should be 'persistent' :oops::lol:

[Bavarian Bunny]

It is amazing the difference between what Vernon was like and now, yesterday morning he was totally blanking Chrissie, lat the moment his name should be 'persistent' :oops::lol:

Just shows that men don't hump everything, they can be fussy, too. :lol:

[katie7]

Aww so glad its working this time Holly is so lovely I am sure we will miss her here!

[jrn1310]

Paul and Olenka are coming round tonight to see how the bonding is going, they are aware that they are not ready to go out to their new home yet.

I do hope he like Holly.

[Hanz_RP]

I am soo glad to hear Holly is happy with her new hopeful husbun.We all miss you !!!:cry::wave::p . Hope everything works out ok, and dont forget you have Chrissie and Barney to be bonded again,hope it works out for her this time.Well done and keep up the good work !!:D Dont forget all bunnys need somebunny to love !!! :lol:
Love
Hannah x

[jrn1310]

Paul and Olenka very much like Holly.

Hopefully we will have a very quiet night here and start moving in the right direction with Holly and Vernon. I would like 2 lovely up bunnies to be ready to go out to live further down the M3 very soon.

[jrn1310]

Paul and Ollenka visited last night to say hullo to the rabbits, they were happy with Holly whom we had replaced when Chrissie and their rabbit Vernon were not progressing as well as we hoped. Over night I heard very little from the rabbits apart from the odd movement there was no chasing at all. This morning Vernon was sitting next to Holly and it was Holly that moved slowly over to me when I took them some spring greens, carrot and was rattling the pellet bag.

I think things are now moving in the right direction, hopefully they will be ready to go home on Sunday night :D

[jrn1310]

Tonight I have come home and everything seems pretty positive. Holly still runs away a little on the odd occasion when Vernon approaches, he does try at times to go chasing after his favours from Holly but soon gives up. They are now sitting so much closer together than previously although not snuggled up ... but there is plenty of time left for that!

My eldest has managed to get Holly to eat out of his hand tongiht which means that she is so much more relaxed than previously. I would think that they can go home either on Sunday evening or Monday ...... I will let Paul and Olenka descide on when they would like to take them. I will pm you times when I will be about.