Buns playing together but not living together?

I already know all the stuff about buns shouldnt be introduced then seperated because it goes back to square one every day, but if you would just read this about my two and let me know what you think I would really appreciate

When I ran out of time to bond Buu and Beau last summer, I started letting them play together each day hoping that they would bond that way but we still has the same problem of Beau picking on Buu a bit when they were together in their living space because they have had to remain in the same part of the garden, no matter how much I scrubbed it with vinegar and brought new stuff he still recognised it as his I think.

So they were playing together happily in the house and garden every day for roughly four months with no problems, and I didnt find that they were starting again each day because they would be snuggled up together and playing together with lots of grooming :? The problems only started each time I tried introducing them in the hutch and run, so I stopped letting them play together when I decided they werent going to live together.

Both of them are very comfortable in the house and garden and get out of their hutch either to the garden or house every day and apart from the first week or so they were playing together they havent shown any signs of being stressed or bothered by each other and there was no aggression away from their hutch/run and they just act normally like they would if they were alone.

For example a couple of months ago I had Buu in the garden and Beau in the run and noticed a hole under the fence so I quickly called Buu to get into the run which Beau was in while I set up the other run for her and they seemed pleased enough to see each other and were sitting together for a couple of minutes before I moved her. They have always been close enough in the garden with just mesh seperating them and they seem to know each other fairly well.

Just wondered if it would maybe benefit them to still be able to play together outside? I understand that its not usually done like this but I am 100% certain that each time my buns are put together they dont start again from the beginning and as they do get on fairly well it just seems a shame to me that they are playing in runs side by side when they could both just be in the garden together? I guess im kind of thinking a little bit of bunny company is better than none? x

I think your right and at least they are getting some company. Ok, so its not the conventional way of bonding rabbits but theres no reason why it wont work in the long run. I am doing something similar, because I have two separate indoor rabbits in a small house, they use the same area to run about. Cookie is in her cage while Domino runs around and then vice versa. Its interesting to note that Domino always sits or lays alongside Cookies cage. They want to be together but the heireracy(sp?) isnt sorted yet and I need to bond them properly in a neutral space. They obviously enjoy the company of their own kind and I also dont think they do back to square one completely, they do remember each other and who knows the bond might be stronger in the long run

Didn't Becki's Jen & Rhia do a similar thing too?

Also Charlotte's little boy foster Flynn used to go and play with his Aunty Caramel during the day until his sister was speyed and they could be rebonded (and until Aunty C got herself a buck).

As long as you can see from their behaviour that they aren't stressed out or continually in dominance battles in sounds fine to me

Tamsin

Thanks guys Just wanted to check :lol:

There is no agression at all until they are inside the hutch together which I am just not even going to try again :shock: :lol: But as they get on for play time I think I will start letting them have that together again

Im not going to try bonding them again properly so this isnt me hoping they will live together, from their behaviour I think the best thing to do is as soon as I have moved out is adopt another boyfriend for Buu and have Beau as a housebun and possibly try to pair him up with a girly. Its just I have been looking for somewhere to live for ages so it might be a while yet and they may as well be getting a bit of company in that time

They are always supervised in the garden by the way and if they are in the house its with me so Im always watching :lol:

I've had Sasuke and Zakura playing together sometimes. I can't bond them before Sasuke gets neutered because he humps her a lot, that is also a reason why they don't "play" very often, and never while they're cooped up, whether in a run or a hutch. I have them running loose in the garden:lol:
I wanted to try the same thing with the girls but...they hate each other:roll:

Sasu and Zak prove an un-neutered buck and a spayed doe don't make the perfect pair Sasuke has no idea Zakura is infertile it seems...

Thanks My two are fine in small spaces, like the pet carrier or squashed up in a cardboard box together (for playing and sleeping I dont put them in boxes :shock: :lol its just the actual hutch that Beau gets aggressive in x

I've heard of quite a few people doing this - sounds great if the bunnies are happy with it too

I do this with two of mine. ^^
Never had any trouble with it... My two seem to have become a much closer pair since I adopted my mother/daughter couple, though, so I'm considering trying them in a hutch together again sometime later this year.

Thanks guys, im glad other people do it too They do really enjoy playing together in the garden and you can really notice the difference when they are together out there rather than just hopping around by themselves :lol:

Not having a lot of bonding experience, this is the method that I stumbled across earlier this year.

When we got Wolfgang for Holly, it was love at first sight, which was nice! There was no mounting and they instantly settled down together.

However, after Holly died and we got a new partner for Wolfie, things weren't as smooth. Obviously, he had decided that this was HIS patch and he was more dominant that Holly (who was an older very docile rabbit).

I kept them apart for a day or so but allowed them to sniff then introduced them for a 15 mins and they got on fine. Lots of sniffing, then Wolfie went on a monster humping session. Poor Gloria, I felt so sorry for her, but that was how it had to be. She accepted it but wasn't really happy. Then she started circling and not letting him mount and that's when they started to fight. It was horrible, fur flying. I managed to separate them. Tried another couple of times, did the thing with the bath, but they didn't seem to be good together and I was afraid to leave them together at all.

Resigned myself to them having to live in the compound and one stay in the little A-frame (within the main compound) which the other was loose, then swop over when I came in from work. This worked for a couple of months. They could see each other and weren't being aggressive. I would probably never have had the courage to put them together if fate hadn't taken a chance. Wolfie managed to get out of the A-frame one day and into the main compound. They had fought a few times as there were clumps of fur, but apart from him having a bit of a tear to his ear (which healed fine), they were OK. They both looked a little sheepish but have been so loving ever since. They must have fought out who was boss. Certainly not the way I would have let things go if I had been there, but luckily it worked. I think being together within sight and smell of each other and sharing the territory over a period of time probably helped. But who knows.

Chico used to play with his tarts before they moved pens :roll: He's expert at leaping fences to get to others, which sometimes results in them all having a great time :roll::lol:

I've heard of people doing this too. I guess it's just a slower way of bonding and if they can still smell or see each other when they are seperated I don't see how it could be starting from the begining.

Sooz22 said:

Didn't Becki's Jen & Rhia do a similar thing too?

Also Charlotte's little boy foster Flynn used to go and play with his Aunty Caramel during the day until his sister was speyed and they could be rebonded (and until Aunty C got herself a buck).

Click to expand...

Yep thats right Sooz. Jen & Rhia spent morning til late night together & were really loved up, Jen just wouldnt tolerate sharing a hutch. So it definately can work X

When I first got Michelle, she was bonded with wallace and oliver. I had to take Michelle out of the group because Wallace was picking on her, but Michelle and Oli get on really well so, until I got Piccolo, I used to put Oli with Michelle to play. She used to really enjoy that.

TBH, I've been thinking it would be nice for my caged bunnies to all play together because they would get more playing out time that way but I'm worried about fights so I don't dare try it. But it sounds like your bunnies are happy, so I would let them continue to play together.

I have a similar situation. My old girl Honey is 8 1/2 years old. She was already nearly 5 when I rescued her, and had always been a single bun. She was TOTALLY unsocialised, VERY shy and spooked at EVERYTHING, and was terrified of people and other rabbits. Over the course of time and a lot of patience, she has now become a cheeky, inquisitive girl. She started a few months ago showing signs of being really interested in the other buns, and when she was running around would go touch noses with different buns through the wire. Then one day when I was putting hay in with Mickey and Blossom, she ducked under my arm and went right into their pen!:shock: I stayed as calm as I could, and the little madam went all the way to the back where I couldn't reach her without crawling in myself! In the meantime, Blossom had run to the back to check out the 'intruder', closely followed by Mickey.....and my heart nearly stopped! But I was STUNNED when they all started touching noses, all remained calm, and they went to the bowl and all started eating together! I sat in the pen and watched them closely, and took Honey out after a few minutes. But over the months, this has become a regular occurance, and they continue to have their 'social hour' and visit each other . I have NO plans to try and bond them permanently into a trio, as I am VERY protective of Honey due to her age and her past.....and Mickey can be a bit bolshy at times, so I would never dare leave them unsupervised even though he has shown NO aggression towards her. But they seem to really enjoy their time together, and I personally think that it is good for them to have this supervised interaction with each other.....especially for Honey.

I've bonded some of mine by putting them together for a few hours 'play time' every day. By the time you put them in a hutch together they are totally chilled with each other. They definitely remember each other as long as they have regular contact.

Thank you all I feel really releived now that they can at least have a play together at least until they have new bunny friends of their own :lol: