Yet another bonding question

Hello ~ Sorry in advanced for the long post.

So i've been having a bit of difficulty and slight success with bonding my two buns. Rice cake is a neutered male, about a year old (adopted him and she wasn't sure). We got him first, and he had the run of the whole apartment.

We recently got Babycakes, and she's a bit younger (around 6-8 months) and quite shy. She is unspayed, mostly because Its difficult to find a proper vet (I am currently stationed in South Korea...military) I know it is important to get her spayed but the vet on base only does dogs and cats. Language is a factor here as well. (sidebar...)

Well I have already introduced the two and after Rice Cake got over his initial lust for her he turned VERY aggressive and only wants to bite her on the back of the neck and grunts very loudly. They've been in separate cages for 2 months now right next to eachother. They get along fine and despite a couple times batting at Babycakes through the cage, no incidents occur. I have tried various neutral spots to let them hang out together (A laundry basket...the tub...the kitchen table) but it always ends up with Rice Cake chasing and biting at Babycakes! She's recently become very withdrawn from him and will rather stay in the cage during playtime... I think she's just scared now.

The small success I've found is in the morning and after work when they get their "cereal" (mix pellets) I open put the bowls near eachother, let out babycakes and she starts eating, and then the little boy, because she can see him and he will ignore her since he's intent on eating. This has been working for the last week until he gets bored and goes near her, when she runs back into the cage.

I'm not sure if getting her spayed will make a huge difference (yes i plan on it as soon as I can find one) but any other advice? He's just a brat and is picking on her cos she's smaller than him I think.


Kinda a larger picture I don't want to waste bandwidth!

So basically, they're ok most the time but he will always go back and bite her!

Thanks for posting, bonding can be quite difficult. Nipping and chasing is quite normal and requires to be tolerated as long as not actual visible signs of blood are observed. Bonding is best done in one session where you have ensured that there is adequate time to start and continue. By undertaking bonding in small sessions this is more stressful in buns and this probably accounts for her running and trying to hide away.

I would suggest trying to clean a smallish area which you can use constantly without intruding in for a 48 hour period and allowing them to meet and remain together. Ignore any humping, nipping and chasing and you will soon discover that they will start to settle, some bondings settle quicker than others.

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?t=55913&highlight=bonding this thread is a very good thread and is written by someone with an excellent background to bonding. I bond between 100 - 150 pairs of rabbits a year and use a very similiar method with a very high success rate.

Having your female neutered will certainly help her temprement and will also protect her from uterine cancer. He is picking on her as he wants to be the dominant bun. The area where you allow them out for feeding, is this used by each bun individually?

Well, we took the plunge and I believe its working out for the best!

I spent all day with the two in our bedroom and after some initial fur flying they pretty much kept to themselves. They spent the entire day without incident, so we've combined their cages together! I'm watching them to make sure nothing happens, but other than the big bully occasionally nipping her tail, I've discovered it's less him chasing her, its more she's scared and running away whenever he's near her. I'm sure they'll eventually learn to live with each other. The grunting has stopped, and he's much more calm with her. They have their bunny duplex, and sleeping on seperate sides :roll:

I'll update you on any other information!

Indiechixor said:

Well, we took the plunge and I believe its working out for the best!

I spent all day with the two in our bedroom and after some initial fur flying they pretty much kept to themselves. They spent the entire day without incident, so we've combined their cages together! I'm watching them to make sure nothing happens, but other than the big bully occasionally nipping her tail, I've discovered it's less him chasing her, its more she's scared and running away whenever he's near her. I'm sure they'll eventually learn to live with each other. The grunting has stopped, and he's much more calm with her. They have their bunny duplex, and sleeping on seperate sides :roll:

I'll update you on any other information!

Click to expand...

Sounds like they are doing fine, just watch them from a distance and leave them to it ....

I can sympathise with your situation as I am in a similar situation.
I have had Alfie now for 11 months and for a while he had the run of the house and my full attention.
4 months ago I got Holly thinking that she would be a friend for him. However when I tried to put them together, on neutral territory in the bath he bit her and brought blood.
I thereafter tried feeding them hay together, and Alfie was alright until the hay ran out and then he would growl and lunge at her.
After getting advice I decided to leave it until Holly was spayed, which I did two weeks ago. I am now waiting for her to fully recover before I try bonding them again.
I am really worried that it will not work. Recently he has started to lunge at her cage and has started growling.
I think he is just been really spoilt but he has had 4 months now to get used to her. I just want them to be friends, I know it would make them happier buns.
Sorry that I haven't really offered any adivce, but by the sounds of it you are making progress. I just hope I will be able to say the same!

=) hey no problem, maybe this time i can offer some advice.

Yes, the lunging and growling is an issue but as far I as I've seen, its more a threat than anything. He would usually pull a little hair out, but would back off after the first strike. Babycakes seemed to have survived the night without any bloodshed, so I'm confident that time and patience is all thats needed.

She's putting up with him hopping over and nipping her on the butt, again he's just saying "im the big important boy, remember that."

I'm just afraid that she's going to be super timid because of it.

So i figured I would update you on whats happened the last couple days...

Rice cake has continuously been biting babycakes and she's been running circes in the cage... at first i though "well he's just displaying dominance" but I really felt bad for her cos she never seemed to be at peace and he was pulling out more and more hair... So we let her out to roam the house a bit and found that she's the perfect little house bunny. She doesn't chew cords, poo's in her bowl, and last night she slept in our room with us on the floor and refused to leave.

I'm thinking this will be a good alternative, since he just can't stop being a little d!<$k.I would love to see them bonded eventually, but her welfare was at stake if I kept them together any longer!

Anywho, thought I would kinda update you :wave: