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Any thoughts on this bonding situation?

chloaster

Warren Veteran
Ok - Twix (m) and Sian (f - new bun to the household) were bonded at mine over two weeks ago - it wasn't an easy bond with Sian being a moo all round. But she settled down and they have been snuggling and grooming at their new home for two weeks.

I had a call from their new mum two days ago and they have started fighting so she has brought them in the house in their indoor cage. They seem to be intermitantly having a scrap and then snuggling up again. She told me yesterday that they had a proper fight and she had to temp. seperate them. It seems that it is now Twix instigating the fighting. They are coming back to me tonight so I can spend some time with them but was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on this one? There has been no change of routine or family or living arrangements. They are not fighting over food and there is no consistancy as to the time they fight. Although when I spoke to her yesterday am she said they had been fine for about 16hours and it was only just before she called that they had another fight. :?

Thanks :)
 
goodness not sure whats going on sounds like sooty and chelsea sometimes grooming sometimes fighting unfortunatly they had to be seperated hope you can work this out call on janice for extra ideas...
 
Sometimes people giveing buns too much space too quickly will upset them, or moving them onto new territory.
 
The thing is they were ok there for two weeks prior to falling out :? If there was something that was different or an apparent problem then I could work with it but it seems to have come out of the blue for no reason. My only sensible thought was that Sian was the boss, they're now home (where Twix lived previously) and maybe Twix is thinking he'd like to be the dominant one in the relationship (he is the instigator of the disagreements) and Sian isn't ready to give up the place? But then why didn't he decide that when he got home? Why two weeks later? :?
 
I had a similar thing here. I had 4 buns together for a week. All fine, no probs, then on day 8, an eye injury:? If it was my buns I would have housed the culprit & victim together & sent them to vets together, but being someone else's I was less sure.

Since then I have re-introduced more slowly over several days. Day 1-3 absolutely fine. Cross pair grooming, eating together. Day 4 a fight broke out between the girls & then immediately the boys. (I was running all over & got bit myself:roll:)

These buns are being returned as their original pairs, (with slightly less fur, & more bruises:oops:). I have said if they want me to retry again in a while I will. I did have a similar thing with Chocolate & Smirnoff years ago,& a year later they successfully bonded into a big group, so I think the timing has to be right too.


With my own 13, when I had the upset of losing 2 girls, 2 of the boys were then bullied by a new "Head Bun" despite all getting on ok previously. i separated them & paired them with girlies:D
 
Sorry to hear this Chloe :( Sometimes nobun makes it easy. Perhaps try a smaller pen :) Good luck :) xx
 
Sorry to hear this Chloe :( Sometimes nobun makes it easy. Perhaps try a smaller pen :) Good luck :) xx

:roll: Tell me about it!! :lol: :lol:

Jane - Sian has recently had a health check, I'm pretty sure Twix had his myxi not that long ago and had a heath check then too, I did question mum about their health and asked if they were both well in themselves and she felt they were - I'll keep an eye out when they come here.

Thanks for the input Angie - I think my concern is that they will be fine at mine again and then Twix be mardy again when he gets home :? The other option is to try him with a more submissive girl but they have fallen in love with Sian and don't really want to go down that route.
 
Oh Gosh:shock: Now I'm woried..I'd assumed that I might be able to move mine outdoors on Saturday:shock: Sorry about the hijack there! No advice at all... I'm just going to lurk here and see what everyone else suggests:)
 
Well ..... Sian and Twix have been with me for three days now. First evening for three hours they cuddled and groomed and chilled out. Then Twix threw a wobbly and bit Sian's bum and they had a scuffle but nothing I concidered worth getting involved with. Everything was then fine until 06:00 am :)roll:) when the same thing happened. I was going to the vets that am anyway so took them along for the ride and the vet checked Twix over for me and gave him a clean bill of health so definately not that. And it has been pretty much the same since - scuffle, groom, scuffle, sulk, groom ...... they have been in the indoor cage since they arrived and they are going to auntie vickie for a few days where they'll have a big 6ft hutch and she's going to observe them for a while and we'll make a decision after that. I don't want Sian being bullied :?
 
Hi

I'm having a similar problem with mine, the female grooms the male like mad then all of a sudden nips him and things kick off :(

Someone suggested it could be hormones (even though neutered) and to try bonding after the Summer?
 
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