first time bonding

going to be bonding teegs with my new girly on thursday or friday (not sure whether to get her early thursday and bond straight away or get her late thursday keep her in a cage in my room overnight then bond on friday atm im leaning towards bonding right away so she doesnt get used to being in my room by herself then have to change again. im thinking of bonding either in the bathroom (where teegs has been before but not for months) or in the hall where he hasnt been but it is carpeted so wont be as good for scent marking tinkles plus the dogs will be in the next room and mmight unnerve them. i am going to put a big pile of hay in the room with a pinch of his pellets and a pinch of her pellets mixed in and a bowl of water. cant really put veges in as she hasnt had any yet. i might put some cardboard rolls and scrunched paper so they can play if they want but the toys won't have any scent on them.

not sure when to clean out the rabbit room as obviously i want it totally neutral can clean it all with vinegar change all the bedding i have got a new huge sheet of vet bedding for the floor, toys will all be cleaned etc, bedding washed too. i will probably do as much as i can on wednesday night so he is in a fairly bare room hen just do the end few bits on thursday to cut down on time.

anything else i need to know? (can i use a spray bottle incase there are scuffles? and i will be taking my camera and a book to read or something :lol: )

anyone? i need to be organised for tomorrow! :shock: :lol:

Hi:wave:. I'd use the room with the smallest area for the bonding. The bathroom's a good idea as all surfaces are wipe clean. However, if I ever do it again I'll opt for the system I used the last time when I bonded Bournville with Tim and Fliss. I used my Nero 4 cage and put it in the lounge so that I could spend the bonding time in comfort, and it meant that there was always someone around. A spray bottle is a good idea, though usually just clapping your hands or rattling an old tin full of beans buttons or something is vry effective if a diversion is needed. Perhaps there's someone nearby who has a nero? I thought of using the dog crate but I'm not exactly a supple spring chickenroll::lol and the thought of having to crawl inside it to break up a bunny fight didn't exactly fill me with deep joy!! If you use the bathroom put in some cardboard boxes for them to explore or escape into, but remember to make them open at both ends. I made the mistake of putting an enclosed box in when I was bonding Nia with Tim, and poor Nia ran in closely followed by Tim, which set her into panic mode because she was then trapped, and it started a fight. A good book, camera, phone(to ring up people for advice and reassurance if nec!!)..some valium or your drug of choice might be good:lol::lol::lol: Just a thought..if you use the hall, you could nip up to the local DIY or garden centre and buy a large piece of heavy duty polythene with which to cover the carpet. It makes the surface a bit slippy and they mught find it harder to fly at each eath..a bit like trying to pick a fight with someone when you are both novices on rollers skates I suppose:lol:
Good luck...
Good luck!

Good luck! I find a towels useful for breaking up fights, just chuck it on them. Although hopefully there wont be any.

thanks bathroom is smallest so can use that.

havent got a nero but have got the 4ft cage cuold use a level of that but would be harder to put hidey holes in or i could make up a pen out of cc cubes shut the dogs out and do it in the dining room (laminate floor) near the computer.

i did wonder whether to try the carrier one but it would smell of him too much and as i would be on my own if any fights broke out i wouldnt be able to break them up.

hmm a pen in the dining room might be better actually as teegs definately hasnt been in here....only problem would be shutting the dogs away as solo would likely bark if he could see me unless i block them in the living room half might be better as i need to keep an eye on solo anyway. i would put bella upstairs as she isnt exactly bunny friendly the other 3 should be alright and both teegra and new little girl are used to dogs

hmm now theres an idea!


what size should i make the pen up?

i will get some boxes and a pile of towels, a spray bottle and a rattle tin just in case :lol: the laminate is quite slippy too so hopefully they wouldnt be able to move too quickly. hopefully they will get on though!

When I used the pen (6x4)in the spare bedroom to bond Nia and Tim I found it was a bit too big and they actually started to designate their own areas and started to stick to it and if one ventured over the imaginary boundary it all kicked off again. I phoned Jill(honeybunny ) for advice and it was she who advised me to use the nero cage and it worked like a dream almost instantly. That's why I opted to use it for the trio bond. So I think make it no bigger than 4x4 although it depends on the size of your rabbits

this is really good advice, i will be bonding a foursome come winter x

ok thanks teegs is about dutch sized and new baby is only small as she is an 8 week old mini rex will make them a nice small pen then hoping it will be ok as i remember cheryl teeling my when she bonded teegs and duchey teegra was quite nervy and very cautious so hopefully he wont fly at her or anything and she has been in with othe rbunnies obviously so hoping she wont go for him.

nervous but excited about tomorrow now!:shock:

Have you considered putting them in a small carrier and going for a car ride..or just a jiggly walk around the house before putting them in the pen? That's what I did with a very stressed out Nia after she and Tim had an upset when I'd put them in the "too big" pen!! Jill advised(can you see the recurrent theme here?:lol: Bless you, Jill!!) that I put them in a carrier for a while. I was TERRIFIED at the prospect but steeled myself and it was fine. If you do take them in the car only do so if you've someone to seperate them if necessary so that you're not friving with one eye on the road and the other on the bunnies:lol::lol:

could jiggly walk them i suppose before putting them in a pen, but only have one carrier which i will be bringing her home in so would need to put her somewhere ehilst i cleaned it out and made it neutral again. before jiggling them round the garden :lol:

spose i could make a small pen in the conservatory just to put her in whilst i disinfect the carrier....who do you put in the carrier first though? i would be worried too as mine only has the door at the front and yuo need a screwdriver.....ok ok 2p piece to undo it :?

How does Teegra feel about the hoover? with our lot that works just as well as a jiggly in the carrier. Just run the hoover near them for a bit.

hmmm dunno, i suppose he doesnt see it much so he isnt really used to it, might try that then


(why didnt i stick to rats they were easy all in the bath there you go other rats like you and they went oh yeah cool best mates sorted!) :lol:

Put the male in first..it's always best to introduce the female last so she "thinks" she's entering his space rather than her get defensive about what she might see as her space being invaded by a male.

ok thanks went out got new straw etc for the cage....forgot the bloomin vinegar :roll: hope brown works although onl cleaning the carrier atm

Brown's fine, but just a bit more expensive. I never bothered with vinegar..just used a hutch spray which is a disinfectant/deodouriser. Smells much nicer too!!:lol:
ETA: a stint in the dishwasher works wonders too!!:lol:

thanks we dont have a dishwasher

i wish, sainsburs only had sarsons white vinegar for 98p or something or brown for i think 14p....guess which i got :lol:

Is today the day????:lol::lol::lol:

yep in progress!

there is a thread in photos :shock:

this is terrifying!

How well I remember that feeling. Once you get going you'll be fine though