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Bonding as we speak!

C

curlygirl

New Kit
Hi all, just a few qs re bonding please!

I've got Treacle and Snowflake (both neutered females) in the kitchen together at the mo, they've been there for about 2 hours.
Wasn't planning on bonding them today but Snowflake escaped from her hutch whilst Treacle was in the garden and they ended up fighting so I brought them inside.
They've had some scrapping, a bit of sniffing, and Treacle did lick Snowflake's face earlier on. Snowflake has been nibbling on some cabbage but Treacle hasn't eaten.

However, Treacle keeps turning and putting her rear end in Snowflake's face... Why?!

And do you think I should leave them in the kitchen for a bit longer or put them out in the hutch together. It's Treacle's hutch which I have relaid with fresh bedding but don't know if they will start fighting if I put them out.

Opinions please!
 
Hello

Firstly I am no expert. I can only talk of my experience with my 2 boys.

I think you need to decide if you are bonding or not. And if you are, you need to keep them together and not seperate them at all in the process (unless they lock on to each other or there is a lot of blood)

So if you plan to put them both in a hutch together, you will need to neutralise it completely.Not just fresh bedding.

Keep the bonding area small and only increase the area very slowly.

I would think the putting of the rear in the face is either a dominance or submissive thing, but again I'm not sure which:oops::oops:

Sorry I can't be of much help, but hopefully someone who is an expert will come along soon.
 
Ok then so this is what I've done...

I've bought a small run in from the garden, about 4x3, got them both in there in the kitchen. They had a little set-to when they first went in but are sitting in there without fighting now. (Not close to each other)

I'm going to bring some hay etc in for them to have and keep them indoors overnight. I have another day off tomorrow so they can stay together then as well. Hopefully by then they will like one another!!

Does that sound OK to everyone else? Any tips or things I might have forgotten?
 
IT'S NOT WORKING!!

They are fighting more and more now.... They only stop when I call them or approach the run...

What should i do!!!!
 
depends what you call fighting. My 2 have fights but they are not major fights as they don't lock on. Is there any blood? Are they lunging at each other and then just jumping over each other? I know it can look really worrying but sometimes it's just a minor skirmish and they can get over it. If they aren't locking on then perhaps just watch them for a little longer and see how it goes. Is one trying to be dominant. My 2 humped for a few weeks (they are both boys) but eventually that stopped and now - more than 12 months on - we only have arguments when they are together in the garden a bit like Eric and Ernie actually.
If you can bear it and they are not causing each other any damage try for a bit longer. As Eric and Ernie's mum said it's not a good idea to separate them while bonding
 
No they're not locking on, I remember when my boys used to do that before they were neutered (horrible)
It's the jumping over each other thing, fur flying, scrambling around. Then they'll sit quietly for a while, but at separate ends of the run.

Should I leave them overnight and take my chances?
 
would you be able to move them anywhere near to where you will be sleeping? Then you could hear if things got mad in the night and you might sleep better - it's so difficult isn't it? Wish someone with more bonding experience than me would be around to give you advice
Is there definitely no blood and no wounds at all?
 
No there's no blood or wounds. A few tufts of fur and stuff. been quiet in there for about 20 mins now.
There's nowhere else I can put them tonight, they're certainly not coming in my bedroom! I love my bunnies dearly :love: but they're not house bunnies for a reason!
 
I still get tufts or fur when the boys are in the garden but as there are no major injuries I don't really worry. Sometimes we get a sore nose or a sore lip - have you checked their faces
 
If they're mounting alot and nipping then it should be OK, my two did it nearly all evening when they were first introduced last week, only when their is boxing and real biting should you seperate them. However I would still keep an eye on them. I slept in the spare bedroom in our house and put them in a cage in there, it was very cold (opened all the windows) as I didn't want to put them in shock when I choose to put them in the hutch together, but it meant I could keep an eye on them.

If it got out of hand or if the mounting etc went on for too long, I'd bang my hands and blow on Hiro (he was the mounter).

Also - take our their litter boxes if they're in there, clean them out with vinegar before putting them back in. I found that litter boxes started off another dominance issue
 
Thank you all for your advice. I will update you on how the night went!
All is quiet at the mo. they have been nibbling on their hay and i've heard the water bottle being sucked on too. Hopefully they will grow to love one another soon!
 
curlygirl said:
Thank you all for your advice. I will update you on how the night went!
All is quiet at the mo. they have been nibbling on their hay and i've heard the water bottle being sucked on too. Hopefully they will grow to love one another soon!
Click to expand...

My two have been in together for only 5 days now and occasionally have the odd mounting/nipping session. I think Hiro gets frustrated when Kiki gets overexcited and starts jumping on/around him :lol:

Good luck, fingers-crossed here, if they start grooming then it's a good sign, you can encourage grooming by using a little bit of mashed banana (just the juicy stuff) but I found it made them look a bit messy when it started to dry
 
Yay! They seem to be friends!

They went back out into the hutch togther at the weekend. There was lots of chasing and nipping but it seems to have settled now. Although they've kept their distance a little bit, I have spotted them sitting together and stuff so that's good.

I've let them out in the garden for the first time today and so far so good. They've hated being cooped up and are so happy to be out.

Thanks for all the help!

My next plan is to try and bond these two with Snowflake's ex housemates Coco and Milo (neutered F and M respectfully)...
Any advice on when I should try this? How long should i wait?
 
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