Bonding Advice - I haven't made the time!

Hi all wise bunny friends.

I have one 2 year old male and one 1 year old female bunny. They are both fixed, but as I haven't "gotten around" to bonding them, they have been living in cages side by side for a whole year now, with Annabel's play area in the hallway, and Louis in the sitting room. I can tell they both want company but I work a lot so its hard to consistently get them together - especially as the only neutral space left is the kitchen, a bit cold and draughty for me to sit for more than an hour while watching them!

When they do have time together they don't seem to mind eachother. They're happy to explore the kitchen and ignore one another.

When they do decide to engage, it usually consists of Annabel putting her head right down on the ground (asking for licks I think?) or trying to nuzzle under Louis' belly. Sometimes Louis will lick her head and ears, but then he'll try to nuzzle under her belly and I can't tell if he's licking or biting as he's bigger than her and a bit clumsy.

After an hour or so Louis will get bored and lie down. Annabel will bounce around him for a bit trying to get his attention. Then she'll try to hump him. I usually let this go on for a few seconds to see how Louis reacts - he's very nonchalant but will hop away after a while, then try to hump her instead.

After this they get a bit tetchy with one another so I separate them for the evening and its usually another week or two before I get home early enough to try again.

I only live in a small flat and my boyfriend is moving in in a few weeks so its about to get smaller! I'm desperate for the buns to be buddies, keep one another company and share a cage, but all cage trespassing so far has resulted in scuffles. Any tips for a crash course in bun bonding so I can get these two together once and for all? Considering buying a fresh set of mesh cubes to build them a new, neutral cage to share.... once they're bonded!

Thanks for reading -- guidance and wisdom gratefully received!

veritymay said:

When they do have time together they don't seem to mind eachother. They're happy to explore the kitchen and ignore one another.

When they do decide to engage, it usually consists of Annabel putting her head right down on the ground (asking for licks I think?) or trying to nuzzle under Louis' belly. Sometimes Louis will lick her head and ears, but then he'll try to nuzzle under her belly and I can't tell if he's licking or biting as he's bigger than her and a bit clumsy.

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this is actually a very good sign that they want to be friends! If you get a new cage and put it in the kitchen they will probably bond very quickly...a bit of humping now and again is normal! but they need either a neutral cage (or no cage ) during bonding. Could you not try on a Friday evening and over the weekend?

Also give them a big pile of hay and scatter feed to distract them..they'll be so busy munching side by side they might not hump so much :lol:

veritymay said:

I'm desperate for the buns to be buddies, keep one another company and share a cage, but all cage trespassing so far has resulted in scuffles.

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They will scuffle if they go into each other's cages...it's their territory, which is why you need to either neutralise their cages or have a new one with new toys etc.

When we bonded Harley and Bobo on Sunday - it was with the intention that they went into his hutch. They have been living side by side for a few months and had interaction between the bars of her playpen (attached to her hutch). For a few days before the bonding - I swapped slightly dirty litter boxes so he got used to her smell - and also put in her snuggle blanket for more smell. Before putting them into the hutch together on Sunday night we totally cleaned it with vinegar - and put in brand new blankets and towels and then put in the litter box they had been sharing in the bonding area - and beyond a bemused expression on Bobo's face - they were absolutly fine.

Harley had managed to escape from her hutch about 3 months ago and tried going into Bobo's hutch - he obviously took exception to this and we found bits of grey fluff from Harley everywhere - but he was totally fine on Sunday night with it. We did (or hubby did) keep a close eye on them for a few hours after that but there was nothing to see apart from 2 relaxed bunnies.

Good luck ! :thumb:

A crash course in bonding.

1. Get a small hutch, cage or area which is completely neutral to b oth bunnies.

2. Put some hay in there and place the boy in first. Then put the female in.

3. Leave together for as long as possible.

4. If there is no fighting then it should be a success.

5. Don't make too many changes in the initial stages.

Good luck!

Thank you all very much! So it seems I need to commit to a weekend, get a neutralised cage or pen set up in the kitchen, and basically leave them to it...! With a careful eye on them. I guess I'll just move my computer in there too so I can get on with some work while they do their thing!

V

Fellie said:

When we bonded Harley and Bobo on Sunday - it was with the intention that they went into his hutch. They have been living side by side for a few months and had interaction between the bars of her playpen (attached to her hutch). For a few days before the bonding - I swapped slightly dirty litter boxes so he got used to her smell - and also put in her snuggle blanket for more smell. Before putting them into the hutch together on Sunday night we totally cleaned it with vinegar - and put in brand new blankets and towels and then put in the litter box they had been sharing in the bonding area - and beyond a bemused expression on Bobo's face - they were absolutly fine.

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Great idea to swap things over in the days running up to the bonding. Will let them know I'm serious this time! Reassuring to hear I'm not the only one who doesn't bond the buns straight away (although I've had a whole year... where does time go???)

V