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Experienced bonders , I need your help. Help for nervous bonders hopefully.

Alibunmum

Wise Old Thumper
I am scouring YouTube for videos of fighting rabbits. I haven't developed a psychotic streak but am trying to find videos of what is and isn't acceptable during bonding. I am trying to help people who are bonding for the first few times on their own see how hectic and frightening it can be but still have a good outcome. It is really hard when they ask when to intervene because more often than not I think we are tempted to jump in too soon.

So my first video. Would you intervene in this fight? If so, when?

 
Herbie & Hollie have not had as much humping or chasing as this.There has been fur flying but not as much as this video.

I would probably be freaking out if they were like this....is this normal bonding behaviour?
 
I'd probably have dived in when they stared circling. Once they start kicking and jumping at each other they'd have been difficult to separate. If the rabbit doing the end humping was male I'd have jumped in when he started doing that.
 
I'd probably have dived in when they stared circling. Once they start kicking and jumping at each other they'd have been difficult to separate. If the rabbit doing the end humping was male I'd have jumped in when he started doing that.

My two were circling loads yesterday.
 
This is how a few of the bonds I have done have looked including my own Floppy and Raisin who are now best buds. Personally this is the worst extreme of what I'd accept but I am very interested in other opinions. The reason I would leave them is they haven't 'locked on' to each other.
 
I would not accept that... I would freak out!!
I would have stepped in when the circling started.... Circling is NOT a good sign... I would also not have allowed the humping to go on as long as that.... I would have gently removed the humping bunny :oops:
 
I read an article on bonding (shame I don't remember where) and the woman who wrote it said she never lets them fight (she has bonded dozens) She is always there with a spray gun and as soon as they start fighting, she sprays them (I guess they are soaking wet after some time :lol:)

I have seen buns fighting at bonding and in this vid, it gets a bit out of hand I think. I don't know why the people laugh...:shock:
 
This one shows the point of worst case fighting in the first few seconds. Both buns have fallen on their sides and are 'locked' together. The end of the video is awful - the way the rabbits are picked up is disgraceful. I don't necessarily agree with these videos but it's hard to find examples of things.

 
I have done 5 bonds and never had it reach that stage of full on fur flying, maybe I have been lucky but I would have seperated at the head humping.

Oh dear just watched some of the second video. How awful. :(
 
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I read an article on bonding (shame I don't remember where) and the woman who wrote it said she never lets them fight (she has bonded dozens) She is always there with a spray gun and as soon as they start fighting, she sprays them (I guess they are soaking wet after some time :lol:)

I have seen buns fighting at bonding and in this vid, it gets a bit out of hand I think. I don't know why the people laugh...:shock:

The problem is, where is the line between normal bunny behaviours and fighting. That's what I am trying to explore. The second video is definitely fighting.
 
in the first vid I would of left them (thought would of had them in a slightly larger area), I would of possibly pushed them away from each other when it got to the part where one of them held on for quite a while, and I would of pushed the one who was mounting the wrong end off incase the other one bit there. (but would of allowed it if it was the right way round :L )
I mean they arnt really fighting, just nipping out bits of fur.
 
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I've had a fair few bondings look like the first video - but the fighting was in shorter bursts with rests in between when the buns were nomming (so I figured neither were too stressed). I would probably have intervened towards the end to check nobun was getting hurt.

Bonding does look vicious at times but I always watch to see if the fighting is equal or if one bun is clearly setting upon the other. I have only had two unsuccessful bonds - both with Hovis - and each time it was he who attacked the other bun all the time. It was never the other way around. With my successful bonds the buns have both been the dominant bun at times and eventually settled into their hierarchy.

George and Gemma were a horrendous bond - lots and lots of fighting - but they are now incredibly close and loved up - and each take turns in grooming and being groomed. George did have scabs on his neck where Gemma had mounted him (or it may be the other way around, I can't remember now) but they weren't deep and although I took him to the vet the treatment I had given him - cleaning and sudacrem - was sufficient. There was no locking on though - just lots of circling and humping.

I don't understand what is going on in the second video as the area is far too big for bonding. I wouldn't tolerate that level of aggression when bonding without intervening.
 
yeh the 2nd video i would of pulled them apart straight away, when they go on there side, like that they are really trying to hurt each other
 
Rihanna, these aren't bonding videos but ones I have found on YouTube to try and show the behaviour people might see when bonding. I find that people who haven't done many bonds are tempted to jump in too soon rather than let the rabbits sort things out for themselves.
 
I have over 25 pairs now and 3 seconds is the maximum time I allow them to fight then I shout at them and they usually calm down. If not it's nearly always the female that is the trouble-maker. I read a book years ago that said you have to let them fight for 20 minutes and by that time they will calm down (that's if they are still alive)and I tried to do this with 2 girls I wanted to bond. In the end I stopped them, they never did bond and there was more white fur than grass out there.
 
Aye, although I have not physically stopped my two fighting I have shouted NO and banged the bed mattress, which does seem to work.
 
My two were circling loads yesterday.

Honey and Jack circled once, despite there being two folk in the run with them we didn't manage to separate in time and Honey ended up needing staples after Jack bit her. the jumping and kicking started after the circling and the pair of them evaded capture long enough to lock on. there's no way I'd not step in once they started kicking at each other like the ones in the video.

Maybe my case was a one off and the pair are bonded now but I think people need to b wary when bonding. Injuries can occur in a split second as we found out.
 
Honey and Jack circled once, despite there being two folk in the run with them we didn't manage to separate in time and Honey ended up needing staples after Jack bit her. the jumping and kicking started after the circling and the pair of them evaded capture long enough to lock on. there's no way I'd not step in once they started kicking at each other like the ones in the video.

Maybe my case was a one off and the pair are bonded now but I think people need to b wary when bonding. Injuries can occur in a split second as we found out.

Yip, I can see how easily injuries could be caused. The circling from my two was always a couple laps round the 4-panel pen and then stop, but it did happen loads.
 
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