Mackers
Wise Old Thumper
Day one in the fun-factory :shock:. Following Flora's sad passing yesterday, I've ploughed straight in and starting bonding her partner, Benji, with my two feisty girls, Pea and Pod. I have a week off work so no time like the present!
Despite some strong views on bonding on RU, I'm afraid I am HAVING do do a forced bonding in a very confined space. I know my girls and I've attempted a long bond with lots of space in the past. It failed miserably as all it did was encourage running and then fighting, mainly amongst the two girls rather than the new partner.
So they're next to me at the moment in my medium sized dog crate. It's a small space - just big enough for three large bunnies to lay down in comfort. So far, so good! Pea is just keeping her head down and trying to make herself invisible :lol:, Pod is grunting and complaining loudly and trying to run away from Benji. A small amount of fur pulling but that's about it. And as for Benji, well fortunately, he's pretty assertive so it's hump-fest all the way for him! Neither of the girls has attempted to hump either him or each other. He's doing enough for everyone :lol:. So I'm hopeful that this MAY work if they both accept him as the dominant bunny. I have this week off work, then another week mid-October. I may have to keep them in the conservatory until October so that I know their bond is good before moving them back into one of the sheds. Do you think mid-October is too late to put them back out for the winter? Assuming the weather stays reasonably mild, I'm hoping it will be OK as I'd rather not rush them back onto familiar territory. I'm worried it will just result in fighting if I push them too fast into a large space. Worst case scenario, they'll all stay indoors until Spring but I've yet to broach that subject with OH :lol::lol:.
How many LARGE bunnies can you fit into a litter tray????
Getting to know you.....
Despite some strong views on bonding on RU, I'm afraid I am HAVING do do a forced bonding in a very confined space. I know my girls and I've attempted a long bond with lots of space in the past. It failed miserably as all it did was encourage running and then fighting, mainly amongst the two girls rather than the new partner.
So they're next to me at the moment in my medium sized dog crate. It's a small space - just big enough for three large bunnies to lay down in comfort. So far, so good! Pea is just keeping her head down and trying to make herself invisible :lol:, Pod is grunting and complaining loudly and trying to run away from Benji. A small amount of fur pulling but that's about it. And as for Benji, well fortunately, he's pretty assertive so it's hump-fest all the way for him! Neither of the girls has attempted to hump either him or each other. He's doing enough for everyone :lol:. So I'm hopeful that this MAY work if they both accept him as the dominant bunny. I have this week off work, then another week mid-October. I may have to keep them in the conservatory until October so that I know their bond is good before moving them back into one of the sheds. Do you think mid-October is too late to put them back out for the winter? Assuming the weather stays reasonably mild, I'm hoping it will be OK as I'd rather not rush them back onto familiar territory. I'm worried it will just result in fighting if I push them too fast into a large space. Worst case scenario, they'll all stay indoors until Spring but I've yet to broach that subject with OH :lol::lol:.
How many LARGE bunnies can you fit into a litter tray????
Getting to know you.....