Live together but not quite bonded - any help/advice welcome! :o)

Hi

Right - took everyone's advice and made the next leap of putting the bunnies in the same cage/run together 24/7.

There were scuffles the first night as expected but they're now ok - I can trust them not to fight when I'm not watching them - left them alone after the first 24 hours and no real problems.

That was about 3 (ish) weeks ago now. Alfie still chases Rosie and there is fur pulling still. No fights, and neither seems to ever be injured (ie bites etc), I check regularly just to make sure.

They sometimes eat together, and lie alongside each other, but no grooming, and no snuggling. Sometimes Alf is nice to Rosie, and others he nips and pushes her out of the way.

I'm just worrying they might never bond fully - should it take this long once they're living together?

Massive thanks! )

I think it depends on the buns tbh. I had these problems with Xena and Fiver, when they were first bonded. They never seemed "loved up". Not much grooming and they chased sometimes. As time went on, I accepted that this was just the way they were. They are both pretty dominant bunnies and so they are always trying to assert their dominance to each other. The main reason I decided to bond another bun with them, was so that Fiver got the attention he craved. Xena NEVER groomed him and it obviously bothered him, so I figured bonding another bun would hopefully means he gets grooms. It did work..Xena and Fiver are much better together now, but Shadowfax tends to get the brunt of Xena's aggression. :roll: Fortunately, Shadowfax is wise to her and just avoids her when she gets in these moods. :lol: Fiver is much happier because he now has two buns that groom him.
I would not advise this for anybody. I found Shadowfax wandering around on the field near me; her owners had just "released" her and then shut her hutch behind her. I decided that whilst she was in my care, I might as well see if a trio would work.

I think that some buns bond but aren't "in love". They will most definitely prefer to have each other than be on their own and hopefully in time they will start to snuggle and groom. :thumb: Despite Xena bullying Shadowfax, they will all snuggle up together and groom.

Thanks for your advice - I really hope they can love each other eventually.

To be fair it seems to mainly be Alf that's the problem - Rosie (although a very confident bun) seems to be happy for him to be the 'big man' so I don't really know what his issue is.

Maybe he's just a bossy little so-and-so!!!! x

leahb said:

Thanks for your advice - I really hope they can love each other eventually.

To be fair it seems to mainly be Alf that's the problem - Rosie (although a very confident bun) seems to be happy for him to be the 'big man' so I don't really know what his issue is.

Maybe he's just a bossy little so-and-so!!!! x

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Have they never groomed at all? Or just not when you have been watching?

Vegan_Bunny said:

Have they never groomed at all? Or just not when you have been watching?

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Hey there

Well I don't know about when I'm not there... But I have seen alfie sort of groom Rosie twice (by sort of I mean he licked her head a couple times but then nipped her so kind of counter productive! ).... But I don't know if I can really count that as true grooming.... 

They do groom themselves in each others presence, just don't groom each other xx