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How Many Bonding Attempts Without a Break ?

J

Jack's-Jane

Wise Old Thumper
When bonding I always feel that if one pair fails I should let both Rabbits settle for a couple of days before trying a different pairing. I dont know if I am being over cautious though ? I just feel that it can be too much to try a Rabbit with 2-3-4 other Rabbits all in one day and that a failed bond is stressful (not least for me!!) and that immediately trying a different pairing might make failure more likely as the Rabbit(s) involved will already be 'tuned up' from the previous failed meeting.

Obviously all Rabbits are different, but do you think I am making too much hard work of it all by having the cooling off period of about 48 hours ?
 
I think you are right.

I have worked in a rescue and bonded buns as a part of that. If a bond fails/never gets off of the ground the second bun you try is always much harder. We always tried to keep the rabbit over night and try again in the morning with a different bun. But the initial meeting of 2 rabbits to be bonded was normally done in front of the owners. It was up to them if we tried the next bun then or the next day, often shocked owners would request that it was done then so they could be there. If a bond failed after the owners had left we always separated and waited a day before trying with a new bun

But having said that I feel it depends on why the initial bond failed, if it was a clash of personalities then they are riled up and the above becomes true. But (and we had a very beautiful but very moody girly who did this several times before meeting a lovely husbun who took none of her nonsense and put her in her place :lol:) if the bond failed because our rabbit beat up the newbie for no apparent reason then sometimes the second attempt actually went smoother. And I swear the rabbit took comfort from being put with a friendlier rabbit.

I've seen a bun that was quite literally pounced upon by our female and it was clear within 2 seconds that it wasn't going to go anywhere and the poor lad was absolutely terrified. Took that rabbit out and let the lad have half an hour or so in a run in the shade with his carrier to calm down whilst we went and picked the second chance bun and tried again. He saw the other rabbit and froze, she sniffed him and he realised she wasn't going to eat him so he bounded over and shoved his face under her tummy whilst attempting to super glue himself to her side. And that was that, they were inseparable :love:

I also think it depends on how far you are into a bond when it fails. A few days in and I definitely think you need to wait a few days before trying again, even if it's just to let the smells on the rabbit neutralise!
 
No I don't as I'd do the same. :) Bonding is usually stressful enough without the confusion of multiple partners in a short space of time. It probably has been done succesfully but I'm with you on this one. :)
 
Thank you. I am bonding phobic so I needed to check if my thoughts about this were based on fact or more on my neurosis !! I do think that attempting more than one bond in a day is too much for a Rabbit.
 
I would let a week or longer go by, although I don't have many failed bonds, maybe because I get to know the rabbits over a few months so have a pretty good idea whether they will bond or not. Just bonded Winter with Dusty.
 
Thanks again everyone, I dont feel such a neurotic idiot now !! With some of my Rabbits being health compromised and/or elderly bonding is stressful enough. I really dont want to make anyBun ill by attempting to do too much too quickly.
 
I agree. I am fiercely protective of our rabbits which makes me a rubbish bonder. I also bond our older and more disabled rabbits in a different way to the younger more mobile ones.

Yesterday when I was attempting to bond a group of special need buns I didn't let it go far at all before starting to take buns out. In the end I was down to just a pair and i called that a day in just over 12 hours as i wasn't happy for the buns involved. But had they been healthy youngsters I would have continued longer. It will probably be a month or two before i try eccles again with any bun.

I think it has to be different for rescues as they are under pressure to get things done more quickly. They would never be able to function effectively if they waited a week or more in between bondings. Some end up doing more than one pairing a week every week. But this also means they are extremely experienced at reading body language so can tell quickly if a bond won't work so can stop it before a rabbit gets stressed. They also have the luxury of having a number of possible suitors to try. Where as the rest of us only have our own rabbits to pick and chose from. Add to that, that many rescue buns are young and healthy then hopefully the situation is no more stressful than it has to be :) tbh they must have nerves of steal. I couldn't do it!

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Hugo's There said:
I honestly think i am stressed out before the rabbits are!

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Me too!! Teddy pushed past me yesterday and got out with Ruby very briefly, I thought I was going to have a heart attack!! :shock: I scooped him up so quick! Dreading going through another bonding.... :shock:
 
nursecroft said:
Me too!! Teddy pushed past me yesterday and got out with Ruby very briefly, I thought I was going to have a heart attack!! :shock: I scooped him up so quick! Dreading going through another bonding.... :shock:
Click to expand...

I always lay awake the night before a bonding feeling sick!

I have now come to the conclusion that rabbits are actually designed to deal with bonding stress and it has little lasting damage!!! Since eccles day of failed bondings he is a new rabbit. He was so nervous and timid before, now he is confident and really bouncy :) If I walked in a room he darted under the table to hide, now he actively comes over to see me bless his heart. Where as i am still recovering from the whole experience!

Still won't stop me from being a complete nervous wreck next time or the urge to wrap them all in cotton wool ;)

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Sweetpea my blind cashmere lop took to Timmy, a very sweet fluffy black and white lionhead straightaway, their bonding was perfect so when the beautiful Timmy passed away I gave a home to the beautiful Simba , a very friendly loving fluffy ginger lionhead. Their bonding was a NIGHTMARE - seemed great at first but Simba was so excited about Sweetpea he was playing humpy humpy games all the time!! In the end she bit him on his bits and he needed vet treatment. They were separated for a number of months but when I changed accommodation around, I tried them both again and it was virtually an instant bond. They are now perfect together, no humpy humpy games ever just two contented very fluffy bunnies together forever :love::love::love: makes your heart melt :love::love:
 
Im not surprised there was no humpy games after that!

I am glad they are settled :)

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