Hoppity and Hector.

I'm taking Hoppity to meet Hector tomorrow and hopefully bringing him home with us. Hutch has been extended and new sleep box put in and other bits and pieces. Also told everyone not to visit as come rain, hail or shine I'll be sitting out the back garden keeping an eye on them and also keeping skooshy water bottle to hand! Please keep fingers crossed for love at first sight.

Hope everything goes well :thumb: have you got a neutral area where Hoppity hasn't been before to do the bonding?

Zoobec said:

Hope everything goes well :thumb: have you got a neutral area where Hoppity hasn't been before to do the bonding?

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Hi I took her to the charity HQ and we did initial bonding there and lets just say Hector may be rechristened Humper!! Poor wee Hoppity didn't know what hit her. But best of all, no aggression there or when we got home, Hector tried it on quite a few times but eventually got fed up. I waited until they were both calmer and they were grooming themselves and sitting close to each other then I let Hoppity out to have a wee run around and put Hector into his half of the hutch. They were nose to nose through the run quite a few times and Hoppity was making eye contact which she was studiously trying to avoid when they were in enclosed space together. (I've given Hoppity top 2 levels and Hector has low level and run at the moment.) Tomorrow I'll be bonding for an hour at a time then letting them in hutch for a while to calm and relax. I can only pray it goes as well as it seemed to tonight.

Oh and Hector is a wee doll, beautiful gray 1 year old.

Torrential rain yesterday stopped much of the together time yesterday but the few times I did manage to put them together in the big cage there was still no aggression. Hector still going at Hoppity like the clappers and Hoppity still trying to pretend she doesn't see him, amazing skills with a rabbit half her size clinging onto her back like a limpet! When he eventually gives up they sit near each other but only groom themselves. I saw Hector trying to put his head below Hoppity's on one occasion and a few times he was licking the fur on her lower back. She is giving him no attention back unless there are bars between them, then she sticks her nose through to sniff him. My question is should I try them together in the hutch for a wee while today, instead of putting them in cage, I have a board over the lower ramp to keep them apart. He's still a messy boy though and poops and pee's everywhere so Hoppity may have a housewife freak out as she is faithful with her litter tray! :lol:

I would only advise putting them together in a neutral area, and bonding them in that. Have you got something like a puppy pen or dog crate to use to bond them in? If you can bond them in that, and keep them together in that until the bond is cemented, maybe for about a week, and don't expand the space or move them until there's been no chasing/fur pulling etc for at least 48 hrs. You can slowly expand the space after each 48 hr period of them being ok, until you are ready to put them back into their hutch. I would clean the hutch/run thoroughly and spray with 50/50 vinegar and water and allow to dry, to neutralise any smells and before they go back in. And I wouldn't give them access to all the hutch/run straightaway when you do put them in the hutch. There's some good advice on bonding here
https://www.facebook.com/notes/the-rabbit-crossing/my-guide-to-how-i-bond-rabbits/463430373700695

Big thank you Zoobec for that link.

I have been taking them out of hutch and putting them in a dog cage for bonding and will just keep that up for the week. Should I clean the hutch out today when they're both in cage or wait until I'm about to open the hutch up to them both? (I of course keep it clean and change litter trays daily but I mean with the vinegar solution.) Also as they're both outdoor only rabbits can I bring cage into house for a few hours a day or will temperature change be bad for them? Although to be fair I've no heating on in the house at the moment so not too different indoor to outdoor, just that it's not pouring down in here! Also wondered if unknown environment will make them look to each other for comfort. Hoppity was in the cage in the house beginning of June for a week after she was dressed but she didn't like it at all. Hoppity is due her inoculations this month and am going to take Hector to get his this week so will be putting them in carrier for car journey.

Some people do bonding on short "dates" but I would say most people put them together in a puppy pen or a large dog crate, and unless there is any fighting, just leave them together all the time. When I was bonding my 2 pairs into a quad I brought my xl dog crate into the house and had them in that for several days, I slept on the settee so I could keep an eye on them at night, I think it's easier to do it that way personally, as I think each time you split them up and put them back together you are starting again in some ways. They do need to be on neutral territory whilst bonding, and that will help with them maybe looking for comfort from each other.

If you are keeping them in your dog crate all the time and not returning them to the hutch you can clean it out now and give it the vinegar treatment, then it is ready for them to go back to once they are bonded.

So just bring them into house full time Zoobec? Hoppity will be fine but will Hector suffer if he's indoors, albeit in a confined space, then I put him outside? It's also suspected Hector has wild rabbit in him and he is much more active than Hoppity, will keeping him confined in the cage be hard for him? I have to go out to work for few hours most days so how would I separate them when I'm not here?

Do you have a chaise longue I can come and lie on and ask you all my daft questions and you can pretend you're Freud or Jung?? Thank you so much for taking time to answer them, I'm just a wee bit nervous!!

Well I brought mine in full time, and my 4 are manic, very active rabbits, the boys are particularly "wild" but they were ok. I think it's important to know your bunnies and react to them if they aren't happy. I preferred to bring them in than camp outside for a week watching them, but that would have been an option :lol:

Unless you work every day, I would maybe wait to start bonding until you have at least a few days to watch them all the time, to start things off, and then maybe you would feel happy to leave them for a couple of hours if everything is ok. I started my bonding on Saturday and felt happy to leave mine together alone by Monday, although I've never done the school run and shopping so quickly :lol: every bond is going to be different though, if you need to separate them you might be better using something to divide them.

RU is your chaise longue :thumb: ask away, and read other peoples bonding threads, gives you some idea of what to expect too. I'm by no means a bonding expert though, I've only actually done the one bond so far :lol: here is a link to my bonding thread http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?402162-U-d-2-weeks-after-Bonding-a-quad

The most important bonding tool I found was distracting food ( for me and buns) and a bottle of wine (for me and OH :lol

I'm going to bring them in today as the joys of self employment mean no full free days for at least 10 days but I've all day today and I'll give my closing ceremony tickets to friends for tonight and stay in. (these buns better get on and appreciate me a wee bit! ) I've a large piece of plywood that I'll pop in between them when I'm out for a few hours but I'm hoping one of my neighbours will come in to keep an eye on them. I've lots of tasty food stuff and Hector seems to love the fenugreek crunchies that Hoppity didn't like at all so can distract with that. I'll keep you updated.

Just remembered last question for now, made appointment for Tuesday at vet, should I put them in same carrier? Vet is about 5 minute drive away.

Good luck :thumb:

I think it depends how they are for what's best for Tuesday, and if you are going to be driving to the vets alone with them. If there's someone who can intervene if they were to have a scuffle then that would be better, if they've been ok up to then.

They've been eating together, put some coriander and dandelion leaves in cage and both nose to nose or cheek to cheek eating and generally been fine together. Hoppity started jumping onto Hector's back then it all got a wee bit pornographic with her mounting his face! (Does she not know the history of Calvanism, Big John Calvin will be spinning in his grave! ) Anyway, every now and then one of them would get up and try mounting a few times while the other darted about then they'd both flop down and lie stretched out beside one another. All calm and quiet now. So far so very good.

Sounds good :thumb: I would not allow them to hump heads, as nasty injuries can be caused :shock:

Hello, 8 days on and everything is great. They're living, eating, playing and lying together very happily. Hector is still not to smart with the ramp and Hoppity does occasionally run up to top floor look around, run back down and look at him as if she's thinking, "haw daftie come on, it's easy." The trip in the same carrier to the vets really seemed to cement the friendship, Hector spent most of it actually underneath Hoppity, sometimes popping his head out then back under. He is a wee cutie and I'm so happy they've got each other.
Thank you Zoobec for your help. :thumb:

Fantastic news :thumb: no problem, glad to have been of assistance :thumb:

Any chance of some pics of the happy couple :thumb:

Hope these work!

YAYYYYYYYYYY
1st picture is them in bonding cage.

Aww which one is which?

Awwww they are really lovely xx

Sorry forgot that bit, Hoppity is the white rabbit and Hector is grey.
Hector has now cracked the first ramp but still only considering the upper one. My husband got home from his 7 week cycle tour of France last night and I broke news to him of my want of a shed type hutch for them both. I've worked out what can be moved and space available and after a wee moany complaint I replied "thinking of this new house for them is all that's kept me happy as I've missed you so much." Who says guilt is a bad thing?