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Bonding starts today - Nervous

S

shivbo2014

Young Bun
So I'm starting bonding Miffy and Prince today. This is my plan -

Clean utility room and cover up Princes cage that is in there. Scatter greens and hay over the floor place Miffy in and then Prince. Leave them to it unless there is a serious fight.

Couple of questions...

Shall I pop a litter tray in with them? I have a new one.

Shall I place water bowls in there straight away? One or two?

Shall I place toys and tunnels in with them?

If they are getting on well what shall I do tonight? Shall I keep them in the room together one in a puppy pen the other in the cage that is in there.

Thanks in advance. Really hoping this goes well x

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Always put the boy in first as he should be the dominant one. If they are litter trained then I always put a litter tray in there, they may carry on using it but they might not. I quite often use the boy's litter tray as the boys are not as territorial as the girls. Hopefully everything will go well so depending on how well they are getting along you can leave them together or for the first night put them back where they live at the moment. If you do this then tomorrow night you would need to leave them together as if they have got that far then it should be fine to leave them together. Make a decision as to whether to leave them together later on today. Definitely put a water bowl in there and use your treats sparingly to keep them distracted, so don't put all of them in straightaway! You know what they'll do - just eat them! A massive good luck, try to act positive and natural.

The boy will chase for a while but this is normal, mounting is normal, and running away from him is normal.
 
Ooo good luck. I found bonding very exciting and stressful. I gave mine a litter tray per rabbit and one extra. I watched them day and night (they were in my bedroom in a huge pen).

Looking forward to updates.
 
Thanks, they've been together 20 minutes he keeps chasing her and buzzing she keeps trying to get away. She seems a bit scared! Won't give him a chance to get near her x

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He's now flopped over and she's cleaning herself her feet are wet from the water bowls. Also she keeps pooing cecals??

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Currently
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these seem good early bonding reactions. The cecals I imagine are because she is abit stressed? eating & flopping all good. She should lose her nervousness over the coming day or 2 & he should become less excitable. I'm off out now but wish you loads of luck
 
They look fine! She will keep running away until she feels comfortable with him. They practically all go through this stage unless you are really lucky when nothing happens.
 
Thank you all! This is such a great forum for advice! I would never have been confident enough to to attempt this without the support x

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Have they got a litter tray full of hay to munch through? I find this works very well when bonding.
 
tonibun said:
Have they got a litter tray full of hay to munch through? I find this works very well when bonding.
Click to expand...
Yes there are two litter trays which they are using happily. He's still humping her and she's still running or lowering her head to the floor. There have been moments of sitting close together they are definitely getting more relaxed with each other. Think I'll pop her in her own area tonight just a bit worried she won't want to come back tomorrow to endure any more humping!



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So bonding is going really well. Humping has died down and they just seem to be living happily together. She's still a bit apprehensive of him as he is still chasing her a bit. She has been grooming him he hasn't returned the favour.

I'm planning on keeping them together in his cage tonight. When can I introduce them to their permanent area? It is going to be her cage. I have cleaned the living room which she runs about in with simple solution and I'm putting all new blankets in the cage along with their shared litter box. Is that OK?

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I am so pleased bonding is going well and it should be fine to put them both in his cage tonight. I would leave them like this for another 2 - 3 days before moving them to their permanent living area. She will still run away for another day or so and don't worry if you don't see any grooming. That will come in time. It could be a little early to expect them to be happy together in a cage but you will have to make your own mind up here. As you say, he is still chasing and if he tries to do this in a cage then she has nowhere to run to and could get annoyed. So although it might be ok tonight, on the other hand it might not. :lol: You don't want to spoil things at this early stage.
 
I think I'll keep them in the utility area not locked in the dog crate. I'll sleep on the sofa I think then I can hear them. If they're ok tonight do you think i can leave them for a couple of hours in the morning? They seem really chilled together apart from the humping which Miffy isn't too fussed about and just moves away or stays still.

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