• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

bonding - advice needed!

D

desdi

Mama Doe
the bonding between bump and atom has been going really slowly.

most of the time they either ignore eachother or both put their head to the floor for the other to groom them.

neither will give in and groom the other and atom occasionally mounts bump - both have had their boy/girl ops and atoms hormones have calmed down.

bump (girl) was always the dominant rabbit with wicket so i can understand why she wont submit. atom is a total 2 foot boy and pancakes if you go near to him.

last night there was a scrap - it looked scary as they were both on their sides and spun round like a catherine wheel. there does not appear to have been any bite marks left and just one or two tufts of hair.

i know this was due to the fact that we'd tried them in the hall where they both live and so it was less neutral than the kitchen.

i'm thinking about taking them out in the car but need some advice as to how to do this.

please help!

as soon as atom goes in the hutch they are both poking their noses through the bars and bump sits next to the hutch with him all the time.

thanks guys!
 
Sounds like you are doing fine with them so far. If you have got your buns together for decent periods of time and they are ignoring each other, do try and continue there time together without separating them. Separation only delays the bonding process. When bonding rabbits, particualry in the early stages it is not uncommon to have some fur flying, as long as the skin integrity is not breached it is often best to let them sort themselves out. If this occurs you can quickly part them, but it is better not to take one away from the other.

If your buns have been together prior to taking them out in the car, simply put the two together in a pet carrier and then go out in the car, ensuring that you have a spare carrier to put them in if problems occur. It is preferable if you can have someone with you to supervise the rabbits but not essential. If they have not been together immediatly prior to putting them in the car, start with each in a separate carrier, then after 5 minutes of driving put the two together and then move on.

Cheryl wrote http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/tam/viewtopic.php?t=10221&highlight=rabbit+bonding this is quite a useful article although some people will find it a little 'harsh'.

Janice
 
I've used the car technique before.
Its worked every time for me. If you don't have 2 pet carriers then use large boxes.
I've foud that a 5 minute drive is not long enough. In the past I have driven for 5 miles, then got out and put them into 1 carrier then driven the 5 miles back. The longer the journey the more they turn to each other for comfort.

Smudge and Harry spent 50 minutes in the car when we first picked Smudge up from speed dating. They where great with each other it was only when another rabbit came into the equation that problems started.

I'm about to rebond Rupert back into the group this way.
 
thanks guys.

i think the hardest part will be not touching them when there is some rough and tumble.

i'll be off to the pet shop at lunchtime to get a new carrier to avoid touching them too much (only had one as bump & wicket would travel everywhere together).

because it was love at first sight between bump and wicket we didnt have any problems bonding them.

do you think that because its very much bump's house and that atom is such a 2 foot boy that this may cause problems?

in the evenings atom gets the run of the hall so that bump can get used the the fact that he is about.
 
Some of your problems may stem from already having a girl and trying to introduce a boy into her territory. Introducing a girl to a boys home normally is a lot easier :lol:

If I am pairing a boy up with a girl, in a rescue situation we have the ability to shuffle cages about. I will try and avoid putting a pair of rabbits into the females hutch as this usually avoids a dispute happening between the buns, it is always easier to put them in to a neutral hutch. If I have no choice but to use the females hutch, it is well cleaned with a smelly animal safe product first and then rebeded out.

Janice
 
thanks janice

i went to the pet shop to get a new carrier for atom.

bump has total free range of the house so it might be difficult to change the smells.

the only room she doesnt go into is the kitchen which is why we were trying the intro's there.

i'm gathering up all these tips so thanks heaps guys!
 
When you get them together, try and keep them if you can for a few days in the kitchen. Try and introduce a few different smells to the rest of your home to try and confuse the 'lady of the house'.

I know many people who have shed buns, paint things and move the shed about to try and make the place feel new to the buns when they introduce a new bun to the shed. Perhaps clean the place, dust with some furntiture polish, wash floors which can be washed before you let them back in to the rest of the house again.

Janice
 
that sounds a lot like there might be housework involved! :?

tbh, i'll do whatever it takes.

will keep going with the kitchen and use the car as a backup.

btw, if we go down the car route, do you suggest moving the boy into the girls carrier or the girl to the boys carrier?
 
Would the car technique work with bonding (or at least getting to a tolerance stage) two already bonded pairs of bunnies? We're moving house soon and I'd like for China and Rocket to become integrated with Miles and Miffy in the living room.

AMETHYST
 
I have never bonded groups before, just pairs, Phill would be a good person to ask about that as she has a number of groups she has bonded.

I know some people do bond pairs by getting each of the buns bonded with each of the other pairs in the group.

Janice
 
While wer on this subject can i ask,I have a female and a male both neutered.I introduced them over a few months in the run bit by bit,they seem to be doing ok,fur went flying like it does,but they seemed to bonded quite nicely then one night they fought all night.
So i seperated them I dont understand what went wrong as they used to cuddle together and groom each other,any surgestions on how to get them back in together???
 
The only way to put them together again is how you started the first time, which is put them both together in a neutral place and see what happens. If you can possibly avoid it do not separate them afterwards as you can almost end up back to stage 1 again.

Occassionally rabbits will end up having a quick fight particuarly if there are new rabbits around or if they are let out together on new territory, often this is to sort out who is the boss bunny. Sometimes they will just do it for no reason.

Janice
 
Desdi said
have you considered doing home visits
Click to expand...

Not really thought of doing home visits. I don't mind pairing rabbits for people if they are happy to leave them with me until I am happy with them.

Janice
 
thats probably the best way to do it.

shame its so far to travel and i'm not sure i could part with my terrible twosome!
 
A lot of the time it is easier when they are both on new territory. The problem a lot of people have is that their territory is not neutral. Sometimes it pays to take them around to a friends to pair them rather than doing it in your own home.

Janice
 
Theyv been in the run this afternoon and floppy(male) is constantly biteing poppys bum! :roll: but most of the time one is at the other end of the run,should I try putting them in floppys hutch again?I think after the fighting my other two rabbits did(one almost died)it had put me off so therefore I seperated these two,when they were fighting all night.
 
Is Poppy ignoring Floppy, whilst Floppy is biting Poppy looking for attention?

Could you bring them indoors tonight so you can keep an eye on them rather than end up splitting them up and then having to restart again another day. It is often worth the hastle of setting up a small temporary area so that you maintain the progress you have made. Often at this stage it is worth doing the car journey trick to help move them along in their relationship.

Janice
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

P
Moving bonded bunnies into their permanent home - advice needed
Replies
4
Views
184
Plushy
P
K
Nonstop peeing after bonding
Replies
3
Views
232
Omi
O
D
bonding a trio to a quad!
Replies
1
Views
140
Omi
O
Back
Top