Opinions on hutch swapping and a few hours bonding a day

Sorry its more bonding questions

Well the only room Buu and Beau seem alright in is the living room :? Which was his territory. They are just constantly fighting in the bathroom, my room and the new hutch :?

I have tomorrow and Tuesday off work so Im not giving up yet, just thinking ahead incase im still not comfortable with leaving them

The only room I have them in overnight is my room, well once Im back at work. I think the problem is Buu is being territorial, she hasnt spent much time at all in the living room and I think thats why its all ok in there. I have disinfected EVERYTHING with vinegar and dettol so many times now, our house and garden stink :shock: :lol:

Thing is Scarlett is in for her spay next week so I will be having her and Trip in my room so I can keep an eye on her. I cant really have both pairs inside

I just wondered what you opinions on hutch swapping and a few hours together in the living room a day are? If it doesnt work I am going to speak to my vet and local rescue to see if they know of anyone or can help with the bonding. I really think it will help to be done somewhere else and I just dont have anywhere to take them.

Would it do any harm to swap hutches and runs, keep them really close and bring them in each day for a few hours until I can get some help with this? This is only if I have to give up. And I will talk to the vet and call the rescue first thing tomorrow so hopefully it wont be too long before I find someone to help me.

From being seperated and then put back into the living room they are all loved up again straight away.

Forgot to say I am calling a different vet practice tomorrow to get another opinion on Buu being spayed

where do you live? i wonder if someone could help, or bond them for you?

Im in Jersey and as far as I know there are no other members on here living in Jersey

Ahh i see. Well I personally think the key is not to seperate them once they are together, and as long as possible on neutral territory...i left Rowan and Audrey together for 3 days and nights before they moved back onto Audreys turf.

Other people may have an idea on the hutch swapping etc.

Thanks Mandy I pretty much think the same about seperating them as you so I am really hoping it will all be ok by Wednesday :lol:

Its really only if they do need seperating when I go back to work, until I can find some help with this do I keep them completely seperate or do the hutch swapping and let them have a few hours each day. At a push my mum can call in sick on Wednesday to keep an eye on them in the living room but she needs to go in the rest of the week :lol:

Im getting so confused about what to do :lol:

Im sleeping in the living room with them tonight

Aww bless you I bet they'll be ok.

Have they properly had a fight? Rowan ad Audrey were rolling about on the floor and fur flying when they were first put together :shock: which was a bit scary but they didnt draw blood, which is the thing to watch for i think.

I sat in the room with them for about 3 hours and then went to bed...but had to keep getting up through the night when i heard scuffling as they were in the next room :lol:

i went to work the next day and was quite worried, but they were ok and every day they grew to like each other more.

Hope it goes well xx

Aww thanks hun

Its like Buu getting annoyed when I try them somewhere else. Yep its been rolling about on the floor and lots of fur everywhere :lol: I have been watching for blood but thankfully they havent injured each other. They are laying down together, Buu with her legs resting on his head and dont seem bothered by each other so we will see how it goes :lol:

Thats the advice I was given to bond the boyd, to swap their hutches etc over frequently and to let them spend a bit of time together building it up gradually over a period. Others disagreed, but it worked for me

hows it going Becky?

lucyj said:

Thats the advice I was given to bond the boyd, to swap their hutches etc over frequently and to let them spend a bit of time together building it up gradually over a period. Others disagreed, but it worked for me

Click to expand...

I totally believe it's diffferent for everybun. Some I have bonded no problem - others I've had to do gradually. I've broken the basic neutral-territory rule before, as i was trying to bond a bun that lacked confidence, with a feisty one. I did it on quiet bun's patch & it worked - cos he was happy, & other bun was wary so less aggressive.

hows it going Becky?

Click to expand...

Not very well :lol: Thanks for asking Its still alright in the living room but anywhere else and Buu isnt happy at all

My vet thinks he may know a couple of people who might be able to help me though I asked the rescue and they said its not something they normally do, but they have a few volounteers who help out with the rabbits so they are going to ask them for me. She said if not though she is sure they will be able to help me

One good thing the vet said though is that as Buu and Beau are all right in the living room, if I can keep them like that (all cuddly in neutral territory for her) I can bring them both in together next week and he will see if it relaxes her at all. He said hopefully it will and he can go ahead with the spay and then that will be done before they go somewhere else to be bonded

So looks like Im going to be doing the hutch swapping and bringing them into the living room each night until next saturday I know it sounds mean to keep separating them but I really really want my girly spayed

I am going to buy a bigger run in a minute to place next to Buu's run so they will be able to see each other all day

Aw, dont worry Im sure it'll work out with people helping you xx

I hutch swapped for about 4 days when bonding Ben & Lily, but then everything else I did was contrary to general opinion.

I used the living room as my bonding territory. Both buns were used to this room and thought of it as their own as they each used it individually when they spent time indoors with us.

We started on the Wednesday evening and hutch swapped at the end of each session (about 3 hours). Saturday they had 2 longer sessions together but still swapped hutches when they went back.

We were going to knock through the 2 hutches and join together to make one long hutch which we did Sunday morning and they spent the day together. After that they stayed together and are really happy.

I guess I was really lucky with them, we had very little fur flying - just a whole heap of bunny kisses.