are all bonded pairs "in love?"

[Candiflare]

Ralph and Ruby have been living together for 5 days now. I wouldn;t say they are in love, but they like having each other around. There's still quite a lot of fur pulling going on (only Ruby's) and I see bits of her fur all over the place where he's chased her and pulled it out. She eats very nervously because she knows he has monopoly over the food, but the way she scavenges it when he's not looking shows me that she wants to eat and she's prepared to be cheeky about it. She's certainly learnt to eat faster, that's for sure. That said, he is more snuggly than her and wants to be wherever she is, next to her.

I think if I hadn't known much about rabbit bonding (before I came on this site) I would have separated them already because it doesn't seem like a fair deal on her, but since I've been on here I've read that it's about persevering even when it gets tough.

So even though there is fur-pulling, food dominance and chasing, should I continue?

 

[lauraocal]

I had two buns like this.
Both were females though (I didnt know at the time) and you have just described the way they used to be.
Are they both spayed/neutered?
This might help with the dominance issue

 

[TeflonsShadow]

Sorry to dishearten you, by my bonded pair are most certainly in love, they are more interested in each other than they are with me.... they are happy to share their food and are always grooming each other, flopping/lying next to each other and following each other around. Havent had any fur pulling either :? Guess some are easier to bond than others, I am sure your two will sort it out...?

 

[Vegan_Bunny]

My two have been together for just over a week now and i find fur on the floor which i presume is from Fiver pulling out Ellie's fur. But they don't chase each other or show aggression with each other. They get on ok and Fiver is always grooming Ellie and laying next to her. If i walk in the room then Fiver runs over to me to say hello but i'd deffo say they at least enjoy each others company. They share food although Fiver scoffs his as fast as he can so Ellie has no chance to eat more :roll:

 

[Santa]

Sounds as if it's going fine to me, bonds can take a good few weeks to settle down properly, especially if they are moved (e.g. back and forth to a run or other place to exercise) or are given more space as they start to bond. If you are still finding a little fur now it does suggest that they haven't sorted out their bond yet and so you wouldn't expect to see them 'in love' at the moment.

It might be worth restricting their space a little for a while and removing anything that one of them can hide in (e.g. a pet carrier) to see if that helps. You could also get an organic fruit baby food like pure pureed apple/banana/pear and smear a little on their heads...it can help them to start grooming each other as they lick the stuff off Also if she is getting bullied over food, scatter it around instead of putting it in a bowl.

 

[Loosy]

My two are pretty in love I think. It took them about a week to get that way though...
I wouldn't say they're as loved up as some of the pairs I've seen on here but they snuggle and groom a lot, and prefer to eat while squished next to each other (which is quite sad really cause I have to seperate them for feeding now or Pipkin doesn't get his share )

 

[Daisylop]

I think sometimes it takes a while for love to grow.My outdoor bunnies didnt mutually groom until a good few weeks if not months after the initial bond. As they've only been together 5 days its early in their bond,just give it time!

 

[winnies angel]

winston chose angel and we have never had a scrap/tiff they are so in love and you can see how worried upset they are when one goes to vets for the day. When they come back its like they havent seen each other in years lots of kissing and hugging.
Knowing now I would never choose a bunny myself for another I would always allow my bun to choose there partner.

 

[raine]

Ruby is still unspayed isn't she? Maybe this is why Ralph is pulling fur etc? It sounds as if its going okay though,

 

[Snowberry]

Strawberry and Snowdrop loved a good snuggle but they were not particularly "loved up". They very rarely groomed each other and both played separately.

 

[willowholly]

Am no expert on bonding as my 2 were done for me but they came home after 5days of bonding & there has been no funny business really.I came down to a cloud of B'e fur in the early days but both were happy so not sure what happened there.Dill chases B occasionally but its been about 5times in 9months,thats all.I wouldn't say they are in love,they dont mutual groom, but they are certainly good mates!!

 

[Jaysmonkey]

I have two pairs, that are completely in love, we never have fur pulling or fights, and they share food. I'm not a bonding expert, I think I've just been lucky. Hope someone can help you out!

 

[Candiflare]

Ruby is still unspayed isn't she? Maybe this is why Ralph is pulling fur etc? It sounds as if its going okay though,

Hi Raine, yes she is... so I assume that is a factor, and also the fact I didn't realise I left a toy that the foster bun (Buzz) was playing with in their run. When Ralph sniffed it, he started chasing Ruby.. that's a pretty obvious correlation.

From what you've all said, I wouldn't say they're in love, but they'd prefer to be together than apart... if you know what I mean...