Bonding help please one is frightened of the other

[kcbunny]

Since my boys dont get on we decided to take the plunge and get them a girlfriend each (all rabbits neutered so no baby worries)

Bitsy's girlfriend has come from a local rescue and is the sweetest most gorgeous dwarf rabbit ever

we have had them together to meet each other in the kitchen and that seemed to go ok-he did try to hump her a few times but then lay down and she went to sit beside him

since then we have been keeping her in her own hutch and letting them have the run of the garden together under supervision

he tries to catch her and doesnt manage it but she looks quite worried about it ......

we brought them back into the kitchen for one to one time again today and she climbed back onto my knee and wouldnt get down

Bitsy was more interested in the veg we gave him than in her really and didnt chase or try humping but she just looked so frightened when I got her off my knee

not sure how to progress....am moving his hutch to the other end of the garden so they get some sunshine over the winter and figured that would be a good time to try to get them in together but am worried about her being so frightened of him

what should I do??? keep trying little and often??

any advice gratefully received

Our other boy is going to the rescue to meet his gf as he is more territorial

 

[capel]

Don't keep seperating them. Put them together in a small space, give them plenty of nice hay and veg to nibble at and don't intervene unless there is serious locked on fighting. Humping, chasing, and even nipping or fur pulling is normal and is all part of working out who's going to be boss. It can look quite alarming, but onestly unless there's real aggression they'll be fine if left alone. I've a link I can send to you showing some typical bonding behaviour if you want.

 

[kcbunny]

thanks for the advice would love to see the link please

so is it normal for her to look so worried?

 

[capel]

It is normal for the submissive bunny to try to avoid the other at first, but they will settle. Where are you trying to bond them? I'll pm you my link shortly

 

[ecudc]

can you leave them somewhere like your bathroom for a few days & meanwhile give the hutch a mega spring clean, move it to a different part of the garen & so on. By the time they go on to the slighly less neutral space of the hutch they should hopefully have formed a closer bond.

 

[PLumfy]

That's exactly how we bonded Sugar and George. We put them in half a bathroom and the next day increased it to whole bathroom. We cleaned out hutch and run (viniger) and moved it all around a bit.

You can follow our bonding experience here http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?t=147098

Don't give up, its sooooooooooooooo worth it to have happy buns.


Best of luck

 

[kcbunny]

Thanks everyone for the replies

when I put them together they are either in the garden or have brought them into the kitchen.....

if I put them in eg the bathroom do I have to stay in there all day with them?? I have 7 year old twins so this wouldnt be terribly practical although may be a peaceful option on second thoughts.......

 

[janice]

When bonding it really doesnt matter where you do it provided the space is smallish and also neutral. Leave them in this space for about 49 - 72 hours and let them settle before putting them in very clean hutch which has been sprayed with vinegar if it has been used before.