Can They Ever Bond?

[ShirleyGirl]

Lulu is 6 and has been with me for almost 5 years. I adopted Buddy in September - he is also 6. The rescue did not have any info on him but he had been in there 1.5 yrs. I have tried the usual bonding steps with no success. They end up in a tangle, fighting. They live in separate ex pens in the same room. Their litter boxes are up against the edge of the ex pen, right next to each other, so they are only separated by about 1.5". And that is fine. They seem to be perfectly happy.

The last few days, I put them both on hubby's lap. He is still frightened of being picked up, so he just lays there, not moving. She lays right up against him. They stayed like that for over an hour. In the second session. they gave little nips at each other a few times, but continued to lay against each other.

Today I tried outside again in a pen and they fought immediately. I separated them and she kept running up to his fence area where they would box a bit and settle down. Brought them back in and they are in their respective litter boxes, sitting looking at each other.

I'm so frustrated! Considering taking him back to the rescue. Do you think there is any hope of a bond? When I take them out, one at a time, she waits outside his pen, looking for him. It seems they take some comfort in each other but once together, fight.

 

[Zoobec]

Are they both spayed/neutered? Are the areas you are using for bonding small, neutral areas not used for any bunny previously?

 

[tonibun]

I have always bonded in a biggish area so they don't feel frightened of the other Rabbit so much. Is this something you could/would do? It usually takes up to 3 days of chasing, normally bt the boy. By this time they have sorted themselves out and feel less scared of each other.

 

[ShirleyGirl]

Yes, they have been neutered for a long time. The first bonding attempts were in neutral places. After the cuddle sessions on hubby's lap, the next one was not, as I really thought we were further along. It was an outside pen where both have been.

They aren't just chasing - they immediately end up in a rabbit ball. She is a mini rex, he is a Californian. There is such a size difference and I am afraid that she will get really injured if I don't immediately stop the fight.

 

[ShirleyGirl]

Update: Still living side by side. I tried bonding again, ended in a fight in which Lulu's eye rim was injured. It has healed just fine.

Here's the oddity. I put them in either mine or hubby's lap most days. The big guy doesn't move, just sits there like a big old lump, often with eyes closed. Lulu has started grooming his head each session with no response from him, other than today, when he turned and nipped after she stopped. Nothing serious, though. They sometimes lay like that in the lap for an hour at a time with no squabbles.

How should I proceed? Would you consider this a partial bond? I'm afraid to put them together again because of her eye injury.

 

[CarelessSquid07]

I would take a nice long break. We tried bonding in late Sept/early Oct which resulted in a bunny ball and injury as I didnt intervene quick enough.

So we took things back a step, just living side by side ever since and are finally seeing signs that they're ready to try again. So we're gonna give it another go.

In a new neutral area so it doesnt link to the fight memories.

Sent from my SM-A705FN using Tapatalk