Hi there, :wave:
My name's Jen and I have two buns, Millie and Elmo. We have now had Millie a year and were very happy with her, however we are not home as often as we were and wanted to get her a companion. We got her our lovely little Elmo. Millie was spayed about 6 months ago, Elmo has only just been neutered, two weeks ago. Because we live in a flat, we couldn't completely separate them, so they have seen each other through the bars and are familiar with each other. The only time they have met face to face was an accident and my partner left the door open with Elmo wandering about, he tried to approach Millie and she chased him. Obviously we picked her up before any damage was done.
It does make me slightly nervous about the bonding, so I want to be prepared. I have been reading a lot and gather the best place to initially start is neutral territory. As I mention, we live in a flat and they have access everywhere except one room we use for storage. Millie grew up in the bathroom, so that probably isn't an option, though she does hate going in there now!!
I was thinking for us the best way, maybe to build a temporary habitat in one of our rooms, like a huge cardboard box, with a litter tray, hay water etc. And two escape holes/ boxes where they can hide if scared. We also have a water sprayer ready and plenty of gloves and towels.
My worry is with Millie, Elmo is very affectionate and spends all day sitting by her hutch (she sits next to him, they lie together) but Millie is very dominant and Elmo is so small she could seriously harm him. Millie is particularly attached to me, she has no real interest in my partner, she will sit near him but won't allow him to stroke her.
Iguess I just really wanted some tips from people who'd experienced it and how best to start. We are not thinking of doing it suddenly and are obviously going to wait until Elmo's hormones settles.
I don't know many rabbit owners, so would love to get to know fellow rabbit lovers. I was going through a really rough time with illness when my partner bought me Millie to keep me going, she has changed my life beyond recognition, as has Elmo. Some people just think I'm mad :shock:
Thanks for listening and sorry for the long message!
Jen
My name's Jen and I have two buns, Millie and Elmo. We have now had Millie a year and were very happy with her, however we are not home as often as we were and wanted to get her a companion. We got her our lovely little Elmo. Millie was spayed about 6 months ago, Elmo has only just been neutered, two weeks ago. Because we live in a flat, we couldn't completely separate them, so they have seen each other through the bars and are familiar with each other. The only time they have met face to face was an accident and my partner left the door open with Elmo wandering about, he tried to approach Millie and she chased him. Obviously we picked her up before any damage was done.
It does make me slightly nervous about the bonding, so I want to be prepared. I have been reading a lot and gather the best place to initially start is neutral territory. As I mention, we live in a flat and they have access everywhere except one room we use for storage. Millie grew up in the bathroom, so that probably isn't an option, though she does hate going in there now!!
I was thinking for us the best way, maybe to build a temporary habitat in one of our rooms, like a huge cardboard box, with a litter tray, hay water etc. And two escape holes/ boxes where they can hide if scared. We also have a water sprayer ready and plenty of gloves and towels.
My worry is with Millie, Elmo is very affectionate and spends all day sitting by her hutch (she sits next to him, they lie together) but Millie is very dominant and Elmo is so small she could seriously harm him. Millie is particularly attached to me, she has no real interest in my partner, she will sit near him but won't allow him to stroke her.
Iguess I just really wanted some tips from people who'd experienced it and how best to start. We are not thinking of doing it suddenly and are obviously going to wait until Elmo's hormones settles.
I don't know many rabbit owners, so would love to get to know fellow rabbit lovers. I was going through a really rough time with illness when my partner bought me Millie to keep me going, she has changed my life beyond recognition, as has Elmo. Some people just think I'm mad :shock:
Thanks for listening and sorry for the long message!
Jen