nicki
Warren Scout
Hello everyone,
I sadly lost my nearly 12 year old Oliver bun just before Christmas leaving the lovely Gracie needing company.
I have since adopted rescue bun Toby around 2.5. Toby has never lived with another bunny before. Gracie and Toby are very happily living in side by side pens, frequently interacting, grooming, flopping and eating alongside each other. It has taken a while for him to adjust to me moving in and out of his pen. He loves to be stroked. We gradually progressed to swapping toys mats and litter trays etc.
I have made several attempts in a completely neutral small bonding pen (I am reasonably experienced). We keep getting stuck at the same point. Toby can tolerate Gracie nearby but cannot get fur to fur or nose to nose without attacking - mainly fur pulling. He also grunts and lunges if she moves about too much but will happily groom, flop and eat near her on his terms. At times, he goes to lunge and then retracts his head showing some improvement. The other main issue is that he gets very stressed and struggles to poo in the bonding pen which means that I need to stop after several hours. He really looks uncomfortable. I have put plenty of fitch bedding in but not a litter tray as it will cause further territory issues. I think he is actually afraid and she is fearful of being attacked and neither trust each other. She tolerates him to a point but then she anticipates the attack and fights back leading to an unpleasant scuffle. I reset things and they are often fine again for a while.
We have decided to have a break this weekend and put a wire mesh between part of their large dog pens so they can get fur to fur safely. Any suggestions appreciated. Thank you
I sadly lost my nearly 12 year old Oliver bun just before Christmas leaving the lovely Gracie needing company.
I have since adopted rescue bun Toby around 2.5. Toby has never lived with another bunny before. Gracie and Toby are very happily living in side by side pens, frequently interacting, grooming, flopping and eating alongside each other. It has taken a while for him to adjust to me moving in and out of his pen. He loves to be stroked. We gradually progressed to swapping toys mats and litter trays etc.
I have made several attempts in a completely neutral small bonding pen (I am reasonably experienced). We keep getting stuck at the same point. Toby can tolerate Gracie nearby but cannot get fur to fur or nose to nose without attacking - mainly fur pulling. He also grunts and lunges if she moves about too much but will happily groom, flop and eat near her on his terms. At times, he goes to lunge and then retracts his head showing some improvement. The other main issue is that he gets very stressed and struggles to poo in the bonding pen which means that I need to stop after several hours. He really looks uncomfortable. I have put plenty of fitch bedding in but not a litter tray as it will cause further territory issues. I think he is actually afraid and she is fearful of being attacked and neither trust each other. She tolerates him to a point but then she anticipates the attack and fights back leading to an unpleasant scuffle. I reset things and they are often fine again for a while.
We have decided to have a break this weekend and put a wire mesh between part of their large dog pens so they can get fur to fur safely. Any suggestions appreciated. Thank you