Take a break?

[nicki]

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

 

[Shimmer]

Have you got a garden? Maybe put them both out there in a large safe area where there is lots of space to run and explore. Hopefully they would be as distracted by the new environment as by each other. Scatter food around as well, and make sure they each have spaces they can retreat to if they need to. Small boxes or tunnels are useful for that. It takes the pressure off the bonding if they have to work together in a strange space - in the hope they find security in each other. You do have to watch carefully just in case they go for each other instead.

It may be worth leaving any major changes for a few weeks to allow for Spring fever and warmer weather.

 

[nicki]

Hi Shimmer,
Thank you for that - it is along the lines of what I was thinking but was questioning myself with all the contradictory advice re bonding. I had thought about a larger space either inside or outside and taking the pressure off with entertainment and double litter boxes. I have plenty of run through hides and tunnels and always scatter food. They have been in for while so I will definitely need to wait for warmer weather if it is outside. In the meantime, I have just checked on them and they are very content side by side for now.

 

[Omi]

I agree with your thoughts that the issue between your two bunnies seems to be one of trust. I also agree that there is so much contradictory advice about the subject of rabbit bonding. I think it's definitely the case that one strictly enforced method is not going to be successful for every rabbit couple or group, once the fundamental principles are in place.

I would certainly leave them as they are, side by side, for a while. It's certainly not going to hurt. Then decide how to try again. Shimmer's point about spring fever is also a good one to take into consideration.

 

[Shimmer]

There are no fixed rules that are guaranteed to work in every case, once the basics are covered (ie neuter and wait a few weeks). You just have to find out what works best for your situation and avoid a locked-on fight. I've had a really stable bond happen in about an hour in a carrier on a car trip when the rabbits were well matched and never met before. Others have taken months. Sometimes they decide to bond themselves and sometimes it just doesn't work (as my current rabbits are proving). Good luck.

 

[tonibun]

Usually the male likes to be the dominant one which is why he is fur pulling etc. It also usually, ime, takes around 3 days for them to start to trust one another and I am always happy when they start to eat together. I have always put a litter tray in with them with no problems. I tend to put the female's litter tray in to give her a bit more confidence as I know the boy will want to chase her. It is a good sign that she is not attacking him so that is a positive sign. Good luck!

 

[Orenoko]

I think taking a step back sounds like a good idea. You're right there is a lot of conflicting advice out there about bonding, when I attempted it we had lots of fur pulling and disagreements but it was my female who was much more dominant. I had to take a step back and give it a couple of weeks after one particularly bad session. Maybe try again once they've had more time to get used to each other, and spring fever has subsided a bit.