Bonding Question about chasing

Hi everyone, I have been bonding Marley and Toffee since last Saturday, it was love at first sight so i haven't had to seperate them they have been very happy together in the top half of the hutch, i blocked off the run to keep them in a smaller space, and yesterday i decided to allow them to venture into the run also, This morning i have noticed Marley is chasing toffee and trying to mount her, she is being very tolerant and just moving away every time, they are still snuggling up together and grooming,there is no agression at all, my question is should i leave them as they are or reduce the space again and shut off the run ???? Thanks

I think perhaps you increased their space too soon and it might be better to decrease again for a few more days .... on the grounds that it is better to be safe than sorry. I assume it is all neutral territory.

I'm not a bonding expert by any means but it's quite normal for there to be a bit of chasing etc every time you increase their space. How big is the run? I've read that it's best to gradually increase the amount of space they have until they have full run of their set up so an option would be to just give them access to a small part of the run and then increase over the course of a few days.

Thanks Ladies, I have a happy hutch company set up, the hutch has been neutralised, I can't gradually increase the run unfortunatly, i will keep a very close eye on them for a couple of hours and see what happens, as i say no aggression which is great

Sounds like you have 2 happy bunnies there and as others have said each time you increase space or put them in a different area, they will have to re-establish whose boss. Sounds like the boy is the dominant one.

maisydaisystar said:

Thanks Ladies, I have a happy hutch company set up, the hutch has been neutralised, I can't gradually increase the run unfortunatly, i will keep a very close eye on them for a couple of hours and see what happens, as i say no aggression which is great

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That sounds like the best plan. :thumb:

Hi again, since I last spoke to you all chasing has not calmed down at all, apart from when they are snuggled up together sleeping,marley is constantly chasing toffee, I am feeling so sorry for her as she has to move away from him all the time, there is still no agression, she is very tolerant of his behavior, but will he ever stop, he doesn't seem to be slowing down, I darent reduce the space as all this behavior will only start all over again once space is increased. advice please,

?????

maisydaisystar said:

I darent reduce the space as all this behavior will only start all over again once space is increased. advice please,

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Not necessarily - the longer the bond is established in a smaller space, the less likely it is to continue when you increase the space again, and if it does, it tends to just be for a very short period of time when they are first let out. It's always a balance though, as some bunnies get bored in a small space and that causes them to kick off. In your case though it sounds as if the early signs are very good, but that they need more time to get over the hierarchy issues and establish a firm bond. It's extremely common for bunnies to get on very well for a few days but to then start 'kicking off' as they get more confident around each other.

If these were my bunnies, I would block the run off for a few more days and see if it settles down; it should do. If you can't section off the run 'properly', is it possible to minimise the space in there somehow by blocking part of it off with some bits of wood or filling part of it with something like pet carriers, just to make the space smaller. That way you can then slowly increase the run space by taking things out a bit at a time.