Elphie and Athena in: The Great Bonding Adventure!

Elphie says:

I thought I was number one bun in this household! Imagine how I felt when I discovered a strange grey and white thing with blue eyes after Mother took me indoors. Needless to say I am not very impressed. This young upstart is quite an irritation. She keeps getting in my way, she's overenthusiastic about everything, keeps trying to steal away Mother's attention and more.

I have tried to express my distaste and escaped several times from the, frankly far too small, pen for one as special as I to be in. Unfortunately, Mother has merely scooped me up and placed me back in every single time. Hmph. It doesn't help that the upstart (apparently her name is Athena, but really) has engaged me in a couple of scuffles and worse! She's even mounted me on three whole occasions. Whatever Mother thought by introducing that thing to me, I'll never know.

I have decided to eat little (the upstart is eating all the hay anyway) and hide in a corner for the forseeable future. I'll keep a watchful eye on the upstart. So long as she keeps to her side of the pen, this prison may be tolerable until Mother returns to her senses.

Athena says:

Hai guys!

I'm not the only bunny Humama has. I totally didn't realise that! Well, okay, I might have had some inkling considering Humama takes my bunny pellets outside every day, but still. It's a shock, that's what it is. I was real happy thinking I was the number one bunny in Humama's heart.

Anyway! Humama has shut me in the laundry! I can see my territory but I can't get out. She's shut me in the laundry with this older big blue thing. Okay, I'm the same size as her at six whole months old, but she's chunkier. I am going to say it's an age thing. But her ears go down instead of up and she smells funny and she's in the same space as me.

I've tried to tell her I am top bun. Which means yeah yeah yeah, we fought a couple of times. Just to tell Big Blue who's boss, yeah? She might have got the message as she's in the small corner of this prison we're in and I've had the "run" of the rest of the joint. Though run is a total overstatement. I've even mounted Big Blue to show her I'm boss and that it's okay so long as she lives by my rules.

Still! I have eaten lots and lots of hay and flopped like all the time. If I look cute enough, Humama will let me out properly and put Big Blue where she belongs right?

----

I say:

So the bonding of two of my does begins. After a load of failures between Elphie and Galinda, I have decided to try Elphie and Athena, now Thena has recovered fully from her spay. As the girls made very clear, Athena thinks she's dominant (and it appears she will be if this bonding sticks) and Elphie is mostly sulking. There has been some fur flying which has made me a little nervy, but things are calmer than they were when the two were first introduced. I'll feel a lot happier when Elphie eats properly again though.

Athena seems a lot more confident and comfortable with the whole bonding thing so far. I'm used to seeing her flop, but I've seen her full on dead bunny flop several times over today, which is something I've never seen before. Elphie, I think, is just more "used" to having her own space, all to herself and therefore is a bit more shellshocked by being thrust into a space with a completely new bun.

Every so often, Elphie thumps and makes Athena jump. Elphie is being very stubborn, I think. There's been no grooming (well, Athena's groomed herself but beyond that), but a lot of the time, the girls just seem to ignore one another. I hope this is going to be okay, but I have a feeling that if the bond does take, it will take a long while to achieve.

The night is long and full of terrors
To quote George R. R. Martin and apparently, Elphie. I suspect the "terror" in this story is a grey otter lionhead cross however.

There was a bit of thumping this morning. I think it is mostly Elphie. Athena seems like she wants to be friends but then gets annoyed at Elphie's stubbornness. Elphie is not acting completely "Elphie-like" which hurts to see but Athena is much her usual self.

Things seem like they aren't going badly right now, but not exactly well either. What can I do to make this easier on my Elphie-elf and make this work for all parties involved?

I moved them from the laundry to the bath to stop Athena from pinning Elphie in corners. It sounds like we have a herd of tiny elephants now but ugh. I just want them both to be happy.

It's oh so quiet....
Elphie says:
Maybe the interloper isn't quite so bad. Yes she's young, yes she's energetic but it is kind of nice to have somebody who speaks my language now. Besides, I am indoors and that is clearly where I belong. I am beginning to enjoy the creature comforts which come with being indoors. And Mother has been giving me (I say- Elphie, both of you!) more veg than usual, and more often, which is so much better than pellets. There may be a few perks involved with having a... a... companion? Is that what it's called?

Athena says:
I miss having more space, but having a friend is G - R - E - A - T GREAT! I like stretching out and dead bunny flopping with my legs in her belly and yeah. I want to run, but Humama still won't let me (I say - ATHENA. Both of you!) out of the bath. Which is all like bah, humbug. Still I get bunny kisses and human scritches. I just want my spaaaaace back though.

---

Basically, last night and most of yesterday was quiet. There was a little stamping yesterday, but often Elphie thumps when she is hungry so I am hoping that it's been the case of that rather than warning Athena away. More often than not, when I peek into the girls they are close by one another now. Not necessarily snuggling, but still close. I haven't witnessed any grooming, but I'm hoping that's because I haven't been watching them 24/7, which would be impossible for me and my head. I'm getting very hopeful about these does sticking together. The only issue now is that I need the bath free for reasons pertaining to bathing and I need to figure out how and where to move the girls to. That will be fun, but at least I can remain cautiously optimistic now.

The night is definitely long and most certainly full of terrors.
That, emperically, is my opinion, not either one of the girls. I am tired and crabby and my chronic pain issues are so much worse. (Very woe is me, I know.) All because of two long eared creatures and one long tailed one.

There was a scrimmage yesterday evening. Elphie mounted Athena instead of the other way around, which turned into mutual tail chasing and nipping. On my bed. Whilst I was on it. And somehow my leg got the brunt of the nipping.

Ajali, a huge ginger and white tom cat, is the biggest chicken going. He is quite literally terrified of all the things (unless he is outside and then his territory is HIS.) However, at night, Ajali absolutely must sleep on my bed because he thinks it is his. The rabbits scare him. Every time one of the girls (usually Athena) jumped on the bed, growling and hissing started.

Also, there was a lot of metal bar chewing, chasing (Athena of Elphie), bed jumping (rabbits hopping onto my bed are so much less light-footed than cats!), more chewing, growling, hissing, chewing, jumping and very little sleep going on for all parties. The girls weren't phased by the cat, but the cat refused to move. Also, there was a peeing incident on my bed. Sigh.

The girls seem to be mostly fine. I still haven't witnessed any grooming which alarms me - any readers - is this ok? Is it natural? Do some bonded pairs not groom one another or is grooming a must? There has been some snuggling besude one another - as a type, that is happening. I think Athena very much wants to be the dominant bunny but Elphie still won't quite submit. However, at least they are chill around one another. I hope things get better in this new slightly bigger space soon as I would like a good night's sleep!

But THIS happened last night after the scrimmage. It gives me hope that I'm doing the right thing.

It's been a strange couple of days.

Elphie and Athena have now been moved into a new spot. The kitchen/dining room area. Which was where Athena originally was. They seem to be getting on just fine. They are not hugely snuggly (when I see anyway) but there's been no fighting, just shenanigans. This morning, I found Athena with her nose in the treat box, munching nonchalantly, as if she were doing nothing wrong at all. They'll jump over each other excitedly to get attention when I (or anyone else) walks in. I've FINALLY witnessed some grooming (Athena of Elphie) and they both seem more energetic and more like... themselves. I don't know how to put it. Athena, who has been a hyperactive little thing since we got her is even more hyperactive. She's given the older Elphie more of a spring in her step. Seen a lot of binkying, especially Athena. I think they are both happy. I think they're bonded.

I'm a happy bunny mama.