Is this bonding going well - I can't tell!

A quick update and things are looking up! Still a bit of dashing around and foot stamping but we are now eating side by side and my male bunny has left his corner to explore the pen - he no longer looks terrified so I think we may have a match. Fingers crossed they will get closer over the next few days

Fantastic news! x

4paws4 said:

A quick update and things are looking up! Still a bit of dashing around and foot stamping but we are now eating side by side and my male bunny has left his corner to explore the pen - he no longer looks terrified so I think we may have a match. Fingers crossed they will get closer over the next few days

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Well done you

(and them of course!)

Things are going really well - male bunny now seems very happy and they are keen to be close to each other! Next question is how long do I leave it before transferring them to their permanent home? This will be the male bunny's old cage/shed and run with an additional outside run added on. I have thoroughly cleaned and disinfected everything and will make it look different but am expecting that this may cause a bit of tension. Thanks for any tips

Congratulations on it going so well!

I know the usual advice is that you can move them fairly soon after they start bonding properly, and if it's inconvenient for you or not a great environment for them, that's probably the best advice. But I would strongly counsel caution if you can afford to wait. Ours are still having minor problems a month on and we haven't managed to get them out of being in a single room yet - we tried and had to go back and start all over again in the end. I think it's being exacerbated by the fact that this was previously Monty's domain, so if, like yours, they're going into a previous territory, I would (even after cleaning and moving around, which we have also done) be wary, and be prepared to move them back to the starting ground if needs be.

I think this is partly something you have to learn to "recognise" - you'll know best if they're getting on well enough to move or not. It also depends on your situation. If you're happy for them to be moved back in to their current space and stay there for an unknown period, you may want to try moving them earlier, but if you can't afford for things to go wrong, a little caution now might be a big help later.

Ultimately, there's no right or wrong answer, so go with what you think is best Good luck!

Thank you for that. Yes, I think perhaps a few more days at least in the bonding pen just to make sure they are still getting on. I am quite keen to get them into their permanent home as part of this is inside so I can keep an eye on them more easily and they will get more human interaction. However, I have a feeling that there will be a bit of friction when the original bunny realises it's his old home! The other thing is that the original bunny was perfectly litter trained and so tidy- judging by the state of the bonding pen the new bunny is not - it's a complete mess everytime a check and although they are using the litter tray sometimes, they are also using the rest of the run too!

4paws4 said:

Thank you for that. Yes, I think perhaps a few more days at least in the bonding pen just to make sure they are still getting on. I am quite keen to get them into their permanent home as part of this is inside so I can keep an eye on them more easily and they will get more human interaction. However, I have a feeling that there will be a bit of friction when the original bunny realises it's his old home! The other thing is that the original bunny was perfectly litter trained and so tidy- judging by the state of the bonding pen the new bunny is not - it's a complete mess everytime a check and although they are using the litter tray sometimes, they are also using the rest of the run too!

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It's perfectly normal for litter-training to go out the window at bonding time

It's a case of - he poo'd so I'll do it on top, then she does it on top .... <groan> and the human has to throw it all back into the litter tray! That should ease up, but may never be completely as good as with one bunny.
They don't tell you that when you start the bonding do they? :roll:

Don't assume all will fall apart when original bunny realises it's his home. It depends on their personalities. The last trio I bonded stayed in the kitchen for five days, and then had the whole house, no probs.

The bunny who had lived there already couldn't care that his friends used all his stuff :lol: He was just very glad to have two new partners to rest his chops on of an evening

Litter training went to pot here too! But once Monty got back into the swing of using the litter tray, Ossie had to as well - otherwise it smelt of him and she couldn't allow that! So even though she came to us un-litter trained, I've never had to train her - Monty showed her how it was done, once he'd decided he really couldn't keep going wherever he fancied. Once you get into a rhythm and they can find a litter tray in the same place all the time, hopefully one will lead the way and the other will follow.

Are you planning on keeping any of Original Bunny's things, eg toys? It might help to start putting those into the neutral area after another couple of days have passed to see if they'll accept sharing them or if they'll need to be replaced - IMHO it's otherwise just another thing that was "his" and now has to be shared.

The bunny was so easy compared to my guinea pigs that make a huge mess everywhere - so I really hope that they learn to be a bit tidier when they are together!! I did introduce a willow ball that was in his hutch but he hadn't really been interested in and the female bunny was quite keen to play with it so that's good. The other bits (tube etc,), I have washed but perhaps could introduce that too to gauge a reaction. Thanks all, it's such a help as I am a complete bunny novice although I'm learning a lot from this forum

4paws4 said:

The bunny was so easy compared to my guinea pigs that make a huge mess everywhere - so I really hope that they learn to be a bit tidier when they are together!! I did introduce a willow ball that was in his hutch but he hadn't really been interested in and the female bunny was quite keen to play with it so that's good. The other bits (tube etc,), I have washed but perhaps could introduce that too to gauge a reaction. Thanks all, it's such a help as I am a complete bunny novice although I'm learning a lot from this forum

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Good :thumb:

What are your bunnies' names?

Buzz (male) and SmokeyJo - Those are the names they came with and I thought I had better not change them although I'm not quite sure they go together!!

4paws4 said:

Buzz (male) and SmokeyJo - Those are the names they came with and I thought I had better not change them although I'm not quite sure they go together!!

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Groovy names

Bunnies seem to very much like each other - hooray! I have just moved them into their permanent home....not a hint of chasing or aggression, just lots of exploring together so far. Fingers crossed things will remain that way. Thanks for all the advice along the way!

4paws4 said:

Bunnies seem to very much like each other - hooray! I have just moved them into their permanent home....not a hint of chasing or aggression, just lots of exploring together so far. Fingers crossed things will remain that way. Thanks for all the advice along the way!

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You're welcome

Fingers crossed for you all!

Fingers firmly crossed here! And an inquisitive nose from our bunnies to wish them well