I've decided to try and bond Totti and Brody again (the first attempt was back in Oct). I let them loose in the kitchen and initially Brody mounted Totti. Then he mounted her, the wrong way round and was grooming her. Since then there's been a few face to face encounters and much chasing round the kitchen with Totti attempting to mount and Brody not being interested. On;y a couple of tufts of fur from the grooming session. Help!!!!! What do I do now please? How long do I keep them together like this, providing fur does not fly.
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whole lotta groomin' going on........
- Thread starter luvabun
- Start date
update - the humping seems to have stopped and they both chilled out in diferent areas in the kitchen. I daren't leave them together. As they both have a run around the garden - is it safe for me to let them loose in the garden now or do I continue with these kitchen sessions for a while and if so, for how long?
nana_of_bunnies
Young Bun
Hi Jill,
I am obviously not the right person to give you advice on this! I have the opposite problem...males humping males, males humping their liter boxes ( odd one huh?) and in no time flat of interaction with a female...Im a great grandmother now!
Good luck on this! I hope soon you will have a bunch of babies!
Nicole : 0 )
I am obviously not the right person to give you advice on this! I have the opposite problem...males humping males, males humping their liter boxes ( odd one huh?) and in no time flat of interaction with a female...Im a great grandmother now!
Good luck on this! I hope soon you will have a bunch of babies!
Nicole : 0 )
Caz
Mama Doe
Sorry which sex are they?
It sounds like when my two first met - Zeus tried mounting Athena - whichever end was facing him, then Athena started jumping over him (her attempt at mounting I think as he is so much bigger than her). There was much fur pulling on both sides - but no proper biting or fighting.
I started them off at 10min sessions - seperating Zeus from her when I could see she was getting fed up with the mounting, then I increased the time of the sessions. It helped that at the time Zeus wouldn't walk on the laminate so Athena had somewhere to go when she got fed-up, then she would approach him when she wanted too. Try a carboard box that only once can fit in (if they are different sizes) or a way of letting one have time out if they want. Athena would return to her cage when I did the sessions in the house when she got fed up then I would shut it to give her some time out.
It sounds perfectly normal and they are just trying to work out the hierachy. I should think you won't have too much trouble bonding them once the mounting behaviour calms down!
Caz
It sounds like when my two first met - Zeus tried mounting Athena - whichever end was facing him, then Athena started jumping over him (her attempt at mounting I think as he is so much bigger than her). There was much fur pulling on both sides - but no proper biting or fighting.
I started them off at 10min sessions - seperating Zeus from her when I could see she was getting fed up with the mounting, then I increased the time of the sessions. It helped that at the time Zeus wouldn't walk on the laminate so Athena had somewhere to go when she got fed-up, then she would approach him when she wanted too. Try a carboard box that only once can fit in (if they are different sizes) or a way of letting one have time out if they want. Athena would return to her cage when I did the sessions in the house when she got fed up then I would shut it to give her some time out.
It sounds perfectly normal and they are just trying to work out the hierachy. I should think you won't have too much trouble bonding them once the mounting behaviour calms down!
Caz
Had to stop as I thought Brody was dead! After a long period of calm, when I felt confident enough to leave them unattended for brief moments, Totti was chasing Brody round the kitchen trying to hump and she wasn't interested. She kept trying to seek refuge in the bottom half of the pet carrier that I'd put there and she hopped out when he chased her in there. Then he mounted her in there and I thought it was OK but then thought it was strange that she wasn't trying to hop out so I picked her up and she was very floppy and cold. That was it. Seperate. I cuddled her for a while and then let her loose in the garden and what has she done? Hopped straight into Totti's hutch and is nibbling his hay. Meanwhile, I need a stiff drink and its not even 10 am. yet :!: :!: :!:
Oh poor Jill...I think the Brody I am an dead pose was her attempt at showing Totti that she is submissive to him. It is normal for one rabbit to throw its head down on the floor when another rabbit approaches as a submission thing.
I suggest putting them together several times a day for an hour or so, and allowing them to sort the hierarchy out, only intervene if they actually go to bite.
The more you keep separating them the worse things can get as they have to go through the same ritual every time you pop them back together.
The sooner they sort out who is Boss the sooner they can live together 100% of the time.
After Brody has had a break, have another go, and just do short times together but very often.
Allow them to run in the garden together as at least they have plenty of space.
The bunnies will be fine as long as they do not go to full attack mode..try swopping them over into one anothers hutches each night too, so they get used to the idea that they need to share the environment, without being actually in the same hutch at this early stage.
This way you are breaking down the fact it is either Brodys or Tottis hutch, and the hutches are now used for BOTH..hope this makes sense..a bit too early for me to get my brain in gear! :roll: :lol: :lol:
I suggest putting them together several times a day for an hour or so, and allowing them to sort the hierarchy out, only intervene if they actually go to bite.
The more you keep separating them the worse things can get as they have to go through the same ritual every time you pop them back together.
The sooner they sort out who is Boss the sooner they can live together 100% of the time.
After Brody has had a break, have another go, and just do short times together but very often.
Allow them to run in the garden together as at least they have plenty of space.
The bunnies will be fine as long as they do not go to full attack mode..try swopping them over into one anothers hutches each night too, so they get used to the idea that they need to share the environment, without being actually in the same hutch at this early stage.
This way you are breaking down the fact it is either Brodys or Tottis hutch, and the hutches are now used for BOTH..hope this makes sense..a bit too early for me to get my brain in gear! :roll: :lol: :lol:
Caz
Mama Doe
If you get stressed the bunnys could pick up on it so seperating them while you calm down is probably a good idea 
!
Sometimes Athena would just sit there and let Zeus hump her stupid on whatever part he had orientated himself on, other times she wouldn't let him near her and would growl and run away.
When she let Zeus mount her he eventually got bored and stopped trying. I don't know about her going cold with a slow heart beat - but I know this sounds strange - perhaps she was asleep - tierd out after all that "exercise": especially the way rabbits flop out on their sides with their eyes open but can be totally asleep - freaks me out as I think they are dead everytime! If they lie down/sleep together then they are pretty much there!
Caz
!Sometimes Athena would just sit there and let Zeus hump her stupid on whatever part he had orientated himself on, other times she wouldn't let him near her and would growl and run away.
When she let Zeus mount her he eventually got bored and stopped trying. I don't know about her going cold with a slow heart beat - but I know this sounds strange - perhaps she was asleep - tierd out after all that "exercise"
: especially the way rabbits flop out on their sides with their eyes open but can be totally asleep - freaks me out as I think they are dead everytime! If they lie down/sleep together then they are pretty much there!Caz
Caz,
how long did the bonding process take for your 2? And thanks, its reassuring to know that Totti is not the only confused bun when it comes to humping. It was all going so well to start off with and when they faced each other and Totti gave Brody a couple of nose rubs, well I thought that was it. But after a period of calm the chasing/ attemped humping started in earnest and then the scary bit.
Adele, should I let them have a run out in the garden now or do they need to meet on neutral territory again first?
how long did the bonding process take for your 2? And thanks, its reassuring to know that Totti is not the only confused bun when it comes to humping. It was all going so well to start off with and when they faced each other and Totti gave Brody a couple of nose rubs, well I thought that was it. But after a period of calm the chasing/ attemped humping started in earnest and then the scary bit.
Adele, should I let them have a run out in the garden now or do they need to meet on neutral territory again first?
Caz
Mama Doe
About a month to six weeks - as I work full time I couldn't spend hours every day getting them to bond. I think it helped having Athena shut in a cage within Zeus' territory from the moment we brought her home throughout the day, when we got her out to bond Zeus would jump in her cage for a sniff and she would go for a nibble and sniff in his litter tray/hay box then the "fun" would begin. Being summer I let them go out in the garden - my garden is secure and at the time my neighbours had no cats, I would watch to see what happened but Athena was very good at hiding when she wanted time out - also she could get into boxes etc that he couldn't.
Zeus did get into the habit of jumping on top of her cage and spraying her through the bars while I was at work - poor thing - I guess she smelt like him then and he had no problem letting her in his territory - she took longer to accept him though!
Caz
Zeus did get into the habit of jumping on top of her cage and spraying her through the bars while I was at work - poor thing - I guess she smelt like him then and he had no problem letting her in his territory - she took longer to accept him though!
Caz
Caz said:
And there's me thinking that it would be a few days max
I may have a problem letting them loose in the garden as they go out there individually so I guess they will both see it as their territory. I am wondering, is all this stress really worth it? And I don't mean just me getting stressed, surely the submissive bunny (Brody in this case) is going thorugh hell.
Caz
Mama Doe
I thought Athena would never like Zeus as she seemed to be totally dominated - especially when he sat on her (he was besotted with her from first sight in the rescue centre)!
Now they are bonded, although she is pint sized, she is the boss and he doesn't get away with much - she is devoted to him though and even gets jealous when I stroke him and tries to chase me off! When one goes in another room the other has to follow and they love snuggling up together. They still have disagreements though, usually over Zeus sucking up to me for a nose rub!
I took a risk trying to bond Zeus (a year old giant who had hadn't seen another bunny sice we had him and was totally besotted with humans) to Athena (an approx. two year old dwarf lop, just spayed, human hater who had been isolated beacause she was "vicious") but it was so worth it in the end just seeing them together now - they do say opposites attract!
Caz
Now they are bonded, although she is pint sized, she is the boss and he doesn't get away with much - she is devoted to him though and even gets jealous when I stroke him and tries to chase me off! When one goes in another room the other has to follow and they love snuggling up together. They still have disagreements though, usually over Zeus sucking up to me for a nose rub!
I took a risk trying to bond Zeus (a year old giant who had hadn't seen another bunny sice we had him and was totally besotted with humans) to Athena (an approx. two year old dwarf lop, just spayed, human hater who had been isolated beacause she was "vicious") but it was so worth it in the end just seeing them together now - they do say opposites attract
!Caz
it took me about 2 months to bond claude and miffy and belive me i never thought they were going to get on i think it sounds as though your bonding is going, well claude and miffy used to fight,stamp there feet and chase grunting at each other
claude even pinned miffy down to the floor one day and made her scream
heres a pic of them together now!
claude even pinned miffy down to the floor one day and made her scream
heres a pic of them together now!
yes your right my claude is a rex! i also have 2 new rexy ladys living here!Caz said:They look very loved up - and a lovely matched pair (with the exception of their hair type obviously
My hubby loves your pics of Claude - he is a rex right? I think if I found a Claude look-a-like that would be the only way I could get more rabbits!!
Caz
heres claude again
Oh dear Jill!!!
What a time you are having. Now hope you don't get annoyed but what a laugh at all your descriptions of the two of them ':lol:'
I can just picture you a wreck keeping one eye on them while trying to pretend you are not there!!!
Keep us updated please.
Love from
What a time you are having. Now hope you don't get annoyed but what a laugh at all your descriptions of the two of them ':lol:'
I can just picture you a wreck keeping one eye on them while trying to pretend you are not there!!!
Keep us updated please.
Love from
