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Bonding advice - when to move to non-neutral area

aerofine

Warren Scout
We managed to find a friend for my 9 year old Dutch from a rescue who did a micro-bonding session over a day. We brought them home last night and kept them in the porch as it's a small, neutral area. My girl bun did a little chasing, mounting and fur pulling at first but soon stopped. They've been eating, grooming together at the same time and she is lying down a lot. The only issue seems to be if she goes too close to him he makes a little puff noise and thumps. But he then goes up to her to sniff her. I think he thinks she may chase and fur pull him again.

They were together last night on their own and I woke a few times as I could hear a few thumps but they were ok when I checked on them this morning - no clumps of fur!

Does this sound like it's going well? When should I move them to the shed where she is obviously used to? I've cleaned it out, disinfected it and removed all toys.
 
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It sounds like its going really well to me. your boy bun still sounds a little uneasy though - I'd try to wait until he has stopped with his thumps & grunts then leave it a few more days to cement the relationship in. I'm very happy you've found a bun for your girl to grow old with :love:
 
It sounds like its going really well to me. your boy bun still sounds a little uneasy though - I'd try to wait until he has stopped with his thumps & grunts then leave it a few more days to cement the relationship in. I'm very happy you've found a bun for your girl to grow old with :love:

I agree later rather than sooner would be my advice. You're unlikely to cause a problem by leaving them longer than necessary, but there could be issues by moving them sooner.
 
Yes I think he is a little uneasy at the mo but he's definitely curious. I think he wants to like her but is a little worried!

Am I ok to give them a little more room in the neutral area (basically open the door and let them go in the hallway) for shorter periods then tonight lock them back in the porch?
 
Yes I think he is a little uneasy at the mo but he's definitely curious. I think he wants to like her but is a little worried!

Am I ok to give them a little more room in the neutral area (basically open the door and let them go in the hallway) for shorter periods then tonight lock them back in the porch?



They could well be fine but I don't think its worth the risk
 
OK thanks! I'll keep them in the porch for now. Never done this before and my girl bunny is 9 - this will be her fourth husbun if it goes well.
 
It all depends on how territorial she is. I would definitely keep them where they are until you feel they have settled down with one another.
 
Great news. How old is your little boy?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

He's between 12-18 months old, girl is 9 and a half.

Just wanted to report that they are doing great! They spent two nights in the porch and on the second day I let them into the hallway to see how they reacted. There was still a bit of thumping from him but I'm still not sure if that was aimed at the girl bun or at me! I cleaned the shed literally with just white vinegar to get rid of any smells. Later that afternoon, I put them in the shed together - no issues. About 2 hours later I let them out of the shed to free range and they loved it. They've been together two weeks tomorrow now and it's as if they've been together for ages. I'm not saying it's love. but there's a definite friendship. They cuddle together, eat together. No more thumping! I haven't seen grooming as yet though.

If anyone wants to see pics please follow BosTheBun on instagram. We called the boy Boswell and the girl is called Kerplunk.

Thank you for your advice!
 
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