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Mischief and Lillabelle

CarelessSquid07 said:
I'm not the most experienced but Rodney is a pro at doing the get put of my space pounce type movement and for him a totally normal part of bonding even in neutral space.

I expect this is in part due to her coming in while his food had been delivered. My two still get a bit antsy when nuggets are around.

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Yes I would bet money on this being the reason as he is very food orientated especially as he has been on a diet and I've just upped his pellets again slightly.

He has been moody since being neutered though and he is only 7 weeks post op so could be a bit hormonal still.

Plus of course his moulting. He does a huge moult as his fur is extra long. I can pull out handfuls easily and am constantly grooming him at the moment. He has patches of short fur all over him where it is falling out in patches. Moulting always makes him moody.

And the humid weather does not help. I just wonder if I delay it until his mood improves however there is no telling how long it will take. Or try bonding them and see what happens. I can always get my OH to put on the long gardening gloves in case! It is a worry though still [emoji27]

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It sounds like he was protecting his food, they can be very competitive at food time. I think putting Lillabelle's food down for both of them is a good idea as you don't want to introduce another food just yet. Bear in mind some folk don't give their babies any pellets, and there is none in the wild for the wild bunnies, so you can't really go wrong if she/they are eating hay, Readigrass and other bits. They are eating lots of healthy things so don't worry so much. Madam will hopefully become a nice sweet Bunny when she gets older and neutered.
 
I think you are right and it is food related. However he has been extra growly with us since his neutering. He has only really growled and done a two paw pounce at us except once or twice he bit my partner on the when we were trying to administer first aid. But only a nip. He is not an aggressive bunny by nature. I hope his kind gentle side will show through for Lillabelle (touches wood).

Yes I see what you mean about them not really needing pellets although I have read that giant bunnies need more protein than normal buns for their growth.

However I don't think I need to worry if I scatter some around for both of them twice a day. I will just have to watch their weights to make sure they are not getting too little/too much. He is a piggy wiggy so I don't want him turning into a roly poly again.

If their weights look like they are going too much the wrong way I can always decide to seperate them instead but it would be better to leave them to get on with things.

It is a shame we have to split them up to take Mischief to the vets on Monday though. After what has happened today we are considering leaving it until next weekend when he has recovered from his vet visit. He often goes off his food/water from a vet visit which is my main concern plus I worry he could get moody with Lillabelle if she bothers him too much.

I honestly don't know what to do for the best. I didn't expect their bonding to be such a stressful experience really xx

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We may have to delay the bonding now [emoji53] We have my grandon's birthday on 5th August and are going out for a long day out. Plus my mum is visiting for a few days on the 9th of August. It means we can't watch them on those days.

I am wondering though if it is worth trying to bond them now and seeing how they get on? However I know I will feel nervous about leaving them alone all day and would it be a problem to split them up for those days or would it just confuse them?

I also have to consider if a marathon bonding is in the best interests of Mischief. He will struggle being confined to an 8 panel puppy pen plus he is used to attention from us a couple of times a day at least. He asks for cuddles and is always very content then. I have noticed he gets stressed if he doesn't get this attention and gets confused.

Would it be a bad idea to let him have a run for a while and some attention? Would it break the bond? Also Lillabelle likes to run free.

How long does it usually take to get them back to their normal living area free roaming? I thought it would take 2-3 days based on what Bunny Lady says. Now I'm thinking it could take much longer. I am really concerned if a marathon bonding would be best for them.

Do we just try bonding them and see how they get on? I just don't want to confuse them if we need to split them up again for any reason. I am more than happy to sit with them apart from 3 days in early August. Or are we best to wait until I have no plans for 6 weeks starting in 3 weeks time.

I'm sorry if I seem like I'm going around in circles. I just want them both to be as happy as possible without confusing or stressing them out where possible however I realise bonding them would make them happiest overall.

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twistedtiggerz69 said:
We may have to delay the bonding now [emoji53] We have my grandon's birthday on 5th August and are going out for a long day out. Plus my mum is visiting for a few days on the 9th of August. It means we can't watch them on those days.
You can't plan for evertthing & remember some bunnies bond really quickly. Before I went in to multiples I've never had to watch a pair for more than 24 hours (non stop method). That only amounts to 5 pair bonds tho so I'm not pretending to be mega experienced
I am wondering though if it is worth trying to bond them now and seeing how they get on? However I know I will feel nervous about leaving them alone all day and would it be a problem to split them up for those days or would it just confuse them? Personally I'd try now. there will always be future arrangements where something will effect how long you can watch them for, if you've got a week or so now thats pretty generous. If they take more than a week of constant supervision you'll be exhausted & may have to rethink your strategy

I also have to consider if a marathon bonding is in the best interests of Mischief. He will struggle being confined to an 8 panel puppy pen plus he is used to attention from us a couple of times a day at least. He asks for cuddles and is always very content then. I have noticed he gets stressed if he doesn't get this attention and gets confused. Its pretty personal. Some people frown on it but I give loves & fusses during bonding but to all bunnies at the same time (gets tricky when there are 3 or 4). I wouldn't separate for loves or exercises. Bonding typically means some things eg exercise space are compromised but its a small cost for massive future gain

Would it be a bad idea to let him have a run for a while and some attention? yesWould it break the bond? Also Lillabelle likes to run free.

How long does it usually take to get them back to their normal living area free roaming?24 hours if you're really lucky I thought it would take 2-3 days based on what Bunny Lady says. Now I'm thinking it could take much longer. it could beI am really concerned if a marathon bonding would be best for them.


Added my thoughts. You can think it out forever but the best laid plans of rabbit & man you won't know til you try .... Go for it & good luck
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joey&boo said:
twistedtiggerz69 said:
We may have to delay the bonding now [emoji53] We have my grandon's birthday on 5th August and are going out for a long day out. Plus my mum is visiting for a few days on the 9th of August. It means we can't watch them on those days.
You can't plan for evertthing & remember some bunnies bond really quickly. Before I went in to multiples I've never had to watch a pair for more than 24 hours (non stop method). That only amounts to 5 pair bonds tho so I'm not pretending to be mega experienced
I am wondering though if it is worth trying to bond them now and seeing how they get on? However I know I will feel nervous about leaving them alone all day and would it be a problem to split them up for those days or would it just confuse them? Personally I'd try now. there will always be future arrangements where something will effect how long you can watch them for, if you've got a week or so now thats pretty generous. If they take more than a week of constant supervision you'll be exhausted & may have to rethink your strategy

I also have to consider if a marathon bonding is in the best interests of Mischief. He will struggle being confined to an 8 panel puppy pen plus he is used to attention from us a couple of times a day at least. He asks for cuddles and is always very content then. I have noticed he gets stressed if he doesn't get this attention and gets confused. Its pretty personal. Some people frown on it but I give loves & fusses during bonding but to all bunnies at the same time (gets tricky when there are 3 or 4). I wouldn't separate for loves or exercises. Bonding typically means some things eg exercise space are compromised but its a small cost for massive future gain

Would it be a bad idea to let him have a run for a while and some attention? yesWould it break the bond? Also Lillabelle likes to run free.

How long does it usually take to get them back to their normal living area free roaming?24 hours if you're really lucky I thought it would take 2-3 days based on what Bunny Lady says. Now I'm thinking it could take much longer. it could beI am really concerned if a marathon bonding would be best for them.


Added my thoughts. You can think it out forever but the best laid plans of rabbit & man you won't know til you try .... Go for it & good luck
Click to expand...
That sounds like a wise plan [emoji3]I can forever worry about what MIGHT happen but I guess I will just have to overcome those issues as they arise.

I didn't consider that I could fuss them both while in the puppy pen with them. Some people will say it is a bad idea however if Mischief looks stressed it may help calm him down and reassure Lillabelle if needed but I will try and keep this to a couple of short sessions a day perhaps.

If he is taking his stress out on Lillabelle with constant chasing without a break then we may have to let him out for a while however if they seem to be settling down then we will leave them be.

I realise the whole idea is that they stay together and 'work it out' but there may be times when we need to re-think this. Thank you. You have helped put my mind at rest xx

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It's really hard I know and you won't know until you go for it how they will be.

The 24 hour method works best for us. The buns get confused and stressed with dates here and it seemed we just started again each date which was useless really. Once together best not to separate unless fighting/illness.

Most bonds I've heard of were only 24/48 hour supervised time. Mine were much longer due to Rodney's issues and really there were no actual fights once we were on completely neutral ground just some chasing and lunging.

My two were quite happy for their usual level of attention from me and it didn't cause any issues as long as food wasn't involved.

Have you watched some of the bunny bonding videos on YouTube? There are some of the 24 hour method there.



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Sorry another group of questions!...

Do I start off with just hay scattered on the floor and a couple of water bowls and a water bottle? (Mischief will only drink out of a bottle whereas Lillabelle only a bowl) Is it ok to scatter their pellets as needed?

When do I introduce a litter tray, bowls for food, green veggies in a huge bowl to share, toys, treats to share etc?



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CarelessSquid07 said:
It's really hard I know and you won't know until you go for it how they will be.

The 24 hour method works best for us. The buns get confused and stressed with dates here and it seemed we just started again each date which was useless really. Once together best not to separate unless fighting/illness.

Most bonds I've heard of were only 24/48 hour supervised time. Mine were much longer due to Rodney's issues and really there were no actual fights once we were on completely neutral ground just some chasing and lunging.

My two were quite happy for their usual level of attention from me and it didn't cause any issues as long as food wasn't involved.

Have you watched some of the bunny bonding videos on YouTube? There are some of the 24 hour method there.



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I think the 24 hour method or so would be great for us! I was worried it would take days and days of complete supervision so now I feel a lot better thank you [emoji3]

I think we will just give it a go and see what happens. Lillabelle and Mischief seem happy to be near each other so I'm hoping that means they will bond fairly easily fingers crossed!

I know I am over thinking this. It's unnerved me the way Mischief was aggressive to Lillabelle yesterday and she looked so vulnerable. She is only half his size and a baby really. However I also know she can look after herself when needed [emoji38]

I haven't watched any videos! I didn't think of that. They would give me a better idea what bonding looks like. I'm worried I won't know the difference between chasing and a little fur flying and an actual fight when it happens!

Thank you I will look on You Tube xx

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After all that debating my pain prevented us from bonding them last weekend. We have kept this weekend ready to bond them but now have to babysit Saturday so we will have to work around that. So either Saturday or Sunday we will hopefully bond them! [emoji3]

I have been reading up on it more but have yet to watch the videos. I bought them single quilts to lay on the floor of the puppy pen which can be used in our bedroom later for them to protect their hocks.

I also bought them a couple of duvet covers with rabbits on. I know they will get chewed but they will look lovely for a while [emoji4]

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twistedtiggerz69 said:
After all that debating my pain prevented us from bonding them last weekend. We have kept this weekend ready to bond them but now have to babysit Saturday so we will have to work around that. So either Saturday or Sunday we will hopefully bond them! [emoji3]

I have been reading up on it more but have yet to watch the videos. I bought them single quilts to lay on the floor of the puppy pen which can be used in our bedroom later for them to protect their hocks.

I also bought them a couple of duvet covers with rabbits on. I know they will get chewed but they will look lovely for a while [emoji4]

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Haha You'll have some peace of mind after they've bonded :) And the bunny duvet cover? haha :lol:
 
KCG said:
Haha You'll have some peace of mind after they've bonded :) And the bunny duvet cover? haha [emoji38]
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Fingers crossed yes! It will hopefully make things a lot easier. It's hard work for me with them seperated tbh. I know! Just thought would be good to pad out the puppy pen and for an extra £2 each I found some with bunnies on! I've gone bunny mad here! [emoji23] xx

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Aw, I'm sorry your pain was too bad to bond them last weekend. I hope you're feeling a bit better now. Hopefully this next weekend nothing will be getting in the way of bonding and everything will go well. :) The duvet covers sound lovely; those will be nice for their big bunny feet. :love:
 
a reader of books said:
Aw, I'm sorry your pain was too bad to bond them last weekend. I hope you're feeling a bit better now. Hopefully this next weekend nothing will be getting in the way of bonding and everything will go well. :) The duvet covers sound lovely; those will be nice for their big bunny feet. :love:
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I'm feeling better thank you. Just very sleepy from having to up my meds but hopefully I will be used to them by weekend so can bond them at weekend [emoji4]

Lillabelle is currently scooting around the bedroom, up the hallway,around the kitchen then dashing back into the bedroom and under the bed then doing it all again! [emoji38] She is so fast it's fascinating to watch [emoji178]

I love the duvet covers. They are lovely meadow colours with wild bunnies on. I'm thinking of getting a double one for our bed to match now [emoji23] So much for not spending! xx

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twistedtiggerz69 said:
Fingers crossed yes! It will hopefully make things a lot easier. It's hard work for me with them seperated tbh. I know! Just thought would be good to pad out the puppy pen and for an extra £2 each I found some with bunnies on! I've gone bunny mad here! [emoji23] xx

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I didn't quite understand that part, did you buy the bedding for your bunnies? :D I think it's a good decision, I bought a rug, bed linen and rug for Cookie. We collected Cookie until we found out what's good :lol:
 
KCG said:
I didn't quite understand that part, did you buy the bedding for your bunnies? :D I think it's a good decision, I bought a rug, bed linen and rug for Cookie. We collected Cookie until we found out what's good [emoji38]
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Yes we bought 3 single duvets and 2 duvet covers. We already have a duvet and spare duvet covers but obviously we will need spares for when we wash them.

I wanted to put duvets on the floor of the puppy pen ready ready for bonding as Mischief has a callous on his hock and I want to protect it in case he chases Lillabelle alot. And we can use them in the puppy pen after along with blankets and sheets we already have.

We just didn't have any really thick blankets we could use plus single duvets can go in washing machine. Also we want to put one under the bed as that's where Mischief likes to sleep. So we will have soft flooring now on the places they tend to rest the most. And we have a big rug coming for the bedroom aswell so most of the floor will be covered.

Giant bunnies are prone to sore hocks so I wanted to protect their little feet [emoji178]

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twistedtiggerz69 said:
Yes we bought 3 single duvets and 2 duvet covers. We already have a duvet and spare duvet covers but obviously we will need spares for when we wash them.

I wanted to put duvets on the floor of the puppy pen ready ready for bonding as Mischief has a callous on his hock and I want to protect it in case he chases Lillabelle alot. And we can use them in the puppy pen after along with blankets and sheets we already have.

We just didn't have any really thick blankets we could use plus single duvets can go in washing machine. Also we want to put one under the bed as that's where Mischief likes to sleep. So we will have soft flooring now on the places they tend to rest the most. And we have a big rug coming for the bedroom aswell so most of the floor will be covered.

Giant bunnies are prone to sore hocks so I wanted to protect their little feet [emoji178]

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It makes so much sense, I never thought of buying a quilt.:)
 
twistedtiggerz69 said:
I'm feeling better thank you. Just very sleepy from having to up my meds but hopefully I will be used to them by weekend so can bond them at weekend [emoji4]

Lillabelle is currently scooting around the bedroom, up the hallway,around the kitchen then dashing back into the bedroom and under the bed then doing it all again! [emoji38] She is so fast it's fascinating to watch [emoji178]

I love the duvet covers. They are lovely meadow colours with wild bunnies on. I'm thinking of getting a double one for our bed to match now [emoji23] So much for not spending! xx

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I'm glad you're feeling better now. I hope you'll be less sleepy by the weekend so you can keep an eye on their bonding. :)

Lillabelle sounds so funny and cute. I've always assumed small bunnies must be faster than big bunnies, but it sounds like big (baby) bunnies can be fast, too. :lol::love:

I think getting the same duvet cover as you got for Mischief and Lillabelle for your own bed is a great idea. :lol:
 
KCG said:
It makes so much sense, I never thought of buying a quilt.:)
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I thought I can always put blankets over them but it provides a soft flooring. The only problem is that they chew them so need to keep eye on them. I will probably cover them with old blankets so they chew them instead xx

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