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Bonding take 2

Cheers J&B!

Inky is currently having a snooze and Fudgie is eating some hay so all good there.

I think it's time to reveal Inky's new name. I'm going to call him Scipio (pronounced Skippy-o). Named after a Roman general, the man who defeated Hannibal no less. I'd decided on the name when I was told he was a nervous bun as my weirdly wired brain thought that naming him after a famous general would somehow help his confidence. Turns out he has no issues in the confidence department!

Anyway, the name stuck in my head so it's staying. I like the fact it's also a nod to bunnies' Roman heritage. Added bonus is that it makes him sound a bit like a Bond villain!
 
They look like such a good match. I think you had an easy bond there and I hope they will have many happy years together.
 
Thanks all!

They're doing ok. Fudgie is still showing occassional signs of nervousness and can still be skittish around Scipio. I think it will take a bit more time before she feels fully at ease around him. I think the best thing will be to take things slowly with this one as I don't want to rush things and send them backwards.

It's funny because she was the complete opposite when I was bonding her with Snoopy. She was very confident there! I wonder what Chibbs will be like with her new man?
 
I'm glad it's still going OK. There's really no need to rush them and I agree that taking it slowly and letting Fudgie become more at ease seems the best way forward. It really does go to show that bunnies are perhaps behaving differently depending on where they are and who they are with. From what you've said it seems like both Fudgie and Scipio are behaving differently to what they were previously, now that there's a change of bunny companion and/or home.

Are you feeling confident enough with them that you are able to get some sleep at night?
 
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Thanks Omi. I work from home which means I can stay in and keep an eye on them. So there's no time pressure to have them bonded by the end of the weekend.

I am getting some sleep at night, although I'm sleeping on the sofa so I can keep within ear shot of them. Nothing much happens overnight other than a couple of very minor chases but my eyes always snap open every time I hear a noise from the kitchen and I have to go and check on them. I remember it took me a few days to relax and sleep properly when I bonded Fudgie and Snoopy. Bonding rabbits seems to bring out the anxious, clucking hen in me!
 
Scrappy's Little Helper said:
It's funny because she was the complete opposite when I was bonding her with Snoopy. She was very confident there! I wonder what Chibbs will be like with her new man?
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I think perhaps having a confident man in her life has thrown her off :lol: I am very hopeful but also anxious about Chibbs' bonding! She can be proper cow: she's already put Matt in his place loads (he's about as much of a walkover as Lopsy was XD), although when she was trying to steal Lopsy's porridge-y food he did pick her up and just turn her round, and she was well confused :lol: Apparently it was very funny AND effective XD She's been out trying to scab food off the window fitters this morning XD
 
I'm glad to hear Fudgie is more relaxed now, even though she's still on her guard a bit, and that Scipio has gotten the message and isn't so in her face. Your decision to take it slowly definitely sounds like the best way forward, though, I think. I enjoyed seeing the photos; they look really good together. :love: I love your logic behind Scipio's name, even though it turned out he has plenty of confidence already. :lol: Good luck with their bonding. I hope they're doing all right today. I'm glad you're able to get some sleep at night and that they're mostly quiet then. :)
 
Thanks Reader.

So they've been together for about four days. I put a couple of litter trays in this afternoon. They're using them interchangeably but not sharing one together yet. I don't think they're ready yet. Scipio is giving Fudgie the odd bum nip and chase. It's happening once or twice a day now so it is reducing in frequency. Although it does set Fudgie back a bit and she does get a bit wary of him again.

My gut feeling is that they need to be able to share a litter tray comfortably together and the nipping and chasing need to stop altogether before I think about extending the space out into the rest of the flat. Would be great to get people's thoughts on that. They have the whole (admittedly small) kitchen so they're not crammed into a tiny pen. Part of me wonders if Fudgie will be more comfortable as she starts to get into more familiar territory, but I don't want to undo four days of hard work by giving them more space too quickly.
 
It took our guys a good few months to share a litter tray.

We moved them downstairs once Blossom stopped tensing when Rodney moved behind her. Which did take a looong while but Rodney is a very bolshy boy for bonding.

They actually did amazingly well back in their area, but we did restrict it initially and expanded once a week.

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Regarding moving them into a different area, I think I would try it, but be prepared to move back to where they are now if it causes issues. Perhaps as CarelessSuid suggests, move them into a different area, but restrict it at first in size. I can imagine there could be different outcomes. It could, as you say, make Fudgie feel more comfortable. It might also make her feel more territorial, which could cause problems for a while. I don't think you can predict what will happen, so I would just try it and see. They seem pretty stable at the moment with a few niggles, but they could remain like that for a while, whereas moving them might change the dynamics a bit.
 
Thanks both, I really appreciate your feedback.

Actually, since I last posted they have been in one of the litter trays together, which is very good progress.

I think you're both right that it may take some time to iron all the niggles out and I can't confine them to the kitchen for weeks on end. I'm going to start slowly expanding their area so they'll gradually start to go into the rest of the flat. If things starts to get a bit "spiky" I can move the barriers back so they're just in the kitchen again.
 
Lots of positive moves and I agree it's hard to know what to do next re: moving on up! But yeah, try something and just be prepared to go back: it's not a backwards step, it's a failed forwards, and it's not your fault ;P I do agree it could go either way with familiar territory, either 'oh great this is more normal' or 'oh this is mine, get out!' :roll:
 
That's great that they've made more progress and have shared a litter tray. Good job, bunnies. :D I think your plan to slowly expand their space and go back if it looks like they're not ready yet is a good one. You won't really know if they're ready until you try!
 
Thanks everyone!

So, the last chase was at around 3am yesterday morning (and, yes, they did wake me up. Thanks bunnies!) So I'm going to start extending out tomorrow morning as it will then be over 48 hours since the last chase and it looks like it's time to expand anyway.

Fudgie does seem more settled having the litter trays so I get the sense that a bit of familiarity will be beneficial to her.
 
This all sounds really positive, well done you for your patience, sounds like they are almost there. Love the name by the way :)
 
Thanks PM 😀

I have a very positive update! The bunnies are currently snuggled up together and Fudgie has started to groom Scipio! He has groomed her as well so we can tick off mutual grooming on the bonding checklist!

I decided to start extending tonight. They haven't been exploring yet. I think they've become institutionalised after 5 and a half days in the kitchen!
 
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