Mischief and Lillabelle-2nd attempt

So we are attempting to bond them again starting this evening.

I was so tired when I woke up today so we thought it would be best to get the puppy pen ready for them and then I got another sleep for a couple of hours this afternoon as I would have to stay up tonight to keep an eye on them.

We have put them in a 6 panel puppy pen to keep it small to start with. There is not much room after we put in 2 litter trays, 2 bowls of water and their tray of hay. We have found that they prefer to eat hay off the floor so we put their hay in a tray from the bottom of a small dog crate (which we had to throw out as it was getting rusty). They seem to like this.

Here are some pics of the set up for them tonight...

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We put them in the puppy pen at the same time and straight away they both started to eat hay. Lillabelle from a litter tray and Mischief from the tray of hay. Within a minute of being in there they nose bumped each other. Then Mischief bowed down to be groomed and Lillabelle groomed his back. Since then Lillabelle has groomed his back a few times. They have laid down together touching noses. And happily sat eating hay side by side.

A couple of times Lillabelle has bowed down to be groomed aswell and Mischief has laid down next to him pushing her face away and putting his face next to hers. I guess he is saying that he is dominant and should be the one to be groomed?

Also a couple of times Mischief has asked to be groomed and Lillabelle has gone to groom his rear end to which Mischief turned to ask her to groom his face. Then she turned around to groom his back again. It started a mini circle and I was on alert as it looked like a slow tornado but then they would both stop and sit down. So I was like 'phew!' I wonder if Lillabelle gets a bit confused which part of Mischief she should be grooming [emoji38]

Also Mischief has groomed Lillabelle's head a couple of times which I think is so sweet of him. We are really happy so far with how they are doing. It is as if they have not been seperated.

I fed them veggies and pellets before we put them together so we don't have to worry about them fighting over food. All they have is hay tonight. In the morning I thought I would scatter pellets down for them and give them a platter of veggies to share if all is still going well. We aren't going to feed them treats for now as it seemed to cause a quarrel before.

I thought I would open the puppy pen out to 8 panels tonight so they have more space. Mischief keeps scratching the floor as if he is agitated and if we go close to the puppy pen he sits by the door asking to come out. Maybe it would help to increase their space?

One thing that does concern me is that Lillabelle is acting really clingy to Mischief and won't leave him alone. If he sits in a litter tray she squashes herself in next to him, sometimes even sitting on his head. And she is continuously putting her head down low to him. I'm wondering if she is challenging him to be groomed or if she is just extra clingy because they were split up recently. And sometimes Mischief asks to be groomed and she just lies her head down to him back. Perhaps I'm over worrying?

Here are some more pics I have taken so far...please excuse Mischief. I did groom him today however his fur is not ready to come out yet so he still looks scruffy. They are not the best photos as we don't really have enough space to get the best shots.

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Some more pix. Managed to get Lillabelle grooming Mischief.

I have realised why they are circling. Lillabelle once again keeps trying to groom his tail area. He does not like his nether regions touched (or groomed) [emoji38]

We have extended their area to 8 panels now so they have more space for overnight. I also gave them some cardboard and chew toys as it stops Mischief from digging and chewing their new bunny quilt. They have accepted these new changes without incident which is good news! [emoji3]

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I also weighed Mischief today and his weight has stayed the same at 5.2 kgs. He does feel as if he has gained weight though so I guess our scales are not able to pick up the small changes as they only go to 0.1 of a decimal point.

He feels a decent weight now and he feels less bony now his fur has started to grow back so I will just keep a close eye on it. He is eating/drinking/pooping well so I'm not particularly worried.

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Yeah that definitely sounds like they're sorting out their dominance issues through grooming requests at the moment.

Blossom does the sniffing around the bum area to Rodney as well. He's also touchy about it and jumps up and spins at her but she just gives in after that and grooms his head a teeny bit. So it sounds like Lillabelle isn't ready to do that yet.



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I can't help with bonding questions but I feel sorry for Lillabelle. Mischief is always waiting for service from Lillabelle,Mischief lies in all the pictures, it always seems like Lillabelle who serves, the men are always the same.:lol: Also, the last picture is my favourite.

CarelessSquid07 said:

Yeah that definitely sounds like they're sorting out their dominance issues through grooming requests at the moment.

Blossom does the sniffing around the bum area to Rodney as well. He's also touchy about it and jumps up and spins at her but she just gives in after that and grooms his head a teeny bit. So it sounds like Lillabelle isn't ready to do that yet.



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Yes she keeps grooming his back and his shoulders but not his head. I wondered if it's because she is a baby and doesn't really get what she is supposed to do? However, if she is holding out on grooming his head that is different. Every time I look up at them from playing solitaire on my phone to stay awake she is grooming his back/shoulders. So at least she is accepting he is the dominant one I guess?

Mischief does the same as Rodney and spins round to face her. Then she tries to groom his behind area and he spins around again. So starts the circling effect. I really hope she gives in and grooms his head.

They were more peaceful earlier. They were both asleep and Mischief was snoring [emoji38]

Now they are more active again. Lillabelle keeps bowing her head asking to be groomed and Mischief then bows his head down and nudges her head away. A minute ago Lillabelle jumped out the litter tray behind Mischief and he jumped round so fast in alarm. I think she spooked him and it clearly shows he is not feeling 100% safe in her company yet. It will take time to build trust I guess.

She is starting to groom his shoulders more as if she is slowly creeping up nearer his face [emoji38] Mischief just groomed the top of her head too which is cute. Does that mean anything if he is grooming her also? Is it possible for 2 bunnies to live harmoniously without there being a definite top bunny out of interest? Or with a very subtle difference in dominance between them? Or is there always an obvious boss?

My OH has put the velcro fastening that holds the door on the puppy pen away somewhere and I can't find it! [emoji36] Mischief keeps trying to knock the door off with the top of his head and when I stop him he claws at the floor. He desperately wants to come out already. They have only been in there 10 hours or so. He is getting really agitated.

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KCG said:

I can't help with bonding questions but I feel sorry for Lillabelle. Mischief is always waiting for service from Lillabelle,Mischief lies in all the pictures, it always seems like Lillabelle who serves, the men are always the same.[emoji38] Also, the last picture is my favourite.

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I get what you are saying and I do feel for Lillabelle as she is a baby and it seems a lot is expected of her. Mischief is demanding but he is a lot bigger and older than her and so should be the dominant bunny. I feel that is his rightful place right now and we did get Lillabelle as a companion for him so would love for him to get the attention from his lady friend and rule the roost.

Also I think he would need to make the most of it while he can. It's not actually true that the man lies down and the woman serves in the rabbit world. It is the strongest and biggest that is usually dominant and females are usually bigger than males. So it's more than likely that as soon as Lillabelle is big enough she will probably argue that she is the dominant one and the dynamics will change. This bond will not be secure until she is full grown and they again argue as to who is boss.

Lillabelle's parents are both bigger than Mischief. Her mum is slightly bigger than Mischief but her dad is absolutely huge! So it's likely that she will be bigger than him [emoji6]

More pix just for you [emoji173]





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And more pix...

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These are some wonderful photographs of your beautiful bunnies, hope all goes well and sorry for just looking at the photos I am no help with bonding x

Aww, such cute photos. It does sound like Lillabelle still needs to figure out this whole grooming thing. I'm glad that Mischief feels a decent weight and that you're not too worried about him anymore.

Cuthbert&Dillon said:

These are some wonderful photographs of your beautiful bunnies, hope all goes well and sorry for just looking at the photos I am no help with bonding x

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Oh that's ok. I do tend to write such long posts and wonder that it puts people off reading them. I need to try and them down a bit. I'm so glad you like the photos! [emoji3]

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a reader of books said:

Aww, such cute photos. It does sound like Lillabelle still needs to figure out this whole grooming thing. I'm glad that Mischief feels a decent weight and that you're not too worried about him anymore.

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Thank you! They are not as pro as yours but practice makes perfect! I'm getting used to my OH's new phone at the moment. I worked out how to zoom in and out last night [emoji3]

Yes poor Mischief keeps offering his head for her to groom but she keeps going around his back end. He gets very indignant! [emoji38]

Well I am trying not to stress about his weight after Jane said he looked ok. I'm just so used to him being overweight but he seems happier now he has lost some xx

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twistedtiggerz69 said:

Thank you! They are not as pro as yours but practice makes perfect! I'm getting used to my OH's new phone at the moment. I worked out how to zoom in and out last night [emoji3]

Yes poor Mischief keeps offering his head for her to groom but she keeps going around his back end. He gets very indignant! [emoji38]

Well I am trying not to stress about his weight after Jane said he looked ok. I'm just so used to him being overweight but he seems happier now he has lost some xx

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Aw, I think you're definitely capturing their cuteness, and that's the important part! I love the one with Lillabelle's ear on Mischief's back. It's so sweet. And, hey, that's great that you can zoom in and out now!

Silly Lillabelle, grooming Mischief's back end instead of his head. I wonder why she does that! No wonder he gets indignant! :lol:

I'm glad he seems happier now that he has lost some weight.

I try to capture their cuteness but my photos just don't look the same as real life. They are so much cuter than their photos [emoji20]

I don't think it helps that they are in a stupid puppy pen which is squished into our bedroom just! I can hardly fit down the side at one part near my bed and that is typically the place they mostly lie!

Yes I had to capture the ear on his back. From where I sat it looked like she was cuddling him with her ear [emoji7]

Yes I don't know why she grooms his back. I wonder if she is young and a but confused. I mean animals don't always get it right. You see nature programs where a male doesn't know how to mate properly and stuff. Maybe she hasn't figured it out yet? Mischief is so patient with her though. They seem very content.

Yes I think he is better at this weight so I'm not too concerned. I will be if he loses any more though! I will be keeping a close eye on what he eats and weigh him weekly aswell xx

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So all is quiet on the western front. I have just woken up and my OH says there is nothing to report. They have mostly been asleep too.

They are getting agitated now though as it is dinner time so I will feed them some veggies now and will try and get some more photos for everyone...

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twistedtiggerz69 said:

I try to capture their cuteness but my photos just don't look the same as real life. They are so much cuter than their photos [emoji20]

I don't think it helps that they are in a stupid puppy pen which is squished into our bedroom just! I can hardly fit down the side at one part near my bed and that is typically the place they mostly lie!

Yes I had to capture the ear on his back. From where I sat it looked like she was cuddling him with her ear [emoji7]

Yes I don't know why she grooms his back. I wonder if she is young and a but confused. I mean animals don't always get it right. You see nature programs where a male doesn't know how to mate properly and stuff. Maybe she hasn't figured it out yet? Mischief is so patient with her though. They seem very content.

Yes I think he is better at this weight so I'm not too concerned. I will be if he loses any more though! I will be keeping a close eye on what he eats and weigh him weekly aswell xx

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Aw, I think that's the case for all bunnies! I think they're all even cuter in real life! But, yes, having them in a puppy pen right now and not having much space to take photos can't help.

I think you're very likely right, yes, that she isn't getting it right because she's young and a bit confused and just hasn't figured it out yet. Hopefully if Mischief grooms her head a lot she'll catch on that that's the place she's supposed to groom him! That's so sweet that he's so patient with her.

Keeping a close eye on him sounds like a good idea. I'm glad he seems fine right now, though.

I hope they enjoyed their dinner!

Awww all bunnies are cuter yes! [emoji7]

I think I have sussed out why she is around his back end. I noticed spotting on the blanket so checked them both over and Mischief's bottom was not 100% clean so I did a spruce up and cleaned his anal glands aswell. Hopefully that will mean Lillabelle no longer keeps trying to clean his tail end.

I noticed yesterday that Lillabelle was not so interested in their veggies so think he may have eaten extra and so made his poops a bit runny. I will reduce their veggies and pellets from now on. I also did not feed them any this morning so that it resets his tummy.

I will keep a close eye on him especially as his bottom was not clean. I think it is possible I am giving them too much veggies aswell. I didn't want Mischief to lose weight so have been feeding them extra veggies/pellets while they are in the puppy pen so it could have upset his tum.

I guess as long as they are eating hay they should be ok but I if Mischief loses any more weight I will speak to the vet.

They are sitting by the door waiting for their veggies tonight so I will feed them a smaller amount and see how it goes and keep checking Mischief's rear end to make sure it is clean.

I have some pix of Lillabelle to share [emoji3]

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Awwwwww she is just lovely.

tulsi said:

Awwwwww she is just lovely.

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Thank you. Yes she is very pretty. Her coat shines with a lilac tint in the sun [emoji4] x

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