Hi, I'm new to the forum and I'm starting with a long post (sorry!)...I'm really hoping someone can give me some advice as I'm having difficulty bonding my 2 rabbits.
A bit of a background first; Dotty (neutered female whose just turned 4 year old) has had a partner her whole life and was very happy in her relationship with her previous companion up until January this year where he died at 5 years old after a short battle with cancer. She wasn't taking the loss well so after 2 weeks I thought she would benefit from a companion, especially as I'm at out at work most the day so little Alfie came into our lives. When I got him, he was 6 months old and not castrated so this was done ASAP. During this time, they have been in side by side playpens in the shed with a good gap between them so they could be close but not close enough to get to each other. Normally, Dotty lives in an outdoor walk in run with a double hutch inside and tunnels allowing access to the garden so the shed is not somewhere she has ever been before (and she has not returned to her previous home since the death of her companion as they were bought inside just before he passed).
So they were getting on very well as neighbors as they were nice and relaxed next to each other; on occasion lying down next to each other through the bars and I adjusted the playpen so one of their panels are shared (but do have some chicken wire on the panel to give some protection from each other) and that was going great. I swap their toys, litter trays, bowls a few times a week and every 2 weeks they swap sides in the playpen and they seem ok with that. So after Alfie recovered from his castration I started table bonding them on 22nd February. This was going really well; Dotty was licking him all over while he just sat there and let her do it and he kept presenting his head to her like he's asking him to lick and she would accept.. Occasionally during table bonding, they would share food, she would lie next to him or she would sit and groom herself but he stayed mostly frozen on the spot.
These dates continued to go well until I let them have more space (even though I know now that I probably gave them too much space too quickly) where he started to push the boundaries and try establish dominance. It started with what looked like the usual chasing after her which Dotty would walk away from and he mostly respect it and leave her alone. I've bonded my previous rabbit pairs a long time ago so this was what I was expecting but this is now starting to change as he has become quite insistent with chasing so he can try hump her and he gets quite frustrated when she turns him down/he doesn't gets his way (I can tell he's angry as he keeps lifting his tail as he chases and becomes quite fixated on trying to get to her even when I try block him when he's pushing too much to try stop this escualting). Dotty has now begun to fight back a bit which then proceeds to the tornado spin and a fight. When they are out walking around together, they do seem to have some 'positive' moments like grooming themselves, ignoring each other, occasional binky and Dotty will go up to him to sniff him and walk away but only on her terms as it doesn't go so well when its the other way round. But when they go back to their side by side runs in the shed they are absolutely fine and I continue to swap their things and get them to swap sides in the playpen but the minute they share an area together where they can walk around or they're on the grass in their playpens in a similar layout to what they have in the shed it really doesn't go well.
Dotty's previous partner was a very laid back boy and they never made it very obvious who was the boss, they just had a mutual respect for each other with no arguments (only very brief ones during spring fever season). So because of that I sometimes get the impression from her that she doesn't really know how to deal with Alfie and his advances even though I predict she will most likely be the dominant one but it's almost like she's not clear in displaying this say it unless its in retaliation to Alfie which then turns to a fight. I also know that hind sight is a wonderful thing and there is lots of things not on my side right now e.g. it's spring fever season now so hormones are raging anyway, that I know I gave them too much space too quick and I think maybe I should have gone for an older boy who isn't going through the teenager phase. Alfie's been castrated for nearly 8 weeks now; at this time I really can't tell if his behaviour is his hormones still settling from the castration alone, the usual spring behaviours in rabbits or a mixture of both. From what I can see, he just seems to do the wrong thing all the time in Dotty's eyes and he starts the trouble which is made worse by his frustration.
They have had 2 bad days in a row now of fighting and have also done this during a table bonding session today so I'm at a loss of what to do next, especially as they have now gone for each other in a space that has continued to go well for them up until today... Since I started the bonding process over a month ago, I have been doing daily sessions for a bare minimum of 10 minutes a day but when I'm not working the sessions are longer and/or multiple times a day. I know some rabbits do take a long time to bond but I'm worried that too many bad things have happened and I might have messed this up for them.
Do I just give them a break but let them continue to be neighbors in the shed seeing as that's still going ok? If I give them a break then how long for and when I restart the bonding process do I just start from step 1 again? I'm also a bit conscious that I can't keep them in the shed forever as they'll get too hot in there as the weather gets warmer so I worry what to do then as I've been purposely keeping Dotty away from her original home as I'm well aware that introducing the boy to the girls home isn't always the best way round. Or I hate to think of it but at what point do I accept defeat that this is something that can't be fixed and I might be fighting a losing battle here.
Apologies for the long post again..... I really don't want to give up on these 2 so will be grateful for any advice given. If anyone wants any further details that will be of help then please let me know!
Thank you!
A bit of a background first; Dotty (neutered female whose just turned 4 year old) has had a partner her whole life and was very happy in her relationship with her previous companion up until January this year where he died at 5 years old after a short battle with cancer. She wasn't taking the loss well so after 2 weeks I thought she would benefit from a companion, especially as I'm at out at work most the day so little Alfie came into our lives. When I got him, he was 6 months old and not castrated so this was done ASAP. During this time, they have been in side by side playpens in the shed with a good gap between them so they could be close but not close enough to get to each other. Normally, Dotty lives in an outdoor walk in run with a double hutch inside and tunnels allowing access to the garden so the shed is not somewhere she has ever been before (and she has not returned to her previous home since the death of her companion as they were bought inside just before he passed).
So they were getting on very well as neighbors as they were nice and relaxed next to each other; on occasion lying down next to each other through the bars and I adjusted the playpen so one of their panels are shared (but do have some chicken wire on the panel to give some protection from each other) and that was going great. I swap their toys, litter trays, bowls a few times a week and every 2 weeks they swap sides in the playpen and they seem ok with that. So after Alfie recovered from his castration I started table bonding them on 22nd February. This was going really well; Dotty was licking him all over while he just sat there and let her do it and he kept presenting his head to her like he's asking him to lick and she would accept.. Occasionally during table bonding, they would share food, she would lie next to him or she would sit and groom herself but he stayed mostly frozen on the spot.
These dates continued to go well until I let them have more space (even though I know now that I probably gave them too much space too quickly) where he started to push the boundaries and try establish dominance. It started with what looked like the usual chasing after her which Dotty would walk away from and he mostly respect it and leave her alone. I've bonded my previous rabbit pairs a long time ago so this was what I was expecting but this is now starting to change as he has become quite insistent with chasing so he can try hump her and he gets quite frustrated when she turns him down/he doesn't gets his way (I can tell he's angry as he keeps lifting his tail as he chases and becomes quite fixated on trying to get to her even when I try block him when he's pushing too much to try stop this escualting). Dotty has now begun to fight back a bit which then proceeds to the tornado spin and a fight. When they are out walking around together, they do seem to have some 'positive' moments like grooming themselves, ignoring each other, occasional binky and Dotty will go up to him to sniff him and walk away but only on her terms as it doesn't go so well when its the other way round. But when they go back to their side by side runs in the shed they are absolutely fine and I continue to swap their things and get them to swap sides in the playpen but the minute they share an area together where they can walk around or they're on the grass in their playpens in a similar layout to what they have in the shed it really doesn't go well.
Dotty's previous partner was a very laid back boy and they never made it very obvious who was the boss, they just had a mutual respect for each other with no arguments (only very brief ones during spring fever season). So because of that I sometimes get the impression from her that she doesn't really know how to deal with Alfie and his advances even though I predict she will most likely be the dominant one but it's almost like she's not clear in displaying this say it unless its in retaliation to Alfie which then turns to a fight. I also know that hind sight is a wonderful thing and there is lots of things not on my side right now e.g. it's spring fever season now so hormones are raging anyway, that I know I gave them too much space too quick and I think maybe I should have gone for an older boy who isn't going through the teenager phase. Alfie's been castrated for nearly 8 weeks now; at this time I really can't tell if his behaviour is his hormones still settling from the castration alone, the usual spring behaviours in rabbits or a mixture of both. From what I can see, he just seems to do the wrong thing all the time in Dotty's eyes and he starts the trouble which is made worse by his frustration.
They have had 2 bad days in a row now of fighting and have also done this during a table bonding session today so I'm at a loss of what to do next, especially as they have now gone for each other in a space that has continued to go well for them up until today... Since I started the bonding process over a month ago, I have been doing daily sessions for a bare minimum of 10 minutes a day but when I'm not working the sessions are longer and/or multiple times a day. I know some rabbits do take a long time to bond but I'm worried that too many bad things have happened and I might have messed this up for them.
Do I just give them a break but let them continue to be neighbors in the shed seeing as that's still going ok? If I give them a break then how long for and when I restart the bonding process do I just start from step 1 again? I'm also a bit conscious that I can't keep them in the shed forever as they'll get too hot in there as the weather gets warmer so I worry what to do then as I've been purposely keeping Dotty away from her original home as I'm well aware that introducing the boy to the girls home isn't always the best way round. Or I hate to think of it but at what point do I accept defeat that this is something that can't be fixed and I might be fighting a losing battle here.
Apologies for the long post again..... I really don't want to give up on these 2 so will be grateful for any advice given. If anyone wants any further details that will be of help then please let me know!
Thank you!
