user 25471
Lionel and Murphy
- Joined
- Dec 24, 2018
- Messages
- 152
- Reaction score
- 46
I have previously posted about my bonding attempt - still working unsuccessfully, wondering if anyone has insight into my situation the way it is playing out. These two 7 & 8 month old , (both neutered males for 2 months) have been living next to each other cage to cage since I got them. They both like laying next to each other on each sided of their double gated areas which I now have down to a single gated (no buffer between -) so they can reach each other when they are on each side of it and they infrequently have given the other a brief head grooming or gentle bite. But when I put them together (neutral area) they end up with fur flying and ninja kicking and it appears they are fighting - they lunge VERY fast and try to bite at each other - it doesn't appear they are trying to mount - just maybe bite the other. If I had to guess what a bunny tornado looked like - I would think I have one. I break them up with a dust pan between them. Once, I pulled Lionel away and it appeared Murphy had latched on to him ( still no blood or wound I could see... it makes me wonder is he was just restaining him - though he didn't have him pushed to the ground - he just had him by the neck!! I have read that everything is acceptable as long as there is no "bunny tornado" and things don't get out of hand or injured. (They are so fast though, I can't tell WHAT they are doing. ) They haven't drawn blood - Would they if I let it go 5 or 10 seconds? They are so spastic and jumpy and fur tufts are flying - do I let that scenario play out for 5 or 10 seconds or am I going to end up with an injured bunny? I have been trying every week (or 2 weeks) in between attempts for about 2 months now. They seem SO interested in each other when they are separated. If I hold and restrain Lionel on the floor or my lap Murphy doesn't seem to care much - he'll come over and sniff, offer his head for grooming and then go do something else. If I hold and restrain Murphy, Lionel will come over, sniff him a bit in a safe spot like his foot, more so than Murphy does... he will try to give a few small nips to it ...I verbally tell him no and he basically stops and doesn't show much more interest. I don't put them face to face while restraining them unless they are BOTH restrained far enough from each other. They both just stay restrained and don't try much. Obviously I don't want one to bite the other in the face while I am restraining one of them! I am thinking they are behaving because I am restraining them and being the Alpha at that point. What I am going to try today is take them OUTSIDE in a fairly large gated area - they will have an 8ft run - I have been using a bathroom or closet thus far... I have searched and searched and when I view videos of "rabbits fighting" they are either boxing or appear to just jump over each other - not what mine are doing. I am trying to get a feel if it just looks so bad because they are so fast and fur is flying - or are they going to injure one another. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Do I just do exactly what I am doing and wait for that magic moment - or try something more creative? (I was envisioning a kiddie pool filled several inches with something like loose grass or mulch - but I am afraid they will inhale it.) They are not afraid of car rides or the vacuum. I actually taught them to be okay with both of those things My first bonded pair of males went easy - they were over 4 years apart in age though and I had one before the other.