bonding going bad/:

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PwnzorsNTittylwinks

PwnzorsNTittylwinks

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i posted this on my "bunny blog" (frankfurt and lunalovely) but thought id post here too. if anyone has any advice on how to deal with this itd be great, its my first bonding. or attempt atleast.

so. tonight we did a bonding session (Second time. last night we one too. 5 min each).
and luna has been very aggresive and attacked frank both times..
the first time we almost instantly. and we got them apart (very quickly. no injuries) and had them near eachother for a minute or two after to try to end it on a relatively calm note. frank was a shooken up but not very.
tonight though we started the session. she was pretty mad looking but wasnt moving at him or anything. he wasnt paying attention to her at all. just running around exploring since it was in a new room they hadnt been in. (same room as last night though). well as SOON as he went over to her she lunged for him. i grabbed him and my boyfriend grabbed her. she tried her best to get to him still but perry had a good grip. she calmed down and frank started to freak out. breathing fast, eyes as wide as could be, huddled tightly under my arm..i decided to separate them and end the session (i know it was not on a good note but i just couldnt see frank calming down enough and it was worrying me). he took a bit to relax again. i was petting him on the floor by his cage for a bit til he finally relaxed and started acting normal. and she was put in the cage and instantly relaxed and layed down in her litter box.
what is going on with her? she just instantly goes into attack mode..
 
I think you may have better results if you do it where they aren't used to being, like on a slippery surface such as the bathtub or bathroom floor.
 
Hmphf. And their date at the rescue seemed to go so well. Did Frank ever "do anything" to Luna that could have caused her to hold a grudge? Even if he wasn't trying to be mean?

One option is to stress them. I'm not the biggest fan of it unless issues arise....which you have. Also, since you indicated before that they were both scared of the vacuum and that drove them together stressijg might be a good option for you. So, besides the vacuum incident you might want to try something even more extreme....such as car ride or box on top of the washing machine. (if you do the car ride have someone with you so you can safely seperate if a fight happens again)

If they do huddle together when stressed, after a few seconds end the stress causing noise and simultaneously begin petting them. Most rabbits will continue to be "huddled" after being scared. You want them to in addition to associate getting comfort from each other while scared, but also comfort each other while being petted and massaged. Don't push your luck with the time, though. If you can get them to sit there even for a few seconds while you are petting, then seperate. Offer their favorite treat upon their return to separate cages. They to have their food dishes on the same side of the cage as they eat. Eating is another bonding activity. If you have success with a date like that, repeat and decrease the scaring, increase the petting little by little. Follow your gut with the amount.

I've probably given youths article before but it's my favorite. Read again. See I'd there are options in here that would work for you.
http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/articles/bond.shtml

A maybe last resort, which kind of relates to my question about Frank doing something that could have upset Luna, is separating the completely for a couple weeks and starting over with the first date. Also, location change.,location change is a biggie too. Sometimes going to another persons house even! Or the garage....someplace totally different can change things up.
 
PwnzorsNTittylwinks said:
Im a little worried about waht to do. she lunged at him through the divider today :( she definitely notices him near her through the cage now. /:
Click to expand...

That is a true bummer :( it was one of my biggest worries in getting a second bun. But, all hope is not lost. It is often said you can bond any two buns. You just have to put in the time.

I say try the stressing method I described earlier. If that doesnt work, then you might need to try the seperate them so they forget about each other approach.

Also, what do you think about the wear them down method described in the bonding article I posted?
 
i told my boyfriend that they reminded me of the playful puppy (frank) and the old angry cat swatting at him (luna) lol. she just seems to be a bunny that would much rather sit by herself and have fun on her own then anyone else (people included) joining her. the rescue lady told me to try bonding with luna a bit more and to take her out of the cage and sit with her (be a bit more foreful since she doesnt come out if she knows we are watching) and she just looked scared the whole time. so i let her go and she ran off and thumped 3 times then sat in her litterbox and ate hay. and then after that is when frank went over to the shared wall and she jumped at him. (The plexi glass and cage between them kept any contact from happening but still..)
 
the resuce lady had talked about the stressing method with a car ride and she also suggested to put banana on one of their heads to kind of trick them into grooming. (and i did read the wear them down method) but i just am very cautious about anything that involves forcing them to be very close. as soon as he gets within a few inches of her is when she lunges and she is much larger then him. and he acts like he doesnt quite know how to react when she goes so im pretty convinced if a fight were to get bad he would get the bad end. and im not okay with putting either of them into a situation i know will end bloody right now..
 
Your situation sounds eerily familiar to what happened with my Sapphire. She had a good bunny date with Sam (he even groomed her at the rescue). But once we got them home, she was the wicked diva. Sam was so nonchalant and didn't seem to know what was her problem. She also resorted to trying to attack him through the x-pen. I had to put a mesh on the bottom half of the pen so they couldn't get to each other. (And then still keep a wider separation)

Eventually, even sweet Sam had had enough and started attempting to attack right back. I had the option of separating them completely for a couple weeks, but decided it just wasn't worth it. Others may disagree, but I didn't think forcing the bond would be in their best interest.

We exchanged Sam for Mocha. In this case it was Sapphire showing the interest in Mocha and he seemed quite content. (We actually ended up trying to bond both Mocha and his brother to Sapphire, but that's another story) In the end, Sapphire and Mocha made an easy match.

Of course it's completely up to you and how you feel about the bonding. Some people have all the patience in the world. I do not. I didn't want to stress my Sapphire more, nor Sam, nor myself. So if you really want to make it work, you may have to do the full separation for a couple weeks and try again. Otherwise, switching buns may be an option.
 
I feel horrible for thinking about switching her. :( she really is such a sweetheart i just dont know how to get through to her! she hates coming to us, she never leaves her cage for more then a few minutes even though we will leave it open for her for hours. and when she sees us she just thumps and runs back to her cage. :/ the rescue got in a few more girls recently but i just feel so awful for "giving up" on her.. /: i really dont know what to do..
 
they went at it through the cage again. :( she was out and he was in his cage. she went to his door and lunged (hit the divider but yea) i clapped my hands and they both ran. she hid under the futon and thumped a couple times. now when i go to her she runs. :( gah
 
Oh, I understand the conflict of feeling guilty. That rabbit Sam we tried was such a loving sweetheart. But I realized that I wasn't doing him any favors by forcing him to be with Sapphire, or even by housing him separately. At least back at the rescue he has the chance of being bonded with a female who'll appreciate him.
And a different bunny still got to be rescued. :bunny19
 
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