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Eschwartz0312

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We ended up adopting a spayed 2 1/2 YO bun to bond with Twinkie (neutered 2 1/2 YO) initial meeting went well. 1 hour car ride in carrier went well. I made the mistake of separating them when we got home instead of a date in neutral territory. The next day our adoption counselor said to put them back in the carrier and take them for another car ride. Brought them home and put in x-pen in kitchen. They did great, so counselor said to so it again the next day. Next day, into the crate immediate tornado. We separated them and have just been swapping pens every night for 9 nights. Tried another date today and though there was no tornado, there was no love there and nipping. Do we keep trying every day or so we wait longer to try again?
 
What i did to bond my buns was have one (the bun i had first) in a caged in area and let the other bun (the new one) sit in my lap and let them sniff each other trough the fence. Also i give blankets to my buns and would give them blankets that smelled like the other. Hope this helps!
 
Not sure if I was reading correctly...so the second day you did another car ride and then put them together into an ex-pen. They did well. Following day, another car ride and then put them someplace else?? the crate?? Or did you mean they went back in the ex-pen? The meet-ups should always be in the same place, in this case that ex-pen. They should not be enclosed in a crate or hutch until they have fully bonded.
Not sure if I misunderstood what you meant.
 
I was told to put them in the crate(the one they rode home in) again on the 3rd day for another car ride. The fight (tornado) broke out in the crate before I got them to the car.
The neutral zone is the kitchen.
Tried the kitchen again today and there was a lot of nipping going on. I kept breaking it up so tornado didn't happen again
 
Not sure if I was reading correctly...so the second day you did another car ride and then put them together into an ex-pen. They did well. Following day, another car ride and then put them someplace else?? the crate?? Or did you mean they went back in the ex-pen? The meet-ups should always be in the same place, in this case that ex-pen. They should not be enclosed in a crate or hutch until they have fully bonded.
Not sure if I misunderstood what you meant.
 
I was told to put them in the crate(the one they rode home in) again on the 3rd day for another car ride. The fight (tornado) broke out in the crate before I got them to the car.
The neutral zone is the kitchen.
Tried the kitchen again today and there was a lot of nipping going on. I kept breaking it up so tornado didn't happen again
 
A person on here (I can't remember who) uses this method for bonding. Maybe it will be an option for you if the method you are using does not work? I get the rabbits have already seen each other so you would have to separate them for 2 weeks and then start this method.
"(they have not met each other yet or done any sort of bonding yet.) I put them in cages or x-pens next to each other. NOT touching or in reach of each other or they will nip at each other. Close enough so they can investigate each other. After about 2 weeks I move the pens closer together provided they have not had any fighting. Then after a month, I start 5-10-minute sessions in the bathtub per night for about a week. Then on a Saturday I clear my schedule and move an x-pen in the living room where I supervise all day. I put them in there together right away in the morning and leave them in there all day. I watch closely and break up any fights if they start immediately. But, I don't take them out if they start fighting, they need to get it out of their systems. I will leave them in there all day and all that night, and sleep in the room with them if they still aren't getting along after the day. I usually have pretty good luck that they are getting along at this point. Then when I am feeling good and trusting they aren't fighting after a day or so. I move them back into the room they were in, in the same x-pen they were in the last day or so. I put it in the center of the two areas they were occupying before I moved them out. This way both their scents are there. Then I hang sheets or old towels around the outside of the pen so they can't see where they are, and they only see each other. Then play it by ear I see how they are doing, if all is going well and they aren't trying to escape I start removing a panel a day of the outside cover, so they slowly see their surroundings. Usually, they see their old habitat and get so excited to go back home with their new friend I don't make it to the end of the covers and I let them into their now shared area.
No stressing for me or the rabbits and it has worked every time I have tried it. I have used this for the female rabbits that I tried using other methods that did not work. I developed this on my own after lots of reading and trial and lots of error. My 7-year-old un-spayed female who I never thought would bond with another after she lost her mate has even bonded with another un-spayed female using this method."
 
I was told to put them in the crate(the one they rode home in) again on the 3rd day for another car ride. The fight (tornado) broke out in the crate before I got them to the car.
The neutral zone is the kitchen.
Tried the kitchen again today and there was a lot of nipping going on. I kept breaking it up so tornado didn't happen again

Aaah. Ok. When you said 'crate,' I thought you were referring to their cage (some people use large dog crates for cages). But you meant the carrier. Yeah, the carrier is really close quarters, so that carrier has to start moving the moment you get them both in there -- even if it is just walking the carrier around to get it to the car. It is the movement of the carrier that stresses them -- the idea being that they are more worried about what's happening around them than they are about the rabbit beside them.

Unfortunately, they have had the tornado fight which sets a different tone. You did right by keeping them separate for the following 9 nights. Now, it sounds like each time you try to put them together, they start going after each other...just not to the extent of a tornado since you are (rightly) intervening. At this point it is a judgement call. You have a better idea of how they are acting when put together. Does it seem like they have potential? Or does it seem like they are just waiting to get into a fight?

If you think they are showing progress with what you've been doing, then feel free to keep it up each day. If you think things are getting worse, then it may be time to separate them completely (sight and smell) for a couple weeks and then trying for a do-over. If you think they aren't getting better or worse, then it's your call. Go with your gut.
It could be that they would do well in side-by side pens for a while without any face-to-face. (similar to what is described above by Mariam). From there, they could then move on to regular meetups again. If you feel they need to be completely separated first, then after that 2 week separation, you could start the side-by-side pens and then move on from there.

If you are working with a rescue, I would keep them in the loop. If it ends up that the two ultimately won't get along, then the rescue typically will allow an exchange. Sometimes, through no fault of yours, two rabbits simply won't get along.
 
Aaah. Ok. When you said 'crate,' I thought you were referring to their cage (some people use large dog crates for cages). But you meant the carrier. Yeah, the carrier is really close quarters, so that carrier has to start moving the moment you get them both in there -- even if it is just walking the carrier around to get it to the car. It is the movement of the carrier that stresses them -- the idea being that they are more worried about what's happening around them than they are about the rabbit beside them.

Unfortunately, they have had the tornado fight which sets a different tone. You did right by keeping them separate for the following 9 nights. Now, it sounds like each time you try to put them together, they start going after each other...just not to the extent of a tornado since you are (rightly) intervening. At this point it is a judgement call. You have a better idea of how they are acting when put together. Does it seem like they have potential? Or does it seem like they are just waiting to get into a fight?

If you think they are showing progress with what you've been doing, then feel free to keep it up each day. If you think things are getting worse, then it may be time to separate them completely (sight and smell) for a couple weeks and then trying for a do-over. If you think they aren't getting better or worse, then it's your call. Go with your gut.
It could be that they would do well in side-by side pens for a while without any face-to-face. (similar to what is described above by Mariam). From there, they could then move on to regular meetups again. If you feel they need to be completely separated first, then after that 2 week separation, you could start the side-by-side pens and then move on from there.

If you are working with a rescue, I would keep them in the loop. If it ends up that the two ultimately won't get along, then the rescue typically will allow an exchange. Sometimes, through no fault of yours, two rabbits simply won't get along.
Thank you so much for your response. I think they do have potential as they lay side by side when they are separated in their pens.
Twinkie hops around the neutral area but Stormi (the new one to our family) will just lay in a corner. Twinkie goes up to her and she nips at him. We will keep trying every day or every other day to see if she will start to respond more positively to him.
 
We are STILL doing bunny dates and trying to bond Stormi and Twinkie. We (alternate) letting them free roam to get exercise during the day. The new female bun was, at one point, very sweet, allowed us to hold and pet her. She is now growling and boxing at us whenever we approach her. She seems to have become very territorial (and aggressive) when free roaming. We are still pen swapping every 24 hours s
but she seems to have claimed the exercise area (even though Twinkie gets to free roam in the same area).
Do we not let her free roam for a few days?
 

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