Bonding tips?

[8ozcup]

Hi all! My problem isn't really the bonding process (which is easily accessible to me via the internet). My problem is really that I have two adopted rabbits with strong personalities. Slippers (my boy) was passed around from home to home until he got passed to a rabbit rescue (Hug-A-Bunny) and then to me. As a result, he seems to be kinda... well... pissy. Layla (my girl) was abandoned to a shelter where she stayed in a small cage with little outside time for six months before I got her. Inside the cage, she has cage aggression. Outside the cage, she's the sweetest little thing in the world. They're around the same age and both are fixed. Does anyone have tips on how to soothe their wounds and help them come together? I've tried for about 2 months and gave up. They're living as separate buns now, but they can see each other. Anything I can do or do I just have two buns and not a set?

 

[Spring]

What were the issues they were having during the 2 months? Was it outright aggression (intentional fighting, circling, etc) or was it more of a "I'm not quite ready to trust you" behavoir?

Try having short sessions every day and always leave on a good note. Hopefully with these short frequent sessions, they can start to trust each other. You may also try carrying them in a laundry basket to get them a bit nervous, so they'll hopefully turn to the other for comfort. I've found this works great at the begining of sessions so they aren't so intent on trying to cause trouble because they're a bit nervous.

 

[8ozcup]

They had the occasional scuffle, but only for the first two weeks. Then Layla started grooming Slippers (that is to say, he let her get close enough), however, when it was his turn to groom, it seemed like he was biting her face. Then I had to take Slippers' "rabbitat" down (I couldn't clean it right and I had found a better cage), he became very aggressive towards her which ultimitely led to my decision to take a break from bonding for a while.

Honestly, I think it's Slippers. The way he acted around her led me to believe that he wasn't socialized properly. He acts very awkward, but she's so forgiving. He's got definite trust issues, though, from so many homes.

 

[Spring]

I have a similar problem with the nipping at the face.. I usually let them work out it out. If they were already living together previously, that's great! What kind of cage did you move them into? What was the size of it? Sometimes bonded bunnies can get a bit irritated if they don't have enough room to get away from the other (whether it be by room, shelves, hideys, etc).

I would try introducing them again in neutral territory and start from the ground up. I think it's very promising that they've already been fully bonded before, definitely able to achieve that again!

 

[8ozcup]

Sadly, they were not living together. Slippers had a very big rabbitat and Layla have a smaller cage. While I was actively trying to get them to bond, I switched their cages each night, which did help them get used to each other. However, the rabbitat was very large and it was hard to get either bun out and difficult to clean. As a result, I stopped switching their cages and then took the rabbitat down altogether. That's when Slippers got rather aggressive towards Layla (ie: chasing her around and not in a playful way, ripping fur out) and Layla would fight back. They have different playtimes now, though I have their cages (Slippers went into a smaller, more managable cage) facing each other now.

Thank you for the laundry basket idea! I had heard of putting them in a car, but I worried that the back seat would be bloodied. Lol. I know Layla really wants to be Slips' friend, but I can't really read him sometimes. He's my little Severus Snape and she's my Lily. :blushan: