Scarly
Well-Known Member
Hi all,
Any bonding experts that can give me some advice?
We've had our girl Thumper for 2 1/2 years now, she an extremely affectionate rabbit. She'll lick you and want to cuddle for hours. A year ago we saw a post on instagram in our area of someone who was selling their bunny or it was being set free the end of the day. I managed to reach them and talked them into giving us the bunny for free, his name is Peter (holland lop). He was in horrible living conditions and needed $2500 worth of vet care when we got him.
Peter is not nearly as social as Thumper but will still come over to be pet, but he doesn't reciprocate often with licks etc. We've tried bonding them for about 3 months, then we had to move and in order to provide enough space they had to be in separate areas as we were transitioning. Our bunny vet recommended keeping them completely separate, different floors of the house for severals months and then reintroducing in neutral territory in our new town house. They are now set up with X pens next to each other, but whenever Thumper gets close he lunges at her. If they are in a neutral area free roaming he will seek her out only to bite her and then run away. He even tries to move his x pen further away from her.
All this to say, should I keep trying as it's been a year since we got him or are some bunny's just not meant to be bonded?
Thumper loves him and she's always trying to groom him and follow him around. Oddly enough neither has ever tried to mount the other. Both buns are spayed / neutered.
Thanks!
Any bonding experts that can give me some advice?
We've had our girl Thumper for 2 1/2 years now, she an extremely affectionate rabbit. She'll lick you and want to cuddle for hours. A year ago we saw a post on instagram in our area of someone who was selling their bunny or it was being set free the end of the day. I managed to reach them and talked them into giving us the bunny for free, his name is Peter (holland lop). He was in horrible living conditions and needed $2500 worth of vet care when we got him.
Peter is not nearly as social as Thumper but will still come over to be pet, but he doesn't reciprocate often with licks etc. We've tried bonding them for about 3 months, then we had to move and in order to provide enough space they had to be in separate areas as we were transitioning. Our bunny vet recommended keeping them completely separate, different floors of the house for severals months and then reintroducing in neutral territory in our new town house. They are now set up with X pens next to each other, but whenever Thumper gets close he lunges at her. If they are in a neutral area free roaming he will seek her out only to bite her and then run away. He even tries to move his x pen further away from her.
All this to say, should I keep trying as it's been a year since we got him or are some bunny's just not meant to be bonded?
Thumper loves him and she's always trying to groom him and follow him around. Oddly enough neither has ever tried to mount the other. Both buns are spayed / neutered.
Thanks!
