Dahlia-Romeo
Member
-Romeo is neutered
-Dahlia isn't spayed
For the first while, bonding sessions were short. Dahlia liked to nip Romeo, regardless of what he was doing. He'd just go up and sniff her and she'd get moody over the whole deal. I'd quickly separate them so no one got hurt.
They've been living in the same room as each other for over a year. Normally one cage is on top of the other. During my Christmas break, I'm building them an "NIC condo" (http://rabbitcondo.com/moredetails.htm). For now, the middle level will be a solid piece so they don't have access to each other. Once they are completely okay with each other, I'll cut the proper sized square in the corner of the level so they can hop up and down as they please.
Today, I had them out on a blanket on the floor. They circled each other and got a bit nippy, so I separated them. Later, I took them out again but instead, put a blanket over the couch and let them sit on it together (an area neither is very familiar with). They did very well! Dahlia just lied down and relaxed. Romeo hopped around and smelled her. Since then, Romeo has constantly been going up and grooming her face and ears. She loves it! The only trouble they've had is Dahlia running away from Romeo sometimes. Nothing aggressive happens, she's probably just expecting him to mount her and is trying to avoid it. Other than that, all has been really well and they're still out together now (it's been a couple hours). They shared half a carrot together and that seemed to help the bonding too.
I just learned about switching cages each day so that they get used to living in each other's scents. So I'm going to start that today as well.
When will I know that they can possibly be housed together? Obviously I don't want to rush anything, I want to make sure they're happy and safe with each other before I put them together. And is Dahlia fleeing from Romeo every once in a while a bad thing?
Currently, they're laying side by side together, beside me.
Thanks, guys! I want the best for my buns. :biggrin2:
-Dahlia isn't spayed
For the first while, bonding sessions were short. Dahlia liked to nip Romeo, regardless of what he was doing. He'd just go up and sniff her and she'd get moody over the whole deal. I'd quickly separate them so no one got hurt.
They've been living in the same room as each other for over a year. Normally one cage is on top of the other. During my Christmas break, I'm building them an "NIC condo" (http://rabbitcondo.com/moredetails.htm). For now, the middle level will be a solid piece so they don't have access to each other. Once they are completely okay with each other, I'll cut the proper sized square in the corner of the level so they can hop up and down as they please.
Today, I had them out on a blanket on the floor. They circled each other and got a bit nippy, so I separated them. Later, I took them out again but instead, put a blanket over the couch and let them sit on it together (an area neither is very familiar with). They did very well! Dahlia just lied down and relaxed. Romeo hopped around and smelled her. Since then, Romeo has constantly been going up and grooming her face and ears. She loves it! The only trouble they've had is Dahlia running away from Romeo sometimes. Nothing aggressive happens, she's probably just expecting him to mount her and is trying to avoid it. Other than that, all has been really well and they're still out together now (it's been a couple hours). They shared half a carrot together and that seemed to help the bonding too.
I just learned about switching cages each day so that they get used to living in each other's scents. So I'm going to start that today as well.
When will I know that they can possibly be housed together? Obviously I don't want to rush anything, I want to make sure they're happy and safe with each other before I put them together. And is Dahlia fleeing from Romeo every once in a while a bad thing?
Currently, they're laying side by side together, beside me.
Thanks, guys! I want the best for my buns. :biggrin2: