It's been a long time since I bonded anyone

[PamsWarren]

My new girl, Chia, has been spayed now for just over three weeks, and I'd like to start to bond her to Jinx. Right now, they share a common living area that has been sectioned off. After they are bonded, I will remove the barriers and they will live as free range rabbits in this area. To help avoid ownership of any part of the living area, I have just started to switch them between the two areas. Initially, Jinx wasn't too impressed with the change, but it didn't take him long to relax and do a few binkies. I've never seen him binky before.

Last night, they had their first date in neutral territory, a very small foyer just outside of their living area. Chia is very comfortable in unfamiliar territory; Jinx is not. She spent most of their date hopping around, exploring and ignoring Jinx. Jinx spent most of their date in the corner, trying to become as small and as invisible as possible. There were a couple of tense moments when she hopped too close to him, but nothing too serious.

I can't decide if I think that Jinx spent most of their date in a corner because of Chia's presense or due to the fact that he was in a strange place. Jinx is quite a shy bun who does not easily adjust to the unfamiliar. I had the same issue when bonding him to Moccasin (she was very bold and could have cared less about being somewhere strange; he was uncomfortable with unfamiliar places), and although they did bond, there were a few minor scuffles along the way. Obviously, I'd like to avoid the scuffles this time around.

I think that Chia and Jinx have a really good chance at bonding, I'm just not quite sure how to go about it. Although they have separate living areas, both tend to spend most of their time right along side of the gate that divides the area. Chia typically ignores Jinx. Jinx seems to spend an equal amount of time ignoring her and watching her. Both seem comfortable and there is no aggression through the gate.

Any suggestions on bonding these guys would be great. A bit of background about each bun - Chia is about 2.5, a breeder surrender because she wouldn't breed. Jinx is about 8. I've had him for about 7 years. He was found in an apartment with many other suspiciously similar looking rabbits...he was a bit beat up...obviously not top bun. Both are altered, of course. Given that Jinx is so uncomfortable in unfamiliar spaces, I wonder if it might not be better to section off a part of their room and use that space for their dates?

Sorry for such a long post and thanks for reading!

 

[elrohwen]

It sounds like they're basically ignoring each other, and that's a good sign! I think you're on the right track and I would keep going with the method you're using and see how they react. Jinx might take a few sessions to loosen up in the new area, and that's when you'll need to watch him to make sure he doesn't start fights, but it sounds like Chia is good at ignoring him for now.

 

[Runestonez]

Hey Pam!

When we bond our kids we switch all their stuff around...so each day we will change litterboxes, change the bunnsfrom one hutch to the other etc...

But if they are ignoring each other that is a great thing! Best thing with a male/female pairing is to bring the female into the males territory rather than the other way around since unaltered females can get pissy about their territory! Even being spayed, it is recent so she may be a little touchy...

If Jinx is nervous or uncomfortable in the neutral territory that isn't a bad thing...he may feel better snuggling with another bunny! That would work! If he is really stressing you could try to divide the downstairs territory...if it doesn't work you can always adjust the strategy and see what works...every bunn is different...

Dani

 

[PamsWarren]

Thanks for the replies. We've had almost a week of dates now and I've been switching their living areas (including litterboxes) every day. I've sectioned off a small bit of their room and moved the dating venue into that area. Jinx was just way too uncomfortable with neutral territory (he wouldn't even take treats from me during the date). Both buns still largely ignore each other on their dates, but at least Jinx is hopping around a little more and looking a bit more comfortable. Last night I found Chia lying comfortably right next to the side of the cage where Jinx was sitting, which I thought was a very good sign.

I usually end their date by putting the two side by side and giving pets/scratches. As soon as both rabbits relax and enjoy the pets (Chia starts to enjoy the pets immediately...it takes Jinx a few minutes), I end the date so that it ends on a positive note.

I guess I will just keep having nightly dates and switching their living areas. I would think that sooner or later, they'll start to acknowledge one another's presence and we'll make some progress.

PS...nice to hear from you, Dani.