Mumford doesn't like the change...

[LaylaLop]

So I've been trying to get Mumford and Layla to bond again after her spay but he wants nothing to do with her now. He grunts at her, lunges, and bites her. They took so quickly before but now that she's spayed he seems to hate her.

The problem is I have to move in 3 weeks and they share a carrier and the cage I have is an x-pen and a tiny superpet...

:?

 

[LaylaLop]

I have Layla running around and they're divided by an xpen but everytime Layla runs up to Mumford he grunts and lunges and rips out hair/bites her. She just wants to be groomed but he is trying to attack her.

Now they're both furiously chinning their cages. If they don't re-bond Mumford may have to go back to the rescue... I've tried introducing for about a week and he's just getting more aggressive towards her and he even nipped at me the other day

 

[LaylaLop]

I swapped them cages so now Layla is in the nice xpen and Mumford is stuck in the small super pet cage. I left Layla's litter in the cage I put Mumford in and vice versa. They're going crazy chinning...

Layla laid down next to the wire where Mumford was at and he grunted and ripped out a huge clump of fur. She wants to be with him, he's just being a grumpy old fart. Frankly, his behavior is worse than Layla's was when she was unspayed... It's just frustrating!

 

[fuzz16]

Her hormones may be driving her bonkers still, takes a few weeks to get over them. Have you tried a stresser to bring them together in nueteral territory? Pet store together or car ride?

 

[LakeCondo]

A care ride seems appropriate, as you're moving soon.

 

[LaylaLop]

Thing is, she's acting better but he's being a turd.

Her hormone issues seem to have subsided whereas he's taken up the slack! I think her hormones kept him in check by asserting her dominance on him...

I don't know if I'll be able to bond them in the car since we're going to be limited on space as-is. But, there will be hotel bathrooms and the new place that will be 100% neutral to try to re-bond them in.

Just means I need a 2nd overnight-cage since the tub idea is out.

 

[Samara]

Poor Layla, sheesh. I wonder what's up with Mumford. I think you probably nailed it when you said that her hormones were keeping him in check.

If there are boxes everywhere, etc. and you're getting rid of stuff because you're moving it could be stressing Mumford out. Maybe he's gone through a not so stellar move in his past before going to the rescue where you adopted him from?

Not that you aren't already, but I would keep cutting him some slack. Tensions are high for everyone during a move. He's acting out because he's upset. Poor wee buns.

 

[LaylaLop]

Their room has always been mostly empty other than them and extra pet stuff, so not much has changed. All the packing and stuff is going on in the living room/dining room.

I let them out today together and brought my dog into the room.. He's a good distraction and there wasn't any fighting. I locked them out of their cages so I think that helped.

 

[Barley N. Hopps]

Just wondering, is Mumford neutered? Does that make a difference, now that Layla is spayed?

 

[LaylaLop]

He's been neutered for about a year. I adopted him neutered otherwise I wouldn't have put him with Layla months ago. The vet checked after I checked to make sure he does indeed lack his boy bits. He's just being a turd... He's acting like he's ALWAYS starving and I don't know if that's normal (all my past buns were food snarfers as well).

Last night I almost forgot to give them their nightly pellets and as I was walking past the room they're in I hear both thump at me and Mumford tossed the ceramic bowl like "hey feed me NOW!"

I think he's just like Audrey II in Little Shop of Horrors... "feeeed meeee"

 

[LaylaLop]

I put him into the smaller cage (a superpet large) and while it's small, these get to be my travel-overnight cages.

Thing is, Mumford doesn't dig in his litterbox or act protective over this cage. But in the xpen is where he's the jerk and destructive..

I'll be taking it all apart soon enough so I figure they can live in the smaller cages with daily run around time since that's what they'll get when we move into the temp apt. Once we finally move again in another 4 months, I'll build them a much better cage.

 

[Samara]

:thumbup

 

[LakeCondo]

It's strange that he's protective over the pen & not the cage.