My Dori got her husbun today!

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SDShorty

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**Mods, not sure if I'm allowed to post this in here with pics, please feel free to move if not ok :) **

My Dori had a very long and trying day. We went to the House Rabbit Society today and she had a speed date with at least 7 or 8 bunnies, and she had quite some experiences. She had buns that were pretty indifferent towards her, she had one named Brando that was totally 'confident' as they called it :p, all he was trying to do was mount her....Dori was NOT having that, she FREAKED out :shock:. A bun named Powder was super cute and cuddly, but he wasn't that keen about her, at one point he snapped at her, so he was automatically removed. Then there was a cutie pie named Sox who was black with some white parts and a couple paws were white. She like her at first, he even licked her face, but the second time around she kind of thumped her foot towards him and freaked the poor little guy out, he wanted nothing more to do with her :?. There was another guy named Kay who was so beautiful, he was her perfect match visually, and they didn't 'dislike' each other, but it wasn't exactly love at first sight, she wasn't really that interested in him.

So after three hours, here are some pics of some of the candidates:

Dori getting to know Tucker
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Dori's first interaction with Brando....the little humper :grumpy:
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Dori and Kay, they were so cute together, but the chemistry just wasn't there :sigh
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Dori and Pierre, J LOVED Pierre, lol he really wanted Pierre, but Pierre, even though he seemed comfortable with Dori and she with him, they weren't exactly the perfect couple, he was kind of all over the place, not really paying that much attention to her, I mean, he went to her, but they didn't really do what needed to happen, such as grooming each other and cuddling.
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But out of ALL the buns there was ONE that Dori was pretty smitten with from the beginning. We had them get together about 3 times, and each time she seemed to like him more and more. She started licking him, grooming his head, licking his ears....she was :cloud9 He was comfortable around her, even though he was pretty submissive, he wasn't really opening up to her, mainly I think he was kind of scared of the whole situation. But I think his submissiveness is was Dori like the most. Soooooooo, the WINNER AND DORI'S NEW HUSBUN IS....















TUCKER!

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Tucker's foster family was sad to see him go because they've had him since he was 3 days old, but they were happy to see that this loving little guy of 9 months was going to a loving home with a lifetime friend :) Here are Tucker's first couple hours at home:

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They have to be separated for a little while until I complete the full bonding process before they can live together, but I think we got a good start :D. Also, we are changing Tucker's name, right now its between Saki and Enkei, haven't decided yet. But we are so happy to finally have this new little guy home :cool:
 
Aww, congrats on your new addition! Sound like you guys had a very busy day! Good luck with the bonding process! Your babies are so cute!


Jessica
 
Luvr of Wabbits and Polar Bears wrote:
Congratulations on the new addition. 
What do these names mean Saki and Enkei in english?  I asked my sis but she didn't know.

^^ tehe yeah that! kewl names though!

Prisca xx
 
congrats on the new addition... he is one handsome looking fellow!!!! and good luck with the bonding proces.
 
Congratulations on the new bun! I like how you took the time to make sure Dori was happy with her new bun as well!

I hope they enjoy a long, healthy, happy life together!
:nod

Denise
 
Thank you all! Enkei (that was the final choice :) ) I believe is a dutch mix.

But now for the frustrating part. The bonding process is not going so great :(. Once we got home Dori did a 180 and suddenly decided to be aggressive towards Enkei. When I put them together on dates, and I make them lay next to each other they are fine, the cuddle up and seem good. But as soon as they get up and start walking around, the aggression begins. Usually Dori will try to mount him, then he'll bite her on the but, or she bites him on the butt, or they try to rumble if their noses meet head to head. Sigh, its very discouraging. But, I was told by the House Rabbit Society that it could take weeks, and sometimes a couple months before they can get bonded, so I'm trying to stay positive and taking all their tips on little things I can do, such as putting them in the carrier together on top of the dryer so they can comfort each other in scary situations.

I guess I just really need some encouragement right now, so I'm going to go do some more research on bonding and continue our mission. It's only been a week today, so I'm really trying to think good thoughts!
 
Are they in neutral territory while fighting? We started Toby & Emma's dates in the bathtub. If all went well, we moved them onto the carpeted half of our bathroom. Now, they are able to run around in our hallway (not so neutral territory) and we occasionally have the mounting/nipping thing going on. That is them trying to establish dominance. As long as there is no serious nipping, I don't see much of a problem. Just don't let circling turn into fighting! Good luck!
 
I've also heard that car rides in a laundry basket together and having a meeting on the top of a table are good strategies. :)

Don't give up hope!

Minda
 
Bonding can be difficult. Some tips are: make sure they are on neutral territory, such as a room that Dori is not usually allowed to play in. The reason that she has become aggressive towards him now is that you are home on her turf now, so she is taking charge. I have also found that putting them on a linoleum floor can help, they don't feel as secure walking on it, so they are less likely to try attacking/chasing each other. And like ElfMommy said, car rides together can help also.

Try not to stop a bonding session on a bad note, in other words if they are scuffling don't put them back in their cages right then. You can gently pull them apart, and sort of hold them down and pet them until they calm down, and then let them meet again. Thatis what I have done, at any rate, most times it works quite well.
 
The same things happened when I was trying to bond Rusty and Akira. They would nip each other, and try to hump each other. One day they got into a huge fight where Rusty just decided to bite Akira in the face. She had a pretty bad cut on her eye, but after that huge fight they were inseparable. Don't get discouraged it takes time. It took about two months for them to bond.

I also tried the bathtub thing and they did well. They started to groom and cuddle and comfort each other. Then I moved them to the floor of the bathroom when they were ready. They scuffled a bit but got used to each other. Then I brought in a food dish and they ate out of it together without any fights. Then I sectioned off a small part of my room where Rusty lived and got them to play there. Again, when I thought they were ready I let them eat out of the same dish and then moved them to another section of the room. I kept doing this until they were fine the minute I put them together and for the whole session (15-30 minutes a couple times a day). I then supervised them in the cage until they were fine together. Now they won't leave each other alone. You just need to take it slow, and move on their terms. If you try to go too fast they can go right back to the beginning, which happened with Rusty and Akira one time when I went too fast. Just be patient and everything will work out ;)

Congratulations on the new addition and good luck!
 

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