My Girls!

[littl3red]

Hey, all! I decided to start a new blog for Teddy and Maya together (the old one sort of flopped...) I'll just copy over my first post about Maya to get everything started.

So, first thing's first... PICTURES!

Most of the pictures are just blurs, I couldn't get her to sit still. :rollseyes

Also, very few are of her face...

Run Maya run!

And here she is with her elephant. Apparently, she is NEVER to be separated from her elephant. They even rode in the carrier together. Looks like Teddy's got some competition. I kinda want to name the elephant. Any ideas for elephant names?

Also, you might notice the dewlap in the second picture. Maya used to be really REALLY overweight before she was put up for adoption so she still has some flabby skin left over from her fat days. But don't worry, she's healthy and active now!

There have been some VERY minor scuffles (started by Teddy) between the cage halves, but I have been closed by and armed with a spray bottle full of water, so they ended very VERY quickly. Maya settled in pretty quickly, which is super good. I'm so glad to have her, she's ALREADY coming up to me for head pats so I have a feeling she's gonna be a huge joy to have around. :biggrin:

Start new content

So, I'm about to put them together for a few minutes on neutral territory... Fingers crossed and wish me luck! ray:

 

[Blue eyes]

Can you remind me as you start this blog... how old is Teddy and how recently did you pick up Maya? Is this going to be their first bonding session? And I couldn't quite tell from the photos, are they in a divided cage or 2 separate cages?

Seems there are a few members bonding bunnies right now.

 

[littl3red]

There is no information on Teddy really, she was brought into the shelter as a stray, so all I know is that she's an adult. Maya is five I believe, and I brought her home yesterday. It wasn't so much of a "bonding session" as a second date to see how things went. And they went pretty well. There was quite a bit of Maya, er... asserting her dominance, but Maya also groomed Teddy, they both groomed themselves, and Teddy even laid down all stretched out at one point. And they were super cuddly. Luckily, no fights whatsoever, so that's good.

This is how it started out, Maya mostly just begging me for head pats and Teddy assessing the situation from afar.

And then Maya noticed Teddy...

They both get on the floormat. (Neither of them seems to like tile floors but Maya won't even walk on them unless you put her on it, and then she'll go right back to the floormat.

Then there was a lot of Maya being dominant, and Teddy didn't try to fight or even run away really. She's just like "Yeah, whatever, you're the boss."

Aww. :love:

"Are you... taking pictures of us?" "No, of course not, Maya, just keep being adorable. It's okay. "

So there was their second date, I ended it on a good note. One thing I'm wondering, when should I start cage switching? Or maybe toy switching? I've read all about what to do but nothing really says when to do it...

 

[Blue eyes]

You just got Maya yesterday and she was begging for head pats!?!:shock: Amazing!
It sure sounds like things are going wonderfully.

Do you intend to use one of their cages for the both when they are fully bonded? Or are you going to dismantle and make a new cage for them to share?

I tried the cage switching with a pair I was trying to bond. It ended not working out at all. I don't know if the cage switching was the cause of the problem or it was simply that they just didn't get along. With them, things got worse with each bonding session. So I don't know what role the cage switching played.

You might want to read the newer posts on the Antics of Agnes. She details her bonding journey...

 

[littl3red]

Yeah, I've been following her. And she begs for head pats, yeah, she's a VERY social bunny. Her foster parents did a REALLY good job of socializing her. And I plan on taking the divider out when they're bonded. Sorry I didn't clarify, they are in a divided cage, not two different cages.

 

[JBun]

They're so cute together!!! How lucky to get such a well socialized rabbit. Good luck on the bonding. Seems to be going really well so far.

 

[whitelop]

They are really cute together. I'm so glad that Maya is settling in so well and their second date went well!

I never realized how long Teddy's fur was, she's so pretty.

 

[agnesthelion]

Wow. Maya sounds like a total sweetie! That is fabulous that she's coming up to you already. Yay!!

I love the pic of them nose to nose, they really compliment each other since they are both black and white. So cute!

I would do cage switching but not quite yet. Start with switching toys and blankets and food bowls. When you do start cage switching do it briefly and work up as far as the length. And eventually you'll have to incorporate the elephant in there somehow too. You will want teddys scent to get on the elephant. But dont stress Maya out yet. It's hard not to want to rush things but you don't want a set back.

I think that is an excellent first date. I think anything but fighting is promising.

 

[cwolfec]

Sounds like good progress to me! I would definitely wait awhile before taking the divider out of the cage. Even when my boys had become good friends for awhile, they still both got territorial about their cages. I have morphed them out of even having a cage. I made them a massive NIC unit (which you can't even call a cage because it's so huge), and then full run of the room.

I LOVE your Teddy's long skirt! SO cute! And I agree with Liza above, I love that they are both black and white but so different!

 

[holtzchick]

The are adorable together! The nose to nose picture is also my favorite. Good luck bonding them and keep us up to date with the progress!

 

[Nancy McClelland]

:inlove: so fluffy!

 

[Hyatt101]

I love Maya! Have you decided to leave that as her name or are you changing it?

 

[littl3red]

Yeah, I decided to leave that as her name.

 

[littl3red]

Alright, so I don't have a whole lot of new news. Maya is still mounting relentlessly, and Teddy still doesn't get upset, but she seems scared when it happens. Should I be worried? I just wish they would hurry up and get over this "phase" but I know they just need to work it out.

Here's a couple new pictures:

This bed used to be my boyfriend's cat's bed, and then he said she doesn't like it, so I thought maybe Teddy would. But she didn't. So it's just kinda been sitting there and I was like "Well, I'll try it with Maya" and she LOVES the thing. Glad it's not just sitting there anymore.

And this is the only semi-interesting picture that came from yesterday's bonding session. Remember how neither one likes tile floors? I found a way to use that to my advantage.

 

[agnesthelion]

I wouldn't worry about the mounting yet. They are pretty new. As long as it doesn't start a fight. Watch closely for signs. Teddys fear could possible turn into aggression, but that may never end up happening either so don't stress about that.

I think it was about a week and Archies humping diminished.

They sure are both beauties are you surprised that Maya has started off dominant? I thought I remember you saying someone about you thinking Teddy would be dominant.

Glad you are getting some use out of the cat bed. That's cute

 

[littl3red]

I am really surprised Maya started off dominant, yeah. Teddy definitely bossed me around, so it seems weird to me that she's letting Maya act like that, really. Plus, Maya's foster parents said she's really laid back, and she has been toward me, but not really Teddy... Bunnies are so weird. :rollseyes

 

[holtzchick]

I'm not sure if you've read through Lisa's blog but somewhere in there or maybe it was in a thread, it said that Archie appeared to be the dominant one at first bun then it turns out that Agnes is the dominant bun

Yes, buns can be confusing! The fun part is untangling their lingo with each other!

 

[littl3red]

Okay, so I tried moving the bonding to their shared space today instead of the bathroom, because Maya won't leave her little towel in the bathroom and so I thought it would be better if it were on carpet. NO. they fought. Maya was trying to mount Teddy and Teddy was trying to mount Maya and it ended with a scuffle and some tufts of hair being pulled. They were quickly put in their cages and there was no fighting when they were separated... so I guess I'm gonna have to figure something else out.

 

[agnesthelion]

That's unfortunate, but not the end of the world.

Thats usually when a fight begins is when one won't back down. Teddy probably felt a surge of "power" so to speak, in her own area.

It's also so tempting to move too fast in bonding. I keep mentioning in my blog that's why I've went SO slow (course, maybe too slow at times, haha) is because every time I read about fights in bonding it's moving too fast.

You haven't even had her a week yet, right? So they are still pretty new. I didn't even do my first bonding date until 5 days after Archie had come home, and then it was only for 5 minutes.

What is the longest you've had them "date" in the bathroom? I would say to get them where they can spend an hour or two together with not one incident before you move on.

And yes, its kinda boring sitting in the bathroom

As far as them hating the tile, I would try and find maybe old rugs? An old sheet? Old blanket? ....that you could lay down on the floor in the bathroom. Hopefully that would help.

 

[littl3red]

I might try an old blanket in the bathroom. The fight hasn't seemed to set us back too much since I was able to separate them quickly. I wasn't even trying to rush things, I just wanted them off of the tile. But yeah, I'll try an old blanket or something next time. The longest date has been about half an hour, just because I keep them together for as long as they'll get along. Up until I finally get so bored out of my mind I have to put them back, that is, because I could leave them in the bathroom for all of eternity and they'd get along fine. Nothing is happening. They're just in there getting along. It feels like they'll never be bonded.