Need reassurance - bonding

[BugLady]

Hi! Warning, long story...
My first bun is Rascal - I adopted him 6 months ago. He's nearly 1.5yrs, neutered, chocolate dutch.

We've come a long way from the skittish bun he used to be, he's a confident handsome house rabbit now. But I know my schedule gets crazy sometimes, so I wanted to get him a bondmate.

Last saturday I brought him to a rabbit shelter to meet some ladies.
The first one dominated him way too much, he was terrified.

The second one he humped like crazy, taking big chunks of fur out, but she was sort of a lump, just sat there and took it, not much personality... and Rascal would smack her when she tried to share hay with him.

The third one seemed promising - eating hay and veggies together, sniffing, tail wiggling. I thought she was great, so I took her home. She's spayed, 1.5yrs, some sort of white/brown spotted mix. Her name is Appledot.




It's turned into a territorial poop war! Put them in my bedroom (all bunny proofed), where Rascal was never allowed. So it would be neutral territory. Well they each claimed one litter box and leave a giant scattered perimeter of poops around them. I mean like 100+ poops in a few hours. This is quite frustrating, since Rascal was perfect with his litter box before.

They get along... no fighting... but no humping either. They both appear to be submissive! They both put their heads down, sometimes holding their heads together for several minutes, waiting for grooming... but nobody will make the first move. So they give up. They will lay within a few feet of each other, but not close. They share food and treats wonderfully. They get kind of twitchy if the other gets close enough for a nudge or sniff, and will either hop away or put their head down.

Has anyone had a similar scenario that resulted in happy bonded buns? I'm not sure what else to do, aside from waiting.

I can handle their emotional journey but I cannot take much more of this "I forgot how to use a litterbox" nonsense.

 

[LakeCondo]

If it's only poops that aren't in the boxes, it's not SO bad.

Someone mentioned once that they solved the no-one-wants-to-groom-first impasse by putting a dab of food on one's face. The other rabbit licked it off & things improved from there.

But it's been less than a week, so I think things are going pretty well. They can't keep up the poop production much longer & they're not fighting.

 

[Blue eyes]

I agree. If they aren't fighting or even chasing the other away, then they are doing well. Eating together is another encouraging sign. They won't do that unless they are feeling comfortable with each other.

The poop wars will eventually end. That's really nothing compared to how well it sounds like they are getting along.

The head to head thing is them being stubborn. Whoever grooms the other in that scenario will be submissive, so obviously neither is willing to submit yet. But the fact that that hasn't turned into a nip is very encouraging.

If one tucks his head down as the other approaches, that is a non-aggressive posture -- another good sign.

It sounds to me like things are going quite well. Don't let the poo bother you -- it's only temporary and a small price to pay for a couple happily bonded buns!

 

[BugLady]

Thanks guys!
I moved them to my living room last night - also totally rabbit proofed. Thought the change of scenery might help. Rascal is happy to be back in his territory. Appledot quickly found all the best resting spots, and they played happily in their cardboard box castles.

The poop has lessened a bit.
Still acting mostly the same toward each other.

But I just saw Rascal try to mount Appledot! She ran away though. Perhaps a good sign that they're going to figure out their relationship?

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Rabbit poop--why man was inspired to build the "shop-vac".

 

[ldoerr]

The poop is no big deal. I just sweep it up (do not have a shop vac). It should go away in a week or two. To me it sounds like your rabbits will make a great pair.