New addition, time to bond!

[lyndym]

My boy Doc lost his mate Dora back in December, and this past weekend we took him on some dates and came home with a new girl! I pretty much bonded Doc and Dora back in the day, but will welcome new tips! What has worked best for you in the past?

 

[agnesthelion]

Aww how exciting! Sorry to hear about Dora

I bonded my two back in October. I kept their cages side by side, seperate free run time and started with daily bunny dates in a neutral bathroom.

I then moved to NONneutral territory, shared free run time and when they could be together without one incident for about 4-5 hours I moved them into the same cage. The whole process took about 30 days.

Here is my favorite bonding article in case you need any refreshers from when you did it before

http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/articles/bond.shtml

Best of luck! Let us know how things go!

 

[lyndym]

Thanks for the link! As I got halfway through, I realized that I definitely used the same article when bonding Doc and Dora! It took us about a month as well. Hopefully Doc and Aurora take around the same time and not much longer. She's been home for just a few days, but it's not going as well as I'd hoped from their date at the shelter. I can tell she's nervous about being in a new place and seems like she's viewing him as more of a threat even though he's bowed his head for licks every time I've worked with them. She's just a bit jumpy and every time he moves a bit to hop around, she goes in for the attack. :-/

 

[holtzchick]

Oh my.... Well some of us aren't as lucky as Lisa with their bunny bonding!! I've had my new addition here since the beginning of December and he is just starting to warm up to my female in an attached cage!! Visit my blog as well perhaps that will give you another perspective on how certain enclosures work.... It seems that now I have a proper bond set up and am finally making good progress ... Good luck don't stress

 

[Troller]

Sorry to hear about your loss, but congratulations on your new addition and good luck with the bonding.

 

[lyndym]

Thanks Michael!

Just as an update.. Things have gotten worse ever since the first date! New bun Aurora does not seem happy with Doc at all.. He is innocently curious about her and has lowered his head for licks a few times. She, on the other hand, charges at him with an attack every time he moves. The shelter recommended that I get into a small pen with them and start off by petting them, which is what I've been doing. The last couple of times it's barely been a minute before Aurora goes on the defense and I have to grab Doc out of there, usually getting mauled by both buns in the process. The woman at the shelter recommended I now give it a few more days before trying again, let Aurora get a little more comfortable in her new home, but I'm getting a little worried! Otherwise she is only a little shy, will let me pet her, and warms up to running and binking around during her play time. Trying to stay positive!

 

[agnesthelion]

You just brought her home so I think you might be moving a bit fast. I would let her get acclimated in her new home and also form a bond with you first! Right now she's probably scared of everything so trying to bond her right off might be a bit much.
Also, where are these meetings between your buns taking place? How long was the first date? And also, how long has she been spayed?

 

[LoveMochi]

When you took them back home did you put them in the same carrier? The foundation that I used to volunteer for did speed dates then they tell you to put them in the same carrier to help them bond

 

[lyndym]

Their first date was at the shelter, in a neutral area. Small pen, just enough room for the worker to moderate and the buns. They were together maybe 10-15 minutes, then maybe 20-30 more later to double check. Aurora had previously been in foster care with the woman who was helping us, and it was her first day at the shelter.

Since being home, I've been doing bonding sessions in a small pen similar to their date. I did it next to their play area the first few times (apartment living makes it hard to find neutral space that isn't my roommate's) then moved to the kitchen to see if we'd be more successful somewhere no rabbits have seen before. The time in the kitchen was the first time things exploded right off the bat! Doc was just curious, even in a small pen he was trying to look around, and Aurora doesn't like it when he moves.

I believe she was spayed in December. Her foster mom is going to send me the official certificate. After Doc and Dora were fixed, it took maybe 4-6 weeks for them to start getting along, but they started off being able to play in a larger area with supervision, whereas Doc and Aurora can't be set down in the same space at all right now. The woman told us Aurora had never been aggressive with any other buns and was very sweet, but she is the one starting all the fights since we've gotten home. :sigh:

And yes, they were in the same carrier on the way home! And it was a long drive, about an hour. They did fine with that.

 

[agnesthelion]

Ok, I would still wait awhile before dating again. Maybe even a couple weeks. Really work on getting her settled in bonded to you first Also, small areas are good for non neutral dates at first. Like bathtubs, closets. Not sure how big the kitchen is but too much space can actually make them fight. Weird I know i would avoid a pen date in their play area just yet. Again, after the couple weeks, keep the very first date short. Like 5 minutes maybe. End on a positive note.

 

[missyscove]

I bonded my two last month. It's tricky when one bunny already believes that it's his territory and some one new is encroaching on it. Have you tried car rides? A similar option is sitting in a carrier on top of a washer or dryer or even just being carried around the house in a carrier, something to stress them out just enough that they'll seek out another rabbit for comfort.

 

[lyndym]

Lisa - The pen wasn't its normal size, I reduced it way down so there was basically room for me and two buns. They haven't been in anything larger than that together yet. This is what the lady at the shelter/Aurora's foster mom recommended, though not something I did with Doc and Dora. I thought about the bathtub method, but after a couple of negative experiences in the pen, I was afraid I might have trouble getting out of the tub with a rabbit! At any rate, I'm giving it at least until sometime next week.

Christina - I'm actually a little pleasantly surprised at Doc. The few bonding sessions that began well, he was the first to put his head down to be groomed! I was worried he would immediately reject the idea of having Aurora around since he's been a bachelor for a couple months, but the most he's done in protest has been in his own defense to her attacks and pooping on the floor after her play time. Car rides really helped him and Dora along, so perhaps I'll try that in awhile.

Just as a general update, Aurora's really settling in nicely now. She had been mostly hiding under this little wooden house when in one of the cages, or mostly hiding in cardboard play houses when out, but now she's lounging about in her litter box, and she and Doc frequently sit close to each other in their separate cages. She also has been running and binking up a storm the past couple of nights! She doesn't seem to mind his scent at all, she's never pooped outside the box during play time or when I switch their cages. arty0002: