not a troll in need of urgent help

[jack&hetty]

Hi. I don't know if anyone has read anyof my previous replies to posts about how we have just bought jack a gfcalled hetti?

Anyway, I though things were going pretty well. Friday nightI picked her up and set up her indoor hutch inside Jacks big pen he hasindoors. Jack imediately pined after her so I let him in andalthough there was a bit of mounting they seemed happytogether.

Saturday nightI moved them both into Jacks hutch and run asher pen is hard to get out of. There was a bit of scratchingby jack and he seemed a bit more boisterous but they both seemedfine. Today I was going to leave them in the hutch togetheras she needs to learn potty training from scratch as the run is toomuch freedom but I have just gone into set them up for the day withwater and food and hetti was on top of jack humping him (for lack of abetter word). I would not have worried at this because I knowshe is now pulling rank but she wasn't just ontop of him she was bitinghim. I had to pull her off him and they are now in seperatedcages.

Jack is not bleeding and they are once again sniffing at eachotherthrough the bars making me feel guilty as sinn and I do not know whatto do. Obviously she cannot be shut up with him all day andif I leave her in her big hutch all day she will learn to use that as atoilet instead of his...

What do I do? Should I have seperated them? Please help as Ihave to go to work in 4hrs and don't want to do the wrongthing.

 

[Rowan]

Hi Jack

Definitely separate them while you're not there to supervise. Don'tworry too much about the toilet training thing, she'll start going inone area more than others and then when she does you can put a littertray there. In a new place like Jack's hutch she's likely to keep usingthe litter tray if you just transfer it. Bonding can take weeks, andit's important to go slow, litter training is a very secondary thinghere.

I've missed a lot of posts recently soI don't know if they'reneutered, but if they aren't she's probably pregnant by now so you'dhave to separate them in any case.

I hope they do bond well and become a happy and loving pair, but forthe meantime don't try to rush the bonding. Sometimes it happensinstantly, but most of the time it takes long slow work to make ithappen. There are some good bonding posts and links on here.

Butyou mustn't leave them unsupervised for some weeks untilyou're absolutely certain they won't fight. Rabbits fighting in aconfined hutch space will often end up at best seriously injured and atworst with one or both dead .

 

[jack&hetty]

Rowan,

thanks for replying. Jack was neutered a week for christmas so I don't think she is pregnant.

They were fine friday - last night but now this has happened at presentshe is in her hutch outside of his and he is laid down next to it. doesthis mean that he wants her back?

Can you trust animals to know what is best for them?

It is possible that I misjudged it, didn't like seeing her ontop. I spoke to my mum and she said that hetti was probablygetting her own back and leave them to it but you r right, the book iread about getting them bonded said that leaving two rabbits to fightit out could be disastrous.

The book just doesnt tell u what to do if rabbits that were getting on suddenly start nipping eachother or if this is normal.

Still not sure what to do and it doesnt help with jack making me feel guilty.

Thanks for replying I really appreciate it.

Sam xx

 

[Rowan]

Hi Sam

I'm glad that Jack's neutered so there's definitely no babies on theway . Rabbits can get on fine the first meeting but it often doesn'tlast. This isn't unusual it just means they're going to take time tobond properly.

The fact that they seem to want to be together is a good sign, but don't hurry it.

Rabbits can be fine with each other one minute and trying to disemboweleach other shortly after. Once they're fully bonded they won't fightbut as I say this usually takes weeks of careful effort on your part.Don't feel guilty for keeping them separate at the moment, Jack isstill able toknow Hetti's there and he'll be enjoying that.Just keep letting them be together for short supervised sessions andget used to each others scent etc the rest of the time.

If Hetti isn't neutered yet she's likely to be harder to bond with himthan otherwise because of hormonal issues, it might be worth thinkingabout having her spayed if the aggression between them keepsresurfacing. I don't know how old she is but she can be spayed any timeafter six months.

Best of luck

Kate

 

[jack&hetty]

Kate,

She is quiet small. When we got Jack he was 4-5months. She is a little bit smaller so I should imagine sheis about 4 months so she may have to wait a couple months to be spayed?

I'm glad u said I was doing the right thing I feel like such a rotter at the moment.

Jack is currently furthest point away from her having a lie down andshe is clambering everywhere in her pen, presume she is trying toadjust to being back in there.

Will let them out together when I get home from work at least that wayshe will have had some excercise aswell. At the moment Jackhas his run and she is on the otherside she probably wants her freedombut its not so bad because she can learn to go in one place which iswhat we wanted anyway :0)

At least when I'm at work I don't feel guilty. Won't they miss eachother tonight though when I shut them up for bed?

btw have attached a picture of jack and hetty when they were getting on xx

 

[Rowan]

Hi Sam

You're doing the right thing, though I know it might feel hard at themoment. She is too young to be spayed yet but it's something that'll beworth doing when she's older.

They're both beautiful little rabbits. They'll get there. Don't worryabout them being separated at night, it's far better to go slowly thanrush it and have a disaster where they may end up injured, dead or sounhappy with each other that they'll never bond.

Just give them both lots of love and follow the bonding advice on oldthreads here or on related websites. You're not being a rotter to wantthem both to be happy and healthy .

Kate

 

[RaspberrySwirl]

Howdy! I don'thave much experience withbonding, so I'll leave the advice up to others, but I wanted to tellyou I thought the title of your thread was very funny in light of allthat 's been going on around here!

Humor is much appreciated! Good Luck with your "situation"!

RaspberrySwirl

 

[black_jack]

RaspberrySwirl wrote:

Howdy! I don'thave much experience withbonding, so I'll leave the advice up to others, but I wanted to tellyou I thought the title of your thread was very funny in light of allthat 's been going on around here!

Humor is much appreciated! Good Luck with your "situation"!

RaspberrySwirl

Thanks Raspberry :0)

 

[black_jack]

Thanks Kate, well im at work and have left themseperate and going out after work so will take my mind off it. thinkjack will appreciate the time out and get his self respect back lol.

Do female rabbits usually mount male rabbits?

 

[rabbitgirl]

They can. It's a dominance thing.

 

[Rowan]

Mounting is a dominance thing, it doesn't matterwhat sex the rabbit is. They're just trying to work out who's going tobe boss .

Hope you have a good evening.

Kate

 

[black_jack]

ahhh I had wondered. I thought that itwas a dominance thing but when we bought hetti the pet shop said theywerent sure if it was a male that had hopped into the female boxrofl..btw i am jack&hetty. I had a log in at work andcreated one at home having forgotten about the website rofl.

Thanks again for all of your help hope you have a nice evening tookate..mine doesnt start for another 3 1/2 hrs as am stuck in snowyengland xx

 

[Buck Jones]

Even if buns previously got along, things likepuberty and age can alter the relationship. It would probablybe wise to get Hetti spayed, if she has not been, in order toincrease her own longevity and kind of level the playing field betweenthe two of them. Jack's reduction in hormones, without acommensurate diminishing of Hetti's could possibly be at play here.

One of the best bonding sites I've been able to locate is:http://www.mybunnies.com/bonding.htm.

House Rabbit Society athttp://www.rabbit.org/behavior/index.htmlisbeneficial as well.

Buck

 

[Carolyn]

Just wanted to say hello,black_jack,

I hope you can get on the other side of the bonding issue. Ittakes time and patience, but I know that the bonding site that Buck hasled to many successful bunny families.

Best of Luck.

-Carolyn

 

[Stephanie]

If you follow the advice from Buck's link, youwill have a happily bonded pair of rabbits. It worked for me andInow have three rabbits (2 bucks and a doe) all happilyliving togther in one cage.

Welcome to the forum!

 

[black_jack]

Thanks Buck. Will have a shufflethrough the info when I'm at home tonight its not quiet enough in herefor me to dothat (at work).

I really appreciate everyones help xx