peeta and polly bonding journal

[flemish giant]

So I decided to keep a journal on bonding peeta and Polly! It will help me keep up with progress and help anybody considering a second bunny. I will update with pics as the bonding progresses. The first pics is of peeta in his cage and Polly out playing. They met for the first time and so far there hasn't been much aggression. Tomorrow they will have their first date in the bathroom.

 

[Azerane]

Aww, aren't they sweet Best of luck with their date tomorrow!

 

[flemish giant]

OK so first picture is the setup. The rest of the pics are their first date. So far they are doing great no humping or chasing and they've sat by each other and kinda kissed each other. Looks like love at first site. But I do have a question. I'm doing 30 min sessions since they are so good. How many should I do a day and if they continue what else should I do before I put them together?

 

[flemish giant]

Im letting them meet in my room were the cages are. They're a little more aggressive. They both tried to hump but it seems peeta won the humping war. Is it bad to let them meet in this non neutral territory if there's no aggression?

 

[flemish giant]

Can I give each bunny exercise while the other is in their cage?

 

[ZoeStevens]

My rabbits bonded almost instantly, just like yours did. I did not restrict their meetings to a specific number of minutes. I just let them hang out together while I was able to keep an eye on them. They humped each other a lot the first morning but that was it.

As the days go by you will start to feel more comfortable leaving the room for a glass of water or to pee, and leaving the bunnies together and once they are not humping each other and are being affectionate together, and you feel good about it, you can.

My bunnies were in the same cage as of night #2. I did it during the weekend so I could stay near the cage in case they started fighting during the day or night and they did not. Once they will eat and groom together, and are no longer humping each other, the chances of them really fighting go WAY down because they have already worked out the pecking order.

Humping isn't really aggression, and don't stop it unless someone's face is being humped or it lasts a long time. They need to hump each other a bit to figure it all out. "I circle you, your circle me" is normal

 

[flemish giant]

Oh OK. Thanks for posting your experience!

So I let them hang out in a playpen downstairs and they're doing OK they still hump and circle peetas obviously more dominant but Polly doesn't want to be totally submissive yet. Is it bad to leave them together for a while? Polly has a tunnel she can get away from peeta but I don't wanna stress her out too much. Here's a pic of them eating hay together. I think I'm gonna need a bigger litter box

 

[flemish giant]

To me Polly looks bigger than peeta but she weighs a pound less. She had to get a tummy tuck though when she was spayed BC of how obese she was. I think that was a while ago though.

 

[flemish giant]

Here's a few pics of them laying together. In the first poc is she trying to be dominant by telling him to groom her?

 

[ZoeStevens]

You can leave them together, yep, just keep an eye out in case they get carried away. I think the brown one is being submissive in these photos - usually rabbits "chin" things to claim them, and bump with their foreheads to be submissive. But I'm not an expert here!

 

[flemish giant]

I'm not confident enough to keep them together while I'm not watching them right now. They still have their hump fests ocasionally.

 

[ZoeStevens]

I'm not confident enough to keep them together while I'm not watching them right now. They still have their hump fests ocasionally.

I wouldn't stray too far while they are still humping each other, but you can certainly go pee or get a glass of water or whatever. Probably nothing will happen, but they can get carried away, and I have heard of females inflicting damage on the penis of a male humping their face. This is rare though, I wouldn't worry too much. You know how they are doing the best so go at the pace you feel is right.

 

[flemish giant]

Yea they've been doing really good. No more humping as of now. I'm letting them free roam together until I go to sleep then they go to sleep in seperate cages.

 

[Troller]

I'm jealous of you, and all the folks who's bunnies get along rather quickly. Hell, my whole blog has been practically nothing but bonding my two indifferent bunnies. Sounds like you got yourself a good match and I look forward to reading about them.

 

[flemish giant]

I really thought It was going to be a long bonding process BC I didn't let him pick her but apparent ally I know peeta enough to pick a good personality for him. I hope you rabbits bond soon though!

 

[flemish giant]

Peeta is using his basket as a litter box guess I'll have to take that out.

 

[flemish giant]

They've had two big fights today. Looks like I'm moving backwards to neutral territory.

 

[ZoeStevens]

They've had two big fights today. Looks like I'm moving backwards to neutral territory.

Silly bunnies!

 

[flemish giant]

They were doing so good! now peetas under my bed pouting.

 

[ZoeStevens]

It's not necessarily a bad thing. Ultimately, it's how they can figure out whose on top when they both want to be.