"Pre-Bonding" with Nibbles and Junie

[mdith4him]

Hi all,

Since the first week in January, Nibbles and Junie have been next to each other in separate cages in the living room. We had Nibbles neutered a little over three weeks ago, so we're waiting a couple more weeks before we officially start to bond them. I had read that putting their cages near each other could help them get used to each other (and it's more convenient for us), so we've kept it that way. Junie is EXTREMELY interested in Nibbles. Any time he's near her in his cage, she jumps over and sticks her nose through the cage bars. Sometimes he just ignores her, but a lot of times he nips at her through the bars. I figured that was fairly normal at the beginning, but I was hoping by now (a month+ into this) that he would have become a little more tolerant.

Yesterday evening, they were sniffing at each other and he had nipped her a few times. She usually just jumps back for a second and then goes right back to having her nose stuck between the bars. Well, then he really must've gotten her good because it looked like he nipped her again, but this time she jumped WAY back with her eyes closed and she was jerking her head (but not in a cute binky way). She was rubbing her face with her paws for a few seconds. After a minute or so she was back to her normal self and we couldn't see anything bleeding or scratched. We didn't want anything bad happening overnight, so we put up some cardboard between the parts of their cages that touch so they can't get to each other.

Tonight, we let Nibbles run around in the living room and he kept going over to her cage area and sniffing around. She, of course, would instantly run over to him and stick her nose through the bars. He was nipping her like he does. I moved him away several times, but he kept coming back, so then I tried gently pushing his head down to the ground (not rough, but firmly). He would have his nose through bars and she would push her nose next to his and just sit there still as could be, sometimes with her eyes closed. As long as I was petting him, he sat still, too. She licked him a bit and I think he licked her once or twice, but I couldn't tell exactly.

Anyway, that's quite a bit! Does this sound normal? Does he sound overly aggressive? Is this any indication of how things will go when we put them in a neutral area together and begin trying to really bond them?

Thanks for the help! This is the first time we'll have tried to bond bunnies before!

 

[LakeCondo]

It sounds ok to me, but all I have to go one is what other people have said.

Are they both the same size. I'd be more concerned if he were bigger than she.

 

[mrbunny]

Right now, they are just starting to realize the other bun's presence. So they are both a little scared and defensive, maybe even angry. Nipping is normal, it may mean that they are starting to become curious about each other. Just to be safe, I would perhaps place a board or push their cages a little further apart from each other so nobody gets hurt.

You can encourage the buns to get used to each other's scent by switching up their towels and toys in the meantime. Warning: They may pee/mark the other bun's stuff. This will be the start of the great and numerous marking wars.

After a period of time where you feel that they have adjusted to each other's scents (and after the post-neuter period of course), you can take switch the buns into each other cages every other night. Again, there will be another great many marking wars between the two buns.

You can also introduce the buns to each other now (adjusted to scents/presence) in a smaller and enclosed space. This is so you can control the environment. A bathtub, x-pen, small walk-in closet, etc. will work. Some people like to have their buns on leashes just in case, but it's up to you and depends on the rabbit's temperament. Have a water spray bottle ready to discourage and stop any aggressive behaviour.

For myself, I like x-pens and food is usually something bunnies like anyway, so I usually have a lot of food-related dates. Just have a chair nearby and watch them. Have the first date for about five minutes and gradually increase the time for the next dates. Try to keep the dates pleasant, so they will associate good things with each other. Keep the first dates short and sweet.

 

[mrbunny]

I wrote more than I meant to, sorry.

You can read up on bonding rabbits from HRS or many rabbit rescue websites.

 

[mrbunny]

Different-sized breeds is not a huge issue for bonding rabbits. Just make sure you supervise and watch how they interact with each other when you get to the in-bunny (person) meets. (Be prepared to separate them if things get aggressive.)

Again, I would perhaps put a board in-between the cages or keep their cages further away from each other to minimize nipping and injuries.

 

[ZRabbits]

Thanks MrBunny, appreciate your input.

Hope I'm not hijacking, but am very curious of the outcome of Nibbles and Junie.

Kreacher and Dobby had to be separated because of aggression behavior on Kreacher's part. I've got Dobby and Willard side by side with a pretty good space between them so they can't get at each other. And in time they have started noticing one another and are curious of each other. I would really like to put them together because I really think they would bond. Not living together but playing together.

So Thanks again MrBunny. I'll try your suggestion.

K

 

[mrbunny]

It depends, but I think most buns are pretty sociable and like the company of other buns. I have two pairs(?) of bonded buns (four in total). They all know each other; play and eat together sometimes as well. The four of them speed around in big circles sometimes as if they're racing/playing tag. That said, I have been pretty lucky and my buns are pretty mellow for most part.

Just a heads-up on the poop wars. The buns *really* go all in when they meet. It will be really messy. Be prepared to step on poop each step of the way. At the same time, it will be pretty darn great and funny. You will get to see how the buns race to see who can mark/chin the most stuff in the shortest amount of time.

 

[mdith4him]

Thanks for the responses!

We'll definitely keep the boards up between them so he can't get at her when we're not around. The only time he can actually reach her is if we let him out of his NIC cage and into the living room to play. Then he can run around to another side of her cage, but when that happens, we're always around to watch and separate them if necessary.

We have to wait on the bathtub bonding dates for a little while longer. The vet told us four weeks post-neuter was okay, but closer to eight weeks would be best. I think we're going to aim for around 6 weeks (which will be late February). I've tried to read as much as I can about bonding rabbits at that stage, but there isn't quite as much written about the type of "pre-bonding" like we have going on right now.

I'll definitely try putting them in each other's cages for a little while! That sounds like a great idea. Junie already poos everywhere, so I'm used to cleaning that up. It'll be interesting to see what Nibbles does in her cage, though. Her cage is much smaller than his, so I don't think we could leave them the whole night. He's a 4 lb mix and she's a Netherland Dwarf. We've not had her weighed before, so I'm not sure how heavy she is, but she's much smaller than him.

Thanks again--I'll let you all know how things progress!

 

[LakeCondo]

mrbunny wrote:

Different-sized breeds is not a huge issue for bonding rabbits.

I assume it's an issue in terms of how quickly a fight can turn ugly.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Some bond with no problem, and others are a lot of work. Our Commander Bun-Bun was not a friendly girl at all and would attack any bunny no matter the size.

 

[mdith4him]

So, I'm getting a little nervous about the actual Bunny Date #1. We decided to start the "official" bonding process next weekend with a 5(ish) minute bathtub date. Neither of them have been in the bathroom before, so it will be a neutral territory. I'll have a bath towel on the bottom with lots of hay and maybe some romaine for Nibbles. We've got heavy duty gloves and a water squirt bottle ready to go to break up any potential fights.

Anyway, he's still nipping at her through the bars every chance he gets. She lies on the floor, flat as a pancake sometimes, with her nose through the bars. She still jerks back when he gets her, but then she goes right back to having her nose where he can get it! He's also started to bat at her with his paws (obviously, he just ends up hitting the NIC grid), but he hadn't been doing that before. I just hope he doesn't full out attack or something when we finally put them together! :nerves1

I'll keep you all posted on what happens.

EDIT: Just after I posted this, I saw him nipping at her again. I moved her a tiny bit away from the gate so he couldn't reach her. Then he lay down right on the other side from her! Is this rabbit sending mixed signals or what? I'm so confused about what he feels toward her...

 

[funnybunnymummy]

She's in the cage, and he's outside of it, right? I believe when they do that it's a dominance thing, not a companionship thing. Like when bunnies get into a flopping contest.

They'll eventually have to work out who's the dominant one. It sounds like he wants to be dominant. As long as she's willing to be submissive, they should bond easily. If she tries to be dominant, it'll be more challenging. But unless they're both super dominant personalities, they should be able to work it out and bond.

Hope that helps!

Rue