Started bonding our rabbits.... Is this good?

[Biscuit&lucyslous_butlers]

We've had biscuit since he was allowed to part from his mother and is now 9 months old. Recently he started to get bored and pull things apart and look slightly bored even thou he has full roam of the house 24/7. We bought Lucy last week to try an bond them and keep him entertained. To start off with there was a lot of chasing and nipping by biscuit but after a lot of supervised introduction it's now stopped...we think! The nipping always started by going nose to nose and they still do that but then just go to sleep. Have they bonded? How much longer until we can leave them unsupervised? excuse the mess but she's still quite shy and don't want to disturb them lol

 

[Bindi]

Chasing, nipping and mounting are all normal behaviours and allowable so long as they aren't aggressive, prolonged or causing excessive stress to one or both rabbits. If the nipping has stopped and they are happy enough to be around each other (that is to say, they don't flinch when one rabbit approaches and they aren't avoiding each other) then you might conclude that they are bonded. When you say "supervised introductions", are you still putting them together and then parting them again, or are they together full time now? If the former, how long are you keeping them together for? If you are worried, perhaps pick a day when you've got a lot of time and have them together all day so you can supervise them for an extended period of time and if there is nothing untoward, try them overnight together. If you are putting them together and then parting them again, you might find that they have to re-establish their relationship where they left off each time, so it might create more nipping etc as they remind each other of who is in charge.

 

[JBun]

The nipping, chasing, and going nose to nose, is them sorting out who is 'top bun' and 'first bun groomed'. Funnily not always the same thing with rabbits. You just don't want to allow fighting, as it will go downhill from there. Sometimes you do need to intervene with some of the dominance issues, so it doesn't escalate, but you also have to allow some of it, as they need to sort these things out. For rabbits that don't immediately take to each other, the bonding process can be very complicated. Sometimes the slow steady approach works best, sometimes it just prolongs the 'pain' and can actually cause things to go backwards if the bonding process is too drawn out. Read and research the topic, but you also sometimes have to just go with your gut, based on what you know about your buns personalities, and how things seem to be progressing.

Once you are to the point where you are going to keep them together and not separate, it is usually best for them to be supervised for at least the first 24 hours, to ensure nothing goes wrong.

http://www.wheekwheekthump.com/2013...rs-guide-rabbit-bonding-everything-need-know/
http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/articles/bond.shtml

 

[Biscuit&lucyslous_butlers]

Well we were separating them up until late yesterday but putting Lucy in her cage next to biscuits litter tray and food but even thou there was the odd nip they were better together. We then made a hole in her caged off area that only she could fit through so when she had enough she could get away from him. She spent the night in her cage out of her own doing as we didn't put her away. Today there's no nipping and she's even spending time under his chair with him and litter tray. When one comes out from under the chair the other shortly follows. I've heard some real horror stories of bonding rabbits and don't want either of them to get hurt but is it possible that it was that simple for us and they can now be left? Is the nose to nose thing a good thing even thou it looks rather aggressive (until they suddenly nod off.)

 

[JBun]

They must feel relatively comfortable with each other or they wouldn't go to sleep. Usually when rabbits go nose to nose, they are waiting for the other rabbit to start grooming them, so they may still be sorting that part out, but still feel comfortable enough to nap with each other.

 

[Biscuit&lucyslous_butlers]

Ah ok. Brilliant thanks for the advice guys. Think one of us will camp out on the living room sofa tonight just encase and perhaps leave her cage about for a week so she can escape if she needs to..... With any luck it was just that easy thou!

 

[Bindi]

Good luck. The fact that they've gone this far is a good sign. Usually if love isn't going to happen, it would have blown up long before now.