Will he get over this?

[RebeccaUK]

Hi Everyone

You many remember me saying that I was getting a girl bunny and goingto try and bond her with my 18 month old spoiled buckBenjmain. Well today we collected Twinkle and brought herhome (Sorry no pics as yet) anyway Twinkle is totally adorable - sofriendly and loving. The thing is that rather than keep herinside her hutch we decided to divide up Benjamin's outdoor run so boththe buns could go out in the afternoon for a little run.Benjamin has a massive run about 3mx3m so my husband put some wire downthe centre so they could have half each for the next week or so(obviously we're reluctant to introduce them yet as we were advised tolet them just smell each other for a couple of weeks) So theynow have half a large run each and they can stick their noses throughthe central wire and have a sniff of each other. AnywayTwinkle LOVED the run - she was binkying and hopping all over it - shecame from a shelter and is not used to such a cool place of herown. Anyway, Benjamin WAS NOT happy. He has had hisroom cut in half and has spent most of this afternoon biting anddigging at the central dividing wire and everytime Twinkle came closeto the wire to have a sniff at him he went nuts grunting, biting anddigging. My husband thinks that the main of the problem isbecause the area used to be all Benjamin's and now he's had to come toterms with the fact that Twinkle has stolen half histerritory. What do you guys think? Do you thinkthese early anger signs from Benjamin spell bad news for them everbeing friends? Ultimately the plan was for them to bond but Ijust don't think I could bear to see Benjamin attacking sweet littleTwinkle. Do you think I should just cut my losses and takeher straight back to the shelter? I know it's only been a dayand I haven't really given it a fair trial but I'm so scared that thelonger I keep her the more attached I'll get and the more angry withher Benjamin will get.

Please please any thoughts on this would be most appreciated.

Rebecca

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

Benjamin is being territorial I'd say. That washis territory and suddenly another bunny is in histerritory and he doesn't approve. It will take time for him to get usedto that fact that it is no longer his. My boys do the same thing when Iswitch outdoor runs on them, Mocha hates Spice in his run! Overtime they learn to accept that it's no longer part of their territory(at least, mine did).

That's my opinion on the matter, I may be wrong though.

 

[RebeccaUK]

Oh thanks, that does make me feelbetter. I guess I knew that he was being territorial but it'sso hard to see him getting so vicious with Twinkle. I willjust have to stick with it and hope he gets used to her being in hisrun. My husband had the idea that everyday when we let themout into their runs they could swap over sides every day, so today forexample -Benjamin's had the left side and Twinkles has the right sidethen tomorrow let them in the other sides...What do you think to thisidea? I wasn't sure whether this would work.