Gracie and Dino – is it bunny luv?

[bunnymama]

Okay so here we go again. This will be our third bonding attempt.

See also in Bonding section Baby and Gracie – bonding 2 females by BunnyMama

And Baby and Dino by Bunny Mama in Bonding Section

 

So I now have 3 rabbits.  Baby #1 a dwarf, lillac female

Gracie #2 dwarf lion’s head female

Dino #3 dwarf lop male

After having no luck bonding Baby & Gracie and then Baby & Dino, I’m now onto Gracie & Dino.

I took them down to the Red Door Shelter in Chicago to do introduction which went remarkably well.  Gracie was always mean to Baby so I was afraid she would hurt Dino.  But not so. They were in the pen together for almost an hour and no aggressive behavior or nipping.  Dino kissed Gracie – (he had only kissed Baby mabye 2 times). Okay Dino was really kissing Gracie. It was adorable. Dino mounted Gracie and she stayed put for a bit before bolting out from under him.  This is good we all thought.  They layed by each other. Neither was nervous or aggressive. Just calm and fine being together. We were about to cry we were so happy. Then Gracie kissed Dino. Things are looking good. So we put them both in the same small carrier to go home (a shelter first I might add)  Now it took us an hour and 20 minutes to get home and they were fine the entire way. No aggression, just some snuggles.

Once home, they went into their room (NOTE NOT A BONDING AREA -THIS ROOM HAS GRACIES SCENT -from 2 months ago, BABY’S SCENT AND DINO’S SCENT). This room is divided in half with each bun getting their own side and no way to get at each other. Divider is a re-worked child’s wooden play pen with plastic chicken wire between rungs. This is shaped into a long straight divider which works perfect for this purpose.

Another note is that Gracie knew that Dino was in the house but she had never seen him until today. Dino was allowed to go into the same areas of the house that Gracie does. So she found his poop in the poop dish and his urine there too of course. This might have had a positive influnce on the introduction. Likewise he found her poop and urine in the poop dish.  Gracie has been pooping everywhere ever since Dino came into the house. I think she will stop once her and Dino are bonded.

It was a kissing  fest.  Then the mounting started. When Dino would mount,  Gracie would stay put for a few seconds and the split. Gracie would then mount Dino. When he realized what was going on, he’d get out and turn and look at her stunned.  The first day we went for 3 hours. They were both tired from the days events and we put Gracie on the other side of the divider in her own space. They both slept in the “tent” that we made.  Take 2 beach towels and drape them from a high point. For us it’s the divider. One towel draped to the floor on each side of the divider. Each bun lays in there in the dark but the key here is that they are laying next to each other with just the divider between them. They can see and smell and watch each other. Try the tent and let me know if it helps you. This was my husband Brad’s idea to get Dino and Baby to bond and it did help alot at the time.

Day #2 – I did two sessions a 3 hour and a 2 hour. Both went exactly the same. No aggression, no nipping. Dino does follow Gracie to mount since he is a little obsessed with mounting. But they are both doing this – kiss the face, kiss the ears and then mount. Strange that kiss is a sign of submission but the mounting is the sign of domiance. They are both doing it. Gracie is much more of a seductress and poor Dino is under her before he knows what hit him.  Even with this, no aggression. I had no idea that bunnies could be this nice to each other. It’s really really sweet and we are so encouraged after all we’ve been through.

Day #3 Eating from the same pc of lettuce, laying near each other. Very comfortable with each other. No aggression. Just kisses, kisses and more kisses and oh yeah mounting. Both taking it well. Literally taking turns grooming and kissing each other.

Day #4  & Day 5 Same thing -  really sweet to see them together. I am convinced they do love each other.  I need to find the time to do a marathon bonding session for over night. Can’t until next weekend. Meanwhile we will continue to bond 1 -2 hours per night until I can do the marathon bond session.

For anyone struggling with a bond – look for positive signs. I should have not gone for 3-4 months with Gracie and Baby -not enought positive signs - I just didn’t know any better.  The bonding is the most precious thing I’ve ever seen.  If this works between them, then it was all worth it!

Food – watch out for one bun to hoard or take away food from the other. I don’t have this problem but thought I would since Dino must not have gotten enough food previously since he eats like a horse and runs with his treats. I give Dino and Gracie treats separated. He is not eating quite as much as before, I think he realizes he always has food now.

I’ll post and again after the marathon bonding sesson next weekend May 15-16-17.

If you have any questions please post. I am thrilled and thanks to all Binky Bunny members for reading, supporting us and for your advice…..Bunny Mama

[RabbitPam]

That’s wonderful, BunnyMama!
They sound so compatible. That’s a good tip about watching for positive signs. All those kisses

The only things missing are pictures (hint, hint).

[3crazybuns]

Good Luck!!! sounds like things will work out with them!

[BinkyBunny]

Oh it sounds so wonderful! That’s really the kind of bonding I am used to. Much easier. I am very very envious that it is working out so well and so quickly. I am so happy for you! I hope things continue to move along so well.

I agree with rabbitpam – photos please.

[bunnymama]

Well these two just truly love each other. We’ve consistently been doing 2 hour sessions and at the end Gracie does not want to go back to her own side. They kiss and snuggle all the time. I wonder if having them both roam the house and finding the other’s scent in the poop dishes has helped. They were not so foreign to each other because they knew each others scents (during the 6 – 7 weeks on bonding Dino and Baby that never worked out). They both knew the other was in the house for awhile before they met at the animal shelter. The mounting has lessened and Gracie seems to be letting Dino mount her more than she has mounted him. Nice girl. I still plan to the do the all weekender to bond this weekend. But I really have to say they pretty much are bonded to each other. We tend to leave them unattended for like 15 minute periods now. Neither one has never shown any meaness or anger or aggression towards the other. The only question I have is what will Gracie do if after 6 hours of Dino trying to mount her? I’m gonna find out this weekend and I’ll let you know. Gracie has realzied that to distract him from mounting she turns around, faces him and starts to kiss his face and that stops him dead in his mounting tracks. It’s quite fascinating how they figure these things out.

This has been so easy I can hardly believe it after what we went through with Baby/Graice and Baby/Dino. I would suggest to others that if the bond just seems to hard – it may never work. If you have the right combination of buns, then it shouldn’t be that hard or stressful. It not worth the aggravation to try to bond 2 buns that truly don’t care of each other (like we had with Gracie and Baby) we were just too inexperienced to know.
Thanks all…….

[bunnymama]

Well we did have a mishap. When Dino and Gracie were switched into the others pen, Gracie went nuts. She somehow got over the divider that cuts the room in half. (I think she used the towel tent we had set up for bonding). Now we’ve done this 2 -3 times before and no issues. Either Gracie was mad that Dino was having run time and she wasn’t or I have a huge territorial issue here. We always bond on Dino’s side. So this happened on day 11. No other signs of any aggression until that tif. They were chasing in a tight circle with Gracie nipping poor llittle Dino all the way. This was stopped pretty quickly. It took both buns an hour to calm down and wander out again. Bonding later that night was a little tense. They ran to each other but no kissing. They both submitted their heads low to the ground for grooming but none came. Evenutally Gracie kissed Dino after 30 minutes. It took Dino another 30 minutes to kiss her. I sorta think this could be our fault for not doing an overnight/overweekender bonding session sooner but we could not fit it in our schedule. They really need to be together. They are so cute just kissing and following and snuggling all the time. They remind me of 2 teenagers in love for the first time. Do you remember how that felt? Touching, kissing, being near each other, holding hands. That is what this is like. It’s pure and sweet.

Today is day 13 and tonight I begin the non-stop bunny bonding weekend so that these two can be left alone, unseparated. I will sleep in the room with them for at least 2 nights to make sure all is okay. I will at some point, take down the divider, clean the room, re-arrange it (so Gracie will not know where her half went) and then sorta leave them by themselves. The mounting on Gracie’s part has really slowed down. None last night at all. Dino still chasing and mounting and every once in awhile Gracie allows him to for just a few seconds. I think Gracie will be domiant but she is letting Dino think he is. Sound familar ladies? Yeah I thought you could relate – you know to keep peace in the house and such.

So wish me luck on the bunny bonding weekend. I’ll update again next week…..

[bunnymama]

So bunny bonding weekend — Friday – things went very smoothly. Alot of grooming by Gracie. She stopped mounting Dino and started sorta following him around. At bedtime I went to pet Gracie and she thought I was going to put her back on her side of the divider and growled at me. High rare for her. Then I realized she didn’t want me to take her away from him. Then I went to pet Gracie again and Dino put his body in between me and Gracie – he was afraid I was going to take her. I slept in the room all night -no incidents just alot of munching on food all night long. It was a sea of poop for as far as the eye could see but this was going very well.

On Saturday late in the day we put them together in the living room loose and tore apart the room. We took the divider out, cleaned as best as we could and re-arranged everything in it. Remember I was afraid that Gracie had been territorial a few days earlier. No issues when they came back into the full room together. Again more pooping and Gracie has stopped mounting completely. I slept in my own room and just one noisy issue that woke me up but it was nothing.

Sunday they were together all day. No issues just cuddling, following, grooming and staying within a foot of each other at all times.

Gracie has become totally submissive and follows Dino around and grooms him all the time and just seems to love it. Dino was persistent in his mounting attempts every day with Gracie and finally won out in being dominant.

We’ve left them alone for 2 more days and nights without issue. YES IT IS BUNNY LUV FOR DINO AND GRACIE. Finally I have a bonded pair of rabbits.

SUGGESTIONS- Let the rabbit pick it’s mate, not a human pick the mate.
Bunnies that snuggle with humans may not want to snuggle with other bunnies (Baby)
A rabbit that is mean to another rabbit may not be mean to all rabbits (Gracie)
A rabbit that seems to love all rabbits may not be loved by every rabbit (Dino)
The female to female bond was next to impossible for us.
If one rabbit is constantly mean to another (I mean day after day) STOP BONDING don’t wait 3 – 4 months like we did with Baby and Gracie that never worked out.
All rabbits should be altered.
It might have helped that both Dino and Gracie had found each others poop and urine in poop dishes within the house before they were introduced for about 6 weeks.
The beach towel tent seemed to help bonding.
At the first meeting – if you don’t see some positive signs, then try another rabbit. This was key I think. Baby and Dino were just sorta so so but Dino and Gracie were comfortable with each other from the first minute.

Best of luck bunny slaves with your bond.
Thanks to everyone for reading and for giving advise. I appreciate it very much.
I’ll post some pics in another thread soon and will reference the title to this.
IT’S TRUE LUV……………………………………….DINO AND GRACIE …………….finally a bonded pair for the bunnymama!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mrmac]

If you dont mind my asking, how did you aquire 3? Me and my husband want another bun but we have two right now and dont want to ruin that. We dont want to get another one and then have one go to the new one and leave the other behind and vice versa. That is my husband only major concern with getting more.

[bunnymama]

Sorry MrMac that I didn’t get your question earlier. I got my first female Baby by shear accident. Saw her at the shelter while there on other business and fell in love with her and had to have her. I have always loved wild outdoor rabbits. Then a distant relative of my sister had a female to get rid of – yes I felt oh that would be so sweet to get Baby a sister –no don’t think it will work. It didn’t with Baby and Gracie. Then I felt Baby needed a husband. So we tried Baby and Dino(he came from a shelter where they specialize in bunny bonding – over 1 hour one way to get there tho). So after two rounds of dating we brought Dino home. You could tell he just wanted to by Baby. He had been with his brother until they fought so much the owners took them both to the shelter for adoption. Dino was a perfect gentleman but Baby not so nice. Since Dino was in our home, we fell in love with him on day two and knew he could never go back. So we thought let’s try Dino and Gracie my other female and it was love at first sight. But my advice is that the bunnies have to accept each other – it does matter what you think – it only matters what they think and if you have the right chemisitry you should know pretty quickly on the first date.

Dino and Gracie are still in love, never far apart well okay just about on top of each other like two teenagers –remember how you felt with your first love back then in high school? That’s Gracie and Dino –bunny luv for sure.

[mrmac]

Im glad things went so well in the end! We have since gotten another bunny, and I started keeping a log, its the bonding the trio thread, and things have been going quite well. Our next step is to leave them together for a while 24/7, which will give me time to clean, unscent, and re arrange their cage. Do you think you will always have Baby as a single?

[bunnymama]

MrMac – Baby might always be a single. She is so loving and snuggly with me and my husband that I thought after reading how buns like to have a friend, I though yeah she needs another bun. But with Gracie and her, she was beat up by Gracie and Gracie was just plain mean to her and I didn’t know enough to stop in within the first few weeks. Which I think I should have done. At one point Gracie and Baby got loose while we were not at home and their room was like a war zone with fur everywhere. No one hurt but I was devasted. So after our failure to bond Baby with Gracie we thought yeah a male for Baby. But that didn’t work out with Dino. She would be nice to him and then just nip him for no reason. He was so sweet we didn’t let that go on for very long. Since Gracie was the mean one, we thought she would never take to another bunny but she had love at first site with Dino who you could tell just wanted to be with another bunny. He pays no never mind to us, his world is all about Gracie now and she still wants to be snuggled, kissed and pet by us sometimes. For now I’d have to say Baby will be a single. I don’t have the room to take another male and not have it work out – I’m out of bedrooms since Baby and Gracie & Dino each have their own bedrooms. Yes they are all very spoiled.

[Author]

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