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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum BONDING Peanut and Buttercup’s Bonding Journey

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    • sarahthegemini
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        Hi guys, As you may know, today is the big day! I’ll update this shortly with more detail but basically my bunnies have been together for exactly one hour and they’re already snuggling up together! And have been for about half an hour now. AND Peanut has already groomed Buttercup several times!  I am elated!

        Pictures:

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        (Peanut grooming himself ^)

        Didn’t manage to get photos of him grooming Buttercup but it happened 

        Added/Here’s a more detailed description: 

        We set up a pen in the bedroom as it’s totally neutral. We bought Peanut up first in the carrier and he came out pretty quickly and started exploring the new area. Meanwhile, my partner went and brought Buttercup up, we put the carrier in the pen and waited a few minutes for her to come out. She was very hesitant and by this point Peanut was coming round to the doorway of the carrier. To stop her feeling cornered, we took the top of the carrier off so she could hop out if she felt pressured. They sniffed each other a little and she eventually came out. They were both exploring the area, with Buttercup occasionally walking over Peanut or squeezing past him  She used to do this, she’d hop all over him haha! Buttercup groomed herself and then flopped right next to him. He groomed her without her even asking  She then asked for grooming two more times and he happily obliged. He sort of alternated between grooming her and then himself. Then he flopped right next to her. They’ve been together for an hour and 20 minutes now and most of that has been spent snuggling together. As I’m writing this, Peanut groomed her face again! 

        They were both so nervous at first and its amazing how comfortable they are now but what do I do next? I was going to only put them together for a few hours and then separate them and repeat tomorrow but it seems cruel as they’re getting on so brilliantly. I’m going to bring up some hay and a litter box and see how that goes. 


      • LittlePuffyTail
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          Yay!!!!


        • sarahthegemini
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            I’ve put a brand new litter box in the pen, and so far Buttercup has peed and pooped in it. Peanut seems a bit hesitant. I also put a big pile of hay and they happily polished off the lot. I’ve just put another pile down and Buttercup is munching away. Peanut is laying down next to her. Both have drank from a new water bowl too. I’m just waiting for Peanut to pee and poop.

            Added: He’s been in the litter tray now and I believe he’s peed and pooped Both sharing hay again now. It’ll be time for their veggies soon. 

            Is this the “love at first sight” scenario I’ve read about? !


          • Bam
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              I hope it is, they make a beautiful couple! It sounds really promising!


            • sarahthegemini
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                It’s been two and a half hours now and they seem happy and comfortable with one another. If one is in the way, the other just squeezes by and the other doesn’t seem bothered/annoyed. Peanut has flopped again. I just gave them a piece of dandelion each and Buttercup tried to take it from his mouth but he didn’t seem bothered! They also accidentally ended up sharing a piece of hay lady and the tramp style haha!


              • sarahthegemini
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                  Buttercup groomed Peanut  They have just shared a large plate of veggies and then hopped in the litter tray and just chilled lol then she was grooming herself then gave Peanut’s head a little groom She then hopped out and explored a little more then dived back in the litter tray and landed on Peanut! 


                • Vienna Blue in France
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                    Ohhhh very excited for you. It’s going really well. Keep going if you can… if you have to stop for the night i would def separate them… its too early to know if all is ok, all the time, but keep them in sight & smell of each other of course. But it sounds veeeeery promising.


                  • sarahthegemini
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                      Posted By Vienna Blue in France on 1/15/2017 1:37 PM

                      Ohhhh very excited for you. It’s going really well. Keep going if you can… if you have to stop for the night i would def separate them… its too early to know if all is ok, all the time, but keep them in sight & smell of each other of course. But it sounds veeeeery promising.

                      I’m so happy Vienna! We’re planning to keep them together for the night if it continues to be this great, it just feels mean separating them  now, but of course we’ll be supervising them overnight. No rest for us! 


                    • sarahthegemini
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                        We ended up separating them – not because we bad too but because I thought realistically I’m not going to be able to stay up all night with them, I’m knackered! And I wouldn’t wanna risk falling asleep just in case. So they’re now back in their usual individual areas and will begin bonding again tomorrow morning!

                        It ended really well – I had brought them a brand new chew toy and they have been sharing that for the last half hour, although Peanut pushed Buttercup’s head out the way a few times lol. I petted them both too. Overall, I am thrilled!


                      • Vienna Blue in France
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                          Very good. They should be happy to see each (free) tomorrow and pick up from where they left off… Sleep well !


                        • sarahthegemini
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                            I woke up to the sound of a package crinkling  – I open the bedroom door and Buttercup was there eating the bag of Plantain we’d left there  She’s never dared come upstairs before, she must have been feeling brave after her session today. She struggled to get downstairs though 


                          • sarahthegemini
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                              Bunnies have been together for about 20 minutes now and are currently snuggling up.

                              We lured them into their carrier with pellets which in hindsight was a bad idea as it got them too excited. We put the pellet bowls down in their neutral area and they started sharing the same bowl but nudging each other out of the way lol. That’s nothing new though as they did that when they were younger but we emptied the bowls and scattered the pellets instead and that was better. Once the excitement wore off, they were a little nervous of their surroundings but Buttercup sort of huddled up to Peanut. She then laid down next to him and a few minutes later he relaxed and laid down. They’ve both groomed themselves, just waiting for them to groom each other again!


                            • sarahthegemini
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                                Peanut has now decided to hump Buttercup – her face a few times which we stopped immediately and then the ‘normal’ way. At first Buttercup ran but then she jumped in the litter box where Peanut followed and proceeded to hump her. She just sat there and let him do it.

                                I’m thinking perhaps it isn’t love at first sight if he’s humping her? Or could it still be? I feel like although they have nuzzled each other and snuggled up, they don’t seem as “in love” lol. No humping occurred at all yesterday. 


                              • sarahthegemini
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                                  I *think* Buttercup gave Peanut’s ear a little groom. He then asked for more grooming which she took no notice of. I thought he was going to hump her again but he didn’t.


                                • Vienna Blue in France
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                                    Humping is OK. I actually saw Henry do it to Zou last week (it’s the first time I’ve seen it happen) and she just walked away from him, almost still in position… rotfl I think he was just saying, just in case you forgot… remember me?! LOL

                                    It is still ENORMOUSLY brilliant progress – love at first sight or not…


                                  • sarahthegemini
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                                      It’s been three and a half hours so far and nothing new/exciting to report, the past hour and a half has been them sleeping, Buttercup dozed off in the litter tray and Peanut flopped beside it. They’re eating hay again now. I’m going to wait for some more positive interactions (grooming each other again) before moving on to semi neutral. I’m hoping that will occur in the next couple of hours.

                                      Awe as I typed this, Peanut flopped right next to Buttercup.


                                    • sarahthegemini
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                                        Query guys – do I have to wait for mutual grooming to progress onto semi neutral area or can I move on now?
                                        Positive signs from yesterday: nuzzling, snuggling, flopping next to/near each other, sharing hay, sharing plate of veggies, sharing litter box, Peanut groomed Buttercup several times, Buttercup groomed Peanut once, sharing chew toy
                                        Positive signs from today so far: snuggling, flopping next to/near each other, bunny loafing, laying nose to nose, sharing hay, sharing litter box, Buttercup groomed Peanut’s ear I think (not 100% sure) The only ‘negative’ was Peanut humping Buttercup but that only lasted about 10 minutes. No other humping since. Both keep asking to be groomed and neither seems to want to do it!

                                        What are your thoughts guys? Are there enough positive signs to outweigh the lack of mutual grooming? Or should I wait?


                                      • sarahthegemini
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                                          They were both snuggled up but Buttercup was a bit squished up against the pen panel, her ears were back and she didn’t look very relaxed. I gave her a piece of dandelion to help her relax and she took that and has since moved away from snuggling/being snuggled and is now bunny loafing about 10 inches away from Peanut.


                                        • sarahthegemini
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                                            I put a little apple juice on the tops of their head but they’re still not interested in grooming the other. Peanut presented himself to be groomed but Buttercup ignored his request and so he just snuggled into her

                                            Edited: He just licked her head a few times


                                          • sarahthegemini
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                                              Peanut gave Buttercup’s head a good ole groom (thanks to the apple juice!) She still won’t groom him though. We’re going to move them into a semi neutral area and see what happens.


                                            • sarahthegemini
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                                                Well moving them to semi neutral was somewhat challenging as Peanut has developed an absolute fear of the carrier. We tried to get them both in it so we could put them in their new temporary home at the same time however it was a bit squished and although Buttercup went in okay, Peanut didn’t want to squish in lol. So we took Butter Bean downstairs first. And put her into the semi neutral zone. Big mistake as it then took almost 45 minutes to get Peanut to go into the carrier and of course by that point, Butter’s scent was all over so I was worried.

                                                We put Peanut’s carrier in the neutral zone and Buttercup immediately went up to the door and was sniffing, we let him out and they just sniffed whilst he tried to explore! We gave them some lettuce, most of which Buttercup ate as Peanut was so distracted by the new place! We now have two litter trays (one that was their neutral one, and Buttercup’s old one but it has been scrubbed and vinegar-ed) and hay is served in both. They keep hopping from one to the other, having one each, then sharing Peanut essentially dived all over Buttercup whilst she was in one litter tray and she was fine with it. They sat together and enthusiastically ate hay!


                                              • sarahthegemini
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                                                  Buttercup is drinking out of a water bowl and Peanut hopped out of the litter tray and flopped right by her. I AM ECSTATIC!!!!


                                                • sarahthegemini
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                                                    SHE’S GROOMING HIM!!!!!! They’ve been in their new area for like 15 minutes!


                                                  • sarahthegemini
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                                                      It’s been a couple of hours now and they just keep eating, diving/walking all over each other and flopping and snuggling. Peanut did mount Buttercup but didn’t thrust lmao. He even just gave her a little lick  Oh and they shared a plate of veggies again 


                                                    • sarahthegemini
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                                                        Okay now Peanut has shifted positions and is now resting his head on her back <3


                                                      • Vienna Blue in France
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                                                          These updates are all very good Mz Sarah, but we want PHOTOOOOOS of the said cuteness !!! lol

                                                          Humping can be seen as a positive too… ie moving in the right direction…. or atleast moving….
                                                          Aggressive humping or the humpee being terrorised is not particularly positive but I think it all sounds good….

                                                          Re getting in the carrier, do you put him in backwards ? (cats too)
                                                          When they see what’s coming they freeze and resist… and panic
                                                          But put them in backwards and they don’t realise it until too late…… sneeeaky.
                                                          I do that when I put them anywhere closed in.


                                                        • sarahthegemini
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                                                            Image and video hosting by TinyPic

                                                            Peanut resting his head on her Image and video hosting by TinyPic

                                                            Snuggling

                                                            Image and video hosting by TinyPic

                                                            Snuggling again Image and video hosting by TinyPic


                                                          • Vienna Blue in France
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                                                              Photos I requested and photos I GOT !!!! LOL Thanks – they’re huge photos !! But the cuteness is just magnified !!

                                                              It looks the same xpen as mine, good barriers but not too solid on it’s own.

                                                              So cute !


                                                            • sarahthegemini
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                                                                Posted By Vienna Blue in France on 1/16/2017 2:36 PM

                                                                These updates are all very good Mz Sarah, but we want PHOTOOOOOS of the said cuteness !!! lol

                                                                Humping can be seen as a positive too… ie moving in the right direction…. or atleast moving….
                                                                Aggressive humping or the humpee being terrorised is not particularly positive but I think it all sounds good….

                                                                Re getting in the carrier, do you put him in backwards ? (cats too)
                                                                When they see what’s coming they freeze and resist… and panic
                                                                But put them in backwards and they don’t realise it until too late…… sneeeaky.
                                                                I do that when I put them anywhere closed in.

                                                                Photos posted as requested 

                                                                Re humping – aside from humping her this morning and doing a weird mounting but not thrusting, there’s been nothing else haha! I’m glad they’ve groomed each other though. Buttercup is especially stubborn so the fact she gave him a good groom earlier was lovely. I can’t remember if I posted but Peanut has since groomed her too. 

                                                                To get him in the carrier, we just put food in and wait lol! It’s the only way to not traumatise him. Once the bunnies are free roam again we’re going to leave the carrier out so he can get used to it and not be scared of it I want to try and train them too – I plan to put treats in and when they go in it, ring the bell. The idea is that eventually they’ll associate the bell ringing with treats in the carrier which would be really handy if ah emergency arises. 

                                                                As I’m writing this, Peanut has groomed her a couple more times and actually humped her.


                                                              • sarahthegemini
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                                                                  Peanut has just spent a good 10 minutes humping her – half the time she froze and put up with it (I reassured her afterwards) and the other half of the time she ran away. They were in their hidey box at the time so there was circling going on but it wasn’t aggressive as such it was her trying to get away from being humped and not running out of the box lol. I tried to get her to groom him directly afterwards by using apple juice and she started licking him but then he moved out the way and humped her again. I noticed he groomed her a lot after humping which doesn’t add up if he was trying for dominance?

                                                                  Buttercup groomed him thoroughly though just now and he has stopped the humping for now. They’ve flopped together now.


                                                                • sarahthegemini
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                                                                    He has groomed her and she’s groomed him again They’ve been together now for about 11 hours but in the semi neutral part for 4 hours.


                                                                  • sarahthegemini
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                                                                      They’ve been together for 13 hours now (7 in neutral, 6 in semi neutral zone) – 12 hours of sharing hay and veggies, snuggling, flopping and grooming. And only two 10 minute each incidences of humping. I’m going to (try to) sleep now whilst my partner is on bunny observation duty!


                                                                    • sarahthegemini
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                                                                        Woke up at 6 am and went to check on partner and bunnies -“partner had only gone and dozed off but he assures me just for the past hour or so. Bunnies were sat by each other, looking a little alert but that’s probably because they heard me moving about upstairs before I come down. Partner said throughout the night, they’ve been absolutely fine and have spent most of it grooming each other! He said Peanut got really into grooming Butter Bean (sometimes they groom really thoroughly, other times it’s just a few licks) at one point that he thought it’d progress to humping but he didn’t. So basically, they’ve spent 12 hours in semi neutral and 19 hours together overall. And no humping in about 8 hours!


                                                                      • sarahthegemini
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                                                                          Almost 24 hours in! I was planning on keeping them in this set up for another 24 hours but they’re both itching to get out and about, and I don’t want to risk them feeling agitated (they’re used to so much more space) so I’m going to set up their permanent living quarters today which is free roam of the house but primarily the living room so we’re going to rearrange the living room, set up their new cardboard castle etc. 

                                                                          They’ve spent the morning snuggling, flopping, grooming each other (thoroughly and a few licks here and there) and themselves. I thought Peanut was going to hump Buttercup again as he was sniffing her back end a little a few times but he didn’t. 

                                                                          They’ve also both drank from the water bowl at the same time now rather than taking it in turns. I also just scattered their pellets and they have happily munched on them


                                                                        • Vienna Blue in France
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                                                                            Using the same theory for litter training I would open up just a bit of the house one bit at a time keeping the doors shut so they can investigate together a little bit at a time…. or else you may find them marking areas.
                                                                            They may not….. but just to be safe


                                                                          • sarahthegemini
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                                                                              Posted By Vienna Blue in France on 1/17/2017 6:31 AM

                                                                              Using the same theory for litter training I would open up just a bit of the house one bit at a time keeping the doors shut so they can investigate together a little bit at a time…. or else you may find them marking areas.
                                                                              They may not….. but just to be safe

                                                                              We’ve decided to do just that Our living room is small so we’re giving them access to that but we’ve decided to keep the cardboard castle away for now until we can see that they are okay together in their permanent home. We’re going to block off the kitchen and the stairs and then give them back a bit more each day (tomorrow they’ll get their castle, day after they’ll get the kitchen and then the stairs) Fingers crossed it all goes well!


                                                                            • sarahthegemini
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                                                                                They’ve been in their new permanent living quarters for 45 minutes and oh my word, the binkies! The bunny 500s! They’ve both had a munch and flopped. Peanut is currently relaxing in his favourite spot – under the sideboard and Buttercup is chewing at and flopping by their favourite log. I think now that they have space to do their own thing, their relationship will flourish <3


                                                                              • sarahthegemini
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                                                                                  ^ ^ The current living room set up! The box and logs will be replaced tomorrow with their castle. Well, we’ll keep the logs but not sure how we’re going to set them up yet. The two litter trays are under the sideboard and there’s a few toys out for them. We also have a cat scratcher tree that we need to bring down but that’s going to go near the kitchen so they will have that in a day or two  We’re also washing their fleece blankets today so we can put them out for them as well. I am so so happy! Should I be concerned that they’re not snuggling together? Or is that normal as they’ve got a lot more space to get used too?


                                                                                • sarahthegemini
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                                                                                    Never mind they’re snuggling now!

                                                                                    Efit: Or they were til Peanut binkied away! 


                                                                                  • sarahthegemini
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                                                                                      So they’ve been in their permanent living quarters for 4 and a half hours – lots of binkies, snuggling, flopping and bunny loafing. Lots of sharing hay and just exploring. I am so happy to see them so happy. I gave them a treat earlier (dried pineapple btw) and had Peanut right up close and Buttercup on my lap haha. I know it’s only going to get better when they get their castle tomorrow! Will be watching them overnight tonight obviously and probably for the next few days but I feel like I can relax!


                                                                                    • sarahthegemini
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                                                                                        It looked like Peanut was going to start humping Buttercup again as he was sniffing her back area but then kept getting distracted by tge sounds of me preparing their veggies in the kitchen lol. Or he was sniffing her butt and then just continuing with running and binky-ing. A couple of times he seemed to sniff her butt and then ask for grooming. She didn’t oblige but in her defence she had groomed him a few minutes before he asked her lol.

                                                                                        Buttercup took a piece of pok choi out of Peanut’s mouth! He didn’t seem to mind but what a cheeky mare! She sort of spotted it in his mouth and thought “that looks tasty GIMME” Then she did it again. Peanut has a lot of patience. Then he sort of hopped away and I thought perhaps he felt a little nervous but it turned out that he just wanted an explore-and-binky break lol.


                                                                                      • Vienna Blue in France
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                                                                                          Very excited for you….. yay. Double yay. ?


                                                                                        • sarahthegemini
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                                                                                            Almost 36 hours together now! It’s wonderful seeing them both run and binky. They’ve got so much more space, it’s really heart warming to observe them having so much fun! When can I call them officially bonded? They have barely groomed each other since leaving semi neutral territory – is that normal? I wonder if it’s because they’ve got so much to distract them.


                                                                                          • sarahthegemini
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                                                                                              I did the apple juice trick and Buttercup gave Peanut a good groom, he then asked her to groom him again immediately afterwards asked and she obliged lol. Hoping he grooms her back soon.


                                                                                            • sarahthegemini
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                                                                                                I’m really anxious about this lack of grooming thing – they were grooming each other tons yesterday and early this morning! Now they keep asking each other for grooming but aside from the odd bit here and there, there’s barely any. In fact, Buttercup grooming the apple juice off of Peanut’s head was the most grooming they’ve done since moving into their permanent living area. Should I be concerned?

                                                                                                Aside from that, no other issues really. No humping. Oh, Peanut pushed Buttercup’s head out of the way again earlier because she was right up close and both were chewing on their log but he had done that prior to separation so I’ve removed the log now til I feel more comfortable with them. He might have nipped her to get her to move too, I’m not sure.


                                                                                              • sarahthegemini
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                                                                                                  50 hours together now! 

                                                                                                  Still flopping, snuggling, sharing hay, sharing veggies, eating (scattered) pellets together, sharing litter boxes (even tho there’s two, both with hay in!) A little grooming here and there. No humping has occurred since the 10 hour mark. 

                                                                                                  Peanut follows Buttercup around like a love struck teenager  But both snuggle up to each other. Both also like to have a big sniff of the other’s behind, but as I said no humping 


                                                                                                • sarahthegemini
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                                                                                                    Image and video hosting by TinyPic


                                                                                                  • Vienna Blue in France
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                                                                                                      That’s funny because Henry follows Zou around, and a friend said ahh that’s cute he’s following the leader yet she is not.

                                                                                                      And I just wonder if the top bun is like a control freak, following the other bun everywhere, checking on what they’re up to, where they go, who they see and reading their texts….
                                                                                                      or…..following to protect, just in case… the doorbell rings or the phone beeps…..


                                                                                                    • sarahthegemini
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                                                                                                        I must have jinxed it because Peanut has tried humping again – almost 48 hours after the prior humping incident! He started sniffing her and enthusiastically grooming her back, sort of nibbling a little (not nipping just nibbly grooming) and kept trying to mount her but she kept moving in circles to stop it so he couldn’t get a grip on her so to speak. She sort of nipped back I think. Neither was aggressive but Buttercup obviously isn’t comfortable being humped. He did mount her face twice which we stopped immediately. Weirdly after he tried humping her, he groomed her head. Then he tried humping again but every time he tried, she put her head down to be groomed. Then she groomed his ears?!


                                                                                                      • sarahthegemini
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                                                                                                          He tried again and she jumped out the way and now they’ve both flopped by each other…


                                                                                                        • sarahthegemini
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                                                                                                            Buttercup hasn’t ever tried to hump Peanut by the way.


                                                                                                          • Vienna Blue in France
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                                                                                                              I’m not too sure what to advise now, whether they are bonded? maybe, but I can’t tell from your words, strangely enough. maybe someone else can help as there is certainly no aggression there…..


                                                                                                            • sarahthegemini
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                                                                                                                I’m definitely not going to be leaving them unsupervised yet – at least til I can see that the humping issue resolves – don’t want to risk him mounting her head when no ones here!


                                                                                                              • sarahthegemini
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                                                                                                                  Both bunnies groomed each other late last night/early morning and then I went upstairs to bed while my partner was up with the buns – he said they’ve both been grooming each other (Peanut groomed the back of her neck then the top of her head and face apparently!)


                                                                                                                • sarahthegemini
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                                                                                                                    Coming up to the 79 hour mark! Nothing new to report.


                                                                                                                  • Vienna Blue in France
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                                                                                                                      I wonder if anyone else reading this could offer an insight into when it is a confirmed bond ?- it was so clear cut with my two… I wish I could help you more.


                                                                                                                    • sarahthegemini
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                                                                                                                        Posted By Vienna Blue in France on 1/19/2017 12:31 PM

                                                                                                                        I wonder if anyone else reading this could offer an insight into when it is a confirmed bond ?- it was so clear cut with my two… I wish I could help you more.

                                                                                                                        What was the breakthrough for your two, again? I need to go re-read your thread! It’s odd, I’d be inclined to say my two had an instant love at first sight bond aside from the occasional humping!


                                                                                                                      • sarahthegemini
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                                                                                                                        • sarahthegemini
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                                                                                                                            Peanut tried mounting Buttercup again – just twice but it was on the face so it was stopped immediately. Any ideas why he’s mounting her face? He stopped after two attempts and then they just snuggled and groomed each other afterwards.


                                                                                                                          • sarahthegemini
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                                                                                                                              Coming up to the 99th hour! Still all the positive signs – flopping, snuggling, seeking each other out to snuggle, sharing hay and veggies, sharing litter boxes, sharing water bowl, grooming each other occasionally. It’s just this damn mounting that I can’t get a handle on. I feel like I can’t leave them unsupervised just in case Peanut tries to mount her face and we’re not here to stop him :-/ Is this something that is likely to subside? I don’t know whether they are still needing to establish hierarchy but Buttercup hasn’t humped at all and she puts her head down when Peanut tries humping her, possibly in a submissive manner so is that her accepting that he is top bun? If so, why does Peanut still hump? Is it because she doesn’t sit still and allow it? They both ask for grooming but it’s probably Peanut that obliges moreso than Buttercup.

                                                                                                                              I’m confused!


                                                                                                                            • Vienna Blue in France
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                                                                                                                                Well it wasn’t so much as a breakthough as an acceptance of Zou for Henry to be top bun – (don’t forget they were out to kill each other before!!) instead of moving off when he approached,
                                                                                                                                One day she suddenly let him lay closeish to her without her getting up…. then he sort of romped forward towards her….he licked her back first, then when she realised he was being nice, she licked him back and the whole room sighed with relief !!

                                                                                                                                So there really was a point where I said, yoohoo, that’s it…. I stayed by them overnight but absolutely nothing else happened.

                                                                                                                                Can you close the area in more now….? to say a couple of foot by a couple of foot…..? I don’t know if that will do anything, but I don’t have anything useful to suggest….


                                                                                                                              • sarahthegemini
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                                                                                                                                  Posted By Vienna Blue in France on 1/20/2017 11:07 AM

                                                                                                                                  Well it wasn’t so much as a breakthough as an acceptance of Zou for Henry to be top bun – (don’t forget they were out to kill each other before!!) instead of moving off when he approached,
                                                                                                                                  One day she suddenly let him lay closeish to her without her getting up…. then he sort of romped forward towards her….he licked her back first, then when she realised he was being nice, she licked him back and the whole room sighed with relief !!

                                                                                                                                  So there really was a point where I said, yoohoo, that’s it…. I stayed by them overnight but absolutely nothing else happened.

                                                                                                                                  Can you close the area in more now….? to say a couple of foot by a couple of foot…..? I don’t know if that will do anything, but I don’t have anything useful to suggest….

                                                                                                                                  Our living room is already really tiny! And they’ve not been allowed access to the rest of the house yet – I’m trying to be patient. Thankfully my partner is off work for a week so hopefully by then,  the mounting will have ceased, or at least Peanut will be mounting at the right end lol. Til then, I guess just constant supervision. I’m looking forward to a good night’s sleep 


                                                                                                                                • Vienna Blue in France
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                                                                                                                                    Well you can try to reduce what they have now….


                                                                                                                                  • Gina.Jenny
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                                                                                                                                      There’s a certain point in the evening when which ever pair has floor time will do some mounting (the pairs get different times each day, so everybun gets an equal number of times out during prime morning and evening time). Generally the mounted bun moves away quite easily and quickly, I guess the pecking order is always being negotiated by one and maintained by the other? When I marathon bonded Podge and Gina, she surprised everyone by backing down, much as Zou did to Henry, but she still tries to get Podge to agree she should be top bun.


                                                                                                                                    • sarahthegemini
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                                                                                                                                        Posted By Vienna Blue in France on 1/20/2017 12:16 PM

                                                                                                                                        Well you can try to reduce what they have now….

                                                                                                                                        I don’t know whether that’d help my pair as the mounting never increased when moved from tiny confined semi neutral to larger permanent home. If it did, I wouldn’t hesitate to reduce the space again. I mean, he humped once in small neutral zone which they were in for 7 hours, then once in semi neutral (which was actually smaller space) which they were in for 20 hours and twice since in permanent home but they’ve been in it for 76 hours. So a loooot longer. Hmm.


                                                                                                                                      • sarahthegemini
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                                                                                                                                          Important Update!

                                                                                                                                          I gave the bunnies their cardboard castle today, which was a mistake. Peanut tried humping Buttercup in the castle, I just about saw her bottom through the doorways and it looked like she was moving quite hastily. I looked through and saw Peanut trying to mount her and her trying to get away. I immediately lifted the castle up and they were circling, there were two tiny tufts of fur on the floor. One from each bunny. Buttercup then chased Peanut and I tried to stop them with a loud banging but it didn’t work so my partner scooped Buttercup up.

                                                                                                                                          Oh lordy. From what I can gather – Peanut has mounted Buttercup, she has tried to get away (altho I don’t know why she didn’t run out of the castle) and possibly nipped him to get him to back off. Maybe be didn’t listen and continued. I’m not sure. It was all a blur tbh. There are no Bite marks on them that I can see, the only evidence of nipping or whatever was the two small fur tufts. 

                                                                                                                                          I’m wondering if Buttercup simply got fed up and wanted to assert her dominance – I originally thought she was submissive and happy to be, she has never mounted Peanut but maybe she is just fed up of the humping and snapped so to speak. I’m not sure what to think right now. 

                                                                                                                                          Once Buttercup calmed down, we put her back on the floor and they both ignored and avoided each other for a few minutes. Then they started coming closer again, hopping about, giving the odd sniff. Buttercup then flopped next to him. At this point, Peanut is still timid and wary. A couple minutes later, he groomed her. I don’t believe she asked/demanded grooming, he just did it. Another couple minutes later and she asked him for grooming and he obliged. Now she’s bunny loafing and he’s grooming himself.  Side by side. 

                                                                                                                                          Thoughts??? Is (aggressive?) circling and nipping considered a scuffle? Is this to be expected? Is this their way of establishing hierarchy? I did wonder how it was going to be determined what with Buttercup not wanting to be humped and all, I guess this had to happen to progress? Or do you disagree? I feel pretty awful. I shouldn’t have given them their castle because I might have been able to stop it before it got going,  ie. stop the circling as before it begun. Needless to say it’s been removed now, until further notice! 


                                                                                                                                        • sarahthegemini
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                                                                                                                                            Peanut was just binky-ing and accidentally hit Buttercup in the face LMAO I only laugh because she wasn’t hurt – he came hopping back over and groomed her head to apologise I think <3


                                                                                                                                          • Vienna Blue in France
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                                                                                                                                              They have to have the chasing and nipping to take steps forward – don’t take one out of the nipping too soon (I know it’s hard) unless you see it gets agressive.

                                                                                                                                              If there were only two tufts then no harm done and Peanut has discovered that the “girl can fight back” so you may now see a turn in the hierarchy…

                                                                                                                                              Henry sometimes does aerial binkies and lands millimetres away from Zou’s face – she doesn’t flinch an inch…. (though I’m sure I can see here rolling her eyes to the heavens !!) lovely to see.

                                                                                                                                              ‘”They have to learn to share” (they’re my bonding lady’s very own words )


                                                                                                                                            • sarahthegemini
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                                                                                                                                                It has now been 8 full days of them together! Everything is still going incredibly well. Still doing everything that buns-in-love do. They’re still happy to share hay and veggies, litter boxes, water bowls, pellets etc. Treats have to be given to each bun at exactly the same time or they’ll try and take it out of the other’s mouth lol. They bunny loaf a lot together although usually when they’re near one another, they are flopped out or snuggling. They seek each other out to lay side by side and often re-position themselves so that their faces are sort of smooshed together. It’s so lovely. Lots of grooming by both buns. Varying from just a few licks to a thorough groom. 

                                                                                                                                                I think they’re still working on the hierarchy but in a far more subtle manner. Peanut thinks about humping Buttercup (he sniffs her butt a bit more intently than just a drive by sniff) but then doesn’t often follow through with actually mounting her. When he does intend to mount, he sniffs her butt even more and tries to put a paw on her rear end but Buttercup is wise to this and immediately hops around so he can’t mount her. She then either puts her head down to demand grooms which Peanut does do or she’ll hop away. He doesn’t really follow her either. He might approach her when she’s come to a stop but not to try humping again,  he’ll either ask for grooms or they’ll just continue with whatever they were doing prior to the attempted hump. Which is often snuggling! I’m very, very pleased with how Buttercup responds to Peanut when he does this. Because of Buttercup’s quick reactions (lol) Peanut hasn’t managed to successfully mount her in a couple of days now. So it’s either him thinking about humping and not doing it or trying and not being successful lol. Either way, he isn’t persistent and once Buttercup has rejected his advances, he’ll just cuddle up to her…or go eat  

                                                                                                                                                I was hoping that after their little scuffle 4 days ago, Peanut would immediately submit to Buttercup and I’ll finally be able to leave them unsupervised for a little while but alas if he’s still trying to mount, I assume he isn’t quite sure of anything yet. Thoughts? 

                                                                                                                                                As there has been no negative reaction *touch wood* to Peanut’s hump attempts since their one and only scuffle, is it safe to leave them for a short while? Or are they not officially bonded until the hierarchy is established? 


                                                                                                                                              • sarahthegemini
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                                                                                                                                                  Today is day 9 and I think me and my boyfriend are going to take the next step – by that I mean, one of us (probably me!) is going to sleep downstairs with the bunnies. I mean, actually sleep as opposed to staying up all night with the lights on watching them intently! I’m nervous though but I can’t work out if I’m just extra cautious plus pessimistic? Or whether I’m rushing? 

                                                                                                                                                  Good points:

                                                                                                                                                  -Flopping together 

                                                                                                                                                  -Snuggling together 

                                                                                                                                                  -Seeking one another out to snuggle/lay near

                                                                                                                                                  -Mutual grooming

                                                                                                                                                  -Sharing hay

                                                                                                                                                  -Sharing a plate of veggies 

                                                                                                                                                  -Sharing litter boxes 

                                                                                                                                                  -Sharing water bowl 

                                                                                                                                                  -Sharing toys although Buttercup sometimes gets her face a little close to Peanut’s face whilst he’s chewing so he’ll dig at the top of her head for a few seconds to get her to move (is this concerning?)

                                                                                                                                                  Negative/Neutral pounts:

                                                                                                                                                  -Peanut still attempting to hump Buttercup HOWEVER he isn’t persistent and when she hops away, he won’t follow to keep humping. Usually as soon as he starts sniffing her butt intently,  and tries to put a paw on her back end, she’ll immediately hop/twist round. She will then either demand grooms, groom him or she’ll just continue with what they were doing prior to attempted hump. Occasionally she’ll actually hop away and sometimes jump in the litter box and Peanut will either carry on with what he was doing before or he’ll approach her once she’s stopped and ask for grooms or snuggle. It’s also worth noting that he hasn’t attempted face mounting in a few days now and I believe the reason he was mounting her face before was because Buttercup was twisting round and he was perhaps a bit confused. I think he deliberately face mounted at first but then he tried mounting the back but Buttercup is so quick to turn around, he just kept mounting lol. Buttercup jumps/twists round a little more drastically now so that she is actually away from Peanut by a few inches (as opposed to just twisting on the spot) so he doesn’t have a chance to get confused and face mount.

                                                                                                                                                  Obviously you guys know that the scuffle they had made me very nervous and it’s what’s making me hesitate a little now BUT I do believe that the scuffle was because Buttercup felt trapped within the cardboard castle when Peanut tried to hump and so she lashed out so to speak to stand up for herself. I think if I hadn’t have given them the castle, the scuffle probably wouldn’t have happened as she would have felt she could get away. Said scuffle was 5 days ago now. 

                                                                                                                                                  I know generally, bunnies are considered bonded  and safe to be together without supervision once they can spend 24-48 hours together with no incident. Well it’s been 5 days now. So am I just being overly protective? I couldn’t forgive myself if anything happened to either of them but everything points to happy bunnies. Do I need to just get over it and see? Will the hierarchy business go on for some time? Do people usually wait til that’s been established before allowing the bunnies to be together unsupervised? 

                                                                                                                                                  Sorry for so many questions, any input would be much appreciated! 


                                                                                                                                                • sarahthegemini
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                                                                                                                                                    One more thing, I think the reason I’m struggling a little is because there has been no significant break through so to speak as they were great from the start. I don’t mean to complain about something positive (lol) but maybe that’s why I’m having trouble accepting that they will be ok. ..


                                                                                                                                                  • Vienna Blue in France
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                                                                                                                                                      They sound as if they’re going to be just fine


                                                                                                                                                    • sarahthegemini
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                                                                                                                                                        I really hope so Vienna!


                                                                                                                                                      • sarahthegemini
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                                                                                                                                                          So for the last 2 nights, my boyfriend has slept downstairs on the sofa with the bunnies. As opposed to staying up all night watching them intently. No problems! I think we’re going to continue having one of us sleep downstairs for a few more days just to be certain. I’m a chronic worrier, clearly lol. 


                                                                                                                                                        • Vienna Blue in France
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                                                                                                                                                            And the castle – is everything OK with that now…..?


                                                                                                                                                          • sarahthegemini
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                                                                                                                                                              Posted By Vienna Blue in France on 1/27/2017 6:47 AM

                                                                                                                                                              And the castle – is everything OK with that now…..?

                                                                                                                                                              I’ve not given it back to them yet, I’m a little hesitant. Peanut still tries humping Buttercup so I think I’ll wait til that settles before giving it back.


                                                                                                                                                            • sarahthegemini
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                                                                                                                                                                Buttercup was grooming Peanut and I’m pretty sure they started nuzzling one another 


                                                                                                                                                              • Vienna Blue in France
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                                                                                                                                                                  Try putting castle in upside down then or blocking the entrances. They’ll have to get used to it one day….


                                                                                                                                                                • sarahthegemini
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                                                                                                                                                                    Posted By Vienna Blue in France on 1/27/2017 9:02 AM

                                                                                                                                                                    Try putting castle in upside down then or blocking the entrances. They’ll have to get used to it one day….

                                                                                                                                                                    Maybe when I’m feeling brave 


                                                                                                                                                                  • sarahthegemini
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                                                                                                                                                                      After about 10 nights of staying up, and then 4 nights of my partner sleeping downstairs with the bunnies, we finally both slept upstairs and left the buns unsupervised  We did wake up at 3am and 6am to check on them and they were absolutely fine!! 


                                                                                                                                                                    • Vienna Blue in France
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                                                                                                                                                                        and the trumpet sounds a joyous fanfare !!! ” Ta daaaaaaaaa ”


                                                                                                                                                                      • sarahthegemini
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                                                                                                                                                                          We also left them for a couple of hours today whilst we did the food shopping  No problems to report although Peanut is being a cheeky monkey and digging at Buttercup’s back end occasionally to get her to move. Even though sometimes he’ll deliberately go near her just so he can tell her to move! The little rascal  He is very cuddly with her though, whenever Buttercup moves, he’ll follow her and lay by her side 


                                                                                                                                                                        • sarahthegemini
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                                                                                                                                                                            Left the bunnies overnight again and only checked on them twice lol and then we’ve had them at home unsupervised for around 6 hours today and they were absolutely fine

                                                                                                                                                                            Peanut still thinks about humping Buttercup, and does appear to make an attempt but Buttercup hops out of the way and after a few tries, he gives up lol. And I can confirm that Peanut is very paws-on when he thinks Buttercup is in the way, he digs a little which is better than nipping I guess!


                                                                                                                                                                          • Bam
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                                                                                                                                                                              This is such a lovely bonding-story


                                                                                                                                                                            • sarahthegemini
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                                                                                                                                                                                Posted By bam on 1/31/2017 2:47 PM

                                                                                                                                                                                This is such a lovely bonding-story

                                                                                                                                                                                I think it went better than I could have hoped! I never thought I’d be so lucky to have a love at first sight scenario  Buttercup seems even more affectionate, I wonder if she’s thanking me for giving her her friend back?! 


                                                                                                                                                                              • Vienna Blue in France
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                                                                                                                                                                                  That’s funny because Zou is too… incredibly more affectionate…. I wonder if there’s another reason behind it, not being top bun….? Not sure what it is…. but anyhoo, I make the most of cuddle time !!


                                                                                                                                                                                • Bambii
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                                                                                                                                                                                    Aww i am so happy it worked out


                                                                                                                                                                                  • sarahthegemini
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                                                                                                                                                                                      Me too Bambii


                                                                                                                                                                                    • sarahthegemini
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                                                                                                                                                                                        Boyfriend said Peanut was digging at Buttercup’s back to get her to play with him – he was digging then running away and then coming back, repeat 

                                                                                                                                                                                        They’ve been left unsupervised quite a lot over the past week, for hours at a time. I think it’s safe to say they’re bonded 

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                                                                                                                                                                                    Forum BONDING Peanut and Buttercup’s Bonding Journey