mrmac 
San Diego, CA
Posts: 2167
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| 07/07/2010 11:57 AM |
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Davey was much more relaxed when I put him in the pen last night. No frantic digging, wire biting, or thumping. Dennis pays no attention to him. They don't ever get "close" to eachother through the divider but Davey will lay down and stretch out, leaving his bum and tail right up against the divider...nothing! Delilah does not react any differently to Davey when I put him back in the mornings at all. She knows if Davey smells funny he is allowed to because he is secretly the boss of her. Why can't they just tell me who is the boss of this group! All these games!  |
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Petzy
 Forum Leader
Northern AB Canada
Posts: 5938
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| 07/09/2010 08:37 AM |
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So complicated! So glad to hear that delilah is OK with davey having the scent on him. It will work  |
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 "what happened?
did something happen or can I just go back to my hay?" |
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mrmac
San Diego, CA
Posts: 2167
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| 07/11/2010 08:19 PM |
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Today we moved Dexter into the bedroom full time now to try and get those two bonded. We rearranged the bedroom to give them a better bigger pen. There is no aggression what so ever between them, they are very interested in eachother and have had more interaction in one day than Dennis and Davey had in a week of him sleeping in there. We did a session and a car ride today. During the session Dexter is trying to be dominant over Dennis, and since the fight Dennis has become submissive- which is good. Dexter just doesn't know how to act around him. He doesn't know how to dominate another bunny. Dex will give Dennis a few little nips and a little chase, Dennis makes his weird little grunt/honk-thumps-then runs. Then I will sit them next to eachother and Dexter will start grooming him.   Dennis has no clue when Dex pushes his head under his to do anything, which leads to Dex giving him a tiny nip. We have even let them run around in the bedroom together and Dex will chase a little but there is no all out fighting or posessiveness. I caught the loafed next to eachother through the divider today, weird...
The pen...Dont mind my fencing wire! It works for now! Getting another x-pen once they are bonded.
Dennis' side of the pen...
Dexter's side...(He has more toys in there now, it looks so boring in the picture!)
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Petzy
Forum Leader
Northern AB Canada
Posts: 5938
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| 07/11/2010 11:58 PM |
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Posted By mrmac on 07/11/2010 08:19 PM
, Dennis makes his weird little grunt/honk-thumps-then runs.
that's perfect! He is communicating that he wants no trouble!  |
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| "what happened?
did something happen or can I just go back to my hay?" |
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mrmac
San Diego, CA
Posts: 2167
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| 07/12/2010 01:27 PM |
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Dexter and Dennis are going to be easy. Today I did one bathroom session, the usual Dex grooming and small nips. They are starting to get a little possessive over the rung they are on so we out them in the kitchen and they ahve been in there for about 4 hours now. Dennis flopped, Dexter groomed, Dennis allowed Dex to mount him, ate hay/veggies together. A few pictures now and videos loading, so more to come!
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mrmac
San Diego, CA
Posts: 2167
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| 07/12/2010 02:30 PM |
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mrmac
San Diego, CA
Posts: 2167
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| 07/12/2010 02:30 PM |
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I can't get them to stack on top of eachother, sorry they make the page so wide. |
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Petzy
Forum Leader
Northern AB Canada
Posts: 5938
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| 07/12/2010 02:42 PM |
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| "what happened?
did something happen or can I just go back to my hay?" |
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Petzy
Forum Leader
Northern AB Canada
Posts: 5938
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| 07/12/2010 02:45 PM |
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that humping didn't bother Dennis at all. I say cement them. |
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| "what happened?
did something happen or can I just go back to my hay?" |
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Petzy
Forum Leader
Northern AB Canada
Posts: 5938
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| 07/12/2010 02:47 PM |
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I would go with a larger space for these two for cementing, just my impression. Dexter doesn't seem inclined to put a wild goose chase on Dennis and Dennis, having endured that aweful beating from Delilah, should get to dart off if he feels he needs to. |
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| "what happened?
did something happen or can I just go back to my hay?" |
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mrmac
San Diego, CA
Posts: 2167
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| 07/12/2010 02:48 PM |
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Dexter is just a completely different bunny when he is not around her. He is not always watching over his shoulder of where she is, when she breathes, takes a step, wants to be in the litter box he is in, etc. He is just not on edge anymore. Davey and Delilah are kind of confused why he is missing (more Davey than her). Dex will still have play times with Davey mostly and her sometimes, but it will always lead to him getting picked on again. Just how Delilah is, which can get annoying sometimes. |
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Petzy
Forum Leader
Northern AB Canada
Posts: 5938
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| 07/12/2010 02:51 PM |
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Well, you don't have to go for the quartet, they can be hard. Now you have two pairs! Congrats! But, in my experience, bunnies can change in different groups and environments. You might hold off with any quartet work until you move to a new place or something.
I have always believed my Mops to be the peaceable kind but he changed during my last bonding with him into a pretty nasty attacker. Rabbits have layers... they are impossible to predict. |
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| "what happened?
did something happen or can I just go back to my hay?" |
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mrmac
San Diego, CA
Posts: 2167
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| 07/12/2010 02:59 PM |
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That is our thinking too. We may try the quartet at some point but only around when we move, hopefully towards the end of the year. We won't let the trios bond break either with play dates. I think we may work with Dennis and Davey too once Dex and Dennis are more secure. We may end up with two working trios and then work with Delilah when we move. We are also running out of neutral spaces in this tiny apartment that will be especially important with Delilah. The hallyway is longer than the kitchen, so they will move there for bedtime. I now have a trio and two pairs with four bunnies! However that works?! |
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Petzy
Forum Leader
Northern AB Canada
Posts: 5938
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| 07/12/2010 03:01 PM |
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Rabbit bonding is a chapter in math text books now! |
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| "what happened?
did something happen or can I just go back to my hay?" |
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mrmac
San Diego, CA
Posts: 2167
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| 07/12/2010 03:03 PM |
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I guess it is! Just today with Dex and Dennis I have seen more progress than after a month or so into the trio's bond. Rexy bunnies unite! |
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Petzy
Forum Leader
Northern AB Canada
Posts: 5938
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| 07/12/2010 03:04 PM |
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I am a little upset here... because I have never had such an easy bond, even my easy bonds were harder than this... grrrrrrrrr... |
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| "what happened?
did something happen or can I just go back to my hay?" |
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mrmac
San Diego, CA
Posts: 2167
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| 07/12/2010 03:07 PM |
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I guess we know how to pick good instant bonding pairs! Davey and Delilah were luck, but these two just seemed to fit. No marking poos or pee even on the first night, Dennis just took to him. You need an instant one! You definitely deserve one! |
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Petzy
Forum Leader
Northern AB Canada
Posts: 5938
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| 07/12/2010 03:13 PM |
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And no poowars now! 
--mrmac, I may have to delete this whole thread now because it is totally misleading about regular rabbit bonding reality! 
No, I do not need an instant bond because even though easy it would mean more bunnies which I do not want. I am quite saturated with one quartet, .
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| "what happened?
did something happen or can I just go back to my hay?" |
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mrmac
San Diego, CA
Posts: 2167
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| 07/12/2010 03:19 PM |
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Yes your quartet is enough, for now. I know! This thread wasn't very helpful at all! It is not normal! |
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Petzy
Forum Leader
Northern AB Canada
Posts: 5938
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| 07/12/2010 03:23 PM |
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well, Dexter is quite an unusual bunny to begin with. I also wonder if the circumstance that he has always been picked on by Delilah has prevented him from truly mapping out his own territory. This would explain his laid-back reception of new Dennis. |
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| "what happened?
did something happen or can I just go back to my hay?" |
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Petzy
Forum Leader
Northern AB Canada
Posts: 5938
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| 07/12/2010 03:24 PM |
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Posted By mrmac on 07/12/2010 03:19 PM
your quartet is enough, for now.
 quit saying that! there aren't going to be any more bunnies here!
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| "what happened?
did something happen or can I just go back to my hay?" |
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mrmac
San Diego, CA
Posts: 2167
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| 07/12/2010 03:28 PM |
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Your bunnies are happy just how it is! |
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Petzy
Forum Leader
Northern AB Canada
Posts: 5938
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| 07/12/2010 04:10 PM |
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oh.... you made a new signature. There you can actually see the different shades of them all. |
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| "what happened?
did something happen or can I just go back to my hay?" |
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mrmac
San Diego, CA
Posts: 2167
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| 07/12/2010 04:15 PM |
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You can actually see all of them and their bodies in the pictures now. It was due for a change! |
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Beka27
Forum Leader
Cleveland, Ohio (USA)
Posts: 12944
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| 07/14/2010 09:22 AM |
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Posted By Petzy on 07/12/2010 04:10 PM
oh.... you made a new signature. There you can actually see the different shades of them all.
Yes. It's like a color wheel...
... of brown.
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Meadow.....
...... Max |
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mrmac
San Diego, CA
Posts: 2167
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| 07/14/2010 10:36 AM |
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Haha yes, only brown. But EVERY shade of brown! |
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mrmac
San Diego, CA
Posts: 2167
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| 07/21/2010 05:29 PM |
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Ok...little update: Dexter and Dennis were instant! They are now best buddies! Dennis has still not figured out how to groom but has turned to chinning Dexter! Dex looks a bit confused when he chins his butt! He chins his nose and the tips of his ears, he doesn't chin much else whereas Dex chins EVERYTHING in sight! They love to cuddle on the bed, that I have had to cover with the "bunny sheet" because somebunny took to peeing on my side of the bed! We will work with the boys now and try for a "boys trio". Delilah is just cooky! We have a stunt stuffed bunny/kangaroo looking thing that we move back and forth. We put it into the pen with Davey and Delilah, Delilah went nuts digging at it. Davey got mad at her and started chasing and giving her little tiny love nips! He keeps her under control! We did a little test the other night. We put Delilah under the top wire part of a pet store cage in the bedroom doorway. Dexter went crazy! He does not like her now, especially with his new found confidence and dominance. His tail went straight out (totally weird looking!:laugh and he got all musky, eww! It is weird to see him act so boldly since he was always picked on so much. He is so much happier though. He is a changed bunny! He will allow you to approach him now and pet him. Before if you even stood up he would bolt somewhere away from Delilah (to avoid getting nipped) to hide. He is so much friendlier now, much more accepting of pets and attention. Some of Dennis' attention seeking has rubbed off on him! We will have to turn our focus to Davey now, I also need to see how Dexter reacts to Davey now too. |
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jerseygirl
Australia
Posts: 11348
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| 07/21/2010 07:53 PM |
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We have a stunt stuffed bunny/kangaroo looking thing haha, I'm intrigued. Is it a Bilby? It's tail is probably almost as long as Dexters. |
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mrmac
San Diego, CA
Posts: 2167
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jerseygirl
Australia
Posts: 11348
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| 07/21/2010 10:14 PM |
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Oh, that's just a rex bunny isn't it? Plush fur, longish face. I can see the kangarooness of it though. |
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