Quintet Bonding – BONDED

[MoveDiagonally]

I’ve been putting off bonding my quintet because my trio was doing so well. I felt the same way before bonding my trio! I guess I like to give myself time to talk myself out of it  I’m going to give a bit of background on my bunnies so anyone new looking at this knows what’s going on and what I’ve done with them previously. If you just want to skip to what happened during their introduction it will be in the first comment!

I adopted Dexter and Penny from a rescue as two single rabbits. After having them for a while we decided to bond them and they were truly little soul buns. They flopped and cuddled during their introduction session and over the course of bonding they only had one mild scuffle.

Dexter and Penny were a bonded pair for 3 years before I added Monty to the mix. The trio has been bonded for about 4 months now. I kept up a thread about it here: https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tab…fault.aspx

Helo and Inara are my two single rabbits and they are not bonded with anybun. They were both spayed/neutered on 8/8/13.

I plan on updating this thread frequently and anyone should feel free to jump in with comments, advice, or questions at any point.  
Now onto the posts about the actual bonding!

[MoveDiagonally]

Day 1: Session 1 – The Introduction
We had them together for about 20 minutes. There was a bit of chaos at first. Monty growled and lunged at Inara. We kept intervening and petting both until things calmed down. All the while everyone else just kind of ran around smelling each other.  After a bit Helo decided he wanted to hump Dexter backwards so we broke that up. He then took up humping Inara. We let him hump her for a little bit and then gently pushed him off so she wouldn’t get mad about it. Helo seemed satisfied with the outcome and everyone settled in and mooshed together for the rest of the session. I didn’t get any good video but I did manage to snag some pics:

All in all, I think this was a great start!

[Irina]

That is very exciting! I love a pile of bunnies! Looking forward to following the progress and learning from you. Question: have the trio and singles ever had playtime together? Are they housed in different rooms? Just wondering how much exposure they had to eachother prior to this?

Good luck! Love the pictures!

[MoveDiagonally]

Thanks Irina!

The trio bunnies and my single bunnies have never spent any time together. This was the first time they’ve ever met! My singles did have play time together until they were about 3 months old but haven’t been in contact since then. They’re just under 9 months old now. They are all housed in the same room but they are separated. My trio lives in a 4′ X 8′ X-Pen and my singles live in a stacking 4′ 8″ X 3′ 6″ condo nearby. Both of them have their own level. So minimal exposure and I did all the usual pre-bonding stuff.

[Irina]

Wow! I am just noticing the times on your posts- not much sleep for you tonight!!

I think I get the setup now. What about out of pen playtime? I assume it happens in the same room, at different times. So their smells are everywhere. Did Helo and Inara
Stop having playtime together because they weren’t fixed yet- or were they fighting? Could they have continued to play together if they were same sex, even though not bonded? Sorry for all the questions- I am just trying to get all the bunny rules straight in my head. Who knew bunnies had such complex social structures??

Good luck, I am excited to see how it goes!

You will be so lucky to have lots of bunnies happily living/flopping/cuddling together! So sweet!

[MoveDiagonally]

Haha, my pets don’t care what time I go to bed they still wake me up bright and early every morning to feed them.

They get play time in the main house not in the bunny room ( a bedroom). The room is an decent size but floor space is limited with how their habitats are set up so I don’t think it would be very fun for them in there. I have also had issues with my bonded rabbits bickering among themselves when another rabbit gets to close to their territory/pen. Once they’re bonded we’re going to ditch all the habitats in there and make the whole room their “cage”.

I stopped letting Helo and Inara play together because they weren’t fixed and didn’t want to risk them making more baby bunnies. If they had been the same gender I probably would have let them play together for a bit longer but I still would have housed them separately. That would have just been my personal preference because I would have worried about them too much otherwise.

[MegaPixel]

wow! i am going to follow this post :p
Best of luck to you… you seem to have the touch for bonding.
i have a couple of questions though,
1- can we pin your two posts for a reference guide of some sort because for new “bonders” maybe.
2- have you ever had some real fighting with wounds (or scratch, i\m not really sure of the good translation here) and if so what have you done to overcome the situation? (i have a young headstrong female scratcher – as soon as i stop stressing, she tries to be bossy)
3- does the way of the “cuddling” matters? for example, if they are side by side facing the same way, as soon as i stop moving or stressing they get into a argument. the male usually turns the other way so the are still side by side but facing different direction. they seem to be more tolerant that way…

[MoveDiagonally]

Thank you MegaPixel! I’m glad you think my posts are helpful

I’ve been lucky enough that my bunnies have never injured each other during bonding (sometimes they injure us). I do cut and blunt their nails before bonding and frequently throughout the process so I think that might help a little bit on the scratching front. For me the most important part of curbing aggression breaks down to responding quickly and consistently. Quickly so they draw the connection between their behavior and your response. Consistently doesn’t mean you do the same thing it just means you do something. Methods can really vary and I’m not sure what you’ve tried but here are two that I’ve had the most success with:
1. When Monty and Penny were having their initial fighting problems during trio bonding I put them in a laundry basket together. Any aggressive moves and I would shake the basket. I did that type of session until they stopped growling and lunging at each other as soon as a session started.
2. The NIC bonding cube. You can see examples of that in my trio bonding post. It’s such a small space they really didn’t have room to fight and it allowed for a lot of versatility. I could put it up on the table, take it outside, in the car, carry it, suspend it, put it on the couch and bounce it a bit, etc… Sometimes I do think rabbits become “immune” to certain stressors so the cube really helped keep things fresh.

I like hybrid session of stress and none stress bonding for the most part but 100% stress sessions can be really helpful with extra aggressive bunnies.

I don’t worry about cuddling very much during bonding. I get excited when I see it but it’s not something I focus on because it seems to come later on it’s own. If they can sit nicely facing away from each other than that’s a really good way for them to get comfortable just being around each other.

[MegaPixel]

Thanks for the reply, im sorry, i wasnt really clear, i meant “forced cuddling” in the cube… Maybe i should try to make it a little bit smaller as my bunnies looks smaller than yours, but i will figure something out.
I really enjoy reading your posts, always good info, thanks for all.

[MoveDiagonally]

Okay, I understand better! Sorry for the mix up. With stress bonding I mainly just want them to not fight. If they’re not cuddling in the cube I wouldn’t worry about it too much as long as they’re not fighting. I’ve had plenty of cube sessions where they settled in not facing each other.

[MoveDiagonally]

Day 2: Session 1

Today’s first session was about 2 hours long. It started out pretty awful but we did see some improvements by the end! 

Helo humped Penny and Dexter right of the bat. We let him do it and then pushed him off gently before they started getting upset. We put hay in the bonding pen and Helo and Monty ate together nicely for a few minutes… And then it all fell apart. Everyone started trying to fight with everyone else. My husband had taken off his gloves to make some coffee and had to run back over to help me. Helo and Monty would not let up on each other and we had to literally wrestle them off one another. Nobunny was hurt but my poor husband got a couple nasty bites in the process. Always wear your gloves folks! 

I bought a small dog crate off craigslist because 3 or more bunnies would fit inside for stress bonding. The NIC bonding cube I’ve used previously can only hold two of them. We stressed Monty, Helo, and Inara together because they were having the most difficulty. They huddled together and after about 5 minutes of them sitting nicely we put them back with Dexter and Penny. Things improved quite a bit from there on out. Dexter, always the caretaker, even groomed Helo a little. We did a couple more rounds of stressing when some problems started cropping up again between Inara, Monty, and Helo. 

We ended the session because my husband had to go to class. We’re going to do another round of bonding when he gets home. I originally planned on doing some sessions while he was gone but right now I feel more comfortable with the extra set of hands. 

This is our current bonding set up. Ignore all the bonding mess >.< 

It seems to be working out for now because we can get them from the bonding pen into the crate really quickly for stress. I’m glad we had some shorter pens around because they’re so much easier to reach into than our taller ones. 

Some pics from the session:

[tanlover14]

I’m, OF COURSE, poking my head in here…

Seriously, MD… Imagine if we have TWO quintets on BinkyBunny! It will be like the first time this has ever happened in BB history (as far as I know)!!!! AHHHHHHHHH. I’m dying to see their reactions as a group as I swear mine are so difficult in five than they were with four! Hurry up and get them bonded so I can compare odd bunny group hierarchy!

[MoveDiagonally]

Haha, TL.

One thing I’m noticing is that the trio aren’t really in-fighting too much if at all. The worst of the aggression is between Monty, Helo, and Inara which does kind of make sense. Monty was the top bunny of the trio and he’s trying to put the new bunnies in their place. Inara doesn’t seem to pick fights as much as respond to them. Penny who was fighting Monty for dominance last time around doesn’t seem to be worried about it this time. Dexter has always been submissive and really only fights if someone messes with him or Penny. I think it’s going to come down to Monty and Helo. I thought bunnies were supposed to be matriarchal! Mine are doing it wrong.

[kcomstoc]

lol Monty is a bossy bunny also this is so exciting, I will be following this thread though I don’t think I will ever have more than one bunny. You guys are crazy having 5 lol though I bet they are super adorable when they are all getting along. Love the pictures of them all together

[Irina]

What’s happening now? I’ve checked several times today anxious for an update! Good luck! I hope there’s a pile of happy flopping bunnies at your feet!

[tanlover14]

Kcomstoc – I’m pretty sure I could never have a group with less than three again. Granted the only time I didn’t have a bonded three-some was when the Tans were separated for a month and a half before their spay and neuters. The bond they all have is so important to me. It completely melted my heart when I added Nora into the group in their “shared area” for the last part of bonding and she was just binkying everywhere like she was the happiest bunny alive to be living with four other buns. Which is so funny because I felt so adamant about her being incredibly happy as a single bunny. She was BEYOND estatic when she got to hang out with the other buns. I’m still very adamant that single bunnies can be just as happy – it’s just a cute story about her and my feelings toward my bonded bunch. I have no idea how people clean three rabbit cages separately every night forever. The small amount of time I was doing it with the Tans, it was soooo much extra work than I have now with everybun living together.

Looking forward to another update, MD! It’s interesting that the trio isn’t having any in-fighting at all. My Tans were horrendous when I bonded in Simba but not tooo bad when I bonded Nora.

[kcomstoc]

TL- I think if I had more room and I didn’t get my dog Jake (shiba inu, high prey drive so I separate them when Caleb is out) I probably would’ve gotten a second bunny…If I had more room (like a room dedicated just for bunnies) I would have 2 but by the time that happens Caleb will be about 4 and Jake will be about 10 and I would be wanting to get my rough collie puppy…I think Caleb will be a single bunny loved by my boyfriend and I. To be honest I think he’s bonded with my boyfriend Caleb always goes up to him and grooms him and is always happy to see him

MD- I WANT AN UPDATE lol

[MoveDiagonally]

Ended up not doing another session last night because my husband was called into work. 
Day 3:
Today’s session was 4 hours long! 
Hour 1- More of the same in regards to Monty, Helo, and Inara fighting. We stressed bonded them off and on for most of this time. 

Hour 2 & 3- Was really good, no fighting. I did something I tell people not to do and used some small litter boxes (that we use as storage containers not as actual litter boxes) and filled when with hay. They all took turns munching and even though some of them hopped IN them no one seemed to be playing “king of the mountain”. Some of them dozed together and Dexter groomed both Helo and Inara at different times.

Hour 4- They started bickering over the hay boxes and I took them away. We stressed Penny, Monty, Helo, and Inara because they were causing the trouble. Put them back in and the rest of the hour went really well with some cuddling and sleeping. 

I feel really good about today! 

Pics:

[MoveDiagonally]

Haha, you guys. There’s your update!

[tanlover14]

This is awesome! =D

PS. You’re going to need an extra x-pen just to store their ears alone in…

[kcomstoc]

awes!!! they are super adorable!!! love it and thanks for the update

[LongEaredLions]

NEEDS TO GET 3 MORE BUNNIES! Hahah your bunny family looks great so far, you are making me want a 5 bunny family! You and Tanlover need to stop tempting me….

[Irina]

Soooo sweet! It sounds like it’s going really well!

[MoveDiagonally]

Day 4:

Three hour session yesterday. 

Hour 1: Was Helo humpfest. He humped Penny, Inara, Dexter, and started to hump Monty but didn’t. No fights at all until about 45 minutes in. Helo and Monty started having issues so we stress bonded them. Things settled down after that. 
Hour 2: Dexter groomed Helo and then nothing of note happened for the next 30 minutes or so. They just kind of hung out. A few almost fights happened but I just ended up petting whoever was getting agitated and nothing escalated. The highlight of this hour would have to be towards the end when Helo groomed both Penny and Inara.
Hour 3: Opened up the pen some for them a bit and hid apple pieces all over their heads and behind their ears. They had fun sniffing and licking each other (cute!). After that they Helo, Inara, and Monty binkied around the pen (not really playing together just happy). 

Definite improvement! I’m so happy with how things are moving along.

Pics:

The only thing I didn’t like was the poopapalooza -_-

[kcomstoc]

awes things are going so well so fast congrats, especially on the binkies

[MoveDiagonally]

Day 5: 3 hour session

Added litter boxes into the mix. They ran around playing “musical litter box” for about 10 minutes. We had a few scuffles between Helo and Monty so we stress bonded them. 30 minutes in everything had settled down and other than some minor altercations there was no more aggression. Penny groomed Helo. Dexter groomed Helo, Penny, and Monty. After about 2 hours Helo decided to hump everyone including Monty (the boss rabbit of the trio). About 30 minutes after that Helo groomed Monty. The rest of the session was spent munching on hay and hanging out.

 

Pics:

Edited to add: Haha! I just noticed a complete lack of Penny in these pictures. I think I was just focusing on the “new bunny” interactions. She didn’t have any issues with Helo or Inara. She pretty much just hung out munching most of the session. 

[Irina]

Sooo cute! Sounds like it is all going well! Good for you!

[kcomstoc]

AWE!!!!!!! that’s adorable

[MoveDiagonally]

Thanks guys!

Day 6 & 7: Both 3 hours.

Things are moving a long well. Everyone seems to be getting along for the most part. The only two that are really still fighting are Monty and Helo. My problem children -_- . Every once in a while Inara gets pulled in but I’ve been noticing it’s only when one of the problem two lash out at her because she’s nearby.

I debating with myself on how to move forward from here. I’m thinking I’m going to try a much longer session. At least 6-8 hours and see if things get better the longer they’re together or if they keep doing the nice for a while, fight, nice for a while, fight dance. If things improve the longer they are together than I think I’ll move them to the next step. If things keep going like they are I’m going to try a long car ride with all of them and see if that improves things at all.

Pics from last session:

[MegaPixel]

going well

just by curiosity, would it possible (or okay) to cheat a hierarchy? like if you would like Monty to be at the top of the chain, could you train Helo to submit or would that be asking for future problems? (like, would it sort it self out over a fight eventually?)

by training i mean faking grooming etc like putting something sweet on Monty’s forehead or something like that…

 

also, is the personality of the bonded rabbits changes after the bonding?

[kcomstoc]

Helo and Monty (knew it would come down to them) I think Helo might take the spot from Monty but Monty sounds pretty stubborn it’ll be interesting to see who’s going to be top bunny lol also I just want to lay down in the middle of that bunny pile

[Irina]

Sounds fun MD! Just a question though- why take them all for a car ride if Monty and Helo are the ones having issues? Why not just those two? Is it because the dynamics change once the group is together again?

Love the pictures!

[MoveDiagonally]

Mega Pixel – I think for them to have a good long term bond they have to figure it out for themselves. My rabbits’ personalities haven’t changed much during or after bonding. Some habits seemed to improve after I bonded my trio but they’re still the same old bunnies.

Kcom – Haha, they are pretty cute when they pile up. Monty and Helo are both stubborn -_- but Helo is a little dominant monster lately.

Irina – As you said, the dynamic is different in groups vs pairs. They have to develop a relationship with each other within the group.

One of the weird side effects of quintet bonding has been Penny and Monty getting closer. Previously in the trio they hung out, occasionally groomed, etc… but never really cuddled. I’ve seen a lot more cuddling between them lately.

[Irina]

All I see is a big pile of fluffy bunnies! Love it!

[tanlover14]

Happy to hear everything is going along so well, MD! I’ve been following along but not posting consistently.

If you remember in my previous posts when bonding the quintet there were occasional chasing between Nora, Tanger, and Sidney (I believe). The longer periods of time I kept them together the better they got. It kind of gradually tamed down and fizzled out with mine.

[MoveDiagonally]

Today is day 9 and things have been more of the same. I’ve been doing longer sessions and while there is more cuddling and less fights overall they still seem to be in the fight, nice, fight, nice cycle. The worst fighting that’s happening is when two fight and then lash out at the bystander bunnies. That’s when a group fight will break out. This has happened maybe once in the last 3 days.

I really think the next step is to take the plunge into a round the clock session until bonded. Taking them away from each other at the end of a session is just “resetting” most of the progress they make during the session. I reached this point with my trio too. I’m going to start tomorrow because last night I didn’t get much sleep and I’d like to get at least one full night before not having much of any for the next few days. I’m excited and nervous!

Wish me luck!

[MoveDiagonally]

Pics from today:

[Irina]

Sounds like a good plan! Good luck!

[kcomstoc]

I’m excited for you and the bunnies I hope everything goes well and they bond quickly, you’re making me want another bunny lol

[kcomstoc]

I’m excited for you and the bunnies I hope everything goes well and they bond quickly, you’re making me want another bunny lol

[MoveDiagonally]

I was going to start their cementing the other day but my husband decided he wanted to finish building a new base for their semi-permanent pen which will end up being a part of their permanent home. It was very important to him to get that done for whatever reason(I don’t speak man logic). So I started cementing tonight (this morning)… At midnight. Yup… That’s me! 

Too early to really tell how things are going they’re mostly just exploring their new home/running around playing right now. Doing some ambiguous chasing that may or may not be play but is not really fighting. It’s 4′ X 8′ and once they’re bonded they’ll have this and and a 4.6′ X 3.5′ two story Condo. Next month we’re re-doing the flooring in the bunny room so they can have free roam of it. 

Here’s their temp home with no bunnies:

We’re using the shorter 24″ tall pens because I can’t reach into the taller ones if there’s an issue.

More pics:

And really this is just to prove that Dexter (our “bowling ball” rabbit) can in fact jump despite being lazy and on the chubby side >.<

[Irina]

Sooo cute! I want more bunnies!Sounds like it is going well so far!

[MoveDiagonally]

Thanks Irina! Lol, They have just spilled their water bowl for the 5th time…. -_- I’ll trade you until they’re bonded!

8 hours together so far and things have been going alright. The first 5 hours were on again, off again, for scuffles. But by 5:30 they started binkying around and playing together! So adorable. After that they snuggled together a bit. They “woke up” at 7:00 and played again. I fed them a bit ago and after eating together they are hanging out again. Everyone seems pretty comfy and there haven’t been any fights for the last 3 hours.

Helo’s Spiky Hair (from being squirted with water bottle earlier)

Eating Breakfast together:

[Irina]

Yay! Go quintet! You must be so happy MD! (And tired I am sure).

As for trading- I will take yours- especially since they are sooo close to being bonded… But I will not give them back!

More pictures please!

[LongEaredLions]

Looks like they are becoming a wonderful big bunny family!
You must be like a bonding expert or something, it only took you a little bit over a week to bond five, it took me two months to bond two…I was so nervous even though it was a really easy bond… O_o
Congrats!

[MoveDiagonally]

Thanks Irina & LEL! 

LEL- We’re not quite there yet. Still have some ways to go before they’re ready to live without supervision. Bonding gets less scary the more you do it. When I bonded Dexter and Penny was was really nervous and constantly second guessing myself. 

Bunnies have been together for almost 29 hours. Things are going really great right now but yesterday afternoon was rough. Helo decided he wanted to fight with everyone. I ended up stress bonding off and on for most of the afternoon into the evening. For the last 8 or so hours though it’s been fine. Some minor scuffles but nothing requiring physical intervention. Hopefully this continues to be the trend! 

Pics:

Helo and Inara have been pretty cute together:

And at one point Helo decided this was comfortable:

[MegaPixel]

it’s nice to see buns getting along together
you’re almost there!

[Irina]

So you had to reset the 24 hour clock? Bummer! Hopefully they will figure it out soon do you can get out of bunny bonding purgatory!

I love the pictures!

[kcomstoc]

they’re adorable and Helo is probably my favorite of your bunnies with Monty being a very close second I should get Caleb one of those beds…do your bunnies really like them?

[tanlover14]

Firm believer it’s easier to bond large groups.

It took both of us a week to bond a group of five. Seriously, that’s insane.

[LongEaredLions]

Posted By MoveDiagonally on 11/04/2013 06:46 AM
Bonding gets less scary the more you do it.

Mabye I need to get more bunnies and practice bonding them. You know, just for the experience.

[Irina]

Ok- once my two are done, and settled, perhaps in the spring, if I am not threatened with divorce, I will get TWO more bunnies, instead of one! Then TL- you and MD can coach me through the drama! (Even though I have bonded two sets of pairs (well- almost- Shadow and Butterbuns are close…)- I feel like I have little to show for it as they were so easy compared to what others have to go through….

[MoveDiagonally]

Thanks everyone!

Kcom – They LOVE the beds. I wasn’t sure if they’d like them because they don’t usually like super soft things but they snooze in them all the time!

TL – It’s strange that this has been my quickest bond but in some ways has felt like the hardest. Yesterday was pretty bad aggression wise and made me question whether I moved on to cementing too quickly. In hindsight, I think something like that had to happen before they could start to really move foreword as a group. Helo, Monty, and Inara are all very dominant rabbits and theoretically I don’t think them getting along SHOULD work but somehow they’re figuring it out.

Irina – Haha, even spayed/neutered bunnies multiply! It’s so easy for 2 to turn into 5. One more or two more I’d be happy to help in whatever way I can.

We’re approaching 43 hours together and things are much better today then they were yesterday. A few scuffles here and there but they’re all being broken up with the squirt bottle. Tomorrow will be better and so on! My husband has been great about giving me breaks so I can catch naps but I’ll be happy for a full night’s sleep when this is over!

[LongEaredLions]

Love how you used the litterbox for veggies!

[Irina]

Go MD! Yay quintet bunny family! Hoping you get sleep soon!

[kcomstoc]

that’s a lot of veggies…also I think I might get him one of those beds…he can sleep in his dig box full of chopped up sheets but he doesn’t he chooses to sleep on the cage floor instead…maybe he could use a bed.

[MoveDiagonally]

Irina – Haha, thanks. Me too! I miss sleeping. The things we go through for these fluffy things and they don’t even appreciate it!

LEL- Lol, I didn’t have anything else big enough Five large rabbits eat waaay too much -_-

Kcom – I didn’t think mine would like the beds but they do. I think I bought these for around $5 each so they were not crazy expensive. Just make sure anything you get is machine washable just in case. They have peed on them a few times during bonding but they have held up through being washed really well.

Things are going really great this morning. Almost 58 straight hours together (Day 13) and they’re only having a few tiffs here and there. Nothing that I’ve had to intervene with too much. I think we’re approaching the finish line on this whole adventure.

[Irina]

Woo hoo! Good for you!!

[MoveDiagonally]

Well… I’m probably going to watch them for another day or so out of my own paranoia but I’m going to call them “officially” bonded!

Thanks everyone! I really appreciated all the support.

[Baxter n Boos Mom]

Wow – congratulations on a successful bond! I don’t know how you and TL do it with so many buns. I have a hard enough time with my 2 buns.

Thanks for posting so many pics! I really enjoy seeing pics of the progress,

[Irina]

Congratulations!

[hannaroo]

Congratulations on finally getting all the buns bonded! I can’t believe they’re finally all together or how big Helo and Irena are! X

[LongEaredLions]

Congrats!

[tanlover14]

Congrats, MD! Whoop whoop for bonded quintets!!

I DO feel like my group is changing “pecking order” much more than they ever have before. It always seems to be constantly changing. Like Sidney was always “picking” on Nora for quite a while (nipping her in the butt all the time or lunging) but they have stopped completely and then Fleury started doing it to Tanger because Tanger wouldn’t groom him. So I’m pretty sure they are constantly changing via dynamics.

[kcomstoc]

wow MD congrats you and TL are amazing bonding 5 bunnies is quite a feat also I will make sure it’s machine washable…who ended up being the top bunny?

[Bam]

Congratulations! They look so happy togeather, like this is the life everybunny should have.

[MegaPixel]

congrats!

[jerseygirl]

Ahhhh! Congratulations!! : )
Just caught edited title of this thread and had to poke head in.
I would have constant grin on my face seeing them bonded MD.
Bookmarking this thread to read in detail later.

p.s. love the contrast of Dexters face in comparison to the long EL faces.

[MoveDiagonally]

TL – I’m glad you’re around! The social structure in a big group is really interesting to observe and there seems to be a lot more complexity to it than I thought there would be. It’s totally different than having a pair or even a trio. I can already tell that having someone to talk to that is going through or has gone through the same things is going to be great!

KCom – Haha, Monty is still “the boss” as far as I can tell. I’m learning through observation that dominance/subordinate relationships in bunnies is quite a bit different and not as cut and dry as I used to think it was.

Everyone – All the support through the process has been really great and motivating. So, thank you all for helping me bond these dopey rabbits!

[kcomstoc]

Interesting….so Monty could be he boss one month and then Helo can the next? I’m sorta confused but it sounds cool

[MoveDiagonally]

I think hierarchy is something they need to work out during bonding but plays less of a role once they are bonded. For example, during the trio bonding if Dexter had tried to boss around Monty it probably would have resulted in a fight. But after they were bonded for a while I saw Dexter “butt nip” Monty out of the way, demand grooms, etc.. and it didn’t trigger any fights or dominance struggles.

I think this fits in with what TL was saying about her group. They establish pecking order during bonding but they don’t seem to need constant re-assurance of their “standing” after they “know”. Dominant bunnies will behave submissively sometimes and submissive bunnies will behave in a way that appears dominant.

[kcomstoc]

that’s so interesting, also that’s cool how the bonding works

[Alfiebuns]

I do hope this post is still checked as I have only just found it and it is so incredibly useful but I do have so many questions!

I, too, have 5 wonderful bunnies that I have been trying to bond for a few months now. I currently have 2 pairs and one single who does play with one of the paired ladies so he’s not alone. I’m currently at a standstill with my bonding though and so very very frustrated.

The one thing I noticed about your photos is that your bunnies always look so calm, this is quite the opposite to mine. Do you achieve this purely through the cube or do have any other tips? I have to do car journeys before each session and do follow binky’s guide, amongst other things, when it comes to the bonding.

Also, do you think the booming can influence the bond? I worry that because I’m so eager for the bonds to work that my bunnies feel my anxiety.

I’m very stuck!

[Alfiebuns]

Wooops, booming should read hoomin!

[MoveDiagonally]

Sorry Alfiebuns I didn’t see this until now.

I take a lot more pics after things have calmed down so I suppose they can be a bit misleading. Most of my sessions started out with bickering and ended up generally calm. For the most part I did longer sessions (3 hours or more). Any general bonding tips I would give you are the same things you would find on the BB guide BUT if you make a thread detailing your specific bonding challenges then I and other members can offer you more honed advice.

I do think the human element can influence bonding. This is something Tanlover (the other quintet bonder around here) has said quite a few times and I agree with it 100%. While bonding we have to keep it together for them. If we are too anxious or stressed I think it does rub off on them. My advice would be to try and focus on the steps rather than the goal. If you’re in neutral then live in that moment with them. Don’t worry about future problems and deal with what’s in front of you. You will have good sessions but that doesn’t mean you won’t have another bad one. You will have bad sessions but that doesn’t mean you won’t have another good one. Celebrate small victories and try to find something to enjoy about the process even though it’s stressful.

[tanlover14]

I haven’t been on in a few days – how is the “pecking order” going?? Hahah! It is REALLY exciting to have someone else to talk about their interactions… because I swear it’s very different! Mine do sometimes chase or one will lunge at another when someone gets out of line but it doesn’t seem to be consistent with who does it and who they are doing it to… but it hasn’t started a fight. And it’s just like a chase and a nip and it’s done. It’s quite confusing sometimes but they all snuggle together and lay in a large pile all the time so I’m positive they have their orders figured out.

MD is so right after the human influence on bonding, I believe. I’ve ALWAYS had a difficult time when I get upset and frustrated. I’m such a firm believer that it rubs off on them. Try to remember that you’re asking your rabbits to be lovers for life, basically. Once bonded, they should never be separated because their bond will be so strong and in reality – you can’t expect them to do that overnight, or in a week. It really does take time and patience. If you keep going and only attempting to fix one problem at a time (and be willing to change bonding techniques to fit your group until one seems to “click”) then I think you still have a wonderful chance at bonding. I’m a big believer that any rabbits can be bonded if you are willing to put in the time, effort, and patience of figuring out what works best for them and having faith!

[Alfiebuns]

Thank you very much for your reply =) it is very much appreciated.

I think that is a brilliant idea of starting a thread on here, it will help me just to see the progressions (or lack of) and identify possible issues or room for improvement.

I’m currently on a bonding break right now as I have exams/work etc and I’m in the process of getting all new bonding equipment as the bunnies are getting bigger they can now bring down my old defenses =|

Thank you again for your reply, it has given me the puch I needed!

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