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Forum BEHAVIOR !!!Help my bunnies Arnt getting along.!!!

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    • BoBoMama
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        Please help, i feel so bad having them serperated. The cage is boring for my angora, and my satin keeps trying to break her out. It gets hard while i sleep. (They live in my bedroom which is where im at all the time) Because kush will rattle the cage. She is starting to ignore our ferm NO’s, and Quit it’s, and her name. She also is starting to ignore the thump we do on the bed. I dont want to lock them up cause i am believer of freedom of animals. Never caged up unless its for there health. Im keeping grimlyn my angora who is the humpy. She is kept in the cage until she is healled up and when we are awake enough to pay attention to her. Let alone that she needs room ro stretch and the cage is utterly boring. Even with chew toys on the edge of the cage and balls all over the floor of it. Litter box and food. I cant put anything more in that is to much for her. Cause she will shove any box away from her sleeping laying area which is whats left of the cage. I dont want to keep them seperated. I just dont know what to do about the humping and the nipping. Its EVERYTIME grimlyn humps Kush in the face, kush will nipple and leave a bloody mark. Grimlyn doesnt bleed to much. But this morning it was hyper time. An i felt bad for grimlyn cause she doesnt have anything to be fun and its small in there. Kush i binking around. I felt bad, went to sleep and then a hour later. I woke up check grimlyn she was fine. An turned on the computer to check my stuff. At the moment Grimlyn did it. But this turned out to be a battle before i broke it up. 

        Im so stressed and worried and scared. I dont know what to do anymore. Please help


      • BoBoMama
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          ps. i know this a dominate thing but i just dont know what to do about them.

          Also a month ago this started. I didnt know what it was i took her to the doctor and she thought it was a urine burn. But it had a buddle blood scarb thing. And yellow skin scab thing… it looked like it was urine burn. But as the month went by we found that it was our satin biting at the peepee. I have ointment from the urnine burn idea. An it seems to help her a bit to heal the skin. So im contining using it. I got queit a bit to use tell i have to ask the doctor for more. But i dont want to. So that i can fingure there issue. was reading about this issue but i want to see about my situation. 

          i heard get rid of nest boxs, i got three big soda boxes the one with 24 cans. 2 big hot pocket box (for digging it seems) a tunnel. 

          also i heard use squirt bottle to the face when it happens… kinda dont want to do it to my angora causeher long fur with matts. 

          help

          also any good ideas on solving the digging apart the littlerbox. I have sink cover like the flower and the pebble one. this was bought cause i didnt know about the one in the store, Im buying those on the first. but i know they will dig up the little box, and they like to eat the newspaper i cut up for then. While sometimes they like to dig up the peed on stuff…. and tips or ideas what i can do with the litter box. they are used to the cat box type

          so apartently my rabbit kinda like me typing on this key board. shes kinda chattering

          oh and is there a better way to treat this nipped area


        • Hazel
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            They are both girls, right? Are they spayed?


          • Peony
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              Did you take steps to bond them? When you start bonding rabbits you need to put them in a neutral zone. A neutral zone means it is a place were nether has been before and the reason of doing that is territory issues with their scents. I may be wrong but it sounds like you just put the two near each other hoping they will get along.

               Some bonding steps I read you are supposed to keep them in separate rooms and just give each of them each others scent  then once they got that for a week or two, put the cages near but not near enough were they can bat at each other.

               After that is done, you can start bonding sessions where you want some kind of tool to split them if they start ‘fighting’ too ruff. Some light fighting is needed to see who is going to be dominant, it is like bunny dating.

               For cages, does ether rabbit have some kind of hide away? My bunny has a hutch inside a pen area and spends more time in the hutch then in the pen area. They need a place to be their ‘Home’ a place they can hide away at and feel safe. Some bunnies even like it if you make a cardboard box with two entrances in it.

              For my bunny, on my fourth night having her went without any fits like bar plucking. She was happy it seemed having her two floor hutch (my Mom wants her locked in the hutch for the night) but she bar plucks in the morning around 7:40 am letting us know she wants to roam in her pen area.

               Posted By Hazel on 12/26/2013 11:27 AM

              They are both girls, right? Are they spayed?

               Yeah that is another thing, having them spayed would help. Having girls not spayed are very territorial.


            • Peony
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                Posted By BoBoMama on 12/26/2013 11:05 AM
                ps. i know this a dominate thing but i just dont know what to do about them.

                Also a month ago this started. I didnt know what it was i took her to the doctor and she thought it was a urine burn. But it had a buddle blood scarb thing. And yellow skin scab thing… it looked like it was urine burn. But as the month went by we found that it was our satin biting at the peepee. I have ointment from the urnine burn idea. An it seems to help her a bit to heal the skin. So im contining using it. I got queit a bit to use tell i have to ask the doctor for more. But i dont want to. So that i can fingure there issue. was reading about this issue but i want to see about my situation. 

                i heard get rid of nest boxs, i got three big soda boxes the one with 24 cans. 2 big hot pocket box (for digging it seems) a tunnel. 

                also i heard use squirt bottle to the face when it happens… kinda dont want to do it to my angora causeher long fur with matts. 

                help

                also any good ideas on solving the digging apart the littlerbox. I have sink cover like the flower and the pebble one. this was bought cause i didnt know about the one in the store, Im buying those on the first. but i know they will dig up the little box, and they like to eat the newspaper i cut up for then. While sometimes they like to dig up the peed on stuff…. and tips or ideas what i can do with the litter box. they are used to the cat box type

                so apartently my rabbit kinda like me typing on this key board. shes kinda chattering

                oh and is there a better way to treat this nipped area

                 

                Hmm where the two rabbits bonded before?

                 

                I would talk to the vet more really, making sure they are spayed and such. I am not sure what to say with the medical condition. For digging it might help to have a phone book. I do not have that for my rabbit. Her first night was a huge fit so I put some towels in the area she was digging at. I folded the towel on itself a bit so this gave her something to dig at and move. Females tend to like to make a nest i guess or have their own sleeping area to make. After doing this her night fits went way down.

                (Having problems with the quote thing, hope it is clear over what I said. It might help to explain the history of the two rabbit’s relationship and the boning processes you took)


              • BoBoMama
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                  To anwser the question that i didnt add in. 

                  They are TWO GIRLS

                  They are BOTH spayed. since november 16 2013

                  They are bonded, they seemed like soul sisters before this started. They would follow each other, clean each other all the time. Cuddle spooning they were so happy together.(notice in my defualt picture) Now i cant have them be with each other at night. It sucks.  so bonding since augest 2013


                • Peony
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                    Hmmm
                    Did anything change when this started like moving? Maybe they need to be rebonded?

                    How do they act doing the day now compared to when they got along?

                     How old are they?


                  • BoBoMama
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                      they are about 8 months. They were just fine with each other. It was just recently in the middle of the monthin november. They were really good to each other. But im thinking it might because of the man nest box’s i have. At the moment im trying the squirt bottle technique for the litter boxes also the face humping. But i got to stay awake for that an watch them. I just dont know what else im going to have to do. I dont know if i need to rebonded them. Looking at them… they seem fine except for that face humping thing… Though kush has been more vocal since i spayed her. So she probably starting to not be so sweet kush… idk. Let alone… Grimlyn did this face humping thing before spaying. Kush just doesnt like it anymore. An wont put up with it.


                    • Peony
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                        Maybe someone with better experience can say if I am right or wrong but I really think it is an age issue with them just getting spayed. This really stands out to me:

                        Grimlyn did this face humping thing before spaying

                        For now I would say you have to keep them apart for a bit and give them time to calm down from the spayed. If I remember right, their hormones can still be a bit out of wack for about 2 months after. They really may need time alone for now and put them together when you can watch them, like having bonding sessions.


                      • BoBoMama
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                          yeah im planning that. Plus if any nipping happens ill have grimlyn heal up


                        • tanlover14
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                            Don’t ever squirt them in the face with the water bottle, squirt towards the back of their bums. Squirting in the face will only anger them and cause you to end up with behavioral issues, the exact opposite of what you want.

                            It sounds like they began having these problems around their spay? Have they had issues since you brought them home? They may need to be re-bonded. Bunnies recognize each other by smell but once spayed both buns will actually smell different. Sometimes the buns won’t recognize the other bunny in which case rebonding can help this. Start from the beginning with neutral area for any interaction between the two, swamping litter, etc.


                          • BoBoMama
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                              I dont think i need rebonding everyone. They cuddle all the time. They act really good to each other. But when the humping happens. (Which i said before this has happened before grimlyn has been spayed) Its just kush can take so much until she will nip. She does it to mommy when she is either holding her or grooming her. So i think kush had enough and started giving sissy a “Hey i dont like it stop it” So im thinking once Grimlyn heals up from the day i started this forum. I am going to put them together when shes all healed up then see if i can correct the problem. I also think i need to get rid of the big soda boxes (Nest boxes) and start seeing from there. But i wont trust them when im sleeping together.


                            • Peony
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                                Where they bonded before the humping started? I just think they need a bit more time for the hormones to settle. The hormones don’t settle right after being spayed, it takes some time. I think it is two months but I am not 100% sure on that.

                                 

                                Also before the spayed, did the one nip the other viciously like now?


                              • tanlover14
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                                  If you’re buns are bonded, then they cannot be separated. Separated rabbits from their mate can go into extreme depression.

                                  The only rabbits that need nest boxes are buns that are pregnant and getting ready to deliver the baby. An indoor rabbit doesn’t need one although I have given mine such things as a fleece or towel to dig into and play with.


                                • Peony
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                                    Hmmm? for the most part I thought most like a hidey place, a place to go when they get scared.

                                    My bun runs to this spot in her hutch that I have towels down for her to dig at and make a bed out of. She was a big brat the first night I had her and putting those towels down stopped it.

                                     Did you see this thread  BoBoMomma?

                                    https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/128160/Default.aspx
                                    The story sounds a lot a like yours, hormones does things like that.


                                  • BoBoMama
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                                      Yeah i see what you all are saying about the hormones. An that could be it. An mommy and daddy just want to make sure the girls are fine. I used to put like chunks of cardboard for them to dig in. I might just through some littler box paper in there boxes… But in little bits to dig in. Ill see if that works. At the moment the situation of the room is a little temporary. The boxes are to hide the base board from the girls. So i have those to detract them Also i am waiting for a book shelf to block that area. But its hard to find one.
                                      But before the spaying Kush never bite grimlyn as the face humping. Before the spaying, kush could handle a lot of things she didnt like. But since she has been spayed she has been more vocal too. She has grunted at me so many times. More when i pick her up. Sometimes. She will grunt at me cause i took my hand away from her from licking. basically saying “No more dont go, i still loving you” When she first grunted at me. Was when i kissed her a week after she was spayed. She also wasnt a nipped before she was spayed. The only thing she would do to let you know she was done was to lightly place her teeth on the skin not even nipping. She was so gental before spaying. SO i think kush is just starting to standup for herself more.
                                      Also has anyone had the issue of the rabbit nipping your eye lid when they are kissing you? Cause thats what kush has done all the time. She will be licking my nose then my eye lid then nips it. I squick everytime she does it then she give me loves but isk why she does it.
                                      Can someone also help me with the litter box issue. They keep digging the paper out from the litter gaurd mate thing. I dont think a ferm no helps. Kinda works on grimlyn. But only for a hour. lol


                                    • Peony
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                                        I only had my rabbit nip at me once and that was to tell me to move and it was my waist area. That was also the first time I met her and it was at the shelter. Keep in mind my bunny close to being two years old, pretty much being considered old teen/adult. The thing with your rabbits is age pretty much, I think that is teenage equivalent for humans and really do act different from hormones before it got to them. So they really just need time and age a bit and they should calm down. I would say it could be anywhere between a week to 4 months from now. (Remember it still takes a bit of time after the spray for the hormone levels to drop) You said they are 8 months as of now?

                                         

                                        For the litter issue, ever though of trying some kind of wood type? (have to be careful with what kind of wood some can be toxic.) I see my rabbit dig in her litter box but i think it is just to get specific strands of hay. Nothing ever comes out of it other then hay from time to time. And even that hay I do not think it is caused from her digging but more from her hay stuffed toys.


                                      • BoBoMama
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                                          Posted By Peony on 12/28/2013 05:20 PM

                                          I only had my rabbit nip at me once and that was to tell me to move and it was my waist area. That was also the first time I met her and it was at the shelter. Keep in mind my bunny close to being two years old, pretty much being considered old teen/adult. The thing with your rabbits is age pretty much, I think that is teenage equivalent for humans and really do act different from hormones before it got to them. So they really just need time and age a bit and they should calm down. I would say it could be anywhere between a week to 4 months from now. (Remember it still takes a bit of time after the spray for the hormone levels to drop) You said they are 8 months as of now?

                                           

                                          For the litter issue, ever though of trying some kind of wood type? (have to be careful with what kind of wood some can be toxic.) I see my rabbit dig in her litter box but i think it is just to get specific strands of hay. Nothing ever comes out of it other then hay from time to time. And even that hay I do not think it is caused from her digging but more from her hay stuffed toys.

                                          Well to answer you they are about a half a month apart, being we really dont truely know how old grimlyn is cause we rescued her from a pan handler at walmart, thinking grimlyn was about 2.5 months at the time. While kush was 2 months at the time. Kush has always also seem to do the eye nipping since we had her at 6 weeks. They bonded really nice. We thought they fought at first being rabbit owners for the first time. Not knowing how they would act. But they were just playing tag or something lol. But they play and cuddle nicely together. Kush absolutely loved Grimlyn when we first had her. Though the months. We found our self thinking the kush probably promised grimlyn she would take care of her. Since Grimlyn was all under health. With a blanket full of matted up fur. With under feed. We saw green bean in the box. She was to young to have that. no hay no pellets no water. So after the month grimlyn took a big liking to mom ma for taking care of her many times. She never give loves to anyone but me after i have groomed her. An kush is the love bunny. She all kisses. She will kiss you for minutes on end. 

                                          I understand the hormones and the fact they are about teenager like to us. I did a lot of reacher when we first had kush. An even though i did all this research. Doesnt help when i havnt experienced whats going on. I knew i shouldn’tve had worried about them being spayed. But i was worried i would have to rebond them. How much pain they were going though. and everything else that came with spaying. 

                                          As for the litter issue, I would have to tell you what they do, when they get in it. Even when i have just changed it, grimlyn and kush… more kush. They would dig enough to lift the damn pee tray/mate thing. But then bring the paper back up over the mate so that there are paper ontop of the mate. I have the mate so that they dont sit in the litter paper.. (Which im using newspaper cause i have newspaper sent to my door everyday. So im resycling. Cuting it up into strips.) They also like to eat the paper too. SO that is why im more concern. I know it wont hurt them, because of the soy inc. But i know they can get a tummy ache. I just dont know what to do. Im also geting scratch makes on the side of the litter pan. From their digging. I had put other digging stuff in play boxes but they still mess with the litterbox. Some morning ill wake up to litter paper all over the ground. But also with hay… lol

                                          Good thing i have a tarp down on the ground to gaurd the hardwood and make it easier for the rabbits


                                        • Peony
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                                            For the litter:
                                            Red door gave me (or i bought it from them, however you want to look at it) a 15 inch by 17 inch plastic tray and 5 inches deep. So that is not going to get knocked over and she happily hops in it. I think they said the somerset wood stove pellets are more absorbent then newspaper and recommend using that. Then the pellets are completely covered with western timothy hay. Seems to work since the tray itself is completely dry when I change it 2-3 days. The pellets look funny when wet :3


                                          • BoBoMama
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                                              Well peony the issue about switching to pellets. Which you should understand… As i had said.. i RECYCLE the paper by using it for there litter. While i empty it in the compost. I also use newspaper cause it cost nothing to me. If i go get those pellets. Im going to using money i cant afford on them. I can pay for a new toy a month and i bought hay and food pellets in augest from co op store. which i think i have food tell march maybe may. But I dont make that much. but every month i have to buy orchard grass. (Soon thinking of buying that mini ball of blue blend but i dont know how much thats going to give me. I already have 4 large trash bags full of timothy hay from a full bail.) Here in washington a bag of orchard grass or any hay really is like 25 dollars for 28oz+ depending where you are shopping the plus size is from a co op other places is 28oz. They go threw one of those bags in half the month. They love that stuff. Im going to try the gaurds from the shop on the first and hope that they dont flip the litter pan over or something.


                                            • tanlover14
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                                                Have you tried ordering Oxbow through a pet store? We buy 50 lb. of Oxbow Orchard Grass through a local pet store and pay $75 a box for it. It’s 50 lbs. so it lasts tons longer and if you do the math, it’s MUCH cheaper than what you would pay for the smaller bags. They also have a 25 lb. box that is slightly cheaper, I believe it is $45 or something close to that. I would ask around at your local pet stores that carry Oxbow.

                                                Do you have money set aside for an emergency? I worry since you said you really can’t afford the litter what you plan on doing in case of an emergency. I was going to recommend putting a few dollars each month away in a savings as a fund just in case. My boyfriend and I got the rabbit insurance for a bit which was $11 a month but dumped it a few months later and began putting $11 a month away per rabbit in our own savings account. It doesn’t sound like much but it really begins to build up if you’re careful not to spend it only in emergencies. We also have a credit card we qualified for called CareCredit which we have only for emergencies. I don’t have great credit and qualified for a hefty amount. I like this credit card because if the procedure is over $200 they give you 6 months to pay it off without any interest and the greater the amount, the greater the amount of time they give you before they charge interest. You can also only use it at vets and doctors offices so you’re not tempted to just use it for anything! Thought I’d throw those ideas out there. I have come to find rabbits are so prone to so many illnesses that you have to be ready just in case!


                                              • Peony
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                                                  I am not sure how well newspaper would work doing a bigger litterbox like mine is. I guess I could advice getting a bigger litterbox? But the wood pellets are like 4-10 dollars per 40 pounds and to save money on hay I would advice doing what tanlover14 said. I would also say check out this link on this site too:

                                                  https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/tabid/53/CategoryID/4/PID/940/Default.aspx

                                                  I got 50 pounds of hay though red door, the shelter I got Peony from. So try asking your local pet  like tanlover14 said or local shelter like I did. How does that work anyway? I have not found anything like that online? I am guessing you asked in person/phone?

                                                   

                                                  Reason I link that is to show you can make your own toys and hidey places for rabbits (Or even a cage with cube sets to give them lots of room, since you can make a mutli floor running place with them) The other bonus with getting the 50 pounds of hay is it comes in a big box… a box you can use to have the rabbits to play in.


                                                • tanlover14
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                                                    I believe you’re talking to me, Peony? Hahahaa. If not, then just ignore my response.

                                                    But yeah, I asked around at the pet stores and shelters I knew that had Oxbow. And asked them on their prices for ordering those bigger boxes. I typically have to order about a month in advance to be extra safe because neither of the stores I order from have a very big list for Oxbow so they don’t get Oxbow supplies in a ton. One of my stores only does it whenever their supply reaches a certain amount but the other store does it bi-weekly. So I’ve been using the one that is more reliable, for obvious reasons.


                                                  • Peony
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                                                      I was asking for more information on that to help her ya I was talkin to you :3

                                                      Also BoBoMama, my rabbit at first took bigger interest in the store bought toys like the petco dumbbell (ate one side of it her first day) Now she has more interest of hay stuffed into things like toilet paper rolls, tissue boxes and so on. So you do not even need store bought toys, and also your rabbit may like some baby toys or slinkies. I was told plastic only for slinkies. You might find some toys that are ok for bunnies on clearance like my Mom did, but my rabbit did not take much interest in them.


                                                    • tanlover14
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                                                        My rabbits LOVE their paper towel rolls, they won’t touch the toilet paper ones but they’re all great to try! Although when I take the toilet paper ones – fill with hay and a crasin or two – and then pinch down the sides they’ll throw them around and tear at them. If you don’t mind a mess, I’ve bought mine the Oxbow hay hidey house which they LOVED. It took my three rabbits about a month to tear the whole thing apart. Another cheap option is the phone book with the thick cover on both sides pulled off, they adore phone books. (Caution: you will probably not see your rabbit for a few hours)! If you’re worried about the mess though, I got a cardboard box, cut two holes in the sides to make it tunnel like and set the phone book inside so it helped with the mess they created.


                                                      • BoBoMama
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                                                          Posted By Peony on 12/29/2013 01:24 PM

                                                          I am not sure how well newspaper would work doing a bigger litterbox like mine is. I guess I could advice getting a bigger litterbox? But the wood pellets are like 4-10 dollars per 40 pounds and to save money on hay I would advice doing what tanlover14 said. I would also say check out this link on this site too:

                                                          https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/tabid/53/CategoryID/4/PID/940/Default.aspx

                                                          I got 50 pounds of hay though red door, the shelter I got Peony from. So try asking your local pet  like tanlover14 said or local shelter like I did. How does that work anyway? I have not found anything like that online? I am guessing you asked in person/phone?

                                                           

                                                          Reason I link that is to show you can make your own toys and hidey places for rabbits (Or even a cage with cube sets to give them lots of room, since you can make a mutli floor running place with them) The other bonus with getting the 50 pounds of hay is it comes in a big box… a box you can use to have the rabbits to play in.

                                                          Well to tell you about this, When grimlyn had first started having this issue. With the nipping. We thought  it was urine burn. But when i first saw the rash, it was horrible. I thought her pee hole was blocked. So we scheduled to the most awesomess… almost(Because of spaying price was expensive  vet in lynnwood area. Angel Pet Hospital. We got in a couple hours after the call. Got in. An had been looked at. I was a reck at the time. Grimlyn is my favorite out them all. An i was worried. But they were not the much money. 50 total with flea medication.(Grimlyn was also getting eatting… her ears were a breeding grounds.) but yes we are saving. Buts another reason why i cant afford a different type of litter. So yeah


                                                        • Peony
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                                                            Well like we are saying there are ways to save like getting 50 pounds of hay at a time. From what i figured, compere to buying in 90 ounce, 45 ounce or whatever, it would be about double the cost then if you buy it by 25/50 pounds.

                                                            i think you could use a bigger litter box so they are not knocking it over. Rabbits like having things in certain spots. Maybe try moving it to a different corner?

                                                            For toys you can make free ones and save there too.


                                                          • MoveDiagonally
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                                                              Rabbits get hormonal for 4-6 weeks after spaying or neutering. A lot of times a rabbits behavior will get worse during that time and bonds can be affected .Your rabbits were spayed and started having issues afterwards. It was probably hormones fluctuating post spay and it sounds like it did disrupt the bond somewhat. Bonded rabbits should live together 100% of the time continuing to separate and put them together without going through the bonding process will likely upset their bond even more.

                                                              I think you got some great advice in the beginning of this thread. Re-bonding them sounds like the best route to me at this point. I would go through the bonding process with them again. If they get along well in neutral move on to semi neutral and then maybe try cementing again. During cementing if they fight do not separate them. Stress bond them instead and return them to the cementing session. Once they get along for 24-48 hours (supervised) without fighting they should be fine together again without supervision.

                                                              Wood stove pellets are really cheap. Like $4-5 for 40-50lbs. Usually even cheaper in the winter if you go into a hardware store and if you stock up during the winter you can have litter for like $30-40 for the whole year (which comes out to $2.5-3.33 per month). I don’t think shredded paper is a good litter choice. You can usually buy bales of hay for a lot less than bagged hay as well. I get 80lb bales for $13.


                                                            • Hazel
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                                                                Posted By tanlover14 on 12/29/2013 12:40 PM

                                                                Have you tried ordering Oxbow through a pet store? We buy 50 lb. of Oxbow Orchard Grass through a local pet store and pay $75 a box for it.

                                                                Thought I should let you know, we get our hay (and all other pet food) from PetFoodDirect. We just ordered a 50 lbs bale of Oxbow Timothy for $56, they have Orchard Grass too. It says it’s on sale right now, but I think it’s one of those “permanent” sales. Most of the time they offer free shipping on their website as well. Even if they don’t, all you have to do is call them and they will give you a code for free shipping. Might be worth looking into, sounds like it would save you almost $20.


                                                              • Peony
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                                                                  I went to their site now and it says I have to pay 79 total because of shipping but still that is way cheaper then 90 once or whatever from pet stores. So if she can’t find somewhere to buy it by asking around there is that too.


                                                                • Hazel
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                                                                    Posted By Peony on 12/30/2013 04:38 PM

                                                                    I went to their site now and it says I have to pay 79 total because of shipping but still that is way cheaper then 90 once or whatever from pet stores. So if she can’t find somewhere to buy it by asking around there is that too.

                                                                    Did you enter the free shipping code? On the homepage it says up top “Free Shipping on orders $49+ up to 60lbs”. There’s a code next to it that you have to enter to get free shipping.


                                                                  • Peony
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                                                                      Entering something like “freedelivery” for free delivery is like asking someone to notice Password:password. I tend to over look stuff like that thinking that is not done anymore =/. Well there you go BoBoMama, 50 pounds of hey for $56.62, that should save you a lot of money. (more money to vet savings)


                                                                    • BoBoMama
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                                                                        Posted By Hazel on 12/30/2013 01:49 PM

                                                                        Posted By tanlover14 on 12/29/2013 12:40 PM

                                                                        Have you tried ordering Oxbow through a pet store? We buy 50 lb. of Oxbow Orchard Grass through a local pet store and pay $75 a box for it.

                                                                        Thought I should let you know, we get our hay (and all other pet food) from PetFoodDirect. We just ordered a 50 lbs bale of Oxbow Timothy for $56, they have Orchard Grass too. It says it’s on sale right now, but I think it’s one of those “permanent” sales. Most of the time they offer free shipping on their website as well. Even if they don’t, all you have to do is call them and they will give you a code for free shipping. Might be worth looking into, sounds like it would save you almost $20.

                                                                        I WILL NEVER STRESS BOND THEM NEVER> 


                                                                      • BoBoMama
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                                                                          Thanks everyone i think i got my anwsers. Thanks.


                                                                        • tanlover14
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                                                                            May I ask why you would never stress bond them?

                                                                            I hate to be over here tooting my own horn BUT I have a bonded six-some and have a website and business dedicated to helping people bond their rabbits. Stress bonding is not mean or cruel. It teaches the rabbits to rely on each other when they are afraid which strengthens their bonds and makes them closer. In the wild, rabbits come together as groups for this reason. Which is why they have such complex warrens together, all based on overcoming dangers together.

                                                                            It’s a lot more dangerous to let them continue with aggressive behaviors than it is to just stress bond them a time or two to help them further develop their bond.


                                                                          • BoBoMama
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                                                                              I will not stress bond them cause it will break at some time. THESE ARE MY BABIES. You wouldnt stress bond human siblings because they are not getting along. No you sit them down an keep an i on them. I take care of children for a living before i owned these girls. An i know you wouldnt take your kids that arnt getting along with each other in a car and drive crazy and hope they will stick together, or take them to a scary place that would make them think they are going to dye. And hope that they will be good afterwards. No that will end and they will need to rebonded. SO there isnt no point in that. And also isnt it bad to have a bunny under stress. The whole stress bonding makes no sense. Why would you do that. ITs cruel. I have been told by a vet that it isnt wise to do that. Its senseless.

                                                                              Today i did a bonding session since grimlyn is mostly healed. An so stuck them in a Carrier,(With my arms in the carrier just for precation. An had them sit next to each other. They cleaned each other a bit. But there was some computations. One being that kush will bite my hand because im messing with sissy grimlyn and she will grunt at me… Also when i pull grimlyn out. Kush will bit at my hand and try to get sissy back. She has done this since she was spayed. She getting over protective over grimlyn. This is what i told you about kush they are bonded before i seperated grimlyn to heal… making it a week of resting away from sissy. Plus also the carrier.. due to room for the moment…(Waiting for a bookshelf) But the carrier is close to the bed but the cage is near our door. Which is like couple foot away from each other. Kush love the carrier. Plus also the bonding kush knows grimlyn… she was happy to have sissy back with the fact when grimlyn is in the cage kush trys to break grimlyn out by rattling the cage trying to open the door.


                                                                            • BoBoMama
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                                                                                Plus also grimlyn is a rescue bunny. She had gone though enough stress. She scared for life. She probably abused, She was malnourished and had a blanket of mated fur. She is scared of guy… seems like it. But everytime i even go around grimlyn in her beginning life, she would lower her head to the ground… an i think either thumps as she hopes away. I dont know whats goes on… either she might have a flick in her one foot she thumps with because she was not tooken care of. When we was in the cage. When we put our hand close to her. She will lower her head. Also she doesnt like her nose and mouth area touch at all. So I would never stress bond her more… Kush is more forgiving.


                                                                              • tanlover14
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                                                                                  Putting them in a carrier together is one way of stress bonding. You don’t have to shake them around like a maniac or do anything that will physically harm them or make them think they’re going to die. You put them on alert. When you put them in their carrier, they were unfamiliar with their surroundings and a little nervous. Which lets them lean on each other for support. THAT is stress bonding! Not physically harming them or stressing them to illness!

                                                                                  You can do lots of stress bonding in different ways. You can also set them in the bath tub together. It’s not making them think they’re going to die. They are just uncertain about the area and what they are experiencing.


                                                                                • BoBoMama
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                                                                                    They knew the area though… Cause the carrier is one of my cages. Its a open door carrier where they can go in since they been my bunnies. I never want to stress my babies. I was right there just comforting them two. So they knew that all is good. Petting them both. Talking to them nicely. It wasnt a neutral place. Just a area that would keep them in a enclose area. So i can correct the issue and they are close together. Get them familiar again


                                                                                  • Hazel
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                                                                                      Posted By BoBoMama on 12/30/2013 10:58 PM

                                                                                      An i know you wouldnt take your kids that arnt getting along with each other in a car and drive crazy and hope they will stick together, or take them to a scary place that would make them think they are going to dye.

                                                                                      Stress bonding is not the same as scaring them to death. No one here is suggesting that you have them chased down by a hawk and hope it brings them closer together. It’s called stress bonding because the point is to stress them, not to terrorize them.

                                                                                      Do you not vacuum your house because it will stress them? Do you not run your washer and dryer because it will stress them? Do you not take them to the vet because the car ride will stress them? They don’t LIKE these things, but that doesn’t mean it’s causing them any harm.

                                                                                      Stress bonding is a proven tool in bonding rabbits and people like tanlover who have successfully bonded lots of rabbits can attest to that.

                                                                                      Comparing bonding rabbits to raising children isn’t appropriate either, you can talk to kids and explain things to them, with rabbits that’s not possible. They don’t get into a fight over a toy like a couple of siblings might, rabbits act on instinct.

                                                                                      I don’t mean to sound harsh here, I’m just trying to make you understand that a lot of people here have tons of experience with bonding and considering their advice would be the thing to do. The people on this forum are very concerned with their rabbit’s welfare and you can be assured that no one here would ever do anything to harm them.


                                                                                    • Peony
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                                                                                        What the above post said, Hazel’s post, I would really consider doing one of these for stress bonding:

                                                                                        Be placed on top of a running washing machine or dryer to shake the container as well as provide foreign rumbling sounds.

                                                                                        Putting the rabbits in an empty bathtub to interact. Not only is it neutral as most rabbits do not spend any time in the bathroom, but slippery surface induces stress as well as make it hard for rabbits to run and fight each other.

                                                                                        Dabbing some smushed banana, honey, or other sweet sticky substance on each rabbit’s nose. The sensation will cause the rabbit to fervently try to groom off the substance as well as throw off its sense of smell. The rabbits will be less likely to attack either other because they will be too busy grooming themselves.

                                                                                        If my rabbit does not like something, she runs to her hutch and sit/lays on the “bed” she made from towel digging. She really bolted when the vacuum turned on. That is stress, her life was not in danger just because of a loud noise. She feels safe in the little bed she made.

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