Is there a right and wrong way to bond?

[CaitlinG]

Hi All, 

This is my first time posting in the forum, Im so glad to have found some bunny people to help me with my 100’s of bunny questions. 

On Friday of last week I lost my dear Archibald Bunny to the horrid GI Stasis. He was 4 and I adopted him 2 years ago from my workplace at an animal shelter. Archibald leaves behind a big, bold and beautiful widow, Delilah, who is nearly 3 years old. I noticed her decline in the few days that Archibald was under vet care in the hospital, after his death she declined further – I wasn’t aware that seeing his body would help her so i didn’t do this. I decided, seeing that Delilah had not lived alone, my best option for her was to get her a new friend and begin bonding. Along hopped Kevin, a 3 and a half year old cashmere dwarf lop x from the local RSPCA. 

Only after bringing Kevin home did I find out he had extremely low vision. Delilah is a mother at heart and loves to groom and snuggle, she is not aggressive but is a larger girl. Both Kevin and Delilah are desexed and have been for quite some time. 

I have started doing bunny dates in a play pen, these are going okay but whenever someone/something moves/makes a noise, Kevin freaks out, thumps his feet and runs and Delilah takes chase. If he sits still, she tends to want to just hang out with him and I’ve caught her grooming his face.

Usually the play pen dates, both in the garden and in the bedroom, have gone okay. They have some little skirmishes, but never biting or fighting, just chasing and a bit of hair pulling from Delilah.

They have their hutches together and lay right close to one another, share food through the bars and touch noses, but when out in a bigger space, Kevin is scared by everything and this causes Delilah to chase. 

I have tried free ranging them together (I know that only a few days in is very soon to do this) and they act indifferent to one another, as soon as Dellilah moves near him, Kevin freaks and she chases. 

Is there a right or wrong way to bond? Any suggestions on helping bond a blind/low vision bunny? 

[LBJ10]

So you’re saying that him running entices her to chase?

[Author]

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