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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum BONDING Bonding Bumpy Ride-help Mochi was crying

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    • Roy
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        I have been following along with this site and a few others to help with the process of bonding my two new female rabbits.

        This is a bit of a story, but I suppose the situation is pretty unique. You can skip to the bottom for my main inquiry if you wish to skip the story aspect. I think

        (A bit of history before this pair:

        I never realized how hard it was going to be! I actually had an unspayed female Holland Lop (Butterscotch) for about two years before and then took in another that needed a home. Back then I had NO idea about bonding rabbits or spaying and I put the new unspayed female (not sure the type, was a chocolate brown rabbit which I renamed Chocolate) in with my older one without any clue and by what must have been a miracle, they got along fine and I never had an issue. This was a few years ago and I did have to give up the pair eventually after my living situation became difficult.)

        My fiancial situation had improved leaps and bounds this year and I adopted a Sable (Maki) from the Shelter. I was still just renting a room at the time, but had enough room for her to run and a nice large cage as well to put her in when needed. (it also is home to her litter box).

        She ended up acting strangely hyper at night when I was trying to sleep she would nip me awake. I read up on the issue and saw that it was likely due to boredom (since I worked for much of the day) and that they do better in pairs.

        I DID end up buying a separate hutch for the rabbit (Mochi) and I had difficulties having them “get along”. I did have her cage in the same room as it was my only room and the rest of the house was a shared area with other roomates. I did let them take turns to run in the whole house as the roomates did not mind this, but only supervised for safety reasons.

        I did not introduce them in that room, but rather the bathroom. Things did not go so well. It was not terrible, but Maki was trying to “top” Mochi and Mochi got annoyed with it. The fighting did not get so bad at that point, but I ended up looking up for help on my situation since it was not was I was expecting. 

        I found a number of HUGE flaws in how I introduced them. And Maki was not hyper at night from boredom, she was in her terrible teens. She fell into each category of it and I thought it was just boredom. 

        I did spay Maki and she has been a lovey bunny ever since. 

        After she healed I have occasionally tried to bond them, but things got even more terrible when my landlord wanted me to keep them in cages all of the time. It was terrible how much she would berate me on them being “rats” and they should be outside in cages. She even  It really stressed me out and I am sure the rabbits felt it. I immediately knew I had to move as soon as possible, not just for the rabbits, but for myself as well. 

        I have now moved to a new two bedroom apartment and I would like to try rebonding them. I feel like things took a huge set back at the last place. They each have their own room for the time being. I do swap out their fleece blankets so they can get used to each other’s smells again and I pet them while near it. They are both shedding so sometimes I “steal” some fur for petting times.

        This is the third day of the apartment and I tried two techniques so far. One I did was in the bathtub with water. It is shallow so they ended up jumping out and Maki chased on the bathroom floor. Today, I tried putting them in a covered bin and moving around to simulate a bumpy ride. I was pleased to see them huddled side by side…and Maki had her head tucked under Mochi’s. 

        I was wondering if anyone could help give me a few ideas for helping them bond or any tips?

        Should I keep doing the same process with the same bin? (I do not have a pen)


      • Mikey
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          If the bumpy ride seemed to work, continue with that It will take more than a few days to get them bonding, but huddling together is a good start at getting them comfortable with one another


        • Roy
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            Today I did manage to get a small area sectioned off in the walk in closet using the baby gate…it was about twice the space as the bin. I put them in there after having the ride. They stayed on opposite sides a lot of the time and Maki lunged a couple of times but did not get a tuft of Mochi fur. It was not too bad…but I am wondering if I should stick to more “stress bonding”. It makes me sad seeing them get stressed tho


          • Azerane
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              I think stress bonding is a nice aid to bonding, but should certainly not be used exclusively. To me what you have done sounds about right, stressed them a little before putting them in an area together. When you put them in that area you can also simply pet them the entire time. Stress bond, put into neutral area and pet them so they’re both relaxed and happy, and then end the session. Rather than stressing and then letting them out to see how things go. You don’t want to overdo the amount of time they’re in together either, shorter sessions give less time for things to go wrong and I would probably makes things very short until Maki shows less inclination to lunge and instantly chase.


            • Roy
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                I did pet them a bit and placed against each other then let them “alone” for a bit while I hid on the other side of the coveted baby gate…but they lost interest in each other then the lunge happened. I did calm them down and placed side by side and petted again before returning to their rooms and gave them each other’s blankets to snuggle


              • Roy
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                  I tried the baby gate after being in the bin on the bumpy ride but Maki pulled fur again…Mochi tried to jump out twice. @_@ I placed them next to each other for pets and Maki did lick Mochi a bit…but the space does not seem to be working. I tried putting them in the bin for a short ride and gave it resting now. I peaked a couple of times since having it rest. The one time Maki caught me peaking and they were apart. I peaked again and they are close…I do not think they are ready for much more space. They do not seem to be scuffling now..I would definitely hear it. I wish I could peak better to see how it is going…but am resisting the temptation


                • Roy
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                    I kept them in a laundry basket together last night while I sorta of half-slept next to them I had a sheet over and did occassionally check in. I thought I heard some scuffling, but no signs of Maki having pulled more fur. They seemed a lot more relaxed this morning. I tried putting them in a pen together…there was a bitttt of chasing from Maki..but no fur pulling or attempts to bite. I put them in the basket again for a bit…gave them a smaller ride and now have them both in neutral territory cage. Mochi seemed nervous at first but has relaxed. They shared food..some fresh peas. I call them the “peace peas”.

                    Generally staying on opposite sides..but have crossed over to grab food or so.ething without agressive signs. I hope things keep well.

                    This is a looot ot progress since the first attempt at bonding.


                  • Roy
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                      Today when trying to bond…Maki was pulling fur again.

                      I put them in the bin for some slight stress bonding…but only moved it around for a bit. They seemed to relax more…but Maki was biting I guess and Mochi was crying.

                      I did seperate them into different rooms now. Mochi stopped crying and seems happier now. I am in the room with her.

                      It just breaks my heart and I am crying too now. I feel like an awful person.

                      I think I should give up at this point and it is not worth the stress.


                    • Mikey
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                        Keep them completely separate for a month. Let them restart. Dont let them see or smell eachother to the best of your ability. If its to the point one is so afraid of the other that they start making crying sounds, its not working out. Give them a month or two break of no contact with one another, then try again. Please remember that not all rabbits will like one another. This may not be a couple thats meant to work out. Maki might be a better single bunny. Please remember, too, that if it doesnt work, that its not your fault. Good luck! Please keep us updated


                      • Bam
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                          You are not an awful person. But this is very stressful for Mochi and agree with Mikey, separate them. Keep them separated for some time. I’m glad you moved away from that landlord, but moving is also stressful for rabbits since they are creatures of habit, so let them settle for a bit in their new home.


                        • Roy
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                            It kind of breaks my heart. Before at the other place when I first introduced them..it was not so bad. I later was forced to move Mochi’s hutch into my room (which was Maki’s home domain) I suppose she has resented it since. Mochi seems too scared now…I have a two bedroom apartment and split up the place now with a baby gate in the hall so even if I open a door Maki can not run out and make accidental contact.

                            Mochi did seem to perk up a bit yesterday. I reassembled the rabbit maze haven (along with a few new moving box additions).

                            She has been kinda of ignoring me for a bit. Mochi has always seemed a bit depressed…she did come from the shelter and had an upper respiratory infection and I think it was even in the middle ear at some point. I was hoping she would seem a bunch happier once treated…but I really think she needs a friend.

                            Does anyone think that after some time for her to settle down, I should try bringing Mochi for bunny dates to find someone better for her?

                            There are no shelter bunnies right now, but a number of buns for sale on Kijiji. Any tips for bunny dates?

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                        Forum BONDING Bonding Bumpy Ride-help Mochi was crying