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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS > BONDING > A friend for Digby
Last Post by Colin at 11/20/2008 07:42 AM (47 Replies)
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User is Offline Colin
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10/23/2008 05:19 AM

It looks like things are back on track, with a couple minor differences.

After their spat, I reassembled the 2nd NIC cage (sigh). For the first couple days after that, we went back to bonding sessions in the bathroom, and for the past 3 or 4 days, we've been bonding them in the xpen in the living room. They're doing well - snuggling and grooming each other - although I still have to keep an eye on them. Digby doesn't seem interested in mounting Yoshi anymore, but Yoshi does often stick his nose in Digby's hindquarters. I think Yoshi is nipping him, since after a couple seconds, Digby gets annoyed and turns around. Last night Yoshi tried mounting Digby again, which never ends well. He can't really hold him down, since Yoshi is so much smaller, which means that Digby just turns around, and they both go after each other's hindquarters, spinning around. I think Yoshi still really wants to be the dominant one though. He's definitely more comfortable now, as he often flops next to Digby - I hadn't seen him flop at all before, unlike Digby, who's a chronic bunnyflopper

This morning, Yoshi was a little weird. The two of them shared some veggies and snuggled a bit. They were both in the litterbox, then Yoshi hopped off to the opposite corner and sat down. After a little while, he thumped. Digby hopped over to him and snuggled up. Then Yoshi thumped again. Digby stuck his head under Yoshi's, and Yoshi started grooming him. Yoshi thumped again, but kept grooming Digby! I guess Digby wasn't the thing that was annoying him (might have been the sound/vibrations of the heater or dryer from downstairs).



The Digby & Yoshi Show!

User is Offline Beka27
Cleveland, Ohio (USA)
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10/23/2008 05:29 AM
this sounds odd, but is there anyway you could pet Digby so Yoshi could hump for a moment without a fight breaking out? sometimes they just have to get it out of their system and it needs to be allowed for a short time.


Meadow..... Photobucket ...... Max

User is Offline Colin
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10/24/2008 12:27 PM

They started fighting again while bonding last night. I didn't see exactly what started it, but they were in the litterbox again. I think next time we're going to try in a new area, maybe the kitchen, without the litterbox.

Beka, I'll try to keep Digby calm so Yoshi can get the humping out of the way, but Yoshi usually starts by nipping his backside, and it usually doesn't turn into humping.

 

Does anyone know any bonding experts who aren't here on BinkyBunny? I'd love to get some advice from someone with experience bonding 2 males.



The Digby & Yoshi Show!

User is Offline Beka27
Cleveland, Ohio (USA)
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10/25/2008 04:08 AM
^^^that i don't know... you could always contact the rescue you got Yoshi from and see if they do boarding/bonding adventures... aside from that, it's really just working with them every day, reading the signs, and not giving up. if something is consistently not working, try something else. i think two males are generally the easier of the same sex pairings. females tend to be more territorial.


Meadow..... Photobucket ...... Max

User is Offline Colin
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10/26/2008 10:59 AM
We've been doing the bonding sessions back in the bathroom again, and it's working much better. They still occasionally go for each other's hindquarters (can't tell if they're trying to groom or nip, or both), but I've been giving nose rubs to the one being nipped/groomed, and that seems to defuse the situation. No humping attempts at all for the past couple days either.

I haven't had a chance to clean their anal glands yet, but I'm wondering if that might help, since that's where some of the hormones are secreted from. Neither one really enjoys being picked up or handled, so I'm working on getting them used to it.


The Digby & Yoshi Show!

User is Offline MarkBun
Richmond, CA
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10/29/2008 06:52 AM
One thing you'll have to realize is that they probably won't ever be 100% calm friends. Maryann and Dono still get into tiffs about once a week that last for about 3-5 seconds. Other than that, things seem to be progressing normally.


My bonding quest with Maryann - Read about a less than easy bonding with two buns - but they did bond!

User is Offline Kokaneeandkahlua
Edmonton, Alberta; Canada
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10/29/2008 12:05 PM
^^ That's definitely true...every once in a while Rupert will nip Kahlua when she goes by, and sometimes they'll even have a little hump! But they've been bonded since June and otherwise don't have scuffles, cuddle and coexist peacefully and lovingly.

Glad things are going better -keep up the great work!


Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Kokanee & Chuck My Bridge Bunnies-you left paw prints on my heart

User is Offline Colin
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11/04/2008 05:55 AM

The bonding is... still going. Each session, they get into at least one little scuffle. But they also groom each other each session. I think I'm going to give them a day or two off, then start again with either a car ride or washing machine ride.



The Digby & Yoshi Show!

User is Offline Beka27
Cleveland, Ohio (USA)
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11/04/2008 06:26 AM
you might not need to do a stressful activity if they are basically getting along, that's for when they are really out for blood. will they eat veggies or hay together? or sit in a litterbox together? how is the water bottle working? do you spray before the fight starts?


Meadow..... Photobucket ...... Max

User is Offline Colin
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11/04/2008 06:33 AM

They do eat veggies together peacefully, but they seem to be getting slightly more aggressive over the past 2 weeks. Sometimes the water bottle helps, but not always. Should I spray one as soon as he nips the other's backside? Often the one being nipped will just turn around, sniff the other's head (or sometimes groom them), and they'll be fine.

I haven't been putting a litter box in with them for bonding sessions, since that was usually where the fighting started. Once I feel they're doing well enough to leave them in there for an hour or more, I'm planning on putting two litter boxes in with them.



The Digby & Yoshi Show!

User is Offline Beka27
Cleveland, Ohio (USA)
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11/04/2008 06:42 AM
i would def. give them a litterbox with hay. what i did was lift them both in (facing the same direction) and then pet both vigorously at the same time. are you still in neutral territory or semi-neutral territory?


Meadow..... Photobucket ...... Max

User is Offline Colin
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11/04/2008 08:09 AM

We're in neutral territory - an xpen in the living room, which they've only ever been in together. They seemed to do fine sharing the litterbox before their first fight, but it's also where their two biggest fights started.

 

I want to thank everyone for all the advice on this thread (and others). I definitely would have been much more stressed out without this great resource and community.



The Digby & Yoshi Show!

User is Offline Colin
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11/05/2008 05:56 AM

I tried putting them both in the litterbox. I put Digby in first, then Yoshi. Unfortunately, as soon as I put Yoshi in there, Digby growled and lunged at him. I tried petting them both, but Digby wanted to get at Yoshi and Yoshi just wanted to get out. It's a litterbox I keep in their exercise room that they've both used.  Next time I'll try cleaning it with vinegar first to remove any scents.



The Digby & Yoshi Show!

User is Offline Colin
105 posts Send Private Message
11/10/2008 04:32 PM

I put up a dividing wall in their exercise room so they could both be in there at the same time and see each other. It seemed pretty sturdy (2 rows of NIC grids attached to chairs on each end), but tonight they found a way to get through it. There was fur all over the floor. They must have fought quite a bit, but when I came in they were snuggled together under a cardboard tent and blanket I had set up in there. I brought some veggies in there, and they both ate, but when we had a chance to examine them, we found a bit of a gash on Yoshi's shoulder. It didn't bleed at all, but the skin was broken a little, so I put some triple antibiotic ointment on there. It's about 1.5 inches long and less than quarter of an inch wide.


The divided room seemed to be working really well until now. I think being in sight of each other 24/7 really helped, there was no aggression at all during the bonding sessions.


I feel terrible - incredibly stressed out and sick to my stomach. They seem ok - both are eating veggies and hay. I don't even have time to take them to the vet tomorrow.



The Digby & Yoshi Show!

User is Offline Cassi&Charlie
Canberra
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11/10/2008 05:50 PM
It's not your fault! Now that they've had it out it might get better. The same thing happened to me when I was bonding Charlie & Layla, some how they got to each other, and I was at work when it happened - I could not believe that so much fur could come off one bunny (Layla).

After that they actually started getting along better & I think it was probably 2 weeks after that when we unofficially declared them bonded.

The fact that they fought then snuggled might mean the dominance issue has been sorted out? I don't know, I'm definately not an expert bonder


If computers get too powerful, we can organize them into a committee -- that will do them in. Bradley's Bromide

User is Offline Colin
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11/10/2008 06:11 PM

I sure hope they've sorted it out amongst themselves. I don't know if I can take another night like this. My heart skipped a beat when I came in the room and saw that the divider was down and there was fur everywhere... then I saw them snuggling together.

I think I'll do a very short, very cautious bonding session tomorrow if they both seem to be ok.



The Digby & Yoshi Show!

User is Offline MarkBun
Richmond, CA
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11/18/2008 06:58 PM
There has been quite a few cases where buns got to one another, there was a big fight and then they were the best of buds afterwards. They've just worked out everything and it's all good.


My bonding quest with Maryann - Read about a less than easy bonding with two buns - but they did bond!

User is Offline Colin
105 posts Send Private Message
11/20/2008 07:42 AM

I really hope so. Unfortunately I have had to hold off on bonding sessions, since Digby is very persistent about trying to groom Yoshi's wounds, and I'm worried he's going to make them worse. Yoshi is healing well though, so hopefully I can start bonding them again in about a week or so. I've reinforced the barrier in their playroom, so they're still in sight of each other all day. Occasionally Yoshi will run back and forth in front of the barrier, like he's trying to taunt Digby, but they also lie down next to each other and groom themselves, so I'm hoping that they won't have to start back at square one again.



The Digby & Yoshi Show!
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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS > BONDING > A friend for Digby

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