gave up on bonding

[ratty_ratkins]

Ryo and Alex have been having play dates for about seven months now. They will be going great for a whole month. spending the whole day together snuggleing and grooming each other. But twice Ryo has bite a chunk out of Alex. Alex doesnt provoke her or nothing. Ryo will just suddenly attack him without warning. She is too unpredictable. this makes TWO vet visits and a set of stitches for Alex.

Ryo must have bunny mental health problems. Its not working, and it hurts be to think that i will have two bunnies that will never be bonded. Its gut wrencing for me to even think of having them together again.

anyone else here have two rabbits that you gave up bonding? do you still house them next to each other? do they still share toys? Are you ever planning on trying again? how long did it take for you to give up?

[Bun Bun]

Oh, sorry to hear that! You could call someone at the House Rabbit Society and ask them what they think. There's a # on their website in that section. I had two that were never bonded. I couldn't bond Angel w/ my Bun Bun who was male, she always started the fighting. I am about to acquire a new one and it's female and Angel is female. I will try w/ this one, which is why I have been doing some reading on House Rabbit. What have been your best tricks?

[ratty_ratkins]

i have called three times. they give me things to do and nothing changes. either that or they tell me they have no other suggestions.

mine was getting them out together two or three times a day for 30minutes,
then the same, but for an hour
all the way up to them spending the whole day together.

thats my best trick. these two seemed impossible with everything else i have tryed.

[Sasami]

I have one rabbit like that, Elvis. He's extremely aggressive towards all other rabbits besides Stash and so that ruins my plans of housing all three rabbits together.

His automatic response to seeing another rabbit (even in neutral territory) is to attack. He was a rescue rabbit and I'm not sure what he went through but he definately has some mental issues. The rescue he came from had the same problems with him...I adopted him hoping to sort them out. But sadly he only cares for Stash...at least he has a buddy, though.

I feel bad for Sakura because this means she has to be alone. I could probably bond her to Stash but since he lives with Elvis it wouldn't work out. I had bonded her to Sparkie but just as they were starting to get close he passed away . I hope to eventually adopt another older bunny to bond to her.

[Fane81]

i'm sorry to hear about Ryo and Alex I had to give up on bonding my two - Thimble and Sniffles- because Thimble just would NOT accept Sniffles. And Sniffles is the nicest little rabbit! she would put her head down in submission to Thimble and try to lie next to her, but Thimble just attacked like a madwoman! They are both spayed and i only got them 4 months apart. But Thimble is way to territorial to respond to a bunny friend.

anyway- i gave up on bonding after about 5 months of trying, because Thimble was just hurting Sniffles all the time, especially her nose and Sniffles got really scared all the time and was nervous- kind of acting like she dodnt belong here. So- i gave up right then and have never tried again. I will never try again. Thimble is just way to unpredicatble and territorial. i wouldn't trust her alone with Sniffles for anything. Poor Sniffles.

however! once i kept them seperated - Sniffles stopped being scared and has been a little binky bunny ever since. They are both happier seperated. They are housed next to each other in my bedroom. Their cages have to be lifted high on big tables so they can't attack each other between the bars, which is a pain b/c their cages are huge 4 feett long dog crates.

The saddest thing is that they can't be out free as often as i'd like. If they only understood that if they got along they'd be free roaming all the time. But in the end i had to respect Thimble's attitude. And now that they have a routine of coming out twice a day, one after the other for about 6 hours each, things are fine and their have been no fights since.

[Iloverabbits]

A book that I speak very highly of (it's answered so many of my rabbit questions in the time I'v had Dex and Lily I wouldnt be without it) suggests that if 2 rabbits can not tolerate each other to put both rabbits in a cardboard box and take them for a car ride.

Being slightly scary for the rabbits, they should concentrate more on keeping their balance meaning they can not adopt the aggressive body language. Once back from the drive, split the pair immediately. Each time you take them for a ride, leave them together longer and longer, return them to neutral territory and try again.

Once the sessions in neitral territory goes well, gradually increase the duration, as ratty_ratkins suggests, and try feeding the rabbits together. One they are comfortable in neutral territory, move it along to their familiar surroundings.

I appreciate you may already have tried simliar techniques, I just thought i would offer a possibility - I'm sure you're pretty frustrated, not to mention upset.

I wish you luck. (I alsi realise have just realised that you if you haven't got a car then it may also not work!!! )

[andreaS15]

I'm sorry things just arn't working out for those two, and you've worked so hard to
I guess it's just like people, your not going to like everyone you meet.

I would keep their houses in the same room, so they 'could' socialize through the bars of thier houses, but only have them out sepretly.
My Jackpot HATED Ani, bit through her lip, and tried attacking her on neutral territory, what's sad is he is the sweetest bunny ever and loves his bonded partner. Maybe he just dosn't like girls

<hugs> Sorry to hear the news, but I'm sure it's for the best, like i said you've tried EVERYTHING. Theirs not else much you can do.

[ratty_ratkins]

thanks for the support. yup i have tried everything. the saddest part to me is that they cannot be out as much as i planed because they cant be out together. so they take turns with out time. i have Ryo out for four hours, then Alex out. I mostly makes me feel sorry for Ryo because before Alex came along she got at least 8 or 9 hours daily out of cage time, and now she has to split it with Alex. At least I can give them both the minimum required amount of free range time.

I need to set up a secure fool proof way to have my bunnies out of the cage when i am at work. then i could have both Ryo, and Alex out for about 8 hours each. but that would take lots of persuasion with the hubby. i dont blame him, Ryo has always fooled me and found some way to get out! i have my NIC cubes i use for her the barrier around the cords, and places i dont want her, and she will so much as chew off the cable ties to get were ever she wants to go.

[Nara]

I'm so sorry it didn't work!

Quote: Originally Posted by ratty_ratkins i have my NIC cubes i use for her the barrier around the cords, and places i dont want her, and she will so much as chew off the cable ties to get were ever she wants to go.

Could you possibly use something metal to hold them together so she couldn't chew through it?

[ratty_ratkins]

i could, as long as everything can still be folded and shoved under the bed.
i would just put some wire protectors on the wired but my walls are concrete (basement house) and someone painted them before i moved in, and paint chips off the walls. so i have to constantly be careful with that as it is.

[jewels]

Charlie.

He thinks he's people and he will have nothing to do with the other buns. The other three were non-aggressive with each other from day one and after a week they were playing very nicely. There hasn't been a punch thrown between them and Creepy will even groom Daisy. Charlie has since been moved to a big pen in the den beside the couch (even though he's free roam most of the time as long as we're home), while the other buns still reside in the spare bedroom. He loves people, he'll sit in your lap after 5 minutes of knowing you. Ever since he was neutered (8 mths - he was a terror before it), he hasn't been agressive to anyone but the other buns.

I believe that buns can be socially challenged just like people - why not?

[Fane81]

Quote: Originally Posted by ratty_ratkins thanks for the support. yup i have tried everything. the saddest part to me is that they cannot be out as much as i planed because they cant be out together. so they take turns with out time. i have Ryo out for four hours, then Alex out. I mostly makes me feel sorry for Ryo because before Alex came along she got at least 8 or 9 hours daily out of cage time, and now she has to split it with Alex. At least I can give them both the minimum required amount of free range time.

i went through the same exact thing with Thimble after i brought Sniffles in. I felt so bad b/c she had free range before Sniffles came. But it gets easier once you get a routine going with them and they get used to it. i have to say- the bunnies have been much more adaptable then i had imagined. i give them each about an hour in the morning, and then they each get a different room to free roam in for about 5 hours each night. the only thing is switching them at some point in the evening so they each get equal roaming time in my bedroom, which is really their bedroom. hehe

[jennawing]

Some animals just don't want to have cagemates, or finding the right cagemate means going through a lot of candidates. It is a lot more stressful on them and on you, too, so sometimes is better to just accept that it is not going to work and move on. Doesn't mean they can't be happy alone, and even if we feel they would be happier in a bonded relationship, surely they are happier alone than they are when we are trying to force an ideal on them. I have made this point before, and your situation is a good example to illustrate.