Bonding Your Little Terrors

Many people find the bonding process of bunnies both confusing and can tend to lose hope at the initial results. This top tips guide should definitely ease the process if not quicken while making your buns less stressed at the situation.

1. Allow your rabbit to choose

If the possibility is available to you take your rabbit to spend time with a set of bunnies and let them choose who they like. They may even bond at the centre/house after a few sessions and you can successfully take home two bunnies who are happy with one another. If this is not the case don't worry, I personally did not do this and have probably learnt the harder way.

2. Allow your new bunny to be separated from the other, enabling communication without physical contact.

The best way to do this is to put two rabbit enclosures back to back. If both are able to be separated but still allowed contact through bars for instance then they can get used to one another presence and smell. Leave them initially for a few days like this.

3. Find some neutral territory to begin their introductions in.

As many websites will recommend you should use for instance a bath tub or closed off hallway. I found the bathtub was easiest as I was able to easily observe and separate them when they fought. As time progresses introduce items for them to both play with, distracting them from their dislike for one another. Or add a clean litter box and place them inside for instance so the space together becomes smaller and they are less likely to ignore one another.

4. Spay or Neuter your furry friends

This is not always necessary for a successful bond but can make the process easier. During the time I had the rabbits in separate enclosures I found one of my females (Poppy) began to pee everywhere territorially and vigorously bite through the bars. She was spayed and separated from her bonded male (Pippin). I highly recommend this is done before any bonding occurs as Poppy after her surgery felt more vulnerable and became more aggressive. She began to fight Pippin and I had to begin the bonding process for all 3 all over again! However, despite her initial angry outburst Poppy became less territorial and once again did not spray or pee to establish her dominance.

5. Be prepared to discourage bad behaviour and stop fighting rabbits.

Rabbits can usually be deterred by a harsh "No" without any physical contact, yet occasionally your voice will not interrupt their endeavours. For a more safe option equip yourself with a spray bottle filled with water - a quick squirt on the head should shock them enough to stop. I however merely used my hands to separate one bunny from the other. This could result in you being bitten as in the buns fury he/she may not distinguish you from their rival. Fighting should never be left to continue as they can definitely injure one another seriously. Chasing on the other hand can be allowed as long as you observe to make sure they one being chased doesn't get hurt or fights back.

6. Slowly increase the time they spend together and do this at regular intervals.

An initial introduction should take 10-30 mins of course base this on your own discretion. If the bonding is going well then go the full 30 if the bunnies continually fight reduce the time to reduce stress. As time goes on the sessions can get larger. I ended up sitting on a shut toilet seat reading towards the end to both pass the time and let the rabbits become more relaxed at my unobserving presence.

7. Car journeys can help bonding.

I never tried this myself but taking bunnies together on a car ride can promote them to seek comfort from one another. Either yourself or a friend should sit with them on your lap in a box or carrier which you can easily access and have a few trips round the block. Bunnies are usually terrified of car journeys so will ignore any hard feelings and comfort one another. Although, this is not guaranteed so make sure you can easily separate them incase of fighting.

After a couple of weeks of bonding I found my 3 established their hierarchy and got on successfully. As a final note I bonded mine together in pairs at first and then began to put all three together. This made fights easier to control at the start. Hopefully you shall await some snuggled bunnies in the future.

Any further questions please ask.

Danielle

The New Arrival - Pandora

This is a rather delayed post but finally I have uploaded pictures of my latest furry friend, Pandora. She is as far as I know a mixture of breeds but if anyone wishes to enlighten me on any particular breed she resembles do comment.

She's got a timid nature but once she has calmed down she will happily flop on my lap and watch Top Gear with me - the only one of my bunnies who will sit still long enough for snuggles.

Her super silky coat means that she appears much lighter under forced flash conditions.

Have a good day and happy blogging

Danielle

Bunny Supplies

While browsing online for some more interesting and innovative toys and general supplies for my buns I came across a great website for both international buyers and those in the UK. The website has a great variety for rabbits (the entire range is not available for overseas shipping so check the website for details) and everything is reasonably priced!

TO THE SHOP!

Below I shall include some of my buns favourite items which are featured in the store:

Firstly is the Willow ball which my bunnies find irresistible. Not only is this

a good for keeping their teeth trimmed but also acts as a boredom breaker and alternative treat to some of the fatty pet shop options.

Next is the explorer tunnel where my bunnies find great enjoyment by chasing each other right the way through. I would make sure your buns are litter trained prior to the introduction as cleaning the pee can be troublesome.

My buns really enjoy this fiddlesticks hideout which gives them a safe place to hide away, something to chew, and something to climb all over. The twigs have wire connecting them together so it can be bent into other shaped to your liking, e.g a ramp or tunnel.

Lastly I recommend this knot nibbler which requires the bunnies to pull out the little orange sticks that hold the "ball" together. The incentive is a small nut contained inside although mine weren't really attracted by this and decided throwing it and chewing it was enough fun without the treat. The sticks act as normal gnawing twigs once pulled apart. If your daring you could even attempt to piece it back together and the fun will start all over again.

All images were acquired from the store and the links provided direct you to the page the product was on. The navigation system is quite poor and some products are repeated in different categories but it is worth giving it a thorough look.

Happy Shopping

Danielle