|
|
Bonding
In my opinion rabbits are very happy when bonded. Especially if they
are home alone a lot.
This process can take as long as 6 months or as short as a few weeks.
Great care must be taken. Remember rabbits are territorial and they do
what they can to protect them selves.
You must have a neutered/spayed rabbit and it to be at least a month or
two after the operation.
Babies bond the easiest however you must be careful when they hit puberty.
Boys and girls generally bond the best. However it is possible to bond
same sexes.
There is hope in bonding all rabbits if done properly however you must
be aware that they may never get on. Short positive sessions are much
better than a big fight!!!
First of all we need to make sure that you have your rabbits in a neutral
territory. Preferably two people should be in the room. You need to
make sure that you have toys in the room and nice things to eat for
example veggies like a carrot or broccoli, veggies must only be given to
rabbits 6 months or over and introduced one at a time a new one every 7-10 days.
The idea of bonding is to make is a really positive experience. You also
need a water spray to stop any fights that may brake out.
Rabbits mostly communicate with each other through body language and
soft teeth grinding (soft teeth grinding sign of happiness. If it is loud
teeth grinding then the rabbit is in pain and you must see your vet
ASAP). To find out more about rabbits body language and how they
communicate go on
http://www.muridae.com/rabbits/rabbittalk.html
Now for the bonding.
Put the cages next to each other. Swap where they are living every day
so they get use to living in each other’s smell.
On the first day put one rabbit in a carry cage and the hopping around it.
Let them sniff it until they become indifferent. The open the cage and let
the rabbit come out in its own time. Don’t however let both rabbits at the
same time in the carry cage, and other small confined areas as they are
inaccessible and a fight could break out.
One big mistake is that a lot of people make is not showing that you are
the alpha rabbit!!!
You must stop a rabbit biting another rabbit even before they bit them.
This is because the rabbit needs to associate the other rabbit with good
memories. Rabbits have good memories and will remember a fight they
can then hole a grudge for weeks months or even years. If a fight break
out you must spray then with the water and separate them at once. You
must then put one in the carry cage and wait until they calm down (and
become indifferent) before you can continue.
To establish dominance rabbits will mount one another. You must let the
dominant rabbit mount the other one for a few seconds only before the
other rabbit runs away or retaliates. ‘Head Humping’ is allowed but you
need to be careful because the one rabbit could easily bite the other one
and serious injuries could come of it. To live in peace your rabbits will
have to establish the dominant bun however the intensity of it depends
on the rabbit.
Good signs
Rabbits are lying down near or next to each other,
Grooming each other
Being indifferent.
Eating/drinking together
Bad signs
Fighting
Not being relaxed
Tricks of bonding is taking them in the car so the get scared and snuggle
in with each other. Remember you definitely need two people in the car
one to drive and the other to watch the rabbits.
Mushing a bit of banana on ones fore head so the other licks it off. That
way one is having a treat and the other is being groomed!
Useful websites include
http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/articles/bond.shtml
http://www.rabbit.org/behavior/index.html all the links under the title
‘Socialization’
http://www.muridae.com/rabbits/rabbittalk.html
Once bonded you will need a cage/hutch twice as big. For my bonded
rabbits I have two hutches and I joined them together. The more space
they have the better. My bonded pair have 22 square feet.
It is better to have 2 water bottles 2 food bowls and 2 hay racks the
minimise the possible outcome of a fight.
*This article was written by Dream Lopz from our pet forum and cannot be copied or reproduced without her written consent.
