House Rabbits Blog

We went back to the old style of bonding tonight where Juju was on the right hand side and Ginger was on the left hand side.  Last time got too hectic because they were both on the same side and it was too much of a power struggle.  I feel like it was progress yet it created a lot of stress and distance between the buns.

Tonight was just the same old story.  They’re both on their respective sides and there were a few minor scuffles.  Ginger lunged at Juju and bitch slapped him several times for no reason.  I sprayed her in the face and yelled at her “NO” while I petted Juju.  She of course, pooed up a storm.

After the bonding in the bathtub, we decided to let Juju run around the living room for a while.  He’s still out and about and very happy.  Just like last time, he’s running and binkying everywhere.  Ginger is penned off while Juju is out and she is not happy.  She keeps a close watch on him and charges him from her cage.

While I was just writing this post, Joey screamed for me to come to the dining room.  Juju somehow found his way through all the barriers and entered Ginger’s side of the fence.  Joey says that Ginger charged at Juju but Juju kinda binkied.  I think Juju thinks she’s playing with him because she can’t bite him.  At least nothing bad happened.  They’re separated again though.

On a different note,  Juju has a patch of fur missing from his ear.  The fur on his ear is also very thin.  I’m not sure what can cause this.  Is this normal shedding? Stress from bonding? Depression from not being let out?  I’ve attached a picture of the ear after the jump.

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I didn’t post about Thursday night’s bonding since there wasn’t much to update.  It was pretty much like night 12.  I also didn’ t have any pictures to post at the time, which would’ve made the post that much more boring.

Tonight’s bonding session was interesting.  In the past, Juju was always placed on the right side of the tub with his security towel and Ginger was on the left side of the tub.  Tonight we decided to switch them so that they get use to each other’s side.  Immediately after placing Ginger on the right side of the tub, she dashes to the left and for the first time ever, the buns were side-by-side.  Ginger insisted on Juju grooming her by forcing her head underneath anywhere she can shove her head into – his face, his butt, his legs.  Unbeknownst to us, she had secretly not only pooped in the corner (which is no surprise) but she also peed!  This is an upgraded type of marking.  I couldn’t soak up the pee since it was absorbed by the towel but I tried my best to pick up any stray poop (of which there were many).

The night pretty much went on with Ginger trying to get groomed and a few minor scuffles and water spraying.  Then, about half an hour in, something even more shocking then pee happened – Ginger groomed Juju! He had his head down and she deliberately groomed his forehead and ears.  It lasted only a few seconds but it was a few seconds that I did not expect.  For the rest of the night, Ginger went back to insisting on being groomed, which naturally, did not happen.

Towards the end of the hour, I saw Juju pee in his corner of the tub as well.  I soaked up the pee and decided to end the bonding session.  I feel that at this point, it was more about territory than exploration of each other.  Ginger pretty much set the tone for the night when she peed which placed Juju on the defensive the entire night.

Tomorrow night, we’re going to change scenary and start bonding in a closed off x-pen in the kitchen.  I hope that this will allow them more freedom to roam around and if they wish, choose to be with each other.  Let’s see how tomorrow goes.

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Tonight was the longest bonding night I’ve done so far – 1 hr and 45 mins.  They did well together for the most part.  I really believe that putting vegetables in the tub with them keeps Ginger occupied and less likely to escape or attack Juju.

There was a couple of scuffles tonight but nothing serious.  Juju seems to be getting more and more curious about Ginger.  I’m posting a video of him trying to sniff her butt but at one point, Ginger was grooming herself with her head “down there” and Juju surreptitiously came up and licked her ears then retreated.  I don’t even think Ginger felt it but I saw it.  I believe he is trying to make friends but she’s making it difficult because she’s so defensive.

Towards the end of the night, I cheated by taking some banana and spreading it on Juju’s forehead.  I hoped that Ginger would be interested in the banana and start licking it off Juju’s head.  She would be getting a treat and Juju would think she was grooming him.  It didn’t work though.  Either she doesn’t like bananas or she doesn’t like bananas on other bunny’s heads.

In other good news, Ginger is shedding all her old matted fur from the shelter and is starting to grow in smooth fur.  Her paws are also getting cleaner.  She used to have yellowish/green paws, either from her non-existent litter box habits or from standing in hay all day.  Either way, her paws are starting to look half decent.

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I didn’t blog about bonding nights 8-10 because I wasn’t in MA to witness the bonding.  I was in NYC for the weekend and Joey had to fly solo.  Then I came back Monday but was too tired to bond Monday night so the buns had a night off.

Tonight’s bond went very well.  I am starting to see the signs that I read about on so many bunny blogs: the curiosity, the butt sniffing, the nose-to-nose.  In an effort to facilitate a faster bond, I made a bowl of veggies tonight and placed it in the tub with the buns.  Ginger ate like there was no tomorrow but Juju didn’t touch it.  He did find it comfortable to rest and even fall asleep next to the bowl.  I think the bowl itself provided a sort of barrier where they could touch each other but still had something to hide behind.

At first, there was a minor scuffle with Juju jumping away and Ginger slapped him with her paw.  I think Juju’s come to realize that Ginger can’t bite him and Ginger’s realized that she has a powerful bitch-slap.

There were several nose-to-nose moments that seem to last forever.  It’s a good sign though.  They’re trying to ascertain who’s dominant by waiting.

An odd behavior that I noticed today that I couldn’t explain was when Juju backed his bottom up to Ginger’s face several times.  She would sniff his butt and just leave her face pressed against his bottom.  He seems to intentionally do this.  I’m not sure if this is a sign of submissiveness (rape me) or dominance (kiss my ass).

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There was definite progress tonight between Ginger and Juju.  We stayed in the traditional tub after Tiffany advised me that they’re not ready to move on to the next stage yet.

There were a lot of same ol’ moments between them tonight including narcolepsy from Ginger and Juju’s constant vigilance.  The highlights however was when they were curious (or bored) enough to explore each other.  Both went nose to nose several times.  Ginger even gave Juju some licks (or nibbles) on the forehead but then we had to break it off due to her obsession with big bunny butts.  I also tried the water bottle spray for the first time between the two of them tonight and it seems to work well (so far). Another great moment tonight was when both of them laid out flat on the tub.  Previously, it was mostly Ginger who stretched out and Juju did it a couple of times.  Never did they lay down together, albeit, nose to nose.

I recorded a short video tonight until the camera died.  It will be uploaded sometime this weekend by Joey.  I won’t be around this weekend because I’m going down to New York City.  Joey will bond but probably won’t blog about it.  I’ll try to provide updates if something spectacular happens.

Tonight’s bond went as usual.  Mostly no interaction. A few skirmishes.  At one point, Ginger “licked” Juju’s head and was about to face hump him but we stopped it.  I don’t think Juju quite caught on what was going to happen.

Since I feel like this bonding has hit a plateau, I need to do something to move it along to the final destination of two completely bonded bunnies.  Instead of the bathtub, tomorrow night’s bond will be in a semi-neutral territory.  I’m thinking of setting it up in the kitchen, where Juju lives.  I’m going to set it up near the sinks and pantry, where Juju doesn’t traverse much and I’m going to erect an xpen around an area where I want the bonding to take place.  This should provide more room for them to run around and also elect to interact with each other if they want to.  It’ll give them a change of surroundings and hopefully nudge them forward in their relationship. (more…)