1 Rabbit Stressed during Rebonding

[Rhea92]

Hi everyone,

So I am rebonding my two male rabbits after needing to seperate them for about 2 weeks (Rory had GI Stasis and ear infection) and their bond got broken. I am beginning by putting them in a tall bin for about 5-15 minutes twice a day. I cover the bin so there is still open space for breathing, but i can watch without them fully seeing me.

One of my bunnies, Brim, is eager to get out but after a bit he settles down and ends up asking Rory for grooms and mounts him (I push him off after about 10 seconds).

However my other bunny Rory seems very stressed, he doesn't move and looks like he's shaking or breathing very quickly the entire time. He doesn't even react when and after Brim mounts him.

I don't want him to keep being so stressed, but I'm also nervous to put them in a larger space without them both being comfortable with this first space.

Any advice? It hasn't been a whole week yet, but I don't want Rory to get so stressed out that it begins taking a toll on his health.

 

[Blue eyes]

Do you have an exercise pen? That would be a way to create a space for bonding. I can't picture what you're doing with a bin. Do you have a photo?

 

[JBun]

I would suggest changing your bonding area. Currently, the excessive stress could end up causing GI stasis for your bun again, and certainly isn't a good thing for his recovery. It also doesn't give you a true bonding experience with the rabbits. They can't really sort out their hierarchy and rebond, if one rabbit is too stressed to behave like they normally would. I would try an excercise pen, like Blue Eyes mentioned, or even maybe a bathtub would work fine too, you'll just have to see your rabbits reactions there.

If the one bun is still stressed, maybe it's the slippery surface, so try a towel on the bottom of the tub to give them a little traction. But if he is still very stressed bonding in any situation, you may need to wait longer to try rebonding. You just don't want the stress of bonding to affect his recovery or cause him to get sick again. Is your bunny doing better now and not falling over anymore?

 

[Rhea92]

Do you have an exercise pen? That would be a way to create a space for bonding. I can't picture what you're doing with a bin. Do you have a photo?

Yes, here is the bin

 

[Rhea92]

I would suggest changing your bonding area. Currently, the excessive stress could end up causing GI stasis for your bun again, and certainly isn't a good thing for his recovery. It also doesn't give you a true bonding experience with the rabbits. They can't really sort out their hierarchy and rebond, if one rabbit is too stressed to behave like they normally would. I would try an excercise pen, like Blue Eyes mentioned, or even maybe a bathtub would work fine too, you'll just have to see your rabbits reactions there.

If the one bun is still stressed, maybe it's the slippery surface, so try a towel on the bottom of the tub to give them a little traction. But if he is still very stressed bonding in any situation, you may need to wait longer to try rebonding. You just don't want the stress of bonding to affect his recovery or cause him to get sick again. Is your bunny doing better now and not falling over anymore?

Yes that makes sense, it could just be the slippery surface since he's always avoided anything without traction whereas Brim can hop on anything. I will try the towel for sure and set up the bath tub too!
He is doing so much better now, back to his normal self and then some! He is not falling over anymore so it was an ear infection after all and the medications worked!

 

[MeggyM]

This has worked great for me and calmed down the buns quite a bit. If Rory doesn't like to be pet it may not work for you.

You can try putting them side by side for 5 to 15 min and petting/keeping them right against each-other with your hands and arms. There are many different ways you can do this:
On the floor on a non slip surface, or if they run away you could use a slippery surface so they can't escape.
You could use the bin you're currently using for bonding and leave the top off but keep them in there with hands and arms.
Us a non-slip surface like a towel on top of a table - may want to have an second person help pet and keep them together without running off or getting hurt.
You'll have to gauge for yourself if it is making them more or less stressed but if Rory is comforted by you and being pet it should help out!

Here's an idea of what this is:


You could also try sitting in a pen with them and petting Rory until he is calm and just kind of being a neutral buffer for him.

 

[Rhea92]

This has worked great for me and calmed down the buns quite a bit. If Rory doesn't like to be pet it may not work for you.

You can try putting them side by side for 5 to 15 min and petting/keeping them right against each-other with your hands and arms. There are many different ways you can do this:
On the floor on a non slip surface, or if they run away you could use a slippery surface so they can't escape.
You could use the bin you're currently using for bonding and leave the top off but keep them in there with hands and arms.
Us a non-slip surface like a towel on top of a table - may want to have an second person help pet and keep them together without running off or getting hurt.
You'll have to gauge for yourself if it is making them more or less stressed but if Rory is comforted by you and being pet it should help out!

Here's an idea of what this is:


You could also try sitting in a pen with them and petting Rory until he is calm and just kind of being a neutral buffer for him.

That's great advice thank you! Making it nonslip helped a lot, Rory seemed a lot more comfortable and even started being affectionate and curious. The side by side petting also helped a lot, they both started grooming each other too!

 

[MeggyM]

Oh wow, both grooming each other! That's impressively fast! My boy has never groomed my female.

 

[Vannah27]

Curious to know if Rory and Brim successfully bonded? We are about to be in a similar situation and are very worried about the success rate.