Humping during bonding

[A & B]

I was trying to get them bonded before I go back to school in a few weeks because I won't have time to bond then. My plan was to do 6-12 hour long sessions until next Sunday then along with the 6 hour sessions, keep them together all night long next week. That would be done in my sisters room, a room neither bun has been in for 8 or so months. After that week (granted they did well) they would be moved into my room and kept together permanently with supervision during the first few days. Is it worth giving this route a try?

After posting earlier, I realized that I had let Bugs run around in the living room right before the session. The living room is an area that our dogs and cat hang out in. Is it possible that he picked up some of their scent so she felt the need to reestablish dominance? Either way, he won't be let out there again. After I posted, she only humped (on the front) once and before she could do it again, I told her to stop and she did.

 

[Blue eyes]

I understand why you are trying to complete the bond in a certain time but honestly, there is just no such thing as rushing the bonding process. Rushing it runs the risk of having a setback. In addition, anytime the location of bonding sessions is changed, the potential for a setback is real. Going from your sister's room to your room before they are fully and completely bonded could cause issues. Why not do it all in one location?

I do hope your plan will work. I just would hate to see all of your efforts end badly from moving too fast. On the other hand, perhaps the push will end up being what they need.

 

[A & B]

I read that it's best for them to be kept in a neutral area before moving them into the permanent location but it will be way easier to do it all in my room. Should I be doing sessions in my room now?

I won't intervene at all during tomorrow's session so I will have an idea about the steps I need to take from there.

 

[Blue eyes]

I read that it's best for them to be kept in a neutral area before moving them into the permanent location but it will be way easier to do it all in my room. Should I be doing sessions in my room now?

It is correct that it is best to keep them in a neutral area before moving them to their permanent area. However, ideally they aren't supposed to move from that neutral location until they are fully, fully bonded. Moving them before being fully bonded is not advised. So that's why I was suggesting that - if they haven't been in your sister's room yet - rather than getting them started and then disrupting them, maybe just do it all in one location. Clearly that would not be ideal, but I was surmising that it would be less disruptive than a week in your sister's room and then moving them to another location (your room) so soon.

 

[Hannh16]

Hi, I'm sorry if this is a really stupid question but with regards cementing bonded rabbits i have read a lot of posts about only being able to leave rabbits unsupervised once they have spent several days 24/7 together with no issues. I am a little confused because do you not need to work, shop for food, generally leave the house for your own sanity? I am trying to bond my rabbits and am a bit nervous about leaving them when I go to work. I appreciate they will need to be supervised for a couple of days maybe over the weekend or taking a couple of days off work but practically speaking, I live by myself and go mad if I don't leave the house to speak to someone most days. How long really does the cementing process take? I know it depends on the rabbit but I am just confused about how it has worked for you all

 

[Blue eyes]

Hi, I'm sorry if this is a really stupid question but with regards cementing bonded rabbits i have read a lot of posts about only being able to leave rabbits unsupervised once they have spent several days 24/7 together with no issues. I am a little confused because do you not need to work, shop for food, generally leave the house for your own sanity? I am trying to bond my rabbits and am a bit nervous about leaving them when I go to work. I appreciate they will need to be supervised for a couple of days maybe over the weekend or taking a couple of days off work but practically speaking, I live by myself and go mad if I don't leave the house to speak to someone most days. How long really does the cementing process take? I know it depends on the rabbit but I am just confused about how it has worked for you all

You may be in luck. If I'm not mistaken, I have heard that there are rescues in the UK that bond rabbits for owners. So if someone has a rabbit and would like to get a bondmate, they bring their rabbit to the rescue and the rescue does the bonding on site. You'd have to contact various places to find out which ones do this service. But I've heard this multiple times.

 

[Hannh16]

Oh thanks BlueEyes. That's really interesting I thought that this was only something that was offered if you were getting a rabbit from a rescue but yes there do seem to be places that can bond rabbits you already own. That would be such a complete lifesaver and I'd have the peace of mind they were bonded properly. I am going to do some more research. Thanks so much!

 

[JBun]

I read that it's best for them to be kept in a neutral area before moving them into the permanent location but it will be way easier to do it all in my room. Should I be doing sessions in my room now?

I won't intervene at all during tomorrow's session so I will have an idea about the steps I need to take from there.

Something to also keep in mind is that any time you move them to a new area, it's likely the humping will increase initially. So if you think they are close to finishing the bonding process, bringing them to your room will cause an increase in the humping. So that is something you are going to have to deal with whenever you decide it's time to move them in there, and make sure you have the time needed to monitor them until the humping calms down.

Like blue eyes said, for this to work she either will need to learn to calm down with the humping or Bugs needs to learn to just deal with it. There may even be a time when he's had enough and snaps at her, but it also may be what's needed to put her in her place if Bugs has decided he's the top bunny.