Nala and Gaz get a "Nermal" [a journal on trio bonding]

[pani]

Oh my! That was a fun story to read first thing in the morning.

Sounds like although they're not there yet, they'll eventually be able to form a nice strong bond with each other. If only Norm's hormones weren't raging... I'll be dealing with those same hormones from Felix for the next month or so before he can formally meet new bun, arhh!

 

[Imbrium]

I think Nala is a plotter, Houdini is like that, sometimes when I see him looking over the top of the xpen or sitting on top of his cage thinking, I can almost hear the cogs of that brain turning, sure Nala is the same. Never sure what he's planning next.

God, is she! I see Gazzles loafing around the pen, thinking about what she's going to eat and/or destroy next and other generic bunny thoughts... but gaze into Nala's eyes, and it looks like she's contemplating the freaking universe! That bunny's got a brain that could put a lot of humans to shame - she's always giving it a workout. You can literally see her looking around the room and breaking everything down sometimes; moments where she's not thinking deep thoughts are pretty rare. She's got a soul too big for her body, too. I can't put anything past that genius bunny, as she'd automatically set about proving me wrong!

Nala is "complicated" and it's probably my favorite thing about her - she reminds me a lot of myself; I feel bad for her sometimes, because I can't imagine being stuck in a bunny body with no outlet for my creative side. I sometimes wonder if that's not why she's so destructive sometimes, why she manipulates Gazzles, why she'll bully the cats every chance she gets...

 

[Chrisdoc]

I know how you feel. I look at the other two together and they´re either sleeping or just loafing about but Houdini is hardly ever still. He always seems to be active and sometimes, I think maybe I should teach him some tricks or give him some interactive toys to keep him busy. I would hate to see what these two were capable of doing if they ever get together. Bunny domination lol.

 

[Imbrium]

Normie doesn't quite seem to be on Nala's level, but he's fairly close to it. It'll be interesting to see him and Nala together for real! I suspect she'll be a real mind-opener for him.

 

[Chrisdoc]

He could be a quick learner, I'd keep my eye on that pair. The bunnies could end up taking over in your household lol.

 

[Imbrium]

Why do you think they live in a pen instead of free-ranging, lol? When we tried to have them loose, they thought they ran the place! I'm fairly certain that opposable thumbs are the only thing keeping Jay and I in power around here.

 

[Apebull]

I'm fairly certain that opposable thumbs are the only thing keeping Jay and I in power around here.

:roflmao: Like you are actually in power LOL!!!

 

[Imbrium]

:roflmao: Like you are actually in power LOL!!!

Well, we're in control at any rate... as much as one can be, that is. I mean, we can pick every one of our nine naughties up and lock them in a cage or pen or bathroom or whatever's applicable and there's nothing they can do about it (other than whine their butts off, if it's one of the cats). We have control over all the food and treats, too. At the very least, we've got the illusion of power!

Of course, my day goes something like this:

:sweep ..... :bunnybutt: :bunnybutt: :bunny18 :hiding: :soapbox ..... :vacuum:

~ Two bunnies giving me the butt
~ One bunny following me around and licking me to death
~ A psychotic "kitten" vacillating between hiding/lurking and bouncing off the walls
~ A nearly 16 year old cat fiending like a crack addict for treats, getting underfoot, begging, yowling, you name it
~ Me wondering what the heck the point is of cleaning floors, seeing as I sweep or vacuum at least once or twice a day and an hour later, I'm stepping on hay, bunny poop, cat food and god knows what else on my way through the living room

 

[pani]

I never vacuumed much before, but after getting Felix I vacuum more often but it's even more pointless! My floor is always going to have at least one or two stray pieces of hay or bunny poops.

 

[Chrisdoc]

I sweep, vac,pick up and there is always hay and a stray poop or bits of torn cardboard or fur, Bandys of course, stuck to everything. Something I have learned to live with and love.

 

[Imbrium]

I forgot to ever post the couple of pics from the last bonding session...

^ Shows the portable crib I tried to use as neutral territory, with Normie and Gazzles in it

^ Another pic of Normie and Gaz, shortly before the hump-fest commenced

I was trying to get a pic of the Gaz on Normie on Nala humping (hilarious, btw), but Nala ruined it by escaping before I could snap the picture.

 

[pani]

How do Nala and Gaz react to the smell of Norm on either one of them? If I approach Felix and I smell like Clem, he tends to chin all over my hand until it's covered in his scent again.

 

[Imbrium]

Nala sniffed the heck out of Gaz after Gaz and Normie had their first face-to-face and she came back with that "freshly humped by a strange bunny" smell, but Nala eventually decided this was acceptable (I watched that like a hawk until I was sure all was good). Beyond that, I haven't noticed anything. I don't often go straight from petting one to the other, though, and they can smell each other all day long since they're not very far apart. I suspect they're all very used to me smelling of a lot of other animals, what with the cats and gliders (and none of them have ever been chinners).

 

[pani]

That's a good point! Since coming home with me, Felix hasn't been near any other animals. He's always been a crazy chinner, too, which doesn't help!

 

[zombiesue]

Those are CUTE pictures.

Sometimes I kick the rabbit poop back at them. See how they like it. LOL

 

[Aubrisita]

Those are very cute pictures.

 

[Chrisdoc]

They do look cute together, I have a goodfeeling about these three

 

[Azerane]

Afraid I don't have time to do a proper catch up, but the photos of them together are adorable! Love that chocolately-sable colour or whatever you want to call it

 

[Imbrium]

Had my first TRUE bonding session today. It was... interesting. Nala's far more flighty than I would've thought she'd be towards another bunny a mere month ago (tomorrow is Normie's one month "gotcha" day). Honestly, I felt like we were in limbo - not getting anywhere, but not really losing ground, either. Nala and Normie definitely have some issues to work out; Gaz mostly loafed it up in the makeshift litter box today. She did spaz out and hump Nala briefly, though. Fortunately, Nala was very forgiving.

Nala's really a lot more complex and emotionally fragile than I once believed... I think moving in with Jay and the cats changed her perspective somewhat - she's no longer the big fish in a small pond; she's kind of "medium" now. She seems a bit unsure of herself with Norm; I think she *wants* to lay down the law but doesn't quite know how to do it as he's bull-headed and oblivious to subtlety.

I actually videotaped the *entire* session... it's going to take forever to upload to YouTube, though, so I'll have to post it later. While I imagine almost all of you have better things to do with an hour of your time than watch the full session (which is mostly boring with random bursts of "knock it the heck off!"), you don't ever really come across lengthy videos of bonding sessions (especially with trios) so I figure it may interest one or two folks who are looking to get a better feel for bonding.

 

[zombiesue]

Ignoring is always a good sign, I'd say you are, in fact, gaining ground even if it doesn't feel like it.

Try a longer session and see what happens (2+ hours)