Wow, we've talked about rabbit bonding pretty thoroughly! Don't miss any of the info.
In our last series segment, we are going to talk about some ways NOT to bond your rabbits, and why these methods can cause issues down the line.
There are many people out there who will tell you that stress-bonding is the way to go. They will explain that stress-bonding causes the rabbits to turn to each other, rely on each other during some uncomfortable event, and that they will then accept and trust each other.
Rabbits are easily stressed animals, and as rabbit people, one of our goals should be to keep our rabbits out of stressful situations. Giving your rabbits the chance to feel confident and trusting goes a long way in getting past all kinds of behavioral problems, and is generally just better for their health.
Rabbits bonded through stress may well learn to tolerate each other (as long as nothing disrupts the calm), but are most likely not truly BONDED. That is, they may be more like college roommates who learn to deal with each other, as long as each roommate stays on their own side of the room.
Stress-bonded rabbits can be OK together for some period of time and then begin to fight, since there is no real affection or trust there. You may find that after a month or two, your rabbits are going at it and you can’t figure out why…and now you not only have to start to try to truly bond them, but you have to get over that rabbit memory of a bad experience.
Edie Sayeg of the Georgia House Rabbit Society strongly urges folks to avoid “bathtub bonding”, placing rabbits on a high small “perch”, and other methods of forcing rabbits to accept each other’s company.
Ultimately the goal is a happy couple who will be friends for life. It is worth it to take some time and effort – the rewards are enormous. Nothing is more relaxing than watching two bonded buns happily grooming each other, keeping each other company and doing all the shenanigans of two partners in crime!
Thanks for joining us for this long and hopefully helpful series. Again, a huge thanks to Edie Sayeg of the Georgia House Rabbit Society for all her help with this information.
