Yesterday, we posted about the joy of rabbits with friends. Since then, we received questions from curious owners on how to introduce rabbits. Today, we will like to share some bonding tips from Cassandra! She adopted Eevee 2 weeks ago and despite being her first time, she successfully bonded her with resident Bobby within 2 weeks! We hope to share their real life story and inspire owners to consider friends for their rabbits!
SETTING UP FOR SUCCESS
Cassandra is a full-time nurse and can’t spend all day bonding the pair. To encourage facetime, she will setup their playpen side by side so Bobby and Eevee get to see each other in a safe distance. When she gets home, she will open up the playpen so they can share their greens and pellets. She finds the duo will hang out well when they have common activities to keep them engaged.
NEUTRAL SPACE
Rabbits are territorial by nature so a neutral space that doesn’t belong to either rabbit will be the best place to begin introduction! Cassandra chose her bedroom where Bobby doesn’t enter to conduct their daily dating session. She started with 30 mins and gradually increase over time. She will also bring them to their sofa where the space is smaller to let them sit side by side to increase interaction.
UNDERSTANDING BODY LANGUAGE
It is natural for us to get nervous to see the bunnies chasing. However, Cassandra will observe if they are chasing for fun or to harm. She observed that Bobby will binky around Eevee but she gets nervous which led to a chase. To help Eevee, Cassandra will talk to her to calm her down and spend time to bond with her. Gradually, Eevee developed trust and security which made her less nervous around Cassandra and Bobby.
LOVE THEM EQUALLY
Though Eevee was only with her for a few weeks, Cassandra was very committed to her and will devote time to learn about her. Every rabbit is unique and instead of dismissing Eevee’s nervousness as being silly, Cassandra will spend more time to understand her. It does get confusing at times but thankfully, the BW Family was there to share their experience which dissolves her worries.
We hope the above experience of Cassandra will help fellow rabbit owners gain confidence in introducing rabbits. Every bonding experience is unique and we strongly believe that owners can achieve it with a patient hand and a devoted heart. Just look at how lovely Bobby and Eevee are now. They are inseparable and enjoying the time of their lives together. Your effort will definitely pay off!