The Waiting Game

Hello Fellow Bunny Lovers!
Sorry for the delay in my first post, I have been waiting on my little man Dan to be ready for bonding. Dan was finally neutered a week ago, and has recovered very well. We still have to wait until all of his boy hormones get out of his system to actually begin bonding, but that gives me time to get everything prepared.

Off to the vet we go!

Sammy's room and my office (notice who comes first)

 So first a little background on my bunny habitats. My girl rabbit Sam has her own room in my house where she lives freely 24 hours a day. This is where Sam and Dan will live together once they are bonded. Sam has now lived in 3 different houses with me, and has always been a free range house rabbit. She lived in a restricted area while she was being litter trained and spayed, but then dictated what her areas should be afterward (ya know- bunnies run the show). When I moved into my new place in Michigan, it only had one room with carpet so that is Sam's room and my office. She detests slippery floors and loves to do laps on the carpet. Also I spend the majority of my time in there doing schoolwork so it keeps us close :) If you bunnyproof and teach your rabbits what are their toys and what are your precious pieces of furniture, this can be such a great setup, it just takes time and patience. (She loves that box, it gives her endless hours of enjoyment)

Sam claimed that chair as her own shortly after I got her. She has never wanted a bed (I have bought her many), but that thing provides just the right amount of shelter. She sleeps in it, around it, and under it. She dragged a pile of her toys into that corner to play with them. A note on that cage; she only uses it as a litter box. I have tried so many other litter boxes, but that is her favorite. She can dig in it and feel protected while she takes her sweet time (keep a rug on top for added comfort). She has excellent litter skills, and has had almost no accidents ever.

Bunny Quarantine

So far Danny boy has been restricted to his cage until he has his litter box usage under control, until he gained some weight and while he was recovering from being neutered. I did the same thing with Sam and it worked great. He gets to run around the living room for quite a few hours everyday and gets plenty of snuggles and playtime while he's out. Because he needed to gain a lot of weight in order to be neutered he needed maximum food and limited running as well. If he poops anywhere outside his cage, I pick up the poops and walk him back to the cage, put the poops inside and then shut him in for about 15 minutes, so he can finish his business. This really works, the frequency of poops outside the cage decreases every time.

Snuggle Bunny

So now he is ready to have his own trial space until bonding begins, so he can get used to being  a house rabbit before having a partner. I figure we might as well use this downtime as a transition period for him. I am going to set up his space in my laundry room, because it is fairly small, carpeted, and easy to bunny proof for him. Dan doesn't have any bottom teeth, so chewing is not a concern with him. He will still get to come out into the house for play time and some dates with Sam in the kitchen. Hopefully he gets his litter habits down during the rest of his bachelor-hood so moving in with Sam will be easier, she is a very picky housekeeper ;)

Temporary bachelor pad

I got a gate to block off the washer and dryer, so as soon as I get that up I will move him in here for the last 2 weeks of his single bunny life.

Whew! That was a long one! Hopefully these weeks of preparation will ensure a smooth transition for the bunnies.