We decided to set the Little Ones up next to Buttons on the lounge room floor so they can get used to each other again. After all it has been about three weeks since they had been together.
They even shared pens next to each other during the day. The shade cloth and the blankets were lifted up after a while so the bunnies could see each other.
Once it hit about the 30 hour mark, the bunnies started to have fun with each other. They did zoomy races up and down their cages for about 10 minutes before they all flopped and fell asleep. They then woke up and began eating. They were starting to copy each other’s behaviours.
Lunar was busy eye-balling Buttons from the other side of the pen.
Then clumsy me accidentally bumped the little one’s wire closer to Buttons’ pen.
Lunar rushed over and innocently put her paws up on the wire to reach as tall as she could.
Buttons came over and sniffed her. He then reached through the bars and the wire and nipped her on the paw.
She immediately lowered herself down and shook her paw in shock. I picked her up and cuddled her, and checked for damage. She wasn’t hurt, only surprised. It was a warning shot.
I noticed Buttons’ behaviour was strange. He hid behind his litter box and stared at the Little Ones over the top of it. He was scared of the Little Ones. That’s why he bit Lunar. That makes sense.
Now because their pens are next to each other inside, and Buttons is frightened of the zoomying little ones, I put a blanket over the middle wall to prevent Buttons seeing the little ones. Sometimes the blanket is over Buttons’ cage, other times it’s over the little ones’ wire.
A few days later the bunnies were happy to see each other again.
Don’t be afraid to give bunnies time-out. They need it. I didn’t keep the blanket on the pens all the time, it was there when it was needed. I always left a gap for them to look out from when the blanket was on. Most of the time the blanket barely covered half of the pen, which allowed the bunnies to still see Buttons, but have a place to hide away if he got too intimidating.