To follow up on the last post,... we did the bathtub treatment a couple of times with Augustus and Snowdon over the past few days, and following one episode decided to let them play together for a few minutes afterwards since they seemed to be getting on fine.
Oops.
Augustus chased Snowdon within moments. No biting this time, I'm glad to say, but chase chase chase.
Ok, so it's going to be more gradual than we'd hoped.
Tonight we decided to try a different approach: The Washing Machine Treatment.
Two boys, one cardboard box and a washing machine set on spin cycle. Oh boy, they didn't like that. Snowdon hunkered down and Augustus (true to form) kept trying to jump out of the box. Nothing that a bath towel over the top didn't fix, though.
Five minutes of that, and then we let them play together...on the bathroom floor. They've never done that before so we thought it would be neutral territory. And so it was! I knelt on the floor with them and within seconds they did something they've never done before: both of them hopped up onto my lap! Perhaps I'm making some progress with them as well. Until now it's been a challenge even to get them to let me touch them without running away, but it seems the Big Bunny was the safest place to be for two little ones who didn't recognise where they were. So they sat on my lap, burrowed under my arms and climbed up towards my shoulders for ten minutes.
I'm hopeful that this means we're moving in the right direction (both me + boys and Augustus + Snowdon), but it's early days yet.
Wish me luck.
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Excellent progress! I've found that sitting down or even stretching out on the floor encourages them to approach, since it brings you closer to their level.
ReplyDeleteChase can be a good thing as long as it isn't followed by tackle and bite or claw and as long as both appear to be enjoying it. Sometimes a pair will take turns chasing each other around.
Those two little puffballs are just too cute perched in your lap, btw.
They're pretty good about coming up to me when I'm lying on the floor, climbing over my legs and sitting on my back. They're getting better about me approaching, too, until I go to touch them. I'm hoping they'll get used to it over time!
ReplyDeleteWe'll keep trying - I'll let you know if the chasing turns out to be fun or not!
You're so lucky they climbed in your lap! Mine still don't sit on my lap unless they know I'm holding a treat and they're clamoring to get it.
ReplyDeleteSounds like it's going pretty well. What worked really well for me was a car ride. I had someone else drive, I was in the back (to moderate) with each rabbit in a separate carrier and a neutral space in between. My one rabbit was so afraid of being in a car that she actually crossed the neutral space to jump in the more aggressive rabbit's carrier, and that was the first time they ever groomed each other.