Both bunnies and kitties can suffer from fright. Fear is a strong emotion that causes one or all of three results: freezing, fighting, or fleeing. When working with cats and rabbits, Freezing is when the animal is overcome with fear causing them to panic with temporary paralysis. Others engulfed in fear lunge, snort, hiss, box, charge, and, in extreme cases, bite as ways to fend off threats. Still others run away at the onset of fear. If they live in a state of chronic fear, it can cause physical illness and, if not remedied, death. Moments of fear are normal for rabbits as their prey nature relies on it for survival. Feral cats also rely on fear factors for survival. However, house cats and rabbits can live more enjoyable fear-free lives if they receive help. I call the process of helping them 'Fright Behavior Modification.' During this process, I suggest natural intracranial stimulation factors that help divert deep brain electrical activity overpower abnormal avoidance/withdrawal/aggression reactions and replace them with non-fear based ones. Improving associative mental connections that would otherwise trigger negative outcomes by turning them into positive ones releasing intermodal happy hormones activates a brain-reward function. In accomplishing this, I inhibit fear responses and replace them with pleasure. Animals who once were seclusive, aggressive, or avoided human contact reverse roles and become friendly to human interaction, confident, and non-combative. Fright is the basis for many behavior disorders. Helping caregivers and their animal companions find contentment and happiness is my mission. 
    

     Both cats and rabbits prefer to live in pairs or groups in keeping with ancestral patterns. One supreme leader is determined and their position is established repeatedly throughout their lifespan. Since animals are hardwired to live in this manner, if a household has only one, they will want to either be the leader or be led by their human counterparts. The top role, alpha, indicates a right to preferred resources including spaces, items, food, potty boxes, affection, exercise, etc. This role carries privileges which encompass positional status, decision making, controlling movements, and the overall responsibility for the well-being of the pair/group. This complex dynamic was once only attributed to predatory animals since the use of hunting skills were paramount to existence. However, prey animals such as rabbits, even ones living  indoors, also have complex hierarchy dynamics that are volatile and adjust situationally. When cats and bunnies meet for the first time, they immediately asses the rank of the other. Next, they either challenge or accept it. Often acceptance comes from naturally or environmentally-induced subordinates. After that, they demonstrate roles by doing something visual like head thrusts, stalking maneuvers, high jumps, chases, mounts, and scent-based like urinating strong smelling markers and eliminating fecals laden with hormones. 

     Common to bonding are concerns about age differences. Should older bunnies be bonded to young ones and vice versa? Should kittens be bonded with senior cats? There is no one simple answer. Just as each bunny and cat has its very own personality, so does each bond. Each pairing must be considered in light of this concern: will the bond friendship be mutually beneficial and enjoyable? With senior animals, often health and abilities decline while young ones are often on the upswing.  In order for animals to derive benefits from bonds, they must either complete one another and/or compliment each other. If the relationship is one-sided, it's not fair. While similar ages are usually ideal, it depends on the individual animals. For example, a senior bunny may have the same interests and activity level of a young adult cat and likewise. Evaluating the interests, energy level, athletic abilities, and such before bonding is the best way to approach it. 

     Within the world of bunny and cat bonding, everyone has to have a starting point. This is the fulcrum where research merges with experience. Most people who have never bonded start by gathering information and asking questions. At some point, they feel equipped enough to begin. Often, once they put their bunnies or cats together, they realize their status has morphed from 'all ready' to 'uh oh'. I cannot stress enough how unique and individual animals are. All the head knowledge one obtains during the research phase can actually bewilder you when your exact situation deviates. Acquired learning from numerous bonding experiences, whether pairs, trios, quads, and more, same gender, mixed breeds and temperaments, able-bodied to disabled, sick to well, or any other combination. Bonding mastery is where the bonder is so besotted with bringing animals into friendships that they are solution instead of gloom-driven, often able to pivot to different techniques paired for situational needs. This type of bonder controls the narrative with dedicated and patient resolve, leaning in to each complexity instead of avoiding them. Those who suggest one type of bond method try to fit animals into molds, predicting only automatic behavior instead of outlying ones. Research has proven bunnies have the intelligence and problem-solving abilities of four-year-old humans, thereby classifying them as not only sentient but intellectual. Cats often have been compared to two-year-old humans in relation to intelligence. While no one knows for sure a solid comparative as animal brains function a bit differently than human minds, one thing is certain: each being is individual, having free will to make choices, draw conclusions, surmise, communicate, and process sensory data. A master bonder must be a bridge between the animals and their caregivers, translators in action who interpret behavior into relatable human terms and create foundations of trust and love. Mastery does not come from just reading about bonding or watching clips about it. It comes as a result of repeated experiences with positive outcomes.

   Have you ever met someone you immediately liked, became friends and, over the course of time, continued to be close? It is rare to find instant connections such as that but it does occasionally happen. This can be said of bunny-to-bunny, cat-to-bunny, and cat-to-cat connections. Usually, though, deep reliant friendships are born out of a sequential series: introduction, acquaintanceship, familiarity, continued interactions, closeness, friendship, and, the end result, love. The common denominator to building love is trust. How can you achieve trust between bunnies? Cats? Cats and bunnies? Following the order listed above while making sure more amicable and curiosity-driven articulations take place than threatening and unamicable ones is a good method. Both prey (bunnies) and predator (cats) are biologically compelled to life-sustaining resources: food, water, shelter. Making sure your animals never lack the highly valued assets or perceive another animal to hoard them is the quintessence of bonding all species. Once animals know their biological needs will always be met, despite the presence of other resource-consuming animals, they will begin to curate happiness from other sources including their caregivers and other animals. 

Bonding bunnies to bunnies and bunnies to other species like cats, dogs, guinea pigs requires a lot of gentle guidance especially during introductions in order to facilitate friendships. Even bunnies who have been introduced and seem friendly toward each other need guidance. They need to understand how to share highly desired resources such as litterboxes, hay, greens, attention from their caregivers, and their living spaces. Both prey (rabbits) and predator (cats, dogs) are instinctually driven to think resources will run out. Teaching them to rely on us to provide for their needs and helping them to feel safe builds their trust in us. Showing them how to share things of top value together helps them trust each other. My bonding techniques always include inductive reasoning whereby I look at every small seemingly insignificant behavior and analyze it, taking all the snipits, piecing them together, and forming big picture conclusions. Those summaries launch my strategies to help the animals become friends. There is also a need for deduction. Overlooking their general behavior provides necessary insights because I can form an overall premise, analyze it, and introduce a perfectly suited bespoke bonding plan. One of the reasons why I can bond what others determine are 'difficult or unbondables" is because of my use of inductive and deductive reasonings. 

        I am often asked how bunnies communicate to each other and us when they just sit there?  The answer is simple: olfaction. The technical term, Chemosensory Communication, refers to their ability to literally taste air. They emit glandular secretions based on moods that they can both smell and taste. So, in essence, they know what each other is feeling. How, you ask? A bunny's nose (rhinarium) is a tremendously complex organ that serves several purposes: warming air to elevate their body temperature, moistening air when they are too warm, conveying messages, understanding environmental stimuli, triggering memory-based associations, detecting predators as well as toxins, and for identifying foods. 
     The vomeronasal organ plays a major role as a pumping mechanism that takes in airborne chemical stimuli when ducts open allowing particles to directly enter the nasal cavity and indirectly enter the oral cavity. These signal messages are interpreted by the brain. The ducts of the lumen (turbinates), covered laterally and medially, are made up of veins, arteries, nerves, glands, and tissue. They open and close up to 120 times per minute and can completely stop. The rate at which they move is noticed by other bunnies as it indicates temperature, health, respiration rate, etc. 
        The olfaction process is the primary and superior sensory modality for them. Any scents connected with previous experiences become memories they recall in subsequent associations. Bunnies noses give me tremendous insights into their thoughts relevant to motives, moods, comfort level, how their perceive situations. I use this information during bonding to predict and interpret behavior. 

   Bunnies, despite needing assistance from humans during bonding, have the upper hand in it. Why, you ask? The answer lies in their extraordinary use of senses. Humans have only a fraction of the olfactory sense that bunnies do. Their sense of smell detects secretions from scent glands. They have a similar Endocrine system to ours whereby each of our essential bodily functions such as metabolism, responses to stimuli like stress, growth, moods, appetite, emotions, and sleep releases hormones into the bloodstream while simultaneously monitoring levels. Each hormone has a specific scent that humans cannot smell but, the exceptional bunny nose can. Not only do they smell this information, they assign values to them. Bunnies can also release hormones by secreting them at will. Chinning, rubbing, urinating, and depositing fecal waste are all ways bunnies deposit scents. When a bunny is agitated during a bonding session, the other bunny knows it long before the bunny indicates it visually for a human to interpret. Conversely, when a human during the bonding process is nervous, the bunnies know about it. It is almost as if they can read our minds. In this way, they have the bonding advantage over us. Humans must rely only on behavior cues while buns have vision and scent. 

      Bonds are important life-long commitments that bunnies share, whether in pairs or groups. Bonds formed in wild rabbits and hares revolve around a specific geographic area where the group resides, forages for food, manages the group's safety, births and rears young, and utilizes instinctual skills. Bunnies born into the colony are bonded to the others naturally. They settle in to individual roles for the benefit of the group.
        In house rabbits, bonds do not usually come naturally and are delicate. Under certain circumstances, bonds can break. Broken bonds can lead to fights. House bunnies forge bonds through stages including introduction, acquaintanceship, and friendship. Since they don't have a large colony of friends and lots of space as wild bunnies do, house rabbits are at a natural disadvantage in bonding. Their bonds revolve around the sharing of valuable resources: litterboxes, food, activities, and space. The greatest indication of binding between bunnies are two key things:  behavior emulation and physical closeness. Communal enrichment activities that encourage use of instinctual behaviors like digging, jumping, rooting, foraging, lifting, pushing, and pulling help make bonds. 
            When bunnies go through the bonding process, they learn to share resources, be cordial to each other, live together peacefully in a designated space, and, eventually be trusted to free roam together without the need for human intervention. My bonding approach applies bonding goals in a systematic and strategic way while reducing or eliminating anxiety for both bunnies and humans. 
           

 I am often asked if bunnies and cats can peacefully coexist. The answer is yes. While bunnies are prey animals, meaning they spend their lives avoiding capture from other animals who hunt them for food and sport, and cats are predatory, meaning they are instinctually driven to hunt, kill, and consume prey animals, they can learn to live harmoniously. Each cat is different in terms of the amount of hard-wired prey drive they have. Each bunny is different in terms of the innate amount of timidity. Since cats have never been fully domesticated, they usually have some prey drive. House cats who can't chase mice, stalk birds, and hunt lizards outside must have that instinct satisfied daily in order to not look at bunnies as prey. The stalk-hunt-capture-kill cycle has to be replicated at least twice daily through specific play. Also, cats should not be free fed food and their diet should not include dry bits. Wet food closely resembles fresh kill which is what their body craves. Changing the way cats are fed (puzzles not bowls), the types of food( wet not dry), and how often (twice daily instead of constant supply), and the type of play activities they are engaged in will redirect their instinctual desire from hunting house bunnies to hunting the lure at the end of a wand toy. Once they no longer perceive bunnies as prey, trust can form between cats and rabbits, leading to great friendships. Food and activity are the most important ways to achieve this. 

    As the bonding adventure continues, one looks for signs that indicate friendship or the possibility of it. One of those signs is grooming. So what happens if the buns don't groom each other? Or only one bun grooms? In some cases, mutual grooming doesn't happen. Some bunnies may not groom another bunny because they never learned to do it. Perhaps they were an isolated bun until maturity or they are not prone to groom themselves well so they don't think to groom others. Some buns are shy and won't groom another while humans are present. While bunnies are clean animals and, like cats, bathe frequently, some are more thorough and motivated than others. Grooming themselves is an innate skill but grooming another bunny is not. During bonding, it's easy to focus on grooming and become disheartened when it doesn't fully happen. However, there are equally important clues to look for that indicate friendship is blossoming: cheek snuggles, laying side-be-side, boops, nose-to-nose touching, repeated body touching, sharing hay or greens or the litterbox, mirroring behavior, slow movements and polite requests, purring, nose rooting into the other's fur, gentle nips, and body melting next to each other. In some cases, grooming comes after bunnies have been bonded a while. There are several factors that lead up to grooming and bunnies move at a slow pace. So be patient while waiting for grooming. The bigger displays of affection like grooming come after friendship and trust have been established. 

Bonding can be traumatic for bunnies and the people working with them. Before you begin bonding, the anticipation of potential fights and injurious can leave you doubting whether or not to try. During bonding, you can be flooded with a variety of mixed emotions from satisfaction to disappointment and frustration to boredom, with intensities of everything in between. I often recommend both bunnies and people prepare mentally and physically for the journey. Chamomile tea leaves can be brewed and given to bunnies just like for people and the effects are calming. Providing buns with less pellets and produce before bonding sessions can help avoid stress-related stasis episodes. Having soft instrumental melodies playing as a backdrop during sessions as well as side-by-side living can offer a soothing effect. Cat pheremone diffusers plugged into wall outlets can also reduce anxiety. Humans need plenty of rest and to make the mental adjustments of not expecting instant success. Tell yourself bunnies measure time differently than people do. They can take a week to process something we would in a hour. Planning on being extra patient during the process of bonding will go a long way in reducing frustration and anxiousness. Allow yourself to drink chamomile tea, rest well, and plan on taking long slow breaths while letting the bunnies pace the schedule will help manage anxiety.

       When bunnies interact in a non-positive way, one or both experience discomfort. While bonded bunnies live in blissful agreement, non-bonded buns have yet to work out their differences and agreements. If an altercation transpires between non-bonded bunnies, one or both can either forgive immediately, never forgive and eliminate the chance of bonding, or need time to debate whether or not to forgive. In other words, bunnies definitely hold grudges. This is why it is so important to keep all of their interactions gentle and amicable. Each bunny has a personality unique to them. One doesn't know whether they are apt to forgive or not until an incident transpires. 
           It has been my experience that bunnies who hold grudges usually do so for anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Just like with people, the intensity of a grudge depends on the intensity of the offense. In the worst cases, bunnies who were allowed to fight during bonding sessions held grudges for days, some never accepting or extending forgiveness. It can be difficult to tell if they have forgiven one another. In some cases, fights that caused injuries worthy of veterinary intervention often imprint negatively on the buns involved so that they would never feel safe around each other. Conversely, I have bonded bunnies whose fights were quite serious through the use of extended, slow, and patient interactions and consistent coaching. 
            To prevent grudges, keeping close track of all bunny interactions and monitoring their behavior toward and with one another is essential. Keeping the bonding session area neutral and clean, using voice-directed guidance, and allowing their touches to be friendly and hospitable are all tips to reduce the chances of offensive interactions. 

    Hormones are a bit ambiguous to most people but not to bunnies. Bunnies have some of the same hormones as people. What are hormones and what is their purpose? The Endocrine System is a the way our bodies regulate functions. It uses the secretion of hormones to control and coordinate metabolism, moods, energy, growth, and reactions to stressors, injury (mental and physical), and our environment. Hormones are excreted through glands. Pituitary, adrenal, pancreas, kidney, parathyroid, thyroid, hypothalamus, and thymus are all actively working in our bodies. Bunnies have less complex versions of most of these glands. Each glandular secretion, hormone, has a scent attached to it that humans cannot detect but bunnies can. 
      When bunnies are in bonding sessions, their bodies may experience high levels of cortisol, a hormone responsible for the flight-or-fight response. This hormone attempts to keep blood pressure levels and blood glucose levels consistent. Under stress, blood pressure an heart rate increases. Bunnies equate stress and subsequent cortisol level spikes with fear. Bunnies become fearful when they perceive a threat to their wellbeing. During times of perceived fear, they may have difficulty determining the source of the threat. They may unreasonably determine it to be the other bunny in the bonding session, triggering a fight reflex which humans observe as lunges, grunts, circling, and chasing. 
        Serotonin is responsible for maturation of and optimal maintenance of rabbit brains. As the hub of activity for their entire body, the brain controls every action and feeling. Neurotransmitters like serotonin are what they rely on to maintain their delicate internal system health. Research has linked out-of-balance serotonin levels with head tilt and other neurological issues. During bonding, keeping bunnies calm and assured of safety as well as providing ample hay is key to controlling their healthy state of mind. 
         Dopamine is a hormone responsible for bunnies feeling safe in fear-free environments, happy, often expressed with binkies, purrs, and zoomies, and content, including eliminating the need to search for food, water, and shelter. The secretions of dopamine in bunnies who feel safe, loved, and cared for has allowed their domestication. No longer fearful of lack of survival resources or from imminent danger from predators and environmental stressors, bunnies easily morphed into house living. 
          During bonding, continual gentle coaching and reassurance of safety and comfort regulates the hormones that manage discomfort, minimalizing risks from flight-or-fight responses. Practicing stress-free bonding is a healthy way to help bunnies form friendships that are solid and lasting. 

      If you are on a bonding journey, at some point, it might become discouraging. It's normal to feel a full range of emotions during the process. Discouragement, frustration, sadness, anger, and overall anxiety are emotions to try to avoid during face-to-face bonding sessions. Each emotion releases a scent that bunnies can detect. Since they also experience those feelings and equate them with fear, when they smell fear-centered hormones from you, it causes them to fear also. Fear will stop bonding progress. Unfortunately, frustration and anxiety are common normal emotions that are difficult not to experience especially when bonding doesn't go as expected. Some tips to avoid when beginning to go down the path to discouragement:
    1. remind yourself that bunnies operate on a different timeframe than people do.
    2. heaps of patience is necessary in all part of bonding
    3. each day brings opportunities for results
    4. remind yourself of your commitment to their happiness
    4. if you hire me as your coach, I will listen to your concerns and offer helpful tips to solve issues.
   The best gift you can give bunnies during bonding is to remain calm and confident, gentle and loving. Push through thoughts of frustration and visualize the end goal of having free roaming bunny friends.

     Everyone has an expectation going into bonding. No matter which technique you want to use, examining your expectations is the first step. Do you expect bonding to stop unwanted digging/chewing/potty habits/aggression/refusal to be handled/anxiety? If so, it won't. Bonded bunnies influence one another. Just like human siblings, bunnies who bond might cross-pollinate behaviors. In other words, a bunny who never showed interest in digging bonds to one who digs, they might both enjoy that activity together. Conversely, a bunny who digs from boredom and loneliness is given a companion, they might no longer need to dig as often. Also, if a bun is a finicky eater is paired with one who isn't, they may be a good influence on one another to eat better. 
       Some feel bonding will be best accomplished quickly and by force. Others are opposed to force and prefer slow and patient methods. Some people think it will be a matter of putting bunnies in a small space with a bunch of hay and letting them work out their differences. Others think keeping bunnies in separate small living arrangements for months into years while having them take turns roaming outside of their pens is best. Bonding approaches that offer consistent, gentle daily guidance is superior and produces lasting results than force. Whenever humans impose their expectations onto bunnies, it causes anxiety and often yields distrusting and stressed bunnies whose bond is slated to break. 
        The best expectation is one visualizing happy bunnies freely roaming while enjoying their friendship. The worst expectations circle around timeframes, impatience, and lack of effort. Bonding takes time, in most cases, a lot of it as well as patience and humans guiding and helping the bunnies to forge peaceful cohabitation. 

      In certain instances, bunnies bond almost instantly. It is often referred to in the bunny community as 'Love at first sight." It actually isn't love at first sight; it's friendly chemistry at first scent. Bunnies rely on their olfactory senses far more than humans, who rely most on vision. When bunnies who are first introduced seem friendly toward one another and later grow that friendship into a lasting bond, it is because they both released amiable hormones at the time of introduction that each other detected through scent. This is a type of naturally-occurring bonding.
       What about the other 99% of bonds? These are the ones where most people struggle to make work. There are a few ways to identify when a potential bond might be less of a struggle and more organic. One way is to introduce bunnies in a space that they have not been in and/or has lots of smells from other animals wafting around i.e. a vet clinic, a shelter or rescue facility, a friend's house who has pets, or a room in your home where other animals have been but the bunnies have not. Observing their primary interactions can often predict their receptiveness to having a new companion. 
          Usually, bunnies behave differently around each other in spaces they are used to, especially since those spaces have already been scent marked by them. If bunnies have not been introduced in a neutral space, that does not mean they cannot be bonded. Difficult bonds are one involving a previous history of fighting. The more fights they had, the more challenging it is to get them to drop grudges. Organic bonding methods I use are desensitization therapy. This involves them smelling, seeing, and hearing each other in close but safe proximity for a period of time until minor friendly behavior presents. Receiving daily sensory information on each other clears up their concerns and ambiguities. Using both rotating and changing spatial arrangements lessens the chances of either bun becoming territorial (thinking a specific space is theirs alone). Allowing interactions in limited ways is comforting and non-threatening, preventing the release of fear-based hormones. 
          Organic bonding may take longer in most instances but is safer and produces better results than forced bonds which have a tendency to break under distance and/or perceived threats. 

        What are Freak Times? They are the times during bonding when you notice bunny engagement increases and it  usually circles around dawn and dusk. Also, the times when you continually correct poor behavior, feel exhausted, and want to give up. Bunnies reach breakthroughs just after interactions that sometimes appear to us to be hazardous. You might notice increased circling, chasing, mounting attempts, possessiveness, guarding, lunging, and even fur pulling during freak times. Just about the time you think bunnies have gone mad, they behave better. Just like in human-to-human communication, bunnies barter, beg, and negotiate for resources and reputation. Often, bunnies who really like certain resources such as hay, pellets, hidey houses, and attention from humans, will want first dibs at them. If another bun also wants top access, they must negotiate. The physical behaviors observed during freak moments are their negotiations playing out in  real time. It isn't always good to intervene during these times as the buns need to sort out issues, make determinations, and come to agreements. The more humans intervene, the less is accomplished from the bunny perspective. Unexplained, odd, and hold-your-breath interactions between bunnies during barrier-free bonding sessions can only be termed 'freaky' when the rest of the time, they are friendly, sweet, and loving. Instead of throwing in the towel, remember to take deep breaths and push through. Playing soft instrumental music, reciting a calming mantra, and cooing the bunnies in a low, soft voice helps calm them and you. Don't let freak times stop sessions. Keep calm and bond on!

         Commonly asked questions and answers before bonding: 

 1. How long will it take?    It is determined by the bunnies during pre-bonding.
 2. How much time will I have to devote each day?  It depends on the level of difficulty of the bond.
 3. How will I know when they bond?   When they coexist at least a full day and night peacefully.
 4. Can I bond and still work full-time?  Yes, it just takes a bit longer. The more time you give to bonding, the more results
                                                              you see.
 5. Can I bond if the bunnies have already been all throughout my home?  Yes, there are ways to neutralize areas even
                                                                                                                      if they are already known to bunnies.

           Commonly asked questions and answers during bonding:

 1. How much longer?   It depends on the bunnies and the pace they set.
 2. Are you sure they will bond?   Only the bunnies know for certain.
 3.  What are the steps involved?  The plan is customized during the pre-bonding stage and modified throughout
                                                       bonding. During the initial consultation, basic steps are explained.
 4. What does a typical bonding session look like?  There are no typical sessions as each one is unique.

            Commonly asked question after bonding:

                                                    WHY DIDN'T I DO THIS SOONER???????

        If you are in the midst of bonding and desperate to move forward, read this to get your bearings: small acts are huge breakthroughs to bunnies. Stop looking for big dramatic changes and begin to focus on subtle nuances. Bunnies are cautious creatures always alert to evade capture by multiple threats from overhead and ground predators. They are experts at silent body communication, quick dart movements, and extremely careful maneuvering. When applied to the microcosm of a small bonding space, it can be difficult to see improvements even for the more discerning eyes. Some examples of positive signs from a bunny's viewpoint are simultaneous self-care, ignoring each other, slow approaches while keeping respectable distances, relaxed ear posture, lounging, simultaneous eating and enjoying food from the same platter, creeping to the other's bum and sniffing, nose touches, lowered heads while in close proximity, and touching lasting several seconds. Usually the first breakthrough is passing by one another without lunging or attacking. Often, the second breakthrough is keeping to the same part of the pen. Just being in close proximity without attacking is very encouraging. If eating together face-to-face or side-by-side occurs, the breakthroughs will continue. Change your focus from large macro evidences to tiny micro signs and you will not easily become disheartened. 

          I am often asked why bonding takes so much work and time. It's a multi-faceted answer. Each individual bonding scenario requires careful analysis. Since humans rely on sensory input to determine progress, when our eyes don't see it, we think there hasn't been any. This is not only false but often produces feelings of discouragement which bunnies can smell. Each time we feel an emotion, our bodies release hormones related to that emotion that bunnies perceive as negative. So, when people become disheartened, it stifles bonding. Before tackling sessions, reset your mind to positive hopeful outlooks and you will avoid the number one hinderance to bonding.
           The number two impediment to bonding is judging the time it takes. Bunnies operate on a large scale nature-based way to quantify time whereas humans judge time by small nature-based ways. In the wild, rabbits understand timeframes seasonally. They know what food, hiding spots, and predators are available based upon climate.  Humans rely on the sun-to-moon ratio of a twenty-four hour day. Each season lasts about three months and there are four per year. Bunnies depend on seasonal weather to support the growth of vital foods and water resources. People who grow food understand this better than ones who frequent markets for their produce. In a colony, rabbits use three month intervals for many milestones including alpha challenges, birthing and rearing kits, and determining and executing roles. So, while bonding, keep in mind the three month timeframe instead of hours and weeks. 
          Bunnies live within the bounds of nature meaning they do not violate the rules of species-specific biology. Often the quintessence of bonding from the human's perspective is observation and reaction. However, the essence of bonding from the bunny's perspective is building trust, evaluating valuable resources, and accepting companionship. During my pre-bonding stage, bunnies learn the other bunny is not a threat- to themselves physically or to the availability of resources necessary for survival. This process requires time, calm confident energy, and the building of positive associations during sessions. 
         

        Sometimes bonding bunnies follows a strict set of rules that keep the human and bunnies safe, pace according to the bunnies' tolerances, and lessen the chances of hostility triggers. Other times, bonding breaks those rules and friendships are still forged. So how does one know what to do? 
       The bunnies tell us how to approach bonding. When rabbits have been previously introduced without incident, avoiding most of the safety rules might be satisfactory. If bunnies have been in direct contact previously and demonstrated aggression, either with circling and lunging or fighting, safety guidelines must be followed. If bunnies are sound or scent reactive, carefulness must be given to their comfort. Highly reactive buns should be desensitized to a certain degree before bonding sessions to avoid negative interactions. All reactive triggers should be identified before face-to-face sessions. 
        Eliminating variables which might contribute to unfavorable outcomes is beneficial to forward progression. The individual temperaments of buns should be evaluated first, then identifying their roles as they would be in a colony, followed by reactivity and poor habits, sensitivities and resource preferences. After all considerations, I can calculate a bonding algorithm to suggest. 

        Bonding takes two valuable resources humans do not like to use: time and patience. Let's chat a bit about both. Time, although a quantifiable resource, is measured differently by bunnies or any other animal species for that matter, than it is by humans. Bunnies judge time more by seasons than by hours or days. To us, time passing each day that doesn't show vast improvements in a bond can be disappointing. The days turn into weeks and, although we remind ourselves to not judge bunny timeframes by our own, we become discouraged usually around the one month mark. Once we entertain thoughts of frustration and despair, t's a slippery slope to hopelessness. Bunnies sense our emotions based on the smells those hormones have. Unable to understand why we emit negativity, bunnies in bonding sessions may act disturbed, aggressive, introverted, and this can delay bonds. Realizing we are a huge contributing factor to negative bunn-ergy, we reach into the depths of our souls and conjure up patience. Patience, a long holding out of our desires for a greater goal, is a resource most humans do not have vast amounts of. The good news is patience is like a plant seed. Once planted in fertile soil, it can be grown with the right care. So, when you feel anxiety over the length of time bonding takes, remember to grab deep into your patience reserves and sprinkle in positive thoughts, give your self a well-deserved pep talk, add a bit of hope and remind yourself the end goal will be worth it all! Synergy is a combined effort on the part of two or more beings to produce a joint effect greater than the separate parts. During bonding, you are combining bunnies to each other as well as you to the bunnies with the goal of becoming one heap of love. 

         If you are trying to bond bunnies and are unsure of what behaviors to look for during the process, this is a must read article for you. My approach to bonding uses three stages: pre-bond, bond sessions, and post-bond. During the pre-bond stage, bunnies are housed next to each other so they can chat, smell, and observe one another. They must be in fairly close proximity. Communication through body indications included ear, head, and tail positions, eye blinking, closing, and pinning, fur ruffling, whisker positions, lying (sphinx, sideways, back), sitting, facing each other, twisting, etc. They can determine the other's thoughts by smelling hormones releases and physical body cues. They have a mostly silent language that involves subtle respiration changes, heartrate, and nose twitches. Purring, thumping, snoring, grunting, and screaming are audible communications. While living a period of time adjacently,, they gather information. This prepares them for the next phase, bonding sessions without barriers between the bunnies or bonder.
        Now able to touch, extra safety measures must be in place. Human bonders analyze the rabbits, looking for signs of amnesty( if they had previously fought), courtesy, and hostility. During this time, bunnies need to be encouraged to slow down their movements to show politeness. Bunnies value and demand respect, especially during the establishment of hierarchy roles. A cautious slow approach instead of a full forward charge is always best. When one creeps toward the other with ears back (not fully flattened) and head down, it is a polite request to approach closer. If the approach has ears forward or fully flattened, the posture is threatening and should be diverted. 
         When one bunny rapidly gallops past another it gives them a quick chance to test the waters, a way to deduce if the other bunny is going to ignore, lunge, or chase. During the bonding sessions, many drive-byes should happen with each attempt closing the gap of space between them. Lunging, circling, and chasing should not be allowed. The same body positioning they demonstrate in the adjoining housing will be repeated in the sessions. Over time, buns will be less reactionary and more cooperative, eating hay together, patterning resting positions, simultaneously grooming, and such. When they touch noses softly, this is often one of the first evidences they are receptive to friendship. Side-by-side eating, lounging, and sleeping are indicators of a good match. Allowing each other to share resources (litterbox, hidey, food, and attention from bonders) equates to success. During the entire journey, hormones releases undetectable to humans are what the bunnies rely heavily on. Actively twitching noses indicate tiny airborne scent particles enter the small lip separation each time the nostrils expand upward. Although we cannot know fully what they think and feel, they absolutely understand each other- almost as though they are reading each other's minds.