Is our bond broken???

[Isabelle]

Ten minutes ago Dutchess managed to get into the laundry room, where she’s not supposed to be, and ran behind the washer/dryer that are tucked into the back corner. I nearly had a heart attack, she has tried doing it before and I had made a lot of noise on the machines and she hopped out and ran back into the family room the last time it happened. I tried that again but she wouldn’t come out, and I got so scared that she would get into the cords and aluminum vent thing and heat coils so I was freaking out telling her to get out, and she was thumping, obviously scared of me, so I stopped and tried to calm down, then tried to lure her out with cheerios and she wouldn’t budge. It’s really filthy back there (I don’t want to get into that now) and she was getting all dirty and I was getting scared about her getting hurt or sick or inhaling something and hurting her lungs, so I started dragging out the washer and the drier but I could only pull the drier so far. I wasn’t able to reach her and finally I got a soft plastic clothes hanger and pushed on her bottom to get her to come out of the side slit near the far wall. She did so I quickly shoved the corner of the dryer in the corner to angle her against the wall, which she got more scared of since she was on tile and couldn’t get her footing. I managed to grab her while she was scrambling and checked her over. She looks okay but was dirty, so I gave her a bath (water on a soft towel) to get all the crap off of her, but now she flicks her feet and runs away from me! I’m so afraid I just broke our bond ;.; She will let me pet her on the side a little bit, but she takes her head away when I try to pet her face. I hope she is just worked up over the whole ordeal and it isn’t a broken bond. I realize I didn’t act well in this situation, but I was so scared for her I just reacted instead of thought. What can I do to help repair this if it is a broken bond?

[littlemissflip]

Oh, poor Dutchess and poor you! I bet she’s just scared and a little miffed about the whole ordeal, but give her a little time, and she’ll come around. Sometimes my bunny gets a little grumpy about some indignity he’s suffered (i.e. vet visit), and I just need to let him be and give him some space for a bit, and then when he’s ready, he comes bounding out looking for love and treats just like always. I’m sure Dutchess will forgive you

[littlemissflip]

Oh, and I forgot to mention that I usually give him a little treat as a reward for bravery (and peace offering) while he’s in his grumpy state, but then I leave him alone and allow him to come to me when he’s ready to make up.

[Michelle&Lolli]

She’ll be ok! She might be a little ticked off for a while, but she’ll come around again.

I’ve had to do similar things to Eddie and Lolli cause they were being little poopheads and wouldn’t come out behind of things….like behind the end table. lol They’d be a little ticked off for a bit, but always came back around. Whenever this type of situation happened, I always referred to it as us getting into a fight. Cause that’s what it felt like. I’d be frustrated and angry and yelling a bit and they’d be thumping (and sometimes growling) and foot flicking right back at me. LOL But they were never hurt or anything. They were just being little naughty bunnies who knew they shouldn’t be there but were refusing to come out. lol

[Lani]

Aww that sounds like a scary/stressful situation for you both! I agree with littlemissflip that Dutchess is probably feeling grumpy that you stopped her exploring “adventure” and scared at all the noise and moving around. As long as she isn’t hurt, which it sounds like you checked her over well and she’s fine, I’d give her a little time to get over it. I know my bunny also gets moody over all the “horrible” things I do, like brushing her , and it sometimes takes her a while to decide I’m not such a bad person after all. But once she’s over it, it’s like it never happened. So I’d say just give her space to feel grumpy and get over it, she’ll come to you when she’s ready. And the treat peace offering definitely cant hurt

[Michelle&Lolli]

Forgot to add that Eddie was ALWAYS getting grumpy with me. I’d look at him and he’d foot flick me. LOL But they always get over it. Sometimes it took a couple of days with Eddie, but he’d always come around.

[Monkeybun]

She’ll get over it. Mommy ruined her fun, after all

One thing though… don’t give her cereals. Cereals are bad for buns.

[Isabelle]

Mommy did ruin her fun, and she moped about/jerked around for a while foot flicking me. After about an hour she did let me pet her face just a touch. An hour after that I laid down and she scampered over, readily licking my face and snuggling her little nose next to mine whilst I groomed her. So alls well, phew!! That was a new experience, she’s never been mad at me before x.x

[TaraMichele]

 if this is the first time youve gotten that attitude Im jealous! I get it for everything and anything  but Im soo happy everything worked out! she one lucky bunny to have a mo who cares so much!

[Beka27]

In the moment, you had to get her out for her safety. In the future, make sure she either can’t get into the laundry room, or that the area behind the washer dryer is somehow blocked off from her.

I had a similar situation with Meadow involving our entertainment stand in the living room. I thought she was too big to get underneath, so the back and sides were blocked off, but there was a small opening on the front underneath. Well that little stinker smushed herself down and crawled underneath! Of course, there were a hundred tv/dvd/game system/speaker wires… I grabbed the first skinny long thing I could find (I think a yardstick?) and had to prod her out. She was ticked off to say the least. BUT… in the moment I was concerned for her safety (and for the safety of our expensive equipment…) She came out, I blocked off the front until she had gained some more weight…

Unfortunately, you don’t always know where they can get to until they get there! Bunny-proofing is an on-going process…

[Isabelle]

Tara: Oh she definately has rabbitude! She just always has it against another person or object, and uses mama with her cute lil’ look to get it way.

Oh definately Beka, my new house rule is if the door is shut WHEN YOU OPEN IT you are responsible for CLOSING IT no matter how long you are staying in that particular room. I am thinking of a way to set something up against that little space back there, either a board or angling the washer somehow. This time was my fault 100%, and I’ll try my darndest to make sure its the only time!

[stinkybinky]

I think she’ll get over it because my rabbbit is just as bad! he goes in dangerous places where he can get squaashed if he steps in one thing and full of wires (now I block him off in a pen) …and I have to do what you did. He gets mad and terrified of me but usually it doesn’t last long and he gets over it very quickly. Also, I read somewhere that bunnies don’t hold grudges because they live in the prsent moment only lol bbut I dunno if thats true.

[LoveChaCha]

My rabbit holds a huge grudge against me.. always footflicking.

[Stickerbunny]

Pft, that is so not true. My rabbit holds grudges, so does my bird… my dogs… they always forgive but they certainly remember!

[Isabelle]

Awwww *snuggles ChaChaBunBun and gives treats* I think some rabbits can hold grudges, it just depends on the rabbit personality. Anywho, she is all her normal self, scampering around and sitting under mama’s chair as usual.

[Huckleberry]

If the door problem becomes too much of an issue, they sell baby gates that have a spring on the hinge so they close themselves. They remind me of old saloon doors hahaha, but it might be something worth looking into.

[Author]

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