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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Getting worn out

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    • tophdade
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      67 posts Send Private Message

        Hi all, going to give you a run down of our situation:

        My girlfriend and I have three bunnies, 7 months, 5 months, and we think our last one is about 3. Our first two were meant to be eventual bond mates, but we rescued Clarice from a very abusive situation. They all share one room, in which they all have very large cages, plenty of everything they love, time out, and space.

        The catch is that they don’t like each other, and it’s beginning to get difficult. Princess and Luna, the two oldest buns, live side by side in their condos. They have no issues with each other but were not trying bonding because they’re intact and have fought in the past. There’s no scratching in between cages or any aggressiveness between them anymore. Not sure if that means anything more than they may bond in the future.

        Clarice has moved in and totally thrown off the territory lines. Both Luna and Princess get time out and manage to find a way to try to kill Clarice through her cage bars. She’s far from amiable too, they’re all at fault. We’re at a loss for what to do here as we’re new bunny owners. Yes, three buns was probably not the best idea, but we were afraid for clarice’s life and I can guarantee that they are living much more comfortable lives than they would had they been in a shelter or a pet store. If they have to live apart for their whole lives, I’ll always be able to make that guarantee. They’re all very happy bunnies

        The issue is that this is so much to handle. We would never think of parting with them, we love them far too much. I’m a critical thinker, I usually have an answer for everything, but I’m really not sure what to do here. This is too unfamiliar.

        Can someone more experienced give me an outline or a process that they would follow to get them all eventually together and happy. The goal for us is to have a beautiful trio of buns who can roam freely and enjoy time together with us and each other. Thank you!


      • Megabunny
        Participant
        2041 posts Send Private Message

          Wow! That’s a beautiful bunny pictured! you do know that you probably aren’t going to be able to bond them w/o spaying, right? So if you aren’t going to spay them, while you may want to read up on the pros and cons of spaying (well, besides anesthetic death I’m not sure there are any cons) I’m guessing you should try and construct solid walls between them. I don’t know if anyone will suggest bonding the bunnies unless they are spayed. I would imagine it’s exhausting to get so many in a short period of time. I did that and it was quite a job, so I sympathize. Also, while people have had luck bonding three, I’ve read it can really be tough. You may have to consider yourself lucky if you get just two bonded, but again. I doubt that is going to happen if they remain intact. On the other hand, it can be a tremendous amount of money, but some areas can help. You might want to give your local SPCA a call. Aim sure others will have some good input for you, so keep watching. I just thought I’d get the ball rolling.


        • tophdade
          Participant
          67 posts Send Private Message

            Thanks! I appreciate the help

            We’re aware of the benefits, we actually are hoping to get the oldest two spayed very soon. I think bonding Princess/Luna will not be difficult after they’re spayed, but I’m not sure they’ll ever accept Clarice. Luna and Princess were beginning to really like each other before clarice and still do, they lie next to each other through their bars, groom, and eat right next to each other and share treats. I think they’re meant for each other in the long run, and they’ll be easy to bond after they’re spayed. I guess I’m just worried for Clarice and also my sanity. Is anyone hopeful?


          • JackRabbit
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            5451 posts Send Private Message

              Megabunny is right about spaying. Unspayed female buns have an 80% chance of uterine cancer in additional the territorial behavior.

              Since Clarice seems to be the odd bun out and this causes all three to get riled up, if you have the space, ideally you might consider moving her to another room until after all are spayed and hormones have calmed down. This will give Clarice a chance to “forget” the other buns and give the other girls a chance to “forget” about Clarice and will improve your chances of a successful bond when all are ready. If you don’t have the space and all three must stay in the same room, put up some kind of barrier so they at least can’t see each other. We used to hang a sheet on one side of Kieko’s condo so she couldn’t see the M&Ms, and we used pieces of coroplast to keep the M&Ms from getting to Kieko when they were out for play time, etc. The sheet and coroplast helped to keep them calm. The more they try to fight now, the harder the bond will be later.

              3 bunnies is alot for a new bunny owner. We went from zero to three in two months. We’ve definitely had our share of “what were we thinking” moments (especially when we found out that the M&Ms both had coccidia right after we got them). Once your routine is tweaked and settled, it gets a little easier. No matter what, three bunnies are time consuming and expensive, but they are absolutely adorable, loads of fun, and I wouldn’t trade mine for anything!


            • tophdade
              Participant
              67 posts Send Private Message

                Thanks for the reply! They’ve all gotten some time out tonight and I’ve kept some blankets over the condos so they can’t see clarice and everyone is doing great. We only saw a few binkies out of clarice since we brought her home a week ago but tonight she’s running laps and binkying for the moon. All are very happy buns. Out of sight, out of mind really seems to apply here.. I guess the idea is perseverance and putting the time and money in to bring them all together in the end?


              • JackRabbit
                Participant
                5451 posts Send Private Message

                  Yep, that would be the plan. When everyone is ready, there are experienced bonders on here that can help. Also, tanlover14 has a bonding website that’s got great info on it — check out wheekwheekthump.com

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              Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Getting worn out