Odd bun out

[mkculs]

I have 7 bunnies–not intentionally. One of my two “females” turned out to be male. . . I had 10 at one time and am down to 7.

Anyway, one of the males seems to be the odd man out all the time. He spends most of his exercise time alone–occasionally one or two of the others will come snuggle/groom with him, but generally he is alone.

One of the females will chase him and seems to be aggressive toward him (I’ve noticed him starting it occasionally, but she is usually the aggressor). He was being chased by another male, but that behavior seems to have disappeared with neutering.

I’d like to have all 7 bunnies living together happily, so does anyone have ideas about why this bunny seems to be the misfit, and why at least 2 others have picked on him? I really cannot figure it out! 

TIA!!

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Wow what a big group! I can’t imagine spaying and neutering that many! Good on you
I’d love to see your set up-how you can have so many!

I’m wondering if you could identify who is the boss or queen bee in your group? If you could do that, and do some private bonding sessions with your low man on the totem pole and the queen bee/boss, that could improve your boy’s social status and inclusion. That’s often what you do with horses-if one is being picked on by everyone, you get them to be friends with a high status horse, and their position in the group is improved by that relationship. With 7 bunnies, you kind of have a herd!

[tanlover14]

Hi MK,
These are normal behaviors for a larger group. I used to have a bonded group of 7 as well. We split the groups and I’ve found they’ve developed much more “comfortable” relationships with one another since doing so. Their bonds are MUCH stronger. With a larger group, it’s likely you will have an odd man out sometimes but typically if a bunny is being “shunned” or chased away constantly by more than one rabbit it can be signs of a health issue that may not be obvious to us. Not always but sometimes.

Another option is to separate your odd man & get him his own friend. I currently have 8 and people think I’m crazy whenever we bring another one but sometimes making a choice like that can really bring out the “happy” bunny you are looking for. I had one that REFUSED to bond, Tucker. Everyone hated him & shunned him to the max. I have been trying to bond for over a year now. (On and off). He was recently diagnosed with OCD. We have been treating that but he has still had ongoing issues with the group. I ended up (not on purpose) with another bun, Zoe. Zoe and him were bonded first and she is exactly what he needed. They are currently both being bonded with a third as well as another bonded pair. But Zoe has given him the confidence he needed to “hang” with the others. Since he has gotten more confidence towards the other buns they have been way more accepting of him.

Just some food for thought!

[tanlover14]

K&K, I would be REALLY careful about doing that. My problems with my larger groups have never been between the “top” bun & the odd ball out. It has always been the odd ball out against the one directly above him. My take on it is that the 2nd to last is worried his standing in the group will be affected and he will try to fight to remain away from the bottom. However, when you do separate bondings — it can take a toll on the rest of the group and really affect their heirarchy. It can be a risk worth taking if you have no other options but you may find a big feud between all 7 buns. LOL

[Author]

Messages