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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 BONDING Bonding to help Jenny get better

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    • Gina.Jenny
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        Jenny was cool and shaking again this morning, she’s been given pain meds and antibiotics, so its looking like either a reaction to the anaesthetic, as the vet said, or I’m wondering if its something akin to PTSD, with the spay being the last straw.

        Either way, something needed to be done to warm her up, and calm the shaking. So, after lunch, which involved putting the oven on, I decided to take Jenny into the kitchen, which was nice and warm for her, along with Pipkin, the more laid back of the boys. I know it is very soon after the spay, but she is not going to heal unless she warms up and calms down. Pipkin was somewhat wary at first, but soon realised Jenny wasn’t going to attack and lay down on his side. Jenny was keen to cuddle in along side him, and soon was busy grooming Pipkin’s ears and top of his head. Sadly, I hadn’t got the camera to hand, I’d been too anxious about poor Jenny. 

        With things going well, I decided to bring Rusty in once the grooming had clearly come to an end, but he is more territorial, and I couldn’t risk any mounting etc, as it is only a week since the spay, so I put Rusty and Jenny side by side inside a laundry basket, and stroked both heads til they settled quite nicely. Jenny was soon nice and cosy, and there was no sign of any aggression from Rusty. So I let him hop out, and tilted it over for Jenny to come out too.

        Jenny was soon over to Pipkin, giving him a quick lick

        The two of them then started exploring the kitchen, while Rusty stayed a safe distance

        Rusty joined in in his own time

        And got more confident

        With things at a good point, and Jenny warm and long since stopped shaking, I decided that was a good place to wind up, and popped her back in her run, where she had a good drink (I did have a water bowl in the kitchen, but no bun touched it) and then she started tucking into her untouched breakfast pellets.


      • Bam
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          Since there was no fighting, I think this must have been very therapeutic for Jenny!
          How cute they are, all 3!


        • Gina.Jenny
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            That’s my hope, sometimes a bunny just needs another bunny…


          • Gina.Jenny
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              Just went down to see how she is, both boys were sat within a couple of feet of her. When she saw me, she put her paws up on the front of the run, to get my attention, then stuck her nose into her water bowl, and then her pellet bowl, plainly telling me they needed my attention too! There was still a tiny bit of water, so refilled that, and gave her her supper pellets, which she soon tucked into. After that, she started playing with her bell toy that has hay in the ends. Ok only for about 30 seconds, but it is a big improvement on sitting shaking in a corner, while I keep her warm with blankets, and hold small bits of greens out to tempt her to eat.

              Her ears are nice and warm so I guess that session with the boys was what she needed.


            • Bam
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                It does sound great! Like her spirit’s really been lifted. It sounfs like her whole system has been given s boost.


              • Gina.Jenny
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                  Went down this morning, and yay, Jenny’s ears were a nice temp, her food bowl was empty, and she was just as insistent as the boys it was time for breakfast. Gave everyone their morning pellets, and she looked at me as if to say, ‘you mean your not going to hand feed me today?’ so I told her the food was in the bowl, shook it, showed her it, and put it back down. She got the message and went to the bowl and fed herself.

                  Just went back down, the bowl is empty, and both boys were lying near her. There was a quick nose kiss with Rusty, before the boys started head butting me to take them out in the garden, while Jenny was desperately trying to get their attention back to her. Told the boys its not garden weather today, with heavy rain forecast.

                  Got to take Gina to the vets for her post spay check (Jenny was seen Wed and will go again next Wed)

                  When I get back, I’ll take Jenny and the boys through to the kitchen, I don’t want to rush it, yesterdays session lasted two hours, and I want to be able to give that again if it works. Gina is still trying to fight everybunny, so she won’t be included. At a guess, her hormones are still in the driving seat, whereas Jenny has been too poorly for the hormones to get a look in.


                • Bam
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                    Yay for feeding herself! Good girl and good boys! Hope Gina’s vet check goes well.


                  • Gina.Jenny
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                      It did, she’s happy with Gina’s tum, and doesn’t need to see her about it again. She asked how Jenny was, so I told her about yesterday, and how it went and how she was this morning, and is happy with how things are for Jenny too. Given she saw Jenny’s tum on Wednesday, she said if she continues to improve, she doesn’t need to see her again next Wed, so instead, an appointment has been made for the following Wed, when the vet thinks Jenny should be ok to have her Myx/VHD jab.

                      Took boys and Jenny through to kitchen, but boys were hacked off as they think they should be outside, so it was a short session. Boys don’t care if there is a bad weather warning, they just want out on the grass! Jenny ate again straight after, and then settled down to have a good wash, so I think it still counts as a success.


                    • Bam
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                        It does sound like a success. Eating and washing herself =)

                        And how great that Gina’s healed so perfectly.


                      • Gina.Jenny
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                          Tried just Jenny and Rusty together in the kitchen, as he is the dominant one, so the one who needs to accept her.

                          Jenny spent over ten minutes giving him a good groom, so her feelings are pretty clear?

                          He decided he’d had enough and I let him back through to the dining room, leaving poor Jenny sat looking at me as if to say ‘why’d he leave me?’


                        • Bam
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                            Naw, that’s crazy cute! It’s just amazing how a little love can bring a bunny girl back to health
                            It does seem like she’s truly on the mend now!


                          • Gina.Jenny
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                              The sun was out today, and the boys insisted that they were too, leaving poor Jenny taking a step back again. There’s no way I can put her out so soon after her spay, even if she wasn’t struggling to keep warm at times.

                              Gina is still making it clear she is going to attack anybun who comes close, but Jenny can’t rely on the boys not going out, as they go out any time the weather is fit. And I think Gina is only so aggressive because she’s been so scared.

                              Anyway, I armed myself with some fresh picked grass and dandelion leaves, the pet carrier, that for some reason everybun loves to be in, and a think pair of gardening gloves, and took both girls into the kitchen. I held Gina gently but securely, and Jenny, true to form , was soon over, trying to groom her, but Gina wasn’t too keen to set aside any perceived grudge, and it soon became clear that wasn’t going to work. I didn’t want to use stress bonding, with Jenny the way she is, but at the same time, she clearly needs to be bonded asap with somebunny.

                              As a compromise, I put the two of them in the base half of the per carrier, close to the washing machine, and set it on spin, but with the bunnies safe on the floor, not on the machine. 

                              The two girls did then push close to each other, with the odd dip of the head under the pther buns tum, I presume for comfort. I gently stroke both girls throughout, to limit Jenny’s stress, and by the end of the spin cycle, both girls seemed to be getting along, Jenny groomed Gina again, then Gina groomed Jenny.

                              I got a nice pic of the two side by side, before Gina made it clear she’d had enough being nice for one day, and I took her back to her cage.

                              Hopefully i can get these two bonded, or rebonded, if they were together before, which is what I think is the case.

                              They certainly look very alike, and are almost identical in build


                            • Gina.Jenny
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                                It doesn’t seem right or fair to anybun to continue trying to bond Jenny and the boys, with Rusty’s eye how it is, so given the wet day meant the boys have the dining room and living room, I decided to take both girls, the bag of kale, and a cushion for me through to the kitchen. I wore a pair of garden gloves, which is as well, as i did deflect one nip, and i also had a cooling tray, the idea being to keep that between the girls, during floor time. I started the session by putting a load of washing on, with both girls in the laundry basket, beside the machine. Jenny kept asking Gina to groom her, Gina ignored, so we ended up with some fur trimmed, and at that point, I decided to put them both out on the floor, and use the tray as needed to save any further fur flying.

                                Both girls by now had decided the washing machine could safely be ignored, and spent their time alternately exploring the kitchen, and welcoming the freedom to stretch their legs a bit, and eyeing each other up, ready to attack or defend if they felt it was called for. I spent about half the time holding the tray between them. After a while, I put some kale on the floor, and initially, both girls were totally absorbed in wolfing it down, and only started to object to the other one eating it when it was nearly all gone. At that point, I put the cooling tray down in such a way that they both got two last small bits of kale each.

                                This seemed a good time to stop, on a semi-positive note, so I carried Gina through to her cage, then Jenny to hers. I looked at the clock and was surprised to see the session had actually lasted around an hour, so I guess that’s not too bad? It looks as though now Jenny is recovering, she is less willing to take the role of grooming underbunny?

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                            Forum BONDING Bonding to help Jenny get better