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Forum BONDING A friend for George

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    • Paradigm
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        Following the passing of Fred, George is understandably grieving. She’s been drinking lots and seems generally sad (though she has been ill, but she seem mostly better now). She was an affectionate bun before Fred passed but even though she’s approaching an age where lots of buns become less inclined to spent time with their owners she has become positively clinging.

        It seems she is now looking to us whenever she would have gone to Fred. She periscopes up to the bed if we’re sitting there, clamours over our feet if we’re sitting there and generally follows us about (you’re cooking? I’m under your feet) and if she doesn’t get enough strokes straight away she will attempt to put her head under any part of us she can or climb onto our laps. If you stop stroking her after 30 minutes and put her down, she will try to get back up.

        It’s got to the point where if one of us needs to do something we need to take her to the other one where she will usually stay until they move her on. If she can’t get to either of us then she will lay down looking miserable.

        We have two main issues: we’ve heard that one of the shelters allows bunny dating, but it’s out in the sticks and we don’t drive. I don’t think its fair to take George of a three hour bus ride. Six hours round trip after being put in a stressful situation and I’d worry that we’d make her ill.

        George is not yet spayed. She’s 4.5 months, so she’s got another month and a half before she can be spayed plus recovery. I don’t want to introduce them before they’re ready, or bring one home while she’s recovering and grieving but I’m wondering if it would be better to attempt to squeeze a second bun into our tiny flat so that they’re both ready for bonding around the same time (instead of a second long waiting period).

        The other option, is to wait until we move somewhere bigger in a year’s time. Perhaps she will become less clingy when she’s accepted that Fred is dead?

        What are your thoughts?


      • Gina.Jenny
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          Have you tried giving her something soft of yours to snuggle into? a nice soft blanket, or a cuddly toy? if not and you dont have anything, could you buy something and cuddle it til it smells of you, then give it to her?


        • Paradigm
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            That sounds like a good idea. I think we’ll see about getting one for her.


          • Gina.Jenny
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              an old jumper might do as a stop gap til you get her something? it smelling of you is important, I think?


            • Bam
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                A dummy bunny is sometimes appreciated. You could rub your scent into it.


              • Paradigm
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                  We’ve given her a parrot we had in a cupboard but while it smells of our home it doesn’t smell of us. I’ve tried brushing it with our animal comb and cuddling it.

                  I posted a picture of George with it onto facebook saying it was a success but my wife thinks she only likes it because I was stroking her.

                  I think she at least tolerates it because she will sit by herself with it under her chin or resting on her if I put it there (but doesn’t yet seek it out).

                  I tried a similar thing with Mr Roger and he’d always push the stuffy away or walk off.

                  Edit: I have now seen her give Parrot one brief lick and one extended licking session. I think they’re bonding.


                • Bam
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                    Naaw, she obviously needs a friend, the little sweetheart!


                  • Paradigm
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                      Well, we’ve been putting off getting a friend because of the limitations on space and her unspayed status.

                      She’s now five months old and although she’s getting less clingy she still runs to our feet lots and begs for cuddles in the middle of the night. She seems to get lonely at about 5am (although she did last out until 6am today) and after that she will repeatedly jump up on our bed (no matter how much we put her back down) until she gets attention/until we get up. She will do this for however many hours it takes for us to rise.

                      She’s stopped weeing on the bed for these visits, although our duvet is in dire need of dry cleaning from her other marking escapades.
                      I’m wondering if a friend would stop her begging for hugs or whether they’d both harass us.


                    • Paradigm
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                        I particularly want a netherland dwarf and there are some cute ones available from breeders now, but we usually prefer to adopt so I might ask the only shelter we can adopt from.


                      • Gina.Jenny
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                          If George can pick for herself, that would be best. Sometimes bunnies do just ‘click’.

                          We had to put Rusty to sleep a week and a half ago, leaving poor Pippi without his bonded friend of almost two years, since they were babies. Thankfully, one of the two little girls we caught running loose, took a real liking to Pippi, they did ‘click’, and we were able to bond them within two days. Although Pippi has clearly missed Rusty, his grief has been lessened by having a new bonded friend.

                          I doubt it’ll totally stop the bed jumping, even if you do bond her with another bun, but she will almost certainly be happier for a new bunny friend.

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                      Forum BONDING A friend for George