Rabbit bonding issues, reassurance please?? :(

Forum

OUR FORUM IS UP BUT WE ARE STILL IN THE MIDDLE OF UPDATING AND FIXING THINGS. SOME THINGS WILL LOOK WEIRD AND/OR NOT BE CORRECT. YOUR PATIENCE IS APPRECIATED. We are not fully ready to answer questions in a timely manner as we are not officially open, but we will do our best.

You may have received a 2-factor authentication (2FA) email from us on 4/21/2020. That was from us, but was premature as the login was not working at that time.

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately! Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES

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.

What are we about? Please read about our Forum Culture and check out the Rules.

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately! Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 25sd replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 6 years, 11 months ago by DanaNM.

Viewing 25 reply threads

Author

Messages
- 10/02/2017 at 2:51 PM
  Lissy
  Participant
  20 posts
  Hi all!
  
  I’m sure you’ve all heard this 101 times before but I think I need some help/guidance/reassurance with bonding. I posted a few months back concerning my rabbit Luna and her spay (which I’m pleased to say went really well after some initial hiccups in the beginning.) Its almost a year on and me and my bf decided it was time for luna to get a bf, I’ve just started studying at university so are away most days and my bf works so we thought that a playmate for luna will really help her.
  
  Well we went to the rabbit rescue and selected little george, we think he’s a netherland dwarf, he is tiny compared to her (shes a lionhead mix of something but quite large) and the rescue believed he would be the best fit, they don’t let you do bunny speed dating here but we described lunas’ personality and they believed he would be the best fit. That was about 3-4 weeks ago. From the moment we got him we have put him in a cage next to hers and they’ve been sniffing eachother and laying as close as possible (cages are slightly separate) so it looked like a promising bond even if he is smaller than half her size!!
  
  So October 1st (roughly 6 weeks since he was neutered) we decided it was time for them to begin their neutral bonding session. We put them in a large x-pen and crossed our fingers, introductions were rocky as Luna kept grunting at him and me and my bf would often intervene with an oven mitt but as it was day 1 we were really nervous so possibly intervened too much.
  
  Today is day 2 and their second introduction, again in a neutral space a bit different to the last place. This one was more lively so to speak. George kept trying to mount luna and she was having none of it, we tried to just let them sort it out but after about 15 minutes she was really annoyed with his constant attempts at dominating and she started doing more than nipping. he started getting a little nervous with her as every time he would race at her nose and the moment he booped her she would grunt and go to nip him which would then lead to a circle war (them both head to bodies going in circles)
  
  I guess I’m just looking for reassurance really, I do not expect them to be friends after 2 days or even acquaintances after such a short amount of time but I was wondering if maybe my bf and I are intervening too much, for example.
  
  1)They sometimes try to mount eachother which ends up in a (grunting from luna) circle mount thing I described aboth, which we break up. – should we break this up or just watch carefully?
  
  2) Luna grunts at him quite a lot should we stop her grunting or just leave her too it (she stops grunting if we put a mitt infront of her)
  
  3) Luna doesnt really lunge at him but when he goes to sniff her or move near her she gets really nippy, not just like a quick nip but like shes constantly getting on his case – should we stop this?
  
  4) He keeps running headfirst at her and keeps demanding dominance and when he gets rejected he gets a little nervous shaky, is this ok?
  
  We pet them both and talk in soothing voices when they’re together and this calms them a bit but the moment we stop they’re both back to shaking with nerves again. Is this normal, will this bond even be a success (I know its early days) any advice? What were your bonding experiences like because from what I see online a lot of people have very different more friendly experiences than we are currently having. My worry is that luna is 2.5 and will never accept another rabbit, shes very independent but I feel she does get lonely when we’re gone so liked the idea of her having a friend.
- 10/02/2017 at 4:02 PM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9054 posts
  This all sounds very normal, and nothing too terrible bad. Sounds a lot like Bertha and Moose’s first few dates (I have a thread on it, which might be nice for you to read, as I think it represents a more “average” bonding process. Not too easy, but not too hard either: https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/158740/Default.aspx
  
  Have you been doing cage-swaps during your pre-bonding? How long are your sessions?
  
  Circling and chasing should be stopped, as these tend to lead to an all out fight. Lunging, grunting, and light nipping are all OK and often necessary for them to sort out dominance. You just want to prevent things from escalating into a fight.
  
  Mounting is OK, as long as it’s not reverse mounting. If one rabbit is trying to escape, don’t let the other chase. If it leads to circling, stop the circling.
  
  One thing that I found helpful in the first few sessions (to calm everyone’s nerves, including yours), is to pet them both on the head when they run up to each other and go nose to nose, and swap their scents back and forth. This way they both think they are being groomed by the other one, and calms everyone down. This is also a nice way to end a date on a good note. Eventually you will want to ease up on this, but this trick was recommended by my local rescue, and I found it made the first few dates much less stressful.
  
  Moose had a tendency to run straight up to Bertha, and either would try to mount or would demand pets, which she did NOT like. So, he had to learn some manners, and sounds like your boy does as well. He did eventually, so I’m sure yours will too.
  
  Last thing, it’s best if you can stop chases/circling with a loud noise or a squirt bottle. You want them to “decide” to stop being aggressive on their own. Of course it’s important to be ready to intervene physically if things are escalating, but try using a vacuum cleaner or some other loud sound first.
  
  . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
- 10/04/2017 at 5:26 PM
  Lissy
  Participant
  20 posts
  Thank you so much for your reply it really helped put our mind at ease to known this is normal I’ve bookmarked your thread as well and I’m making my way through it so thank you for that too!! Our sessions at the moment are 20 minutes a day, but we have actually decided to do a bit more prebonding as George was acting quite stressed after his last encounter.
  
  We haven’t swapped there cages because Luna is in a huge palace and George is in a large store bought cage which is ok for his size but is far too small for Luna, so I wasn’t so sure about trying to shove her in there, same with their litter boxes, we are looking to get a bigger litter tray for George so that I can swap them (at the moment George has a small tray as he couldn’t jump in the big cat sized ones that Luna has and Luna always hated small trays)
  
  So far no proper fight just the grunting, but poor George looks so disheartened when she shuts him down, so a slight break and more prebonding seems good for now. Their cages are side by side and we swap blankies and today we got teddies and will start swapping them back and forth to get some scent in the cages, hopefully this will help. The grooming tip seems really helpful as they would constantly run at eachother’s noses and just boop them demanding fusses (they weren’t aggressive whilst doing this so I just let them get on with it ) which would then after a while turn into sniffing and eventually grunting when neither of them got their way.
  
  We also got a spray bottle today as I totally I was just placing a oven glove between them but the loud noise and spray bottle sounds better as it’s letting them decide on their own to stop compared to me blocking their path.
  
  Will keep this updated on our progress they’re more than happen to lay near eachother through the bars but being in the same area together not so much but it’s better Jan nothing I suppose! Grateful for anymore tips!!
- 10/04/2017 at 7:46 PM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9054 posts
  More pre-bonding is always good. And very good not to rush things when one bunny seems stressed.
  
  As for swapping stuff, if you can’t swap the litter pans or cages, try swapping some soiled bedding instead. That should do the trick! You want them to get really used to the other bunny’s scent. You can also swap food bowls in addition to the blankies and toys.
  
  What’s your set-up like for them to exercise? Are you able to swap their exercise areas?
  
  . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
- 10/24/2017 at 8:31 AM
  Lissy
  Participant
  20 posts
  Hi! Sorry for the late reply to this life has been hectic. Things weren’t really I proving on the George and Luna front (they began not even tolerating being near eachother) so we sought advice from the shelter we for george from. We took them both in Friday and they have kept them until today. The moment they were put together there Luna was calm and exploring with no meanness grunting etc. George however was petrified. We visited them Sunday and George was really not doing well, he wasn’t eating and they were worried, we left them in the care of the vet that is at the shelter and were told not to worry they will ring if anything happens, well you can imagine how much sleep we have had the last few nights! But thankfully I went today and they said they can go home, they’re not best friends yet and I didn’t expect them to be but they are tolerating eachother. I think Luna really likes him, he is still unsure and quite scared of her but they will sit near eachother.
  
  At the moment they’re in a makeshift neutral cage in the living room and I’ve been told not to seperate them from now on. Since bringing them home within the past hour they’ve really settled, George is stuffing his face and Luna is exploring her new surroundings, they pass by eachother George acts a bit scared but is calming down.
  
  I will keep a close eye on them both (cage is near my bed as we have an open studio) and there are lots of hiding places, eating spaces, drinking spaces and two litter trays so hopefully this was the push in the right direction they needed.
  
  One final question I have though. Currently they’re in a makeshift xpen+store bought cage which I think is a bit small for two rabbits. Could I open it up into the house or is the smaller space ok for now to help them get used to be close to eachother?? (They can both stand up without ears touching the top and do 3 hops it’s just Luna is used to a 3 story mansion (which we will now be extending into a four story whilst they continue to bond)
- 10/24/2017 at 8:47 AM
  Deleted User
  Participant
  22064 posts
  If they haven’t bonded it sounds strange to me to keep them in the same cage. Especially if something happens and they get into a fight. They will need 24/7 supervision.
- 10/24/2017 at 11:09 AM
  Mikey
  Participant
  3186 posts
  Until their bond is cemented, they shouldnt be sharing a cage/pen and shouldnt be allowed play time at the same time, especially if they only tolerate one another at this point.
  
  You could do this as a marathon bond, but youll need to be with them 24/7 to stop any aggression. Marathoning could last several days or even a few weeks, and youll need to be there with them for the entirety of it (no work, no errand running, having someone there so you can shower, ect).
  
  The more they fight, the less likely theyll bond again in the future. Youre playing with fire here, and I dont think its worth it.
- 10/24/2017 at 12:18 PM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9054 posts
  Hmm, yeah…. I wonder if the shelter is thinking of marathoning them?
  
  Agree 100% that you will need to supervise them 24/7 until they are completely relaxed around each other, no aggressive interactions, and lots of positives (grooming, snuggling, etc) for at least 48 hours.
  
  A cage is a bit troubling since if they are in it and something happens, it would be hard to get to them. Maybe just use the x-pen? Small-ish is OK for bonding, as long as there is enough space for them to get away from each other.
  
  I’d be wary of any “progress” made while one bunny was very very scared, as it means he wasn’t showing his true self.
  
  That said, the stress of it all could have made real progress, but only time at home will tell if it sticks.
  
  If you need to leave, separating them briefly won’t ruin everything, whereas a fight would be very bad.
  
  . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
- 10/24/2017 at 2:31 PM
  Lissy
  Participant
  20 posts
  Oh wow everyone’s advice is so different to what the shelter said. I asked about seperating them as I have university in the day and they said don’t seperate them under any cost they will just work it out. Which did sound a bit risky but you always think you can trust professionals!
  I’m really at a loss of what to do I can’t monitor them 24/7. They haven’t had a fight when they were at the shelter and they said they weren’t monitored 24/7 there either.
  
  I’m honestly worried about George he doesn’t seem to be eating much and everytime he goes for s drink Luna blocks him. Not in a aggressive manner but in more of a curious to see and touch him manner but he is so scared of her should I put her back in her cage away from him? And have bonding sessions in his xpen in the time im here? I feel like I’m back at square 0 in the past few hours I’ve been home with them (
- 10/24/2017 at 2:31 PM
  Lissy
  Participant
  20 posts
  Oh wow everyone’s advice is so different to what the shelter said. I asked about seperating them as I have university in the day and they said don’t seperate them under any cost they will just work it out. Which did sound a bit risky but you always think you can trust professionals!
  I’m really at a loss of what to do I can’t monitor them 24/7. They haven’t had a fight when they were at the shelter and they said they weren’t monitored 24/7 there either.
  
  I’m honestly worried about George he doesn’t seem to be eating much and everytime he goes for s drink Luna blocks him. Not in a aggressive manner but in more of a curious to see and touch him manner but he is so scared of her should I put her back in her cage away from him? And have bonding sessions in his xpen in the time im here? I feel like I’m back at square 0 in the past few hours I’ve been home with them (
- 10/24/2017 at 2:41 PM
  Lissy
  Participant
  20 posts
  There’s a rabbit specialist in the Netherlands who runs a rabbit hotel and also does workshops on caring for rabbits and angora’s I may contact her for help with this. I appreciate all those advice so much, especially as this is my first time bonding and Im not sure if I’m being an overprotective bunny mummy or if this is actually wrong. For tonight Luna will go back in her own cage as she is getting extremely territorial over the water and food bowls right now (I have multiple scattered and she won’t let George near any) this really doesn’t seem right.
- 10/24/2017 at 4:09 PM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9054 posts
  Yes, please go with your gut and separate them. If George isn’t right, he needs a break. They could be not fighting because he isn’t well.
  Make sure he’s eating and pooping ok, stress can kill a rabbit.
  
  . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
- 10/31/2017 at 2:41 AM
  Lissy
  Participant
  20 posts
  So we have spoken to the rabbit specialist yesterday and she said everything the animal shelter did was fine and how it is meant to go.
  She states that Luna stopping George eating is merely them defining the boundaries of dominant and submissive and that Luna will allow George food and drink when she allows it which is a bit scary for us. However now that we have disrupted the bond we may have messed it up.
  Since we seperate them for fear to George’s wellbeing, Luna has been a little depressed and refusing our affection (George however is happy as ever) so I’m not sure what to do.
  She suggests either trading George for another rabbit or placing them back together and letting them ” sort it out” in hopes they can re-establish a bond
  We love George and Im sure Luna does too as she is always looking for his and is happiest when she’s around him it’s just George is so scared of her
- 10/31/2017 at 2:43 AM
  Lissy
  Participant
  20 posts
  So we have spoken to the rabbit specialist yesterday and she said everything the animal shelter did was fine and how it is meant to go.
  She states that Luna stopping George eating is merely them defining the boundaries of dominant and submissive and that Luna will allow George food and drink when she allows it which is a bit scary for us. However now that we have disrupted the bond we may have messed it up.
  Since we seperate them for fear to George’s wellbeing, Luna has been a little depressed and refusing our affection (George however is happy as ever) so I’m not sure what to do.
  She suggests either trading George for another rabbit or placing them back together and letting them ” sort it out” in hopes they can re-establish a bond
  We love George and Im sure Luna does too as she is always looking for his and is happiest when she’s around him it’s just George is so scared of her
- 10/31/2017 at 2:00 PM
  Mikey
  Participant
  3186 posts
  That is NOT how bonding goes. Her stopping him from eating is dangerous and not part of normal happy bonds. Not to be rude, but do NOT follow this persons advice. There is a high risk of a rabbit dieing in your care if you follow that advice.
  
  Keep them in cages and keep the cages around five inches apart. After a week with their cages this close, start swapping their cages. Bunny1 into cage1 and bunny2 into cage2 on even days, and bunny1 into cage2 and bunny2 into cage1 on even days. Do this for about a month. After this, you can start bonding them in a neutral space. Stop all aggression; mounting for a few seconds and nipping are acceptable, anything else is considered aggression.
- 10/31/2017 at 4:23 PM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9054 posts
  I have to agree with Mikey here. Bonded bunnies will eat and drink out of the same bowls readily, and will even yank veggies out of each other’s mouths without issues.
  
  When one bunny is very fearful, you have to go at that bun’s pace, so you must slow down.
  
  . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
- 11/04/2017 at 5:03 AM
  Lissy
  Participant
  20 posts
  Sorry for the late reply, we have had some sad news in the family and hopefully I didn’t worry anyone.
  
  Thank you all for your advice. Don’t worry we are following this forums advice more than anything at the moment. The advice we were given from the shelter and specialist just doesn’t sit right with me.
  We have started prebonding again their cages have been next to eachother all week and they have been interacting (through 2sets of bars) and lying near eachother quite happily, we have swapped trays and toys and they don’t care so we will now move onto swapping their cages. If George becomes too distressed at all then we will stop.
  They’re both eating again at the moment, however Luna is not acting herself since we parted them, she refuses pellets so she is on pure hay and greens and she won’t come for cuddles anymore. She’s happy to be near George but a little annoyed with us as I can imagine if she has had George forced upon her at the pet shelter.
  One thing I worry slightly about is the specialist said that their bond will never be a friendly one if they just tolerate eachother. Is this true? Because the whole point of George was companionship for Luna, and if they’re sharing a cage for the rest of their lives I want them to enjoy eachother’s company not merely tolerate.
- 11/04/2017 at 5:03 AM
  Lissy
  Participant
  20 posts
  Sorry for the late reply, we have had some sad news in the family and hopefully I didn’t worry anyone.
  
  Thank you all for your advice. Don’t worry we are following this forums advice more than anything at the moment. The advice we were given from the shelter and specialist just doesn’t sit right with me.
  We have started prebonding again their cages have been next to eachother all week and they have been interacting (through 2sets of bars) and lying near eachother quite happily, we have swapped trays and toys and they don’t care so we will now move onto swapping their cages. If George becomes too distressed at all then we will stop.
  They’re both eating again at the moment, however Luna is not acting herself since we parted them, she refuses pellets so she is on pure hay and greens and she won’t come for cuddles anymore. She’s happy to be near George but a little annoyed with us as I can imagine if she has had George forced upon her at the pet shelter.
  One thing I worry slightly about is the specialist said that their bond will never be a friendly one if they just tolerate eachother. Is this true? Because the whole point of George was companionship for Luna, and if they’re sharing a cage for the rest of their lives I want them to enjoy eachother’s company not merely tolerate.
- 11/04/2017 at 7:31 PM
  Mikey
  Participant
  3186 posts
  @ The specialist saying they will not bond if they ‘tolerate’ one another, thats not completely true. A successful sign during prebonding and early bonding sessions is when both rabbits ignore one another. Like, if one rabbit is flopped and the other is exploring, or if both are eating together and not reacting. Ignoring one another is a very healthy sign for future bonding sessions. Not all rabbits love to cuddle one another. When bonded, youre more likely to see them doing their own thing near one another, than doing the same things all the time together constantly.
  
  I think the specialist isnt really a specialist as their advice is the opposite of what should be happening. Its great that youre willing to take the advice from this forum instead. Its helped a lot of people (myself included!)
  
  Im sorry to hear about your family emergency. Hope all is ok
- 11/05/2017 at 12:50 PM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9054 posts
  One thing I worry slightly about is the specialist said that their bond will never be a friendly one if they just tolerate eachother. Is this true? Because the whole point of George was companionship for Luna, and if they’re sharing a cage for the rest of their lives I want them to enjoy eachother’s company not merely tolerate.
  
  Tolerating each other during bonding is one phase of the process. Usually a tough bond will go from: fighting – ignoring/tolerating – interested in each other again – bonded!
  
  If they are truly bonded they will be friends and will snuggle and groom each other. Sometimes people (myself included) rush the final phase. I do think that some pairs are closer than others, but if they don’t both display positive behaviors towards each other, then they aren’t bonded yet.
  
  If they never get past “tolerating”, then they should not share a cage, as they wouldn’t be truly bonded…
  
  From reading through all of this (and how they are behaving now), I do think there is hope for this pair, it just seems like everything was rushed.
  
  . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
- 11/11/2017 at 9:23 AM
  Lissy
  Participant
  20 posts
  I can’t thank you all enough for your help. Taking it slow was doing the trick. George is gaining in confidence everyday and the cage swap didn’t meet any resistance.
  
  Unfortunately we are once again on hold, Luna has taken very ill the past few days she has been refusing pellets which eventually led to also refusing hay. I rushed her to the vet who has stated that he can hear no sounds from her stomach, she is on emergency pain killers, special liquid food stuff and also some medicine to get her gut working again. All we can do is pray and try to get the medicine in her hoping for a miracle. (She is always fussy with syringe medicine) I’ll keep this post updated with any news.
- 11/11/2017 at 1:42 PM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9054 posts
  Poor girl, stasis is so scary
  
  (((((Luna)))))
  
  . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
- 12/05/2017 at 6:30 AM
  Lissy
  Participant
  20 posts
  Hi all, good and bad news. Luna has got through GI stasis (took her about 10 days to get over it) it was touch and go but she’s a fighter and is binky-ing once again and eating like a champ!
  
  Sadly after much consideration we do not think the bond of George and Luna will ever be successful. We tried pre-bonding again multiple times by swapping litter trays and placing them side by side in seperate cages and Luna refused all food and water until George was removed from her sight (this was over an 8 hour period) George also suffers from a sensitive tummy, he can only digest hay and greens and any pellets make him have really runny poop everywhere, but he’s fine if he just eats hay and a bit of greens (approved diet by vet). Sadly, the moment we put him near Luna his stomach issues act up and he’s dropping runny poop everywhere and shaking like a leaf also refusing to do anything despite our fusses or attempted treat baiting.
  
  We love them both so much and I feel like I’m giving up and letting them down, but after 4 months of constant trying and getting nothing but a very sick Luna and a stressed George we think it’s time to call it quits. Sadly that also means George needs a new home, I feel heartbroken but whenever they are near or even smell eachother they’re both suffering in one way or another.
  
  I still feel extremely conflicted with the decision but at the same time the life they’re living now is not one of happy buns (except when they’re far away from eachother)
  
  Thank you all so much for your help and advice it really got me through the past 4 months and I’d be more than happy to hear any further advice or thoughts on this matter. We are giving it till after Christmas to make sure this is the right decision.
  We may try to bond Luna in the future but she seems like a very lone bunny and is more than happy with human cuddles as opposed to bunny cuddles, so only time will tell.
- 12/05/2017 at 2:51 PM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9054 posts
  I’m so sorry to hear this, how stressful for all of you
  
  Glad Luna has recovered (another Luna on this forum is in stasis right now )
  
  With George’s sensitive tummy, I think you are right to call it quits. I was trying to bond Bertha with this little guy Pippen before Moose, and it was all going well (he looooved her), but then turned out he had a congenital problem with his cecum, and needed constant poop monitoring and medical care. It was heartbreaking to give him up, but it just wasn’t going to work out.
  
  I’m sure you will find George a loving home. Give them both some extra nose rubs for me.
  
  I would say once you re-home George, give it a good while to see if you want to try again with another bun, but only once you are good and ready, and recovered from all the stress of this process.
  
  . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
- 12/09/2017 at 6:45 AM
  Lissy
  Participant
  20 posts
  oh noo sending thoughts to the other Luna, I hope she recovers. Stasis is so scary and you feel so helpless, I’d never want any of my bunnies to go through it again.
  
  Hearing about Bertha and pippen is sort of comforting to me, I really felt so much guilt about the decision but we have to do what’s right for our buns, even if it breaks our hearts. I hope oneday Luna will find her “moose” but as you said I will give it some time before we try again. I really am indebted to everyone on this forum and their help in this matter and especially to you Dana . We will search for a loving home for George and get Luna back into her bunny mansion, ready to be binky-ing all over the living room once again (she’s currently in a double xpen set up.) Sending love to Moose and Bertha from Luna and George!
- 12/09/2017 at 2:19 PM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9054 posts
  The other Luna has recovered
  
  Yes, finding Bertha a friend was quite the process! My friends were joking that Bertha went on way more dates than they did. Originally we adopted her from a friend to bond with Bunston. They had a good first date, but the bond ended up being very hard and took three months! Then FINALLY they were madly in love, and Bunston worshiped Bertha (they are in my avatar pic). Sadly Bunston passed away a couple years ago. We first tried re-bonding her with this very sad bunny (JP) from the rescue (he’d been born in the shelter and not adopted for 2 years since he was very shy). They seemed promising (Bertha groomed him a bit on the first date)… we thought they had bonded after about 6 weeks, although not very closely… but then about 5 months into living together they got in a very bad fight out of nowhere and Bertha needed a suture on her lip. So, we had to return him to the rescue, which was very sad for all of us, but the rescue agreed it was the best course of action. (I believe the rescue coordinator said “Sometimes you live with someone for a while and it turns out they aren’t a good roommate and they never do their dishes, so you have to call it quits”). Then we tried Pippen, and you already know that story. FINALLY things worked out with Moose. My husband and I agreed that if things didn’t work out on the final attempt we would give up and just make sure Bertha got lots of extra snuggles, as she is about 7 or 8, and we didn’t really think it was fair to keep stressing her out with bonding. But, we were seeing some symptoms of loneliness (she got obsessively destructive towards the carpet), so we did think it was important to try one more time. Moose and Bertha’s relationship is very different from Bertha and Bunston, as they seem like more equal partners. Bertha grooms Moose much more than she used to groom Bunston, so maybe she’s gotten softer as she ages, or maybe she just thinks he is more handsome (he is VERY handsome).
  
  You’re very welcome, and yes I definitely think as long as you can find a good home (or a good rabbit rescue) for the bunny that needs re-homing, you shouldn’t feel guilty. Our rescue was amazing through all of it. I felt really really guilty with both JP and Pippen, but they basically reminded me that I had only adopted them for Bertha’s benefit, and if that goal wasn’t going to happen, it would be better for both bunnies to bring them back. People on this forum were also super helpful in making those decisions, so just trying to pay it forward. And with Pippen especially, it was clear that he wouldn’t be healthy enough to bond, because he needed such close monitoring.
  
  . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
Author

Messages