Help: brought in new bunny who has over caged

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 8sd replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 4 years, 3 months ago by DanaNM.

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- 08/15/2020 at 10:43 AM
  Agirlhasnousername
  Participant
  4 posts
  Hi every one. I have a 4 year old buck who is rehomed. He has scars on his ears from fights with his previous mate who became aggressive after being spayed. So, to make the story short, I brought him home and my family and I were excited and introduced our rabbit to him too soon and he bit our rabbit and my husband. The plan is to house them in our guest bedroom about 4 feet apart, in large dog crates blocked off by x-pens. Neither rabbit has been there. So, are we looking at a long, long pre bonding period due to the bite? Should we house them next to each other now or give the buck more time to get comfortable? He has mostly fed pellets, barely eats hay, was using a bottle of water, a tiny corner litter box and stays in his cage even though I keep the door open all day. Any advice is appreciated.
- 08/15/2020 at 10:54 AM
  Wick & Fable
  Moderator
  5813 posts
  Thank you for taking in this rabbit. There are a couple things that stand out to me in reading your situation that will hopefully be helpful for you:
  1. It sounds like the previous owner(s) were not very rabbit-experienced. Following a spay/neuter, there is typically a hormonal surge that happens which exaggerates hormonal behaviors, so rabbits can become more aggressive than they were before until their hormones down-regulate as they fully recover from the operation. Putting the rabbits together after one was spayed was not wise. Also, this makes me believe that the female rabbit may have been younger if it was just spayed? If its the case where one or both of them were young when they started being together, the bond between her and the male was not a true bond, meaning it was temporary from the start. “Baby bonds” are not the same as the life-long bond between two, formally bonded rabbits.
    Do you know if he is neutered?
  2. This rabbit has been through a lot, both with having terrible interactions with another rabbit and also having not-so-good conditions from his previous owners. I would definitely halt any attempts at trying to pre-bond or bond with your current rabbit until he is more comfortable and mentally OK. Seeing another rabbit may stress him out, considering his recent experience at the previous owner’s place. It is good that you’re giving him the option to explore, and I wouldn’t necessarily take that away — even if he isn’t leaving the cage, you are giving him the option so when he does feel more secure to explore, he is able to.
  Bonding can be a stressful and potentially very long experience for rabbits, so it’s important that he settles down and is able to maintain his health independently before starting. This means making sure he is eating hay, drinking water, and feeling comfortable in his environment.
  
  Also, while it may have hurt, remember his biting is a natural reaction based on his past living conditions— it may take some time, but it can be something he will do less often as he learns his new home is not as hostile.
  
  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.
- 08/15/2020 at 1:28 PM
  Agirlhasnousername
  Participant
  4 posts
  Thank you so much for responding! Gives me so much insight, and from what I can tell, this is going to be a long journey. The Buck is neutered, has been for 3 years I believe, he is 4 years old. I am his 3rd owner, the previous owner stated he was adopted from a rescue. The previous owner loved the rabbits but did not have the best advice. he was well taken care of, has clean ears, trimmed nails, but with a routine suited for a hamster it seemed like. The buck was given to us free with all his food and a carrier, we met about an 1 hour and 1/2 from where the previous owner lived. My doe is about to be 1, was spayed about 5 months ago and is from a rescue as well. I will definitely give them more time. His mood changes a lot when he sees the doe. He was very sweet before he saw her, still is but is more shy and reserved. Today is day 3 and so far, he has been drinking from his bowl, saw him eating some hay and is eating as much greens and herbs as he can take and comes out for brief periods, even saw a binky this morning! We also started to incorporate oxbox pellets in with his old pellets we were given, which are a brownish color, we’ll be trying to slowly wean him off. He isnt showing much interest in the pellets since he is loving the salads we give him. I was trying to upload a picture of the fluffs but I cant figure it out. He is truly a rabbit that needs a lot of rehab and I dont think the previous owner understood the damage that was happening. I think he was kept in their living room but in the hutch, the space looked like its was 2×3, no areas to hide. They had dogs as well. I went in his room to tidy up and was gently singing and he came out to say hello 😢 . His mental status is what will need the most work so thank you so much for pointing that out. I dont mind waiting its going to be worth it. It will also give our doe a chance to calm down, she is such a sassy bunny. Ill keep posting on this thread and reach out for advice. Thank you so much!
- 08/15/2020 at 4:01 PM
  pinkiemarie
  Participant
  425 posts
  Just from my personal experience with my most recent rabbit, she hid for about a week when we got her. She slowly got braver as time went on. She also had not been fed hay and refused to eat it. I gave her more pellets than I would normally allow so she wouldn’t go hungry, but it was too little too be fully satisfying. After a few weeks she started eating little bits of hay (I should say she was really fat when I got her so it took her a while to be really hungry) and I would decrease the pellets little by little too encourage her to eat more. Now she loves hay. Your little guy didn’t have a good time at his old home and he’s probably going to need some time so try to be patient with him until he decides that he feels safe.
  
  My bun was actually in an ok environment, but she was afraid because she had lived outside before but I think it’s a good enough parallel… It’s a new environment and it’s scary, especially if people didn’t interact with you enough at your old home. My girl is great, she just needed time to adjust. I hope that you can bring this guy out of his shell and make him happy too!
- 08/15/2020 at 5:57 PM
  Agirlhasnousername
  Participant
  4 posts
  Thank you @pinkiemarie I appreciate your input. I can see how much he enjoys just being left alone. He is very fat as well. A big chonk of sweetness. Will definitely follow to advice to wean him off slowly. Its going to be a rewarding experience. My family and I really love these little buns 🥰🥰
- 08/16/2020 at 4:32 AM
  pinkiemarie
  Participant
  425 posts
  I can tell that you really love them and he’s so lucky that you took him! I think he’ll be great, just give him time.
- 08/16/2020 at 3:08 PM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9054 posts
  He is lucky to have a good home now!
  
  You have been given great advice so far. I think they will both benefit from an extended settling in period just living as neighbors. Bonding and pre-bonding will be easier once they feel safe and trust you (and you will have a better read on their true personalities). 🙂
  
  A few random thoughts on helping him feel safe and starting to build the relationship with him.
  
  Hand feeding his greens will be really helpful. As long as he is eating hay I wouldn’t worry about the pellets too much (esp since he is a chunk lol).
  
  Give him lots of hides, including one in his main area.
  
  He may not want to come out and explore for a while. I have a foster who was very scared at first, and I didn’t even open her pen for the first couple weeks because she showed zero interest in coming out. I think this helped her feel like she established her space. I also try very hard not to mess with her pen while she is in it. I pretty much only reach in to feed her, which also establishes you as a good thing. 🙂
  
  He might eventually want to come out to explore without anyone else around, so try not to hover.
  
  I’m sure he will relax once he realizes he is in a peaceful safe place. 🙂
  
  . . . 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.
- 08/17/2020 at 5:18 AM
  Agirlhasnousername
  Participant
  4 posts
  Thanks for the tips! He is such a sweet bun. Day 6 progress is: bigger droppings, binkies and is submitting for pets. I havent seen him drinking to much water but does eat all the greens we give him. I feel like a foster mom, maybe will be in the future after this experience, lol. We didnt have pets at all because we were waiting for our kids to get older , we are really new to buns so all the advice is welcome 🙂
- 08/17/2020 at 9:22 AM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9054 posts
  That sounds like great progress!
  
  . . . 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.
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