Blind bunny bonding advice

[lpremo]

I’d love some advice on bonding my blind bunny. He has been hiding under a table in the corner almost since he came home. He was starting to bond with my female when he was about 6 months old and new to us, but then she died, and he has been in hiding ever since, not really very tame with us. He will let us stroke him, but only a little.

Got a female rescue bunny to bond with him, she had unexpectedly had babies three days later, the rescue took her back till they were weaned, and I decided to keep one of them as well, another female. So the two of them are here now, and we all share the same small space I live in (a travel trailer). The two older bunnies are neutered, baby is too young, and so I have a pen around little blind boy’s half, and they sniff each other through the fences happily, even licking, but if I try to bring them together he charges them and occasionally takes a bit of fur out of one. They may be a nipping a tiny bit, but not really. So the signs seems hopeful when he doesn’t feel his space is invaded, but because he is blind, if I try to separate them in a neutral space he goes insane scrabbling at the fence trying to get back to his safe space. Obviously, letting the other two hop around in his safe space is uncool, and he lets us all know that. So what to do? Any advice? He desperately needs friends–he was doing so much more and so much better when my female was alive. And I am afraid he is antagonizing them, when they liked him fine to start with.

[Sarita]

You definitely have a challenge here. When you put the other rabbits in with your blind bunny are you in the pen with them?

I also wonder if the neutral spot if you could set it up exactly like Monty’s current space and maybe add his litterbox so he has something familiar but not familiar too.

[lpremo]

yes, I stay very close to break up any issues. We are talking a very small living space anyway, but I can’t really control well what goes on under his table among the forest of wooden legs and they are determined to test his boundaries.

Perhaps his cage can be his safe spot. It’s really his litterbox and water and feeding space, always open to him, and I do not know that he thinks it is safe, exactly, but is certainly very familiar to him.I was thinking of trying an L-shaped arrangement during their bonding dates, but once he is in safety he isn’t likely to come out. At least with his cage I can noodge him out.

Thanks. I would love other suggestions from anyone who wants to weigh in.

[Sarita]

Are you trying the bonding session with Monty and the 2 females together or one on one with Monty?

Are the 2 females already bonded?

[lpremo]

I assumed someone would ask that and I really don’t know the answer. I have worked a little with them one on one with Monty, but haven’t noticed a difference. They are smart enough not to gang up on him together now anyway. They have figured out he doesn’t want his space invaded but they can’t help teasing him a little in that regard, by hopping close (one at a time) then hopping away. As far as if they are bonded — they are mother and daughter and the daughter is barely weaned. So they sleep together at times, mom still grooms daughter a bit, but they also sleep apart. Right now it’s sort of a hazy situation in that regard, and I think that means it is a good time to try to bring in a third. I also have the option of giving daughter or mom back to the rescue, though I wouldn’t do that to a true bonded couple and don’t want to do it at all….

[Sarita]

I think this is a tricky situation in the mother and daughter are currently bonded although it is possible that could change once the baby hits puberty (hopefully it won’t, but it’s hard to tell). But that is probably a whole different story :~)

Okay, so now on to Monty – do you find Monty to be more receptive to either the mom or the baby? Just thinking it would be better to work one on one with him with just one of the girls instead of both. Ideally it would be the mom though since she is already altered.

[lpremo]

I haven’t really seen a preference. Mom is calmer and more respectful, baby is more unpredictable and a bit pigheaded but he may have a teeny preference for her, not sure, so there are advantages to both. Either one, when they face each other through the fence or out in neutral territory, they all sniff each other and then move apart.

[lpremo]

I answered but may have hit the wrong button to get you an alert. This is a PS — the vet seems sure that the baby will not have sufficient influx of hormones before she is fixed at 4 months to be an issue — does that sound right? Vet is a bunny expert, has many of her own in fact.

[Sarita]

The baby sounds cute LOL.

I think I would work harder on the bond with Mom than baby since baby is not predictable at this point and could change once she goes through puberty which is pretty soon and she will be more bratty. You could then bring baby into the mix once she is spayed.

I think it might be too confusing to Monty with trying to bond to both females at once and probably just a bit overwhelming.

[lpremo]

Yes, she is a very cute brat

Ok, I will do that along with using his cage as his safe zone in a neutral area. Thank you!

[Author]

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