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Forum BONDING Bonding with neglected rescue bunny

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    • DanaNM
      Moderator
      8901 posts Send Private Message

        Hi everyone, 

        I need some advice on getting an abused rabbit settled and when to begin full-on bonding. 

        I am about to embark on trying to bond my bunny Bertha (spayed female, approx. 6-7 yrs old, 9 lb Rhinelander) again. She’s been on some speed dates at the shelter, and seems like she’s gonna play hard to get. She’s a very mellow, relaxed bunny, but insists on being the dominant one. She isn’t aggressive towards other rabbits, but if they do approach her, she insists on being groomed, otherwise she boxes/lunges them away. Gotta respect that she knows what she wants! 

        Anyway, we are about to try to date her with a little fellow (a 4 yr old, neutered male, 3 lb dwarf hotot) with a sad back story. He is being transported from a nearby shelter to our local rabbit rescue some this week. His story is that he used to be super friendly and sweet, and about 3 years ago was adopted by a shelter staff member without a home visit. He was returned to the shelter a few months later, almost dead from dehydration and starvation. He hasn’t been the same since then, and has been at the shelter ever since. I guess he has relaxed a good deal over the years, but is still very timid. 

        I’m very inclined to give this little dude a chance, as I think that he has so much potential, and I would love to give him a good home and a friend. The shelter volunteers think that bonding him with a confident bunny might give him his confidence back. 

        I just want to make sure I don’t rush things (I have a previous post on Bertha’s last bonding experience with a shy bunny…. I learned my lesson). I am thinking that he probably won’t behave normally on his speed date, as he will be in a new, very scary environment, but I am going to assume that if they don’t attack each other, then we have something we can work with. 

        I am planning to foster him at my home, and let him settle in for at least a couple weeks before starting bonding. My question is, should I wait until he bonds with ME before really beginning bonding? Bonding requires so much handling and stress, I’m worried he will learn to be terrified of me.  What behavioral signs do you think would indicate he is ready for regular bonding sessions? 

        In the past I have also swapped bunnies cages during bonding, but I don’t want him to be too stressed. I know stress can help bunnies bond, but I think that only works when the stress is symmetrical! Bertha is just NOT fussed by much, so I want to playing field to be as even as possible! 

        I’m planning to start out with short dates in the bathtub, and go from there. I guess I’m just wondering if anyone has experience bonding a new, very timid bunny!

        TLR- Need advice on bonding a very shy, previously severely neglected rescue with a very confident, brave female!  

        . . . 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.  


      • Gina.Jenny
        Participant
        2244 posts Send Private Message

          I have 5 rescues, two of the girls lived feral and were pretty much wild when they moved in, the third girl rescue was terrified of everything and I really thought we’d lose her to fear at times.
          One of the girls, Jenny, nearly died after we took her in, and I tried putting her with our only non-rescue when he lost his bonded bun friend, to see if bun company would help her pull through. Pippi is very brave when it comes to people and exploring, but totally subservient to any other bun. She snuggled straight into him and they were pretty much bonded, with Jenny totally in charge. Jenny took much longer to decide she enjoyed human touch, but these days she attacks human legs if said human doesn’t groom her for long enough!
          Gina, who we think is Jenny’s sister was a different story. She would attack anyone or anybun who came close. Then, 8 or 9 months after, she finally let me give super brief ear rubs, and then started lying alongside Pippi and Jenny’s run, as if she wanted to be with them. Jenny wouldn’t share Pippi though, so I decided to see if we could adopt another bun. The local rescue had a solo boy who had been waiting to be adopted for around 9 months, and agreed for him to come on a visit to meet Gina and see how things looked between them. I set up two tiny pens touching at a corner, so they could sniff, but not attack. The visiting bun soon decided he was comfy round Gina, and lay alongside her, she was a bit unsure the first few minutes, then also lay down. He was then left with us to see if they could be bonded. I marathon bonded, and much to everyone’s surprise, on the fourth day, Gina accepted Podge as top bun and they have been happily bonded ever since. She is a lot calmer since bonding with Podge, but still not keen on too much human touch.
          Snickers is our third girl, and was adopted as bonded to Minstrel through a petshop that also has a rescue scheme. She was totally terrified and hunched up, and it was clear she wouldn’t easily find a home. The staff were instantly adamant that Mini couldn’t be adopted without Snickers, with I think means quite a few people had wanted him without her. When we got home with them, it was clear they weren’t properly bonded, and clear she was terrified of me. Six months later, she sometimes loves headrubs and sometimes runs startled. gaining her trust is a long slow journey.

          From this, you can see that my experience, in all three pairs is that scared buns seem to do best first with a bun friend, later with a human friend, but as with Gina, it has to be at their speed. I’m pretty certain if Podge had come round a week or a month after they were both caught, instead of 9 months later, she would not have accepted him.

          Hope this is some help?


        • DanaNM
          Moderator
          8901 posts Send Private Message

            This is very helpful, thank you!! It is encouraging to hear about so many different successful couples where one bunny was very fearful. 

            Did you do very much pre-bonding with your pairs? 

            . . . 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.  


          • Gina.Jenny
            Participant
            2244 posts Send Private Message

              I didn’t, Jenny just took to Pippi. I think she was so traumatised at the time she would have snuggled into anybun, and Pippi is such a gentlebun. With Gina and Podge, it was clear from the beginning that the issue was who would be top bun, not would they get on. Mini and Snickers were semi bonded already anyway. I found all my buns hated the bathtub, so it never worked for me.

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          Forum BONDING Bonding with neglected rescue bunny