Thoughts and advice on a third?

[Dface]

So I feel like being away from my pair has given me a bit of the bunny bug.

I walked into a petshop to get them treats and I see this tiny fluff in the rehoming section. He was covered in clumped matted fur, looked like he’d some discharge from his nose as well. I just wanted to scoop him up and take him away from the people banging on the glass of his enclosure.

Anyway. I wasn’t in a position to take him , but I dunno if I can walk past that face another time.

My question really is about bonding trios.

My girl, yumi bonded instantly to my first rabbit, but her and Peep took over three months to bond and it was a hard one.

I know a third introduces the risk of a permanent bond break between them, but how often does this happen?

And is it really difficult to bond in a third to a pair that were difficult with each other or will that be a factor?

Alternatively how do people with a pair and a single cope?

I’m very torn between logical thought, and the urge to just help a little creature…
I think you guys probably get it though, like you can walk past like 50 rabbits and sometimes something about one just catches you..!

[Mikey]

Ive only seen one thread (since Ive been on this forum) where adding a third caused a permanent split leaving three single bunnies. Ive read a handful of posts where the pair refused to bond with the third causing a pair x single. Theres also cases like mine where one bun needs a different diet/exercise/routine for disability or other reasons causing the need to remove a bun from the trio causing a pair x single.

Alternatively how do people with a pair and a single cope?
Easily! Blue and Bombur get run of the living room for the majority of the day, and for an hour every day Badger gets to come out and play. During this time, Ill usually give Blue and Bombur pellets to avoid exciting them too much to distract Badgers run. Badger only gets an hour because of physical disabilities and limitations. Soon we are moving and Bombur and Blue will share space in the office/computer room (computers blocked off from the bunnies), and Badger will be in the living room with a larger cage and a large pen, allowed to run around the pen for an hour or two a day so long as his health permits All bunnies get equal attention as far as petting and grooming goes. Bombur prefers to be around humans as little as possible, so the office he will be moving into with Blue will be perfect as my partner and I spend about half of our waking days on our computers. Badger in the living room will be great as well, since we spend the other half of our waking hours is usually spent in the living room.

[Deleted User]

I think that because their bond was so difficult, it might be best to forego the third bunny, from a completely rational standpoint. But I know that bunny fever can make us want to act impulsively

I think that it depends on if you have the time/effort/energy to put into it. I noticed in one of your other posts that you don’t currently live with the pair. (at least I think it was you)

It could go so many ways. I’ve read of scenarios of bonds being broken, and in that case, you may have to do the tough bond with your two all over. I’m not sure if this is common at all because I’ve only read about it, but I saw that the new rabbit might bond with only one of your pair, forcing a previously bonded bun to be the “third wheel” and stuck as a single. Again, just something I came across while researching bonding and not sure how often that truly happens.

[Dface]

Thanks for the feedback Mikey, you sound like you guys have a pretty sorted and effective system! I love the names all matching too- can I ask how it was when they were a trio?

BunNoob- yup I’ve been living between 2 places for the past three months, rabbits moved home as it was best for them and I moved up and down to college as needed. Thankfully I’ll be done next week and moving home (f/for the foreseeable future at least!)

I’ve read a lot of that stuff too, which is a worry! Though this post doubles as a “if not now, would it be possible to give another bun a second chance eventually” kind of thread

Though I wonder if I’d just become a bunny hoarder if I went down that route!! Haha

[Mikey]

Thank you You actually helped me in my thread about bonding Bombur and Blue. A few months after they were bonded, we went to the petstore to have their nails trimmed and we saw Badger. He was alone in his cage by himself, pressed into the corner as far as he could be pressed. Because he looked so pathetic, we had to meet him. We requested a meeting room, had Bombur and Blue delivered to the room after their nail trims so everyone could meet. Having a pair pick out their third is the best chance at a successful bond. We were in the room for over an hour and everybunny got along great! Took badger home, named him, and started prebonding immediately. We prebonded for about two weeks, then started bonding sessions (I dont recommend this, Badger just never acted hormonal until pretty late; they got along perfectly fine after his neuter as well). Bonding went quick. It took maybe two to three weeks. Blue mounted everyone because hes the alpha bun. Bombur humped Badger and Badger didnt care. Blue would hump them both again. Then they would cuddle. We officially let them all live together after all humping stopped

While bonded, they each had their own “place”. Bombur and Badger would play when outside of the cage. Blue doesnt like to run around and play often, he just likes to calmly explore. Bombur and Badger got along great during play time because they both had the same play style of running like crazy and then napping, then running some more. Blue and Badger would cuddle. Bombur, at that point, didnt like to cuddle very often and Blue absolutely needs cuddles to survive! So, during nap time, Blue and Badger would cuddle and sleep. Blue and Bombur got along well with grooming. Blue will groom everybun/everyone/everything, but throws tantrums if he is not groomed back. Bombur would always groom Blue if Blue groomed him. I feel they all got along great as a trio because they each had their own set of rules with one another, and evreybunny happily agreed with it

Now a pair, Blue and Bombur cuddle 24/7, take turns grooming one another, and Blue will run around with Bombur as long as Bombur calmly explores with Blue. Badger is perfectly fine as a single bunny because he still gets the same amount of attention, and hes not overworking himself into sickness by running too much (among other health concerns).

[jerseygirl]

I cannot go into stores that sell animals for this very reason.

Unfortunately, this bun won’t be the last you come across like this. I wonder though, if you can help him out without adopting though?
Approach the store about grooming him for them and seeing if you can improve his environment to stop the discharge? Do you think they’d be open to that?
You could put together a 101 factsheet type thing also, that could go to the new owner.

Im not sayiing “no, don’t adopt him!” or anything like that. Hello…says me with my foster fails….  

[Dface]

Thanks Mikey! You make trios sound kinda blissful… Even those that have to change due to circumstances! (Though I’m aware yours is probably not always the case in terms of how will everything has worked out, no doubt to a lot of organisation)

Jersey- I mentioned it to the shop about the grooming, but they seemed apathetic at best (“he’s just come in”- he e came in on the 15th which seems lengthy for a dirty bottom and to be left matted) they have a groomers in the store and everything!

I’ve not had a great impression of them tbh-they sell a lot of stuff that mine love so I go there, but their rabbit knowledge is kinda crummy.
I asked about doing speed dates, and they said if it didn’t work to just bring the rabbit back instead, speed dates were considered silly.

I asked about bonding a few times and they told me to get a baby rabbit because they bond to everyone.

Rabbits don’t really need partners, this cage is adequate space for a rabbit to live etc.

They also have a vets.
They have an adoption agency that works out of them (which is what the rabbit I was looking at was in) and they sell the rabbit for
half the price of the store buns, but the store kind of abuse it ,by placing their older, less cute rabbits into the adoption section.

I had started to toy with the idea that I’d take it, just to try find it a home myself.
But like you jersey, I’m a failed fosterer !!

[Deleted User]

Dface is it p@h by any chance? That’s where my third bunny trixie is from, the adopted section. My whole bunny saga has started there and it’s not been an easy ride that’s for sure. My two original boys were from there (the full price store section) and when I went in I was given the complete opposite advice as to what I went in with in my own mind. I bought them anyway. They also had their neuter at the instore vets, again the advice I received wasn’t the best. So after lots of post neuter fights between the boys and separations to try and rectify it I got to the point I had to rehome one of them (at a shelter). I actually was so upset by this that I contacted customer service at p@h and explained how badly informed they were on rabbit care. I’d learnt so much from coming on here and decided that the store in my opinion was just completely negligent and they thought nothing of who they sold bunnies to. I actually mentioned that their issue with their adoption section was probably due to them giving inappropriate advice to new bunny owners about pairings that was resulting in owners giving them back due to fights. The end result was that I think she was trying to silence me because I got my neutering costs and vaccinations reimbursed. I did request they changed their information but this hasn’t been done unfortunately. When deciding to get another bunny for the one I still had I really wanted to get one from a proper shelter. But like you say when there’s that one bunny who just catches your eye you have to just go for it. That was trixie, she was in one of those tiny glass tanks in the store and she was with all her litter mates. I was told by the staff member that she had been dumped in there with her mum, dad and the rest of the litter at just 8 weeks. I can’t help but think now that they were probably a wrongly sexed pair that were returned. I hear so many stories about that store it’s shocking. In one way I feel guilt for supporting the store by actually buying them from there but then on the other hand I feel like they are more deserving because at least those in shelters are cared for by experienced people. It’s so sad because they really are just looked at as profit. The fact that when you adopt them they jazz it all up by telling you that you get free neutering and vaccinations, yet they don’t ensure this is already done prior to them coming in for rehoming. They’re just sat in that tank and if they have no interest and nobody gets them it’s like they aren’t deemed worthy of having their health needs met.

I am a sucker for feeling bad at any sight of a bunny needing a home and I have to resist temptation. Now trixie and Daryl are finally bonded (very recently) I have those cogs turning in my head again, which I know right now wouldn’t be the best thing to do. I’d just be getting carried away. I do know for sure that I would like to get more in the future. I don’t think I’d have the guts to attempt a trio like your mentioning though. I’d rather go for another two and keep them separate from my originals. I do know though that I would probably get them from the adoption section in p@h purely because I feel so bad for them in there. I do think that if I came across one in a bad state like you have mentioned I would take it in a heart beat. This information might not be helpful and it might make you feel even worse about that bunny in there so I’m sorry if that’s happened. But I just thought I’d share.

[Dface]

Eddy-Yup thats exactly the one! It’s awful really to see so many bunnies being sold as childrens pets to live in the garden hutch :/ It’s actually really nice to hear that there are good rabbit owners out there who adopt from places like that!

I had always said that I’d only take another bun in a very desperate situation in, so my family have been not so quietly reminding me that this animal is in a no kill shelter and therefore doesnt qualify ( damn them and their logic!)

Im still very torn about what to do! But all the feedback has been really helpful, if not for now, then for the inevitable future !

[joea64]

That store sounds very much like a U.S. petstore chain called Petland. I believe I’ve alluded to them before, though not by name. Unlike Petsmart, Petco or Pet Supplies Plus, they still sell rabbits (as well as dogs and cats), and I’ve heard a lot of horror stories about the conditions in which the animals are kept and from whom the chain obtains them; there have been repeated complaints about the dogs they sell being sourced from so-called “puppy mills”, so I suspect their bunnies come from similar sources. I’ve never been down to the local store (about 15 miles or so from where I live), but from what I hear their rabbits are mostly very young ones, possibly/probably too young to be separated from their mothers, kept in a big enclosure for pretty much just anyone to come and pick them up with a distinctly slapdash attitude toward their care. I know there have been repeated complaints to local animal-welfare authorities.

[sarahthegemini]

I can totally understand. Whenever I go into PAH, I always think “could I get another bun?” Realistically, no. It still pulls at my heart strings tho. Last time I was there, a bunch of people were crowding around the bunnies whilst one worker went in and grabbed one. The people were buying it for their 5 year old. Ugh.

I wish I could save all the bunnies

[Mikey]

Petland is not all bad! The Petland by me is where I got all three of my bunnies. This petland only gets breeder animals and has breeder information in a booklet so you can contact if needed. You can also google the breeders to ensure for yourself that they are not mills. They also had a dog+cat groomer, as well as an exotics groomer. When seeing if my two got along with Badger, the exotics groomer gave us some bonding advice. Im not saying all are great, but some Petland stores, like all pet stores in general, really do care about their animals and care about proper animal care

[DanaNM]

It’s so tough…. especially when you read Bianca’s thread about her magical quad- floofle of cuteness! Certainly makes ya dream….

I don’t really have anything to add, other than feeling the same way! For me I really don’t have space, or the budget, to add any more pets, so it’s a non-starter… but maybe some day…

. . . 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.  

[joea64]

Posted By Mikey on 9/21/2017 11:36 AM

Petland is not all bad! The Petland by me is where I got all three of my bunnies. This petland only gets breeder animals and has breeder information in a booklet so you can contact if needed. You can also google the breeders to ensure for yourself that they are not mills. They also had a dog+cat groomer, as well as an exotics groomer. When seeing if my two got along with Badger, the exotics groomer gave us some bonding advice. Im not saying all are great, but some Petland stores, like all pet stores in general, really do care about their animals and care about proper animal care

That’s good to hear, seriously! I do suppose that it varies by who the owner/franchisee/manager is. The local Petland is so notorious that one of the Friends of Rabbits people here in DC brought it up in an article which was published by National Geographic. That particular store’s Yelp and Google reviews are just terrible (even if they took good care of all their animals, their prices are outrageous to the point of highway robbery).

[Dface]

Sarah-it really is awful to watch adults handing a little life to a five year old. They wouldnt trust the child with their phone, but a tiny breathing creature? Go nuts!
It wrecks my head. Im so of the opinion that if an adult is getting a pet for a child it should be one that the adult wants and is willing to care for!

DanaNM- My boyfriend is strongly considering starting a petition to have Bianca and the floofle banned from the forum to stop the spread of “bad ideas.” (joking of course, her posts are always heartmeltingly good!)

But yeah, when you see how well it worked for all hers, and how 4 bunnies all got second chances its hard…its hard to make decisions with your head when your heart is getting torn up over a tiny little beggy face!

[Author]

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