Any Rabbit advice ?

ClareEmily

Have a look at this:

http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/resources/content/leaflet_pdfs/b_buds_jul_04.pdf

House bunnies that have a lot of human contact can be lone bunnies (like our one) but outdoor bunnies will prefer to have a bunny friend.

http://www.clickerbunny.com/rabbit%20behavior.htm

helping_hubby

I feel terrible about my bunnies. I originally rescued 2, and they were already bonded and loved each other, but sadly eeyore died. Due to Twiggy having pasteurella I couldn't take her to a rehoming centre to find a mate, so we took the risk and got a second rabbit to bond with her but it just didn't happen They fight visciously and Twiggy ended up injured and our vet suggested not to continue bonding them.

They now live separately and get time out in the garden separately, where they sometimes lay side by side (not very often and less often now its colder) on each side of the wire (one being inside their run/house).

I feel really guilty about this, but I couldn't afford to get 2 more rabbits! I am hoping that maybe one day I'll feel comfortable to try again (maybe this summer when I get more day light).

So all I can recommend is that if you do want to get a friend for your rabbit is to take him to a rehoming center (find one that do bonding) and have them bond the bunny for you. This will mean leaving the rabbit with them for a few days or longer.

UKTigerlily

Aww sorry to hear that, hope Twiggy is ok, was the other/is the other castrated & male & her spayed? It can be down to character too, like two dominant ones won't maybe get on as well as one dominant. When you try again you could have both in harnesses with a person holding each, easier to seperate if they fight? Good luck when you try again!

helping_hubby

Twiggy is fine now, I had to squeeze pus from her ear twice a day and pick her scabs...hmmm nice.

The other is a male - Gizmo - we castrated him before the bonding attempts. We also tried bonding on neutral territory to begin with (hallway). Twiggy appears to be the dominant one...she is definitely boss, but Gizmo is just not giving in. She does the thing where she puts her head down waiting for Gizmo to lick her and Gizmo never does and she loses patience and attacks! We even tried the banana trick of putting some mashed banana on Twiggys nose. But Gizmo didn't fall for that.

A harness is an idea I hadn't thought of. Not sure if we could get one on Gizmo though, we can't even pick him up.

4li5on

Jen151 wrote: »

we have a house bunny and he's happy the way he is, on his own.

Ours is the same. He has loads of toys and always wants to be involved in what we do.

It would probably be a different story if he lived outside, but I couldn't ever do that to a bunny. They are so intelligent and have such fab personalities, they lose so much being in cages.

potsofmoney_(I_wish)

Thankyou for all your replies, I'm going to book bunny into the vets to get neutured and then call the RSPCA to see if they've got any prospective friends. I was offered him by a friend of my neighbour who didn't want him anymore, so I don't know a great deal about him.

I am also of the opinion that no creature should be alone, and it bothers me to see bunnies alone almost as much as it bothers me to see them cooped up in small cages. He seems a friendly little chap and while he's with me I just want him to have a happy life. Hopefully he will.

kirst

guys, this site may be of some use

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/index.php

im a member and its great for bunny stuff

clutterydrawer

^^ I'm on that forum too - like the OP I took in a friend's unwanted rabbit. did everything wrong at first I'm ashamed to say but I've learnt sooooo much there!

TighterThanTwoCoatsOfPain

I had a lone male (done!) for about 2 years then got him a female (also done)..

The HATED each other for a couple of months and lived seperately.. i extended the time they spent together in the garden so there was plenty of space for one to run away and me to intervene..

after 2 weeks they were inseperable.. She moved into his house one day and never went in hers again. Watching him try and get on her backwards for the first time actually had me in tears giggling!

Really regret not getting them at the same time as the boy is start to get a little old now and the little madam will miss him like crazy when he goes.

GreenTed

Hi, just been reading the thread; we've been doing the tarpaulin-&-bricks thing too, but if it rains when no-one's around to put the cover down the front wood gets wet & their hay can damp (a no-no I know!). Also we have to be careful if they're out in their run not to have any tarpaulin near them as Mark & Susan seem to love chewing it!

People who make the covers seem to be cautious about ventilating them well. Anyway this link looks really good http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/c.a.b.j/ & he does all shapes to cover runs too. Ibt's cover is currently available for a bit less here (I know it's several months later!) http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/newreply.html?do=newreply&noquote=1&p=15412099.