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Worst day of my life. Advise please.

babybunnies3

Alpha Buck
I'll try and keep this as short as possible.....
I moved house, bonded all the bunnies together (previous pairs Dumpling and Treacle-does, and Dusty-buck and Meggie-doe, all neutered) they stayed in for a week, everybunny fine, no chasing apart from the first day, no biting at all.
Went outside last Wednesday, my dad attached 2 5x2x2ft double story hutches to a 8.5x3ft run, everything fine, still no chasing, Sunday 6.30pm I came home to carnage, Meggie cowering at end of run fur covering the run floor, Treacle at other end of run, Dusty in one hutch, Dumpling in the other.
Meggie ran from me into the hutch Dumpling was in, she lunged at her so Meggie ran out again, I caught her and she had two holes in her back. Put her in the bath, rang my parents to come over to take me to the emergency vets (in too much of a state to drive), checked over Dusty, nothing, not even fur missing, put him in bath with Meggie and they huddled up.
Checked Dumpling and Treacle, had a couple of tiny cuts each where fur had been pulled out, both lots of fur missing on bums, mainly Dumpling.
Left them in hutch.
Took Meggie to vets, advised GA and stitching wounds as a lot bigger than I or the vet first thought and we found another hole in her side. (8pm)
They started the op at 10.30pm, vet rang at 11pm, said op gone well, ring in an hour, she wanted Meggie to come home as thought she'd be better there.
Fetched Meggie, got home about 1am Monday, put her in indoor cage with snugglesafe, shaking like a leaf, put Dusty with her and he kept trampling her so took him out for the night. Took her to my regular vet Monday at 10am and got antibiotics injections to give at home (requested by me as oral meds freak her out) put Dusty back with her and he kept lunging at her and trying to bite her side, took him out again as Meggie VERY stressed.

Wasn't sure what to do as if I had 1 pair and 2 seperate then they wouldn't get much space each, so put Dusty back with Dumpling and Treacle, all fine thinking have a 3 and Meggie on her own.
However now there are 3 Dumpling stays mostly with Dusty and Treacle is often on her own :? (when the 4 were together if they split into pairs it was normally Dumpling+Dusty and Treacle+Meggie)
So, do I
1. Leave them well alone and hope things stay as they are with the 3 and keep Meggie single.
2. Remove Treacle from the 3 and try her with Meggie risking the fact that Dusty+Dumpling might not have her back if I can't get Treacle+Meggie together.

I'm so confused about what to do and feel so guilty about Meggie as if I'd just left them alone then this wouldn't have happened :cry:
If I can't bond her with Treacle/don't try it, then I would like to keep Meggie as an indoor bun but don't think my landlord would allow it.
 
You poor thing, sounds like you have had a terrible time. :( I am afraid I have no advice on bonding rabbits as I am too much of a coward to try. There are lots of very experienced bonders on here, I'm sure someone will come on later with lots of helpful advice.

Good luck!
 
I'm sorry to hear you've had problems, personally I'd be inclined to try Treacle and Meggie together, nothing ventured nothing gained and all that.

In theory D&D should still accept Treacle back if she's only out for a short while, say an hour. I should think after an hour you'd have a good enough idea of whether Treacle and Meggie will bond :?

Is there anyone close to you that you could maybe have them stay with for bonding? Or someone that could come to you to give you a hand?
 
Not sure what to suggest, because it won't be a neutral territory issue if you've just moved house.

I personally would try 2 pairs (presuming there are 2 bucks and 2 does?)
 
Thanks for the replies, my heart stopped when I saw the fur. :cry:
Mandy there are 3 does, 1 buck. Meggie was with the buck (non related) and the other 2 does are sisters.
 
All together
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Yes there is four in that picture!
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Meggie and Treacle
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Hutches and run
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:cry:
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Part of the result
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Meggie praying to feel better soon
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Any more advise please.
 
Meggie will smell strange from the vets, so I expect she'll be rejected by all the rabbits for that reason - I would let her heal up and get over the shock or she may have heart failure or go off her food from the stress - then see how things are with the 3-some in about a fortnight and maybe try bonding Treacle with her in neutral territory?
 
PS - having looked at the setup I think what's caused them to fall out is 2 small hutches (neither being big enough for all 4 rabbits together) - so you have created a territory issue there. A group of 4 really needs a biggish shed to live in together as a group, so they are always together - if you see what I mean? Pretty sure that is what caused the fight, knowing my 4 girls :?
 
^^ Thanks Elve, I wanted to give her chance to heal before I did anything but wondered if Treacle stays with them for any amount of time would it be harder to take her from them and put her with Meggie.
My worst fear is that it could happen again as I don't know who did the attacking and I don't know what set them off.
I never expected it as they had been so happy together, I wonder if something scared them so they turned on each other? :?
 
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PS - having looked at the setup I think what's caused them to fall out is 2 small hutches (neither being big enough for all 4 rabbits together) - so you have created a territory issue there. A group of 4 really needs a biggish shed to live in together as a group, so they are always together - if you see what I mean? Pretty sure that is what caused the fight, knowing my 4 girls :?

I was just thinking the same thing, some bun has obviously claimed one of the hutches... so sorry to hear your trouble. I would deffo agree, leave her to heal for about 2-3 wks and then try her with treacle and keep two pairs good luck xx
 
I've got a 2x5 double hutch - it's barely big enough for a pair (I had a single bunny in it) - that will be why they fought I'm sure. I've got a group of 4 girls and they need a lot of space, boxes to hide behind, guinea pig cage bases side by side as litter trays so they are always eating hay together, they have a patio chair in their shed too - I've watched them chasing and so on many times and they need all these 'accessories' to defuse fighting - the one being chased will jump into a box or a litter tray and the chaser will stop, so a group of 4 really do need a lot more space than 2 pairs would - you could happily keep 2 pairs in those hutches for instance, but not a group of 4 in my opinion.
 
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:wave:This is exactly why i do not believe in bonding rabbits its just to much trouble and stress you can't trust rabbits to get along and in my experience there better of alone with loads of kisses and cuddles of you and some rabbits just don't like living with other rabbits and would rather live alone , rabbits are so territorial and no offence to rescues but they seem to think in my experience if they neuter and spade them the problem will go away and that all rabbits want to live together when thats just not true. Hope that doesn't sound rude i completely understand some rabbits get along fine and please correct me if i'm wrong about rescues.
 
:wave:This is exactly why i do not believe in bonding rabbits its just to much trouble and stress you can't trust rabbits to get along and in my experience there better of alone with loads of kisses and cuddles of you and some rabbits just don't like living with other rabbits and would rather live alone , rabbits are so territorial and no offence to rescues but they seem to think in my experience if they neuter and spade them the problem will go away and that all rabbits want to live together when thats just not true. Hope that doesn't sound rude i completely understand some rabbits get along fine and please correct me if i'm wrong about rescues.

With an attitude like that you're bound to run into trouble along the way. :)

Once you've seen a properly bonded pair you'll never want to keep a single rabbit again.

Of course not all rabbits want to live together just like not all humans want to live together, if rabbits didn't want to live together how come there are several large happy bonded groups on here?

Quite often its space that causes them to fall out not the fact they don't want to live together ;)
 
well none of our rabbits have ever been injured and they live alone and there very happy its better than bonding them and them getting injured and having to go to the vets and having to have a traumatic experience.
 
Big difference between bonding a male/female pair, and bonding a group...opposite sex pairings are pretty easy and I've never had an injury occur during bonding, or at any time afterwards, in any of my pairs :D
 
:wave:This is exactly why i do not believe in bonding rabbits its just to much trouble and stress you can't trust rabbits to get along and in my experience there better of alone with loads of kisses and cuddles of you and some rabbits just don't like living with other rabbits and would rather live alone , rabbits are so territorial and no offence to rescues but they seem to think in my experience if they neuter and spade them the problem will go away and that all rabbits want to live together when thats just not true. Hope that doesn't sound rude i completely understand some rabbits get along fine and please correct me if i'm wrong about rescues.
Individuals that have done their homework also bond rabbits, it's not just the domain of rescues. Speaking from experience, rabbits are social creatures and do prefer their own company to the occasional cuddle from a human. I know that's a fact as one of my own buns has recently lost his partner and was loved up for over 4 years and has not coped with her passing at all :( .
 
:wave:This is exactly why i do not believe in bonding rabbits its just to much trouble and stress you can't trust rabbits to get along and in my experience there better of alone with loads of kisses and cuddles of you and some rabbits just don't like living with other rabbits and would rather live alone , rabbits are so territorial and no offence to rescues but they seem to think in my experience if they neuter and spade them the problem will go away and that all rabbits want to live together when thats just not true. Hope that doesn't sound rude i completely understand some rabbits get along fine and please correct me if i'm wrong about rescues.

I have to disagree with you on a huge scale. I recently had my male bonded with a young female by very knowledgeable people. Unfortunately it was not meant to be and they had to be separated after they started fighting, a month into their bond.

I was distraught and doubted bonding ever again, but I came round and took in the female I have now, I have never seen my male so happy. It just shows, that yes some rabbits not unlike humans, are simply not suited, but find the perfect partner and it's absolute heaven :love: If you think your rabbits are happy alone then you are seriously mistaken, you are missing so much from the rabbit world in not having bonded buns :(

Sorry for thread crashing peeps :oops: just felt the need to make this point :)

Hope you manage to sort things Babybunnies3 :wave:
 
I had a very similar problem with my bonded pair (brothers) Miffy and Snuffy. This was when I was still learning about bunnies. I took Miffy to vets by himself and when I got him home Snuffy went mental and they both started to fight badly.
I was absolutely devastated. I persevered though and they were fine in the end. The thing to do though is never to seperate them, so if one goes to vets take them all (this is only good of course as long as others dont get too stressed for needless journey) as its definately the smelling different thats the key agitator here.
This is too late for yours now, but the re-introduction you can do slowly and you should get there:
- make sure that, even though they are seperate at moment, that they can always see each other
- put some of each others poops in each others litter trays and in key places
- When you get them together again do it somewhere completely neutral (i tried putting a blanket in bath and plopping them all in there) and keep a water spray handy which may diffuse the fighting
- keep doing this until you see signs of re-bonding (ie mutual grooming, settling or binkying)
- if it really doesnt work a last resort is to put them in the back of the car (make sure someone in back with them) the worry of the journey makes them snuffle into one another and they get used to one another again, then plop them in the bath with a blanket again to see how they are
- the most difficult part will be putting them into their own territory again, and you may see some aggression again, but as long as its not horrendouns just keep the water spray handy and perservere. I found getting on the floor with them and stroking them if there are any initial signs of aggression often diffuses it and talking gently.
You have been very unlucky as my re-bonding worked without doing all of this but I have tried this on other bunnies and it does work. I feel sorry for you though especially as they were so happy before.
In saying that though some bunnies will never get on, my darling boy Scampi Doodle does not get on with Miffy and Snuffy and I have tried EVERYTHING to bond them and it breaks my heart not to see them all together.

Anyway, I hope this helps in some way. :wave:
 
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