No personality left...?

About six months ago my friend saw a male bunny in a store - the bunny was more than a year old (not exactly sure how old, but he had been neutered by the former owners) and had been in the animal store for the past seven months, in an open cage where people could reach down and touch him...:shock: He didn't seem lively, just sat hutched in the middle of the cage so you couldn't reach him - clever bun... She felt bad for him and decided to buy him. He was then introduced to her three bunnies. He was always very submissive, he became a little more lively but it was hard to see his personality. After a couple of weeks with her bunnies he still didnt seem to settle in so I decided to try him with my bonded pair. It was like love at first sight - he was immediately accepted by my buns and two months of pure happiness followed. He seemed to love to cuddle up with the other ones and went for a run outside etc. We even saw a little bink now and then. Then one day he started fighting with the other male (our alfa male...), it was proper fighting and they locked on each other We separated them for a while and did many attempts of re-bonding but they still start fighting immediately (and he was most often the one starting the fights...). He is now living in our bathroom, free-range, but something seems to be wrong. He is eating and drinking but that is it. He hardly moves around, will not let us rub him (which he used to like) and he has started biting my boyfriend when he comes near him... We have checked him all over to see if he is hurt but havent found anything and we are taking him to the vet on Monday just to make sure. Is he depressed and if so, what could we do to help him? We spend time with him everyday and we let him out, and he has toys and food etc. We can't get him a wife because we really don't have space for two pairs...

I have met one other bun like this, he was also a bun who had spent a long time in small glass cage in a store (8 months) and it is like they have no personality left after being closed in for such a long time. He is alive but that is it

Anyone experienced this?

Thanks,
Sandra

Is he neutered? Maybe he's miserable on his own but until he's done it sounds like he can't cope with company...

Has he been wormed for e.cuniculi? I'm sure someone more knowledgeable will come along but one of our buns became a bit more aggressive and it was suggested (and I found in my research) that one possible cause for behavioural changes is ec.

Sounds a bit like he's depressed.
If you've got one couple and then him, it's like having 2 couples anyway - two hutches to clean etc. At least that's what I found when I had 2 singles. When I bonded Smoky and Lizzie and then got another single girl (Lulu), I had two crates to clean, two lots of food and water etc - it wasn't much more work than having 2 singles, although I now had 3 rabbits.
- hope that makes sense :lol:
- also it'd be worth having another rabbit if it makes him happy

Thanks guys:wave:

He is neutered and has been neutered for a year There is no ec here in Iceland so buns don't need to be wormed...

My buns are free-ranging indoor buns (no hutches or cages) which make it difficult to have another single bun or pair. He/they would have to be confined to the bathroom which is not nice for them (bathroom is small and without window so hard to get good air in there). Not a permanent solution for him unfortunately. The rest of the apartment is open and home to my pair.

I will take him to vet on Monday and if he is ok than do one last attempt at bonding them, if that doesnt work I will have to find him a new home...

Maybe he is miserable because he is confined to the bathroom.

I hope you can re-bond the three of them. Do you have a neutral area that you can use? Trying to re-bond them in your apartment which will be full of rabbit smells and therefore territory issues is likely to cause problems.

Sandra said:

I will take him to vet on Monday and if he is ok than do one last attempt at bonding them, if that doesnt work I will have to find him a new home...

Click to expand...

You can save the trip to the vet. The reason for this is because you change his territory. These bunnies are very territorial, there are some that's not, but a lot of them is. I have that happens to me w/ my very first bun -- Big Fat Bunny.

He was enjoying his territory, you denied that space by putting him in a smaller space. But he wants those space back. The only way to fix this is to get him back the same amount of space, not necessary the very same space.

So if he had access to 200 sq. ft, then give him back 200 sq. ft. or else he'll be unhappy most of the time