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Solitary bunny

matjoliver

Warren Scout
This might seem like a stupid question. I know rabbits are supposed to be group animals, but has anyone ever found rabbits that just seem to prefer being alone?!

We've had Malone for a few weeks now and he just doesn't seem to settle with our other three rabbits. We've bonded, separated due to coming home to find bit of Malone's ears missing, rebonded, separated and rebonded again. Just when we thought things were ok, we came home to find more bits of his ears missing - poor guy.

We're now trying a different approach to the bonding. On closely watching him, Daisy will groom him (which he doesn't return) if he's trapped in a corner, but otherwise if she goes near him, he freaks out and makes a grunty/squeeky kind of noise and runs away.

He always sat alone when they were in a four and just doesn't seem to integrate/socialise well with the others.

He looks longingly at them when he's separated with a metal gate, but stays clear of them when he's in with them. Generally he just seems to look sad :(

Should we just give up and put him on his own, or keep trying to bond (it just seems to stress him out and he looks really uncomfortable with the whole thing)?!

Thanks for any advice :thumb:
 
It doesn't sound to me as if he prefers to be alone, it just sounds as if it's a tricky bonding that is taking a while - and putting them together then separating them several times will make it worse as it will confuse them and make them 'start again' each time. The behaviour you describe is pretty normal bonding behaviour.

They need to have a 100% neutral place for bonding and it needs to be small - much smaller than you would usually give them space for. Whatever you do, don't just pop him over the metal gate to where the others are. Alternatively, if this has been going on for a while so far, is there a rescue near you where they could go for a few days on a 'bonding holiday'?

Also, it's worth remembering that there is a difference between him not liking his current companions (or them not liking him), and making the assumption that this means that he prefers to be alone. Like humans, they each have individual preferences, so if this bonding really doesn't work out (although by the sound of it, I think it could do), I don't think you can assume from that that he would prefer to be alone - just that he would prefer a different companion!
 
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Thanks for that - very positive and helpful. I realise it's probably not good keep separating them - but when we come home and find more bit of ear missing, it's quite distressing!!
Maybe we'll try that really small area - and somewhere different as opposed to the garage
:thumb:
 
Just out of interest - when you say small - how small are we talking?! We've got an indoor cage that we've never used (as we ended up with too many buns for it!!) - It's about 2 1/2 foot long, 1 1/2 foot wide and 1 1/2 foot high.

Do you think that's a bit TOO small!?!
 
Just out of interest - when you say small - how small are we talking?! We've got an indoor cage that we've never used (as we ended up with too many buns for it!!) - It's about 2 1/2 foot long, 1 1/2 foot wide and 1 1/2 foot high.

Do you think that's a bit TOO small!?!

yep, too small for 4 buns. For 4 buns I would go with an area of about 4-5ft by 4-5ft although some may say slightly smaller but definitely not less that 4ft x 2ft. Have you considered having 2 pairs instead of a foursome? That may work slightly better then you could try boding the 2 pairs in the future, he may come off slightly better if he knows 1 of your buns well.
 
Did think about that - but the other three are so happy as a trio, we didn't really want to break it up
Will try an area the size you mentioned. Thanks :)
 
To be honest I'd set aside a few days and start them off in the really small cage initially, personally I'd say 4-5ft square is too big to start a bonding. It enables them to run away too quickly, and this seems to make them all become very jumpy and aggressive. In smaller spaces they tend to be more accepting more quickly. Do you know anyone who has a medium sized dog crate they could lend you, that'd be about the right size.

I totally understand why you've had to separate them if there have been injuries like ear ripping, but to get a bonding going you really need to put them together in a small area and leave them together for a couple of days only separating themby holding them apart for a few seconds if they bicker (unless it's serious, obviously). It really takes a full weekend without you going anywhere, or taking a few days off work and sleeping in the same room as them so you wake up if there are any major spats.

If all is well after a few days it's still really important not to suddenly give them lots of space or move them to somewhere else, they need longer for the bond to establish. It sounds mean to not let them out to exercise but it's important and will help establish the bond properly between all of them.
 
Thanks - we have one of those outdoor runs that is made up of 800x800 sections, so can easily make a fairly small area up from a few sections of that. The o/h is off work a few days, so I think we're going to have another start tomorrow. :)

Thanks for all the advice so far :thumb:
 
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