• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

Bonding a Trio - A New Group

The Duchess

The Duchess

Wise Old Thumper
Not that I am deliberately trying to just bond trios these days but I did start to do another one (4th in succession) last night, for a friend who has been waiting for availability in my back passage for some time now. She volunteers at Reading Rabbits and has been fostering a wee girly called Eve or Eveywoo as she is often called :roll: for a while now. Eve was paired with her daughter who sadly died recently. It was felt that as Eve has an incredibly long coat, it may be impossible to find her a suitable home where the new carers would be able to manage her, so yet another failed fosterer appears.... well hopefully.

So I am trying to bond her to one of Nix's existing pairs (The Zig who was at death's door a few years back and went to Nix for his final days of fostering or so we all thought, and his existing partner Portia).

Well I spent the night stopping the chasing from getting a problem, but this morning things have settled nicely and all of the three have groomed each other at least once. The girls have sat with each other and Zig (or the Devil Rabbit as he is otherwise known) has bonked both and groomed both very actively.

Not a certainty yet, but I am hopeful that given about a week here, they might go home together.

Vibes please!

Here's Eveywoo, having recently had a hair cut to make her look bootiful...
IMG_2320.jpg


Portia and Eve, not entirely relaxed but happy enough in each others company...
IMG_2323.jpg


The three chums or should I call them rabscallions, having a bit of broccoli. Good news is no food issues here.....
IMG_2324.jpg
 
Last edited:
Aw, that's great :)

Eve is beautiful and I am so glad Nix has decided to keep her.

Good luck with it all Helen - not that you'll need it (you seem to be a bonding queen now!) :)

xxx
 
Buuny_Friend said:
Aw, that's great :)

Eve is beautiful and I am so glad Nix has decided to keep her.

Good luck with it all Helen - not that you'll need it (you seem to be a bonding queen now!) :)

xxx
Click to expand...

Well I don't know about that Erin, I think Janice reigns supreme and has something special.

I tried to bond Eve a few weeks back into Nix' foursome but it was a complete non-starter so it doesn't always work out. Maybe Eve just knows that she has to make this work or she'll possibly face a long term life at the rescue.
 
The Duchess said:
Well I don't know about that Erin, I think Janice reigns supreme and has something special.

I tried to bond Eve a few weeks back into Nix' foursome but it was a complete non-starter so it doesn't always work out. Maybe Eve just knows that she has to make this work or she'll possibly face a long term life at the rescue.
Click to expand...

You and Janice should go into business together :lol:

How are your 3some?

I hope it works out for these 3...Eve certainly deserves a loving home to call her own.
 
Can i send my four to you please :shock: lol wish my girls were grooming eachother :?

They are a lovely trio :)
 
Last edited:
Buuny_Friend said:
You and Janice should go into business together :lol:

How are your 3some?

I hope it works out for these 3...Eve certainly deserves a loving home to call her own.
Click to expand...

My trio are grand thanks.

They still chase and I think they always will when it comes to supper time (they all three always have) but they really get along well and love to lie down together.

All good.:D
 
Nix said:
Can't type due to having everything crossed!!!! :shock: :lol:
Click to expand...

You'll be glad to hear that they are currently all huddled up together in a corner, very friendly!

We have lift off.....

At least it might mean the first sleep and night in a bed for me since Saturday.......

More piccies tomorrow when the light is better.
 
I think it depends on the situation, it can risk breaking the bond of the existing pair - especially if it is being done by someone inexperienced! Luckily Duchess has enough experience to know when it's getting risky and stop!
 
MissMinnie said:
They look beautiful. I don't understand this bonding - I was advised against a group of 3?
Click to expand...

I know that there are different schools of thought on bonding groups rather than pairs. I have to say that it really does depend on the bunnies involved and what their relationships are in the first place, their characters, where and how they will be living when they go into their full time accommodation and how committed the bonder/owner is to making it work (it requires some hard work in most cases as areas need to be totally neutralised, often with confinement initially and then an increase in the space given the the group).

There are more risks involved it has to be said, with the greatest risk being the possible break up of the existing bond. I wouldn't personally try this with just any bunnies.

As Nix has said, I now have had quite a good number of bonding experiences, with some not working, and can usually tell when something is likely to work, or when something needs to be stopped. The more I do, the better the feel I get for what's happening.

As a rescue volunteer, I think it would be fair to say that it's better to bond pairs for people adopting; the new owner who decides upon a trio may get the bunnies home following a successful bonding only to find that the relationship changes for some reason and then the question is what happens if you need to split the group? Does the owner keep all the buns, can the owner get another friend? Does the rescue have to take any of the bunnies back in? I think the risk of this happening is greater than with a pair.

So, trios are wonderful, but not always the best way forward for all bunnies.

I think in this case with Eveywoo, The Zig and Portia, it's going to work out just fine with some careful handling by their very experienced mummy when they go home.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

D
bonding a trio to a quad!
Replies
1
Views
128
Omi
O
R
Bonding Troubles
Replies
2
Views
152
InspectorMorse
InspectorMorse
Stormybun
Bonding Tips
Replies
3
Views
86
InspectorMorse
InspectorMorse
Back
Top