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Bunny Politics: are some buns unbondable?

Candiflare

Mama Doe
I never thought that bonding a five would cause me so many problems.

Ruby has been under my desk at work all day being treated for stasis because I had to separate her from the other buns because she was attacking and injuring them. She gets cold outside in the hutch by herself where she can hear the other buns but not touch them or feel them, but my OH will also not let me bring her inside. That's our deal - no house rabbits.

I put her back in briefly this evening in the hope for some magical cure and she immediately started eating by herself again, happy to be with the other buns. The two boys, Ralph and Buzz were all over her, licking her and snuggling with her because she'd been away all day (if they were indifferent it'd be an easier decision to make.)

Then she decided she would attack Penelope. Penelope decided to get away by running up the ramp but lost her balance in her panic and fell off the ramp sideways on to her back amongst a massive pile of fur that Ruby had pulled off her. :cry:

Rosie skitters from level to level and corner to corner, terrfiied , so I just had to separate Ruby again :( and will probably wake up tomorrow to find her in stasis again.

All the buns have very individual bonds with each other that I am reluctant to break -- Ruby loves the boys and wants to be with them only. The boys love Ruby but also love each other and Ralph is very close to Rosie, and Buzz to Penelope. It's like Eastenders!
 
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What a nightmare.

If the Rosie and Penelope get on and the boys get on with each other, could you have a trio, of Ruby and the boys and the other two girls as a pair?
 
That could be an idea... but just thinking about the relationships in general - the bonded four are VERY close and I just wouldn't want to separate them. It's just that Ruby wants to be with some of them and not others.

I'm thinking I might have to get her a partner, although she has never been "properly" bonded with another rabbit which makes me think that she's unbondable. Even with the boys she is quite elusive and doesn't lick them and is not affectionate like they are with her...

Do you think it's possible for a bun to be unbondable?
 
It's just that Ruby wants to be with some of them and not others.

I think you've just answered your own question there about whether she's unbondable...

If you saw me with a group of my friends you'd say I was friendly, if you saw me with someone I dislike you'd probably say I was aggressive. It's just the same with buns, just because they don't like one or two buns in a group, doesn't mean they are unbondable, it just means that they don't like all other buns. Often buns that are harder to bond only attack because it's the best form of defence - i.e. they are afraid that the other buns are going to attack them so they get in first. It might just require a different bonding technique to get things firmly established.

Sometimes they can be got to like each other by going right back to square one bonding on small neutral territory and treating the whole thing slowly as a completely new bond, and sometimes I think it's best to accept that a particular pairing/group isn't going to work and to try and find an alternative way to make sure they all have at least one friend.
 
I think sometimes it's a case of persevering. I seem to remember croftys thread where she had given up and was rehoming teddy, then she decided to give it another go and look at them now!
However, sometimes it's just not going to work. Only you really know them and only you can see how they are together, and I think that you will have the best judgement on when or if you should give up.
 
Sorry you are having problems with Ruby. Diego my ex foster bun is unbondable several rescues have tried to bond him to no avail so he will stay on his own. Did she have any special relationship with any of the buns? If so perhaps take that one out of the group and make a two. Don't really know what else to suggest.
 
Sorry you are having problems with Ruby. Diego my ex foster bun is unbondable several rescues have tried to bond him to no avail so he will stay on his own. Did she have any special relationship with any of the buns? If so perhaps take that one out of the group and make a two. Don't really know what else to suggest.

No special relationship... not even with Ralph. That's why I'm reluctant to pull one of them out of their nice bond to keep her company. When she's with other rabbits she either tolerates them or not, there's no affection from her.

She tolerates the boys and doesn't tolerate the girls.

I just hate her being out there in the freezing cold by herself. She sits there, in the same spot, all day. She doesn't even come to the front when I go in to see her. She's not touching her food and I'm having to syringe feed her.
 
No special relationship... not even with Ralph. That's why I'm reluctant to pull one of them out of their nice bond to keep her company. When she's with other rabbits she either tolerates them or not, there's no affection from her.

She tolerates the boys and doesn't tolerate the girls.

I just hate her being out there in the freezing cold by herself. She sits there, in the same spot, all day. She doesn't even come to the front when I go in to see her. She's not touching her food and I'm having to syringe feed her.

Sounds like she could do with an understanding male friend if your boyfriend will let you.
 
I think some buns definately are, and some just seem so but they haven't met the right partner :lol: Harley has gone for every rabbit he's met except Flash, my rabbit who is a lot older than him and made it quite clear he was dominant when harley was a baby.
 
I've put Buzz in with her tonight, as he's the easiest to mesh back with the other buns. He's very easy with other rabbits, and it will hopefully mean she halts her hunger strike.

I'm thinking maybe it's a temporary solution to put alternate boys in with her every night and have her alone during the day
 
I feel your pain!! I had exactly the same with my 4 first time round if you remember it was a nightmare...
Mittens got picked on went into Stasis and i was in turmoil because she looked so lonely yet Sooty and oreo had always been a pair and charlie was in love with Sooty :roll: in the end though I took charlie out - i think he would have prefered to have stayed ith sooty and oreo but he soon settled with Mittens...

was Ruby bonded before? as I found my group worked much better second time round with 2 pairs - maybe keep a 2 and a 3 for a few months then try again with the group :?
Its so stressful isnt it - I hope she starts eating soon!
 
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