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Blind rabbits

*lily*

*lily*

Wise Old Thumper
My 19 year old niece has recently got a mini lop and it's really brought home to me how hard it is to give a blind rabbit a good life :(

My niece has only had her rabbit for about a month but already she is confident and happy around people, will run up to you for attention as soon as you go in the house, plays happily with her toys, jumps on everything and is generally so happy.

Poor Louie startles at everything even when you talk to him before entering the room where he is. He runs at every noise knocking his and the cats food bowls flying which in turn scares him even more.

He has loads of toys but most of them he just ignores. I've given him cardboard boxes to jump into and through but he just chews them. I don't suppose you get much fun if you can't see what you are doing :?

He never jumps up on things like the sofa as he doesn't know they are there. He spends a lot of time just sitting on his own.

The only one he really connects with is Molly the cat, although he still startles when he hears her come into the room, he then runs round her and loves to follow her around. She though gets annoyed with him and runs off :(

I just feel very sorry for him and don't know how to make things better for him.
 
You are doing your best for him, and I'm not sure but I'd say a wifebun might really help him. He could follow her and she could tell him where thigsn are!
 
Yes, blind from birth.

I would love for him to have a friend but have tried once before, he was terrified of her.
 
Is there a good rescue near you that has several potential partners you could try?

We have had blind buns at the sanctuary, and they lived in a group of rabbits quite happily.

There are many rabbits that can be difficult to bond - I know Oscar was tried with 4 potential partners before he fell in love with Sea - but I reckon its worth persisting with
 
bless him i never knew he was blind either. I know its a long shot but maybe a blind or special needs bun might help bonded by someone very experienced with special buns. Jill did have two girls i think trinket and bangle who were partially sighted
 
Last edited:
BB Mommy said:
Is there a good rescue near you that has several potential partners you could try?

We have had blind buns at the sanctuary, and they lived in a group of rabbits quite happily.

There are many rabbits that can be difficult to bond - I know Oscar was tried with 4 potential partners before he fell in love with Sea - but I reckon its worth persisting with
Click to expand...

This is why I'm not yet giving up on getting him a friend.

TBH, it's probably my own fault the attempt failed. We didn't know he was blind when we first tried. As he is free range and freaks when caged, we tried the bond at our house, in a puppy pen in the lounge where he doesn't usually go.

He wasn't aggressive at all, bit of humping but mostly just ignored her and spent his time trying to lift the puppy pen to get out.

After a couple of hours it was obvious that he wasn't going to be aggressive towards her and was getting very annoyed at being caged, so we put them in the garden. This was when he became terrified. He could sense there was something in the garden but didn't know what, began stamping and running wildly around panicking. He came back into the house and sat stamping for ages.

So, yes, my own fault for increasing the space too quickly but what could I do when he was so annoyed at being caged? He was my main priority.

So, fast forward a few months and we discover that he actually is blind, which of course explained his behaviour.

So what to do now? I can't send him somewhere to be bonded, wouldn't know his surroundings, couldn't be caged, I don't know what the answer is.

I feel such a useless failure, wanting what's best for him, which I think a friend would be, but not knowing how to go about it while still keeping him happy.
 
I'm about 99% sure my Candyfloss is blind (at least she doesn't have the majority of her sight, I don't know how much she does see). Her sense of smell, as a result of this, is second to none, and her problems lie with that a lot of the time.

I've struggled a great deal with her because she does have a lot of fear of the unexpected. She divorced three bunnies before I found the right one for her. The bonding took me about 3 months before I moved them in together, and then within the first 6 months we had repairing car journeys twice because her sense of smell was telling her he wasn't who he thought she was.

She is now bonded with Dusk.

During the bonding procedure I went too fast and she literally ran in a blind panic around the run. Some bunnies would pick up on that and join in (thus making the problem worse), but Dusk just looked at her, and then me as if to say 'ok, good deal, but what's she doing?'. He's so laid back, and even now when she gets one on, you can almost see him roll his eyes and 'what's she doing now?' or 'here we go again' and then he carries on with life. This calms her down much quicker.

When I realised that wasn't going to work I went super slow. First, during the day I put the in runs next to each other. I was also swapping over hutch contents. Fiurst she was still run in a blind panic from him, even thoguh he wasn't in with her, but then she settled down and started to binky when he was near, so then we did the next step.

I didn't use a small space like you're supposed to. she's not nasty or vicious and neither is he, so I risked it and did a larger space and that worked better because she could get away from him if she needed to.

We did short, little dates and then gradually increased them. We did get one scrap along the way, but we went back a step for a while and then carried on moving forwards.

When I was confident with them being together all day, right through and past dusk (the time of day, not the rabbit), that was when I moved them in together.

We did struggle with her thinking he was a different bunny if I picked him up, so we've had to adapt and adjust to that, but now they have been together for 18 months and neither of them have ever been happier.

You would need the most laid back and relaxed girl in the world, who wouldn't get involved with his anxiety, but if you could find a rescue who was willing to let you have one for a very slow date method, you may find it works if that was something you wanted to try.
 
*lily* said:
This is why I'm not yet giving up on getting him a friend.

TBH, it's probably my own fault the attempt failed. We didn't know he was blind when we first tried. As he is free range and freaks when caged, we tried the bond at our house, in a puppy pen in the lounge where he doesn't usually go.

He wasn't aggressive at all, bit of humping but mostly just ignored her and spent his time trying to lift the puppy pen to get out.

After a couple of hours it was obvious that he wasn't going to be aggressive towards her and was getting very annoyed at being caged, so we put them in the garden. This was when he became terrified. He could sense there was something in the garden but didn't know what, began stamping and running wildly around panicking. He came back into the house and sat stamping for ages.

So, yes, my own fault for increasing the space too quickly but what could I do when he was so annoyed at being caged? He was my main priority.

So, fast forward a few months and we discover that he actually is blind, which of course explained his behaviour.

So what to do now? I can't send him somewhere to be bonded, wouldn't know his surroundings, couldn't be caged, I don't know what the answer is.

I feel such a useless failure, wanting what's best for him, which I think a friend would be, but not knowing how to go about it while still keeping him happy.
Click to expand...

He's a bunny with challenging behaviours and needs. The only time you give up on him is when you stop trying, which is clearly not the case. You're doing ok :)
 
My Honey is blind and lives happily in a trio, she was in a quad with no problems. It takes longer but def go to a rescue who have an option of several, Blues so laid back shes stuck to him like glue, hes the perfect bun for her to be confident.
 
It sounds like he could be bonded then if there was no aggression?

I wish we had some single buns in that we could try for you - Louise is fantastic at bonding, and is particularly brill with special needs buns.

Have you thought about seeing if FF's could help and do the bonding for you?
 
Sky-O said:
I'm about 99% sure my Candyfloss is blind (at least she doesn't have the majority of her sight, I don't know how much she does see). Her sense of smell, as a result of this, is second to none, and her problems lie with that a lot of the time.

I've struggled a great deal with her because she does have a lot of fear of the unexpected. She divorced three bunnies before I found the right one for her. The bonding took me about 3 months before I moved them in together, and then within the first 6 months we had repairing car journeys twice because her sense of smell was telling her he wasn't who he thought she was.

She is now bonded with Dusk.

During the bonding procedure I went too fast and she literally ran in a blind panic around the run. Some bunnies would pick up on that and join in (thus making the problem worse), but Dusk just looked at her, and then me as if to say 'ok, good deal, but what's she doing?'. He's so laid back, and even now when she gets one on, you can almost see him roll his eyes and 'what's she doing now?' or 'here we go again' and then he carries on with life. This calms her down much quicker.

When I realised that wasn't going to work I went super slow. First, during the day I put the in runs next to each other. I was also swapping over hutch contents. Fiurst she was still run in a blind panic from him, even thoguh he wasn't in with her, but then she settled down and started to binky when he was near, so then we did the next step.

I didn't use a small space like you're supposed to. she's not nasty or vicious and neither is he, so I risked it and did a larger space and that worked better because she could get away from him if she needed to.

We did short, little dates and then gradually increased them. We did get one scrap along the way, but we went back a step for a while and then carried on moving forwards.

When I was confident with them being together all day, right through and past dusk (the time of day, not the rabbit), that was when I moved them in together.

We did struggle with her thinking he was a different bunny if I picked him up, so we've had to adapt and adjust to that, but now they have been together for 18 months and neither of them have ever been happier.

You would need the most laid back and relaxed girl in the world, who wouldn't get involved with his anxiety, but if you could find a rescue who was willing to let you have one for a very slow date method, you may find it works if that was something you wanted to try.
Click to expand...

That is exactly how Louie was!

Only thing is, I couldn't commit to keeping another rabbit if the bond didn't eventually work. I'm not going to be left with 2 single rabbits, it wouldn't be fair to the rescue one :?

I do though think that the method you used would probably be the right one for Louie also.

Wonder if any rescues offer a "rent a rabbit" service? :)
 
*lily* said:
That is exactly how Louie was!

Only thing is, I couldn't commit to keeping another rabbit if the bond didn't eventually work. I'm not going to be left with 2 single rabbits, it wouldn't be fair to the rescue one :?

I do though think that the method you used would probably be the right one for Louie also.

Wonder if any rescues offer a "rent a rabbit" service? :)
Click to expand...

Our RSPCA will take them back if they don't bond and the adopter doesn't want to keep them, so its a possibility that if you explain the situation they may let you have a girlie on a foster basis and then if it doesn't work, you can return her and then maybe try another.
 
Sky-O said:
Our RSPCA will take them back if they don't bond and the adopter doesn't want to keep them, so its a possibility that if you explain the situation they may let you have a girlie on a foster basis and then if it doesn't work, you can return her and then maybe try another.
Click to expand...

I will message Becky from RSPCA Walsall and ask her.

I have made so many stupid problems for myself over the last year. I was going to adopt from Fat Fluffs but, due to me not wanting Louie to stay for any length of time somewhere he didn't know, it would have had to have been a quick date and then bring the rabbit home. MY fault, not the rescues. I didn't have the time for 24 hour watching, so I cancelled.

Then, the failed bonding, again my fault. I had to cancel the adoption when it was clear that Louie was terrified, again hadn't got the time for a slow bond.

I have really fallen for Snowy's Kate, would love her, but again it may not work out and that girlie really, really needs and deserves much better than that.

So, all in all, I've been a big fat fail, all my own fault and now I just don't know what to do, what is best.

I've been feeling so guilty about all of this, messing too many people around, and still left with an unhappy rabbit and unhappy me.
 
Why not contact a rescue (doesn't have to be the RSPCA because all RSPCA's ahve different policies) and explain the situation and see if they would let you foster.

Do you feel you would be able to have a good go at a slow bonding method?
 
Sky-O said:
Why not contact a rescue (doesn't have to be the RSPCA because all RSPCA's ahve different policies) and explain the situation and see if they would let you foster.

Do you feel you would be able to have a good go at a slow bonding method?
Click to expand...

I've got the half term week off in February and also 2 weeks at Easter.
 
*lily* said:
I've got the half term week off in February and also 2 weeks at Easter.
Click to expand...

Cool. the good thing about the slow bond method is that you can just do an hour an evening or two hours an evening, so it can fit in around the rest of your life too. You could aime for Easter, or the next half term, to move them in together if it works.
 
Sky-O said:
Cool. the good thing about the slow bond method is that you can just do an hour an evening or two hours an evening, so it can fit in around the rest of your life too. You could aime for Easter, or the next half term, to move them in together if it works.
Click to expand...

Well, I work 2 full days per week and 3 half days, evenings are totally free as are weekends.

Where would I keep the other rabbit though for the rest of the time? :?
 
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