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Lonely little Bumble

Rhianna

Wise Old Thumper
I am totally confused as to what to do with Bumble. I adopted him from BARC with the intention of bonding him with my trio but he then got in with them and he and Molly had a horrendous fight and he got hurt, so I gave up on that idea.

I then thought I would bond him with Apple, one of my foster buns, but because of hurting my shoulder and my shifts I still haven't done it and now Bumble is outdoor and Apple is indoor and the temperatures are different.

Bumble keeps getting into the other half of the run. He so wants to be with other bunnies. I haven't a clue how he is doing it. He is partially sighted and there is wood, a wire panel and his hutch door acting as a barrier across the width of the run. I watched him for ages today to see how he was getting through and he wouldn't do it:cry:

When I find him in the other half of the run, the trio are in their hutch and Bumble is outside. It looks like they are scared of him, although it was he who was injured when he fought with Molly originally.

Both my jobs are busy at the moment and I can't take consecutive days off and work weekends so am not going to be able to bond for some time - possibly not until I get a break over Christmas. I worry about bringing Bumble inside, although I have no heating on (boiler has broken) so my house is very cold anyway, but hopefully that will soon be fixed.

My foster buns have been together for so long now that I think it would be cruel to separate them and I've asked if I can adopt them all rather than just Apple. I am not sure whether to bond Bumble with the indoor trio and then keep him indoors until Summer or bond Bumble with the outdoor trio and risk Molly hurting him again and Dylan (my Very Old Bunny) getting stressed and keep the house cold and then put them all outside again.

I don't have the provision to bond outside - no shed or anything.

Bumble seemed happy to start with but now he looks so sad and I think he is bored and lonely. I should have bonded him sooner and I do feel bad about it.

Any suggestions anyone?
 
I think that if I were in your situation I would probably opt for the insiders, or maybe try and date with the outsiders because when done properly, and on neutral territory (i.e. not when he invades their territory) then things might be different.
 
Thanks Sky-O.

Bumble was in his own hutch when I went to put him to bed last night but this morning he found his way in with the others again. He chased Molly so I had to separate them.

I just can't see how he is doing it unless he can walk through wood. He senses me watching him and stays his side of the divider but when I come in from being out he has mysteriously got in with the others again.

Sam (Bluesmum) is coming over for the day tomorrow so hopefully she will help me solve the mystery.

I gave him a huge cuddle this morning. He is much better at being handled now and really seemed to enjoy it and was snuggly - no struggling or tensing at all. I needed to check him over to make sure he hadn't been bitten by Molly so it was good he responded to me so well. I asked him how he is getting in with the others but he wouldn't tell me. He is lonely though and I have promised to try and get some time off work asap so I can bond him with somebuns.

Sadly -'I need some annual leave to bond my bunnies' isn't taken as a matter of great importance in my working world and I had three weeks off recently with a torn ligament in my shoulder so am still trying to catch up.
 
He's a magic bunny!

The reason I mentioned dates because I wasn't sure if you could do those around your work schedule, because I know you have a heavy one. A bit here and a bit there might work for themm and work better for you, better than other methods.
 
karen id opt for indoor bun.....has anyone got a babies fold up travel cot you can borrow? if so put it up indoors and bond in that...when out put them away but where they can sniff thru barriers..or cages.....i put metal bunny run panels up..makes a bril bonding pen but safe one so you can go out .

mine are in use often....norty buns! id lend you my cot but were going to begin bonding phoebe and merlin again i think....as lily went for hisd throat with me in the pen outside!!! but lilys more his age and loves to sleep in your bed as much as he does..phoebes shy and likes to run amok with the cats and get a nose rub when its dinner time!

phoebes the only bun to beat bluebell with no biting..she kept leaping thru the air and headbutting her:lol: ideally id love all 5 bonded but it aint gonna happen and merlin needs another bun...and phoebe has missed him.....but its not easy...trying again:(

i hope sam can help you out hun...hey has anyone cut the flooring i gave you and put it in hutch...itll provide a bit of insulation as well as easy to clean.
 
He's a magic bunny!

The reason I mentioned dates because I wasn't sure if you could do those around your work schedule, because I know you have a heavy one. A bit here and a bit there might work for themm and work better for you, better than other methods.

Well, Bumble was in the other half of the run again when I got home from work. It was dark but I checked Molly over the best I could and she seemed fine but I will be able to look more carefully tomorrow when Sam and I do their nails. Bumble is fine too - he just does not want to be a lone bun any longer.

I am tempted to just let them bond themselves as nobun is getting hurt and all are nomming so not too stressed either. It would be a lot easier than bringing them indoors and then stressing about the difference in temperature. I won't though in case it all goes horribly wrong and somebun is injured when I am at work.

I like the date idea though - hadn't considered that and it would work well with my shifts. Once I work out how Bumble is getting into the other part of the run, I can then block it up and if I can borrow a crate or another run I can put the four buns together outside when I am there to supervise. It's Bumble attacking Molly, despite it being Molly's territory.
 
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