Feeling fed up

I just feel a bit overwhelmed, all the rabbits are acting strangely and I don't know what to do.

Alfie has just bitten OH quite badly, it just came out of nowhere. Jessie spends all day sitting around looking miserable. Harriet is a tiny bit overweight. They've ruined the wallpaper and I'm always worried the landlord will want to do an inspection.

We think Jessie is acting the way she is because she's lonely. She's two and half and has never had a friend. She's been spayed since Septmeber. Both myself and OH were mentally ill when we got her (and Alfie) and I don't think we had a plan as to what to do. We had an idea that we'd have a trio, but there's been fights before. There haven't been any since everyone has been fixed, but only because we haven't allowed them together. They still act aggressively towards each other through the bars (the troublemaker rotates, I'm sure all three of them are bi-polar!) and since allowing them to see each other all the time they've all been acting weird. I just wonder if it's been left too long and it's never going to work. We can't attempt anything until spring anyway as the only neutral place is our yard outside. It just feels cruel to keep Jessie alone that long, especially when it might not even work.

So I've been looking into getting her a friend, I'm trying to concentrate only on what's best for her but I can't help but wonder if a fourth is just too much when I already stress about the three we have. Plus, even if we were to get those two bonded, is it cruel to keep two pairs in the same room? I know I wouldn't like to live next door to someone I hate forever.

I just don't know what to do. I can't imagine rehoming any of them, that would be awful

I had a thought about maybe having a pair free ranging in the spare room and a pair free ranging in the living room. But that seems so 'separate' still, and they'd still smell each other. Plus they're all rubbish with toileting (I know the peeing would approve if they weren't in each others' space though) and the bonded pair are so destructive.

What would you do, RU?!

i'm keeping my two pairs in the same room. they can only see each other if they look (i don't mean they should look away! there's a wall of boxes between the runs, and just one corner where if they all stand, they can see each other), but often one or the other of them escapes and goes round causing trouble. its really not ideal but i had to do it because there was hay upstairs and hay downstairs and i couldn't live with it any more. its not much better now but at least, although i've given up my bedroom and the last of the decent wallpaper in the house is ruined, i don't feel my whole life is lived under a burden of bunnies. i love my buns, and having them organised helps me to enjoy them too.

happybun said:

i'm keeping my two pairs in the same room. they can only see each other if they look (i don't mean they should look away! there's a wall of boxes between the runs, and just one corner where if they all stand, they can see each other), but often one or the other of them escapes and goes round causing trouble. its really not ideal but i had to do it because there was hay upstairs and hay downstairs and i couldn't live with it any more. its not much better now but at least, although i've given up my bedroom and the last of the decent wallpaper in the house is ruined, i don't feel my whole life is lived under a burden of bunnies. i love my buns, and having them organised helps me to enjoy them too.

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That's the key here I think, I just don't feel organised. Silly little things like not having a regular hay provider (I buy it in Asda as and when it's needed) or a storage system for their knick knacks. I feel like a slave to feeding/cleaning and I don't get to actually enjoy them enough.

It is slotting into a wider thing, though, in that I'm having a bit of a wobble. It's the weather, it's so cold and wet and dark all the time, I just want to sleep forever and because I don't have a job I do. I have no routine, no organisation of my day or my house and it's doing my head in.

I suppose nothing's going to happen if I just sit here whingeing :lol: I will get myself sorted out. OH is going to clean the house up with me, I'm going to get my volunteering sorted and I'm going to do my OU work. I'm also going to attempt to leave the house once in a while

Sorry, didn't mean to unload. I do feel better though. Still got no idea what to do with the buns though :lol:

talking of asda and organised, they've been selling plastic chests of drawers, quite cheaply. i've got two large at £12 each and a small i've had for a few weeks and have forgotten the price. lots of rabbit stuff has found a home!

you are welcome to unload!
i'm arriving at work at 7 and not leaving till 8 (13 hours later), working through break and lunch (nothing new there) and working saturdays (not new either). i'm a 'disaffected teacher' i think someone here once called me! :lol: i'm not often here but when i am, i'm not opposed to reading that other people are having a hard time too. at least we can support each other!

I know, I've been drooling over them for months but we've got nowhere to put them, lol.

ETA: oh good. I know you're probably fed up but that sounds wonderful to me! I left school and fell into a horrible depression, which has set me back a lot with regards to education and working. I'm dying to get started with a real life but I have to be patient, there aren't any quick fixes for this one. I want to be run off my feet with work, paying a mortgage and all that jazz. Rubbish dreams for a 19yr old :lol:

First of all, before you jump in and get another bun ( who also may not bond), are all your buns neutered?

Is there anyone on here who lives near you that may be able to help with bonding? Sometimes rescues can do a bonding service...but then the buns would then need to come back to a neutral area. I didn't really have a neutral area to bond my two pairs so I used am old tarpauline/shower curtain, puppy pens with cardboard attached (so they couldn't see out), and filled with newspaper & aubiose & hay. Whilst they were bonding in the pen, I relaminated the small dining room for them to move into when they were bonded, and took things really slow.

I also have the same problem...my four buns decided to strip the wall paper..So i am going to repaper the walls and repaint...but then use puppy panels/out door run panels to go around the bottom of the walls to stop them chewing the paper off again...not sure how well it will work, but going to try it anyway!

Sorry you are having these problems with your buns. Hope you can find a solution.

I've never done bonding, but from what I have read on here it can be a complex process and neutralising territory is generally crucial.

fruitandnutcake said:

First of all, before you jump in and get another bun ( who also may not bond), are all your buns neutered?

Is there anyone on here who lives near you that may be able to help with bonding? Sometimes rescues can do a bonding service...but then the buns would then need to come back to a neutral area. I didn't really have a neutral area to bond my two pairs so I used am old tarpauline/shower curtain, puppy pens with cardboard attached (so they couldn't see out), and filled with newspaper & aubiose & hay. Whilst they were bonding in the pen, I relaminated the small dining room for them to move into when they were bonded, and took things really slow.

I also have the same problem...my four buns decided to strip the wall paper..So i am going to repaper the walls and repaint...but then use puppy panels/out door run panels to go around the bottom of the walls to stop them chewing the paper off again...not sure how well it will work, but going to try it anyway!

Click to expand...

Oh yes, all fixed, Jessie was the last one in September, which may be why she's only feeling lonely now. Also all vaccinated.

I don't know, probably not as I'm way up North, I couldn't even find a rescue up here earlier. Don't drive either. The best I can do re neutralising the place is a carpet cleaner, but I didn't think that would be enough. It's a rented house so can't refloor anywhere. This is why I thought the yard was the only option.

I am intending to rewallpaper the bitten bits, I just have no way of finding out the what the design is called or where they got it from :roll:

Susie, yes I know, which is why I thought just leaving it is better than risking an injury, but now they're all acting funny and Jessie doesn't seem happy at all

Just in case anyone was wondering, we're going to move Jessie into the living room until we can find her a friend, and increase Alfie and Harriet's run space in the spare room.

Sort of a solution, lol.