Think Heidi's been bitten again :'(

For anyone that's not been following, here's the other thread...
http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/s...ilemma-with-Heidi-S-*UPDATE-She-s-back-in!!!*

Thought this was a more appropriate section.

Well I've checked Heidi this evening and found she's been bleeding a little, there's a small nick and a bit of swelling I've set the pen up again to separate her but she ran off so just leaving her be for a bit before I bathe it and separate her again. I'm so sad I just don't know what to do. I can't really have her living separately permanently, I just don't think it's fair that she is in such close proximity to the others but can't get to them, and if she was moved (which there's limited space for me to do anyway and she can't be indoors cos of the dogs.) And wherever she was, she wouldn't be getting enough attention here to keep her alone, it just wouldn't be fair. The only other option is to find her a home where she can live alone but with someone that's around most of the time, and what are the chances of me finding the perfect home? I couldn't stand to send her somewhere where I'd never know what happened to her. I'm just so upset, I feel evil for even contemplating that she might be better off being put to sleep but maybe she will be
I'm at the vets with my dogs tomorrow so going to get them to look at Heidi too

Can't believe it! Is it only since they've been in a foursome she has started to hump Dash? I am so sorry.

tonibun said:

Can't believe it! Is it only since they've been in a foursome she has started to hump Dash? I am so sorry.

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It think it's become more often yes it's obviously a dominance thing and she's wanting to stake her claim on him. I suppose it's understandable, maybe it was wrong to bond them as a quad

Oh no !!

Take some time and to calm down and get your thoughts in line.
I really don't think it will come to pts.

tashp90 said:

Oh no !!

Take some time and to calm down and get your thoughts in line.
I really don't think it will come to pts.

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I don't know, she obviously can't live with them I'm really struggling for options

Oh, no

Does Heidi get on with any other bunnies in your group? Could you split them and have two pairs?

Why would it come to pts? Surely you could rehome her as a last resort?

Summer&Skye said:

I don't know, she obviously can't live with them I'm really struggling for options

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Was the wound completely healed? Could she have caught it on something?

If it does come down to her not being able to live with them, I'm sure you could rehome her x

tashp90 said:

Was the wound completely healed? Could she have caught it on something?

If it does come down to her not being able to live with them, I'm sure you could rehome her x

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It was healed but her 'sensitive area' was still slightly exposed, but it's not that area that's got the cut luckily, she could have caught it on something. Don't worry I'm not going to rush into anything, I'm just trying to decide what's best for her in the long term.

Take time to think. Let us know what the Vet says tomorrow. If the worst comes to the worst I could have her.

JemimaH said:

Oh, no

Does Heidi get on with any other bunnies in your group? Could you split them and have two pairs?

Why would it come to pts? Surely you could rehome her as a last resort?

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I'm not sure that would work. I don't feel like it would be fair on the others as they are happy, and who's to say she wouldn't divert her attention to one if the others. I don't think I could bring myself to split Summer and Skye, they have always been very close. Of course if I thought I could find her the perfect home I would but even then I'm not sure she'd be happy as a lone bun

It might be worth having another go at rebonding in a small neutral area (obviously once she's healed completely).

Summer&Skye said:

I'm not sure that would work. I don't feel like it would be fair on the others as they are happy, and who's to say she wouldn't divert her attention to one if the others. I don't think I could bring myself to split Summer and Skye, they have always been very close. Of course if I thought I could find her the perfect home I would but even then I'm not sure she'd be happy as a lone bun

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I don't really know the circumstances, but why can't she be rehomed to at least one other bun and live with them? That's what I did a couple of months ago with my Rosy Posy - broke my heart, but was the best thing for her!

Jemima said:

It might be worth having another go at rebonding in a small neutral area (obviously once she's healed completely).

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JemimaH said:

I don't really know the circumstances, but why can't she be rehomed to at least one other bun and live with them? That's what I did a couple of months ago with my Rosy Posy - broke my heart, but was the best thing for her!

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The bond hasn't broken, I think it's just the way she is - very dominant. I think she would try and be dominant over any rabbit she lived with, if she continues to get injured, it's not fair on her. She hates to be messed with too There just doesn't seem to be any good option for her where she'll be happy

I'm not sure it's as simple as she will always want to be boss & won't get on with another rabbit ever.

They all have different personalities just like we do and sometimes you just don't get on with someone but can't put your finger on why. Perhaps this is what's happening with your quad?

Summer&Skye said:

The bond hasn't broken, I think it's just the way she is - very dominant. I think she would try and be dominant over any rabbit she lived with, if she continues to get injured, it's not fair on her. She hates to be messed with too There just doesn't seem to be any good option for her where she'll be happy

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Honestly, I thought that with Rosy Posy. She always was the dominant one and this caused her bond to break down, so I had to rehome her. We told the rescue this and they said they'd try to bond her with several other rabbits before admitting she needs to be single. It worked! Try not to just assume she'll always be the dominant one - I'm sure, if you had to rehome her, that the rescue (assuming you go through a rescue) will try and re-bond her before labeling her as a single.

Clare-uk said:

I'm not sure it's as simple as she will always want to be boss & won't get on with another rabbit ever.

They all have different personalities just like we do and sometimes you just don't get on with someone but can't put your finger on why. Perhaps this is what's happening with your quad?

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JemimaH said:

Honestly, I thought that with Rosy Posy. She always was the dominant one and this caused her bond to break down, so I had to rehome her. We told the rescue this and they said they'd try to bond her with several other rabbits before admitting she needs to be single. It worked! Try not to just assume she'll always be the dominant one - I'm sure, if you had to rehome her, that the rescue (assuming you go through a rescue) will try and re-bond her before labeling her as a single.

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The problem isn't bonding - she is bonded well in the group, her problem is humping other bunnies heads! They don't fight or show any aggression towards eachother, it is the humping that is the issue.

Summer&Skye said:

The problem isn't bonding - she is bonded well in the group, her problem is humping other bunnies heads! They don't fight or show any aggression towards eachother, it is the humping that is the issue.

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Hmmm :? Well, I wouldn't rule out her getting company again until it's been tried - it could happen!

Hope you can find a solution soon.

Bunny humping is to show dominance so to me a bun that constantly does it to her hutch mates is still trying to assert herself within the group. It may well be that she would feel less threatened as a pair & therefore her behaviour would calm down. It's certainly worth looking into rather than pts

Fiver is always humping my bunny's heads and he has only ever been nipped once. It was only a tiny, tiny little nick and it's never happened again. I really wouldn't say that Heidi can't be bonded with another bun. Do you know who is biting her? That is the "problem bunny", not Heidi. If it was me, I'd separate her and keep the trio together and bond her with a laid back, submissive boy.

Sending her vibes.

Just to clarify, I'm not going to rush off and have her put to sleep, of course I'd prefer anything other than that but I do want her to have a good quality of life. The problem now with her lady bits is that they're deformed, there's a prominent lump there now that's going to stay like that so it's going to make it much easier for someone to nip her. I did wonder whether to try her just with the girls and remove Dash - it is him that she humps at the moment and he is a bit of a bully too. But then what do I do, try and find a suitable mate for Dash myself or try and rehome him? Rescues are already full, how would I find the right home? But I would really rather not take anything away from the set up I have now by splitting it but of course I don't want to lose Dash either! I just feel like there's no answer that will make everyone happy!