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Baby Rachel....hopefully a new friend for Scooby

Tracy

Warren Veteran
I haven't really said much about Scooby's potential new friend, but Baby Rachel (from Acomb Rabbit Rescue) has been with us for 2 weeks now. Rachel is a half-wildie and has definitely retained a wild rabbit's natural fear of humans, despite being in captivity since a baby.

She does seem to have settled with us though, providing that she has the minimum of human attention. She will always hide from me, even when she sees me approaching from a distance she will bolt and hide. The photos were taken from an upstairs window with a zoom lens, it is the nearest I can get to her to take a photo. She likes to spend her afternoons relaxing on top of the hideout in her run. She has the confidence to explore and behave like a normal pet rabbit as long as she is sure there are no humans around. I have to watch her from the house using binoculars!

I think only another bunny can make a rabbit like Rachel truly happy and I am hoping that Scooby will be that bunny. For Rachel to stay with us permanently, the bond between her and Scooby has to be successful as she must have a partner, so I am keeping everything crossed. I really want to help her and make her happy.

Bonding is going to be tricky. The traditional method of using a pen won't work as she has already demonstrated that when panicked she can do a vertical take off and reach a height of around 4 feet or more. I need to be there to monitor them, but me being close by is going to stress Rachel even more. My plan is to start by using the bathroom as it is a fairly small room and see how we go from there. It may be that my OH will have to build a special pen/enclosure to provide a safe environment for Rachel and Scooby while we are bonding them. I'm planning to start bonding next weekend. Any ideas/tips on bonding a rabbit who is fearful of humans would be very much appreciated.

Baby Rachel is most certainly a very complicated little girl. :love:

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Shes certainly a cutie:love:

Sorry I have no advice but I wish you lots of luck with the bond and hope she can stay with you with Scooby as her forever friend.x
 
Aww she's beautiful :love: I've got absolutely everything crossed for a successful bond.

Would it be worth putting a bunny cam in the bathroom so you could monitor how they're getting on from another room?
 
That's great news :thumb: my Dandy and Beano were very similar, very nervy, when I did my quad bond (bonding them with my 2 girls) I had to take very much a hands off approach, luckily the bond was extremely smooth, so I didn't have to intervene. I bonded them in a dog crate, which meant they couldn't climb or jump out, but would have been very awkward if I'd needed to get involved. I found being bonded to the girls helped bring them out of their shells more, and bringing them indoors didn't affect them as much as I thought to be honest :thumb:

I really hope the bond goes well :thumb:
 
I have no advice as to how to manage the bonding. It sounds like it has the potential to be very stressful. I just wanted to say though that Rachel is a very lovely rabbit. I really admire you in taking on what is likely to be a complicated bonding process. However, if it works with Scooby, and I really hope it does, you will have the satisfaction in knowing what a difference you have made to her life and also of course to Scoobys. Wishing you the very best of luck.
 
Bless her. That's actually all I've ever seen of her despite the amount of time I spend at Captain Helen's. Hope it works out.
 
Well done for adopting her. I'm sure as she settles down more she'll become more humanised. I agree with whoever said monitor them with a camera. Using a dog crate might be a good idea too as they're very secure.
 
She is a gorgeous lucky girlie! :lol:

I had the same panics with Roger (my black wildie who was captured and removed from the wild so had totally wild experiences to that point) when he first came and I was terrified of bonding. It was the easiest one ever. As soon as he saw her he crawled over and started grooming straight away. You could almost hear him going 'thank god.... Another rabbit'. Years later he did the same with my unbondable doe too. Hopefully your bonding will be as smooth for all of you. He went from being totally petrified of everything (to the point the RSPCA wanted to PTS him until I took him) to being a cheeky, lively, curious pain the **** and was just so wonderful to be near and around. He kept his wildie roots and behaviours and lived in extremes but was happy.

I so miss having a wildie in my life, they are just stunning. Actually, writing all of that makes me realise how much I miss Roger- even though he's been gone two and a half years now.
 
:) I remember seeing her on the rescue's page :) Looking forward to hearing more about these two.
 
Being around her might actually help with the bonding as when rabbits are scared and can't run away they look for comfort in another bunny companion, even if they are not bonded. It helps them to feel safer together and brings them more comfort resulting in the same sort of feeling a human gets when someone 'rescues' them from something they find really scary. It bonds them for life if successful, I hope that helps a little:)

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Thanks everyone. :D

It's reassuring to know that others have successfully managed to bond timid wildies with domesticated pet bunnies.

Sky-O - I was sort of hoping that her fear of humans might make her seek comfort from another rabbit more readily. Scooby is a friendly and confident little lad, but also quite laid back and easy going, so I think he could be really good for her.

Zoobec - I have a dog crate, so could have a go with using that. I was a bit worried about her slamming herself into the sides of it, or taking off and hitting herself against the top of it, if she goes off into a panic, but I think I am overthinking things.

The bonding will have to be very much hands off as far as I am concerned. We have a camera that we can set up so that I can watch them on my laptop, so I can spy on them without being in the same room.

Fingers and paws crossed for a happy ending. :love:
 
Hope all goes well. Helen must have been thrilled when you offered her a home.

Over the moon! :D It's wonderful to see her enjoying the daylight (what there is of it at this time of year!).

Really happy to hear that bonding has been successful with some wildies and that it's help to calm them down and give them confidence, thanks Sky-O and Zoobec :D

All paws crossed here for a smooth bonding and a happy ending! xx
 
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