tlcwrites
Mama Doe
So, River and Morning's bond just wouldn't stick. They came to me from Pets for Profit's Support Adoption... area, having been there for six months or so (but moved from a different store). Unusually, they had been spayed whilst in the charity because they are just both so aggressive.
On my visit back with them, for vaccinations, I was told that they had a loose bond after I questioned the information about them already being spayed. The member of staff I spoke to then seemed a lot more knowledgeable about their story than the guy who sold them to me (and forgot to give me their vaccs vouchers. It was a palaver getting them but we got there eventually).
Anyway, I was told they were only comparatively recently spayed, so hormones might not have died down, a new home, etc etc.
However, Rivergrace still kept hassling Morningstar, especially over food, but sometimes just because.
Coming down to see Morning with a scab in her ear, and fur everywhere wasn't a pretty sight. Both girls are still aggressive towards both humans and each other, so I knew enough was enough and they had to be separated. Kind of gutted as they came together, with instructions to keep them together.
Having no idea what else to do, I took Morning out, cleaned the crate and decided... of all things... to try bonding her into the trio. AND IT WORKED!
Again, it was a rather quick bond, with Elphie still clearly ruling the roost. Morning seems a lot happier out with them and is already less aggressive. She is a bit peturbed by the madness of the other three (running around their system to get wherever is closest to get my attention) and so on, but it's a big adjustment for her. And again, I have been so lucky. I put a lot of it down to the rexes (Helios and Selene) being such a calm and accepting pair. But I also will be keeping a close eye on them.
This means Rivergrace is now on her own. She is still human aggressive and very tightly wound, though it doesn't seem quite so bad as it was with Morning. I am at a loss how to proceed though. Is she the kind of bunny who might be best left on her own? Does she need a big personality buck? Or a super submissive buck? She currently lives in the dining room, but if we adopt a buck, she will be moved outside. She might be moved outside anyway. My OH talked about returning her back for adoption, but you can't guarantee the kind of home she'd get through that specific charity. So we aren't letting her go. We just don't know what would be best for her.
Really: How do you solve a problem like Rivergrace???
(Photos of the quad tomorrow. Hopefully!)
On my visit back with them, for vaccinations, I was told that they had a loose bond after I questioned the information about them already being spayed. The member of staff I spoke to then seemed a lot more knowledgeable about their story than the guy who sold them to me (and forgot to give me their vaccs vouchers. It was a palaver getting them but we got there eventually).
Anyway, I was told they were only comparatively recently spayed, so hormones might not have died down, a new home, etc etc.
However, Rivergrace still kept hassling Morningstar, especially over food, but sometimes just because.
Coming down to see Morning with a scab in her ear, and fur everywhere wasn't a pretty sight. Both girls are still aggressive towards both humans and each other, so I knew enough was enough and they had to be separated. Kind of gutted as they came together, with instructions to keep them together.
Having no idea what else to do, I took Morning out, cleaned the crate and decided... of all things... to try bonding her into the trio. AND IT WORKED!
Again, it was a rather quick bond, with Elphie still clearly ruling the roost. Morning seems a lot happier out with them and is already less aggressive. She is a bit peturbed by the madness of the other three (running around their system to get wherever is closest to get my attention) and so on, but it's a big adjustment for her. And again, I have been so lucky. I put a lot of it down to the rexes (Helios and Selene) being such a calm and accepting pair. But I also will be keeping a close eye on them.
This means Rivergrace is now on her own. She is still human aggressive and very tightly wound, though it doesn't seem quite so bad as it was with Morning. I am at a loss how to proceed though. Is she the kind of bunny who might be best left on her own? Does she need a big personality buck? Or a super submissive buck? She currently lives in the dining room, but if we adopt a buck, she will be moved outside. She might be moved outside anyway. My OH talked about returning her back for adoption, but you can't guarantee the kind of home she'd get through that specific charity. So we aren't letting her go. We just don't know what would be best for her.
Really: How do you solve a problem like Rivergrace???
(Photos of the quad tomorrow. Hopefully!)