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3+1=4 (Update - given up - Post 119)

Oh! Oh! Oh!

Nutmeg was just sat next to the water bowl. Mischa came bounding over and Nutmeg looked like she was going to bolt, ears up and stood up quick, but instead she changed her mind and has now laid down while he's drinking beside her. :love:

She's getting the idea now I think. :thumb:
 
Mini, Nutmeg and Smudge all just got into mischief together so they must be bonding. :roll::lol:
 
Schuette said:
It does seem to be!

Oh and yesterday Nutmeg groomed Mischa twice. Mini also groomed Smudge which she doesn't do very often and gave Nutmeg a quick lick.
Click to expand...

Sounds like nutmeg was the firelighter almost, the instigater, as when she got over excited, it triggered everyone else off.

If Nutmeg can calm down, i think it'll be the perfect quad!
 
Daesy said:
do you leave them all together unattended now? :wave:
Click to expand...

Yup! I try not to leave them in the house alone for too long just yet though. The reducing the space was more to get Nutmeg to settle with the others rather than to stop any aggressive behaviour. There isn't really any aggressive behaviour going on, just Nutmeg's skittishness.

ETA. On the subject of space, they now have the whole lefthand side of my bed including under the table and by the door and they also have the bottom of the bed. They have learnt that now the lino is down that they can jump in the crates under my bed :roll: as the floor height is lower. I went in earlier and only Mischa came to see me. I pulled out one crate, there was Mini, pulled out the next crate, there was Smudge, pulled out the next crate, there was Nutmeg!! SO naughty.
 
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Had a bit more chasing the past few days and it's Mischa's fur I'm finding. He's not as fast as the others. Tonight I found some of Smudge's fur in Nutmeg's mouth. Most bizarre. I think they have had enough of the small space so they're currently running around on the landing as well. I also think they're missing me. My sleep reversal has been really bad the last few days and I've been sleeping in the afternoons, usually on the couch. So I haven't been in the room that much. Every time I merely touch Mischa he starts tooth purring. He stops when I move away so I know he's not in pain.
 
:evil: Mischa and Nutmeg have been at it again this morning. During the night we were fine. But I just heard a load of scratching and skirmishing and ran in and they were in a ball on the floor. :evil: I've checked them over and they're ok. Mischa has a small red patch on his nose but nothing major.

WHAT is going on? Those two were getting on quite well. It's like Nutmeg takes turns having issues with them. It was Mini, then last night they were getting on well and Mini groomed Nutmeg and they were sat together and I thought 'ooh this is good'. Now she's decided to bully Mischa. I'm wondering if she's demanding grooming and when they don't she lunges and starts a skirmish.
 
Omg Nutmeg, give ur poor mum a break!
I dont know what to suggest really just wanted to offer you a hug! I really think you've tried everything you can now and only time will tell whether or not the 4some will settle down :?
Xxxxxxxx
 
What's interesting is that I've just gone in there and now they're all sitting pretty close together.

I can sort of see from her body language how she reacts differently. How her instincts are different to the other three. Whether that's cos of the way she was housed before she came here or because of the difference in breed, the other three all have some lop in them, I don't know.
 
And now they're all happily nomming oat, wheat and barley hay out of their treat ball together. It's funny, the ball goes one way, then the other. :lol: Why can't they be like that all the time. :p
 
I feel sad. I've just looked at Mischa and he has a small wound about a centimetre long on his back. It must be a bite wound because there's another, much smaller just below it. It's scabbed over and I'll keep an eye on it. But. Is it time to give up? I feel like I'm not getting anywhere. I feel like it's one step forward, one step back all the time.
 
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Yes I did tell them off. I've been telling them NO and then picking them up for a few minutes. I'm ok now, I think I was just having a bit of a freak-out. Mischa is my special bun so to see that upset me.

They have the whole room now - it's not a lot more than they had before but cos it's two sides of the bed Nutmeg can hide one side. Also during the day and when someones in they have had the landing as well but they haven't been out on it much. That incident happened when I was out of the room but the door was shut - so they just had my room. Since then they've been fine. Nutmeg's been a bit skittish but not as much as at her worst (IYSWIM).

I actually observed something earlier which I'm wondering is contributing. Mischa keeps humping Mini and when he does Nutmeg comes up to them with her tail up. As if she, erm, wants it. Nutmeg doesn't DO humping - she doesn't even allow them to mount her before she's off. It's as if she wants it but she doesn't. She's so odd - she doesn't react like a rabbit normally does to certain things.
 
They did it again this morning. It's in the interim period between when I get up and when I give them their pellets. And they don't seem to be circling, it's almost as if they are laying side by side on their sides on the floor kicking at each other. They are biting/fur-pulling as today it was white fur. I'm pretty sure it's Nutmeg's fur as it doesn't feel like Mischa's fur. Nutmeg has a white tummy.

I'm going to put those two in a carrier in the room for 15-20 minutes and also take then all for a drive this afternoon. I've also just realised I didn't tell them off. :oops: I was more concerned with checking them over and forgot.
 
Thank you everyone for all your support and help along this process.

Unfortunately they had another fight while in the carrier so I've taken the decision to go back to two pairs. It's heart-breaking because Smudge was getting on so well with the lops but Nutmeg isn't happy and I fear for Mischa. He's not the fastest rabbit in the world so is liable to get hurt. Also I don't feel comfortable leaving them just to go out shopping for a couple of hours so there's no way in the world I will feel comfortable leaving them when I go to Scotland in a few weeks. I've given it a real good crack but it's failed for whatever reason. You can visibly see that Nutmeg doesn't understand them. They go to give her a groom and she thinks they are about to attack her. Whether that's cos of her past, her breed or just cos they have lop ears and she doesn't so can't read them I don't know.

As the spare room was almost bunny-proofed we've finished that off and they are in here now exploring. I have a tentative plan to perhaps get a shed and aviary panels and put these two outside next summer and then the lops have the run of these three rooms. The only issues with this is (a) fox proofing but I think we can get something secure enough and (b) Nutmeg's chest - whether she'll be ok outside in the Winter. I am going to ask my vet this in October when they have their myxo vaxx.

I'm exhausted already and it's not even lunchtime!

ETA. Oddly I no longer feel sad, I kinda feel relieved. Maybe this is the best way. I just feel sad for Smudge, he's the one whose lost out the most.
 
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Oh hun im sorry, its difficult when they are fine one minute then fighting the next. At least you gave it a good go, you really did work hard too xx
 
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