• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

2 boys and a girl...possibly?

Yes, with my limited knowledge I wouldn't call them bonded, they are sitting seperately! But is it easier to get a good bond between a 2 than a 3? Just thinking of all my options depending on the outcome of this afternoons appointment. They are definitely tolerating each other better than all 3 were together, that was chaos!

The actual bonding process itself is easier, because establishing a hierarchy between two is easier than three because the hierarchy gets more complex the more rabbits you add in. But that doesn't mean a pair is any more happy together than a trio - in fact, eventually if I have the money, I'll be getting another pair of buns to make a quad to make my current pair happier. It depends on the bunnies as to how they are happiest. The only reason people tend to have pairs is because they are the minimum to have and the bonding process is easier. It can also be tricky adding in another rabbit to a long-standing pair, as the original pair may split, so if people have a pair they often don't want to take that risk unless there is a particular reason for having a trio.

Please do not go swapping the buns around at all - now you have taken the dominant male out you will have broken the bond between him and the others. If you wanted to put them back together you would have to bond them properly now - I won't confuse you with going into the detail because I'm sure you're having to take in enough new info at the moment, but it basically requires a neutral space and constant supervision and needs careful planning.

To be honest, I would suspect that the males are not neutered, because their behaviour would only be normal for neutered rabbits if they have just been put together or were having bad problems in the bond, but then I would expect other bonding behaviour too, such as presenting to groom and chasing. Sometimes the female just doesn't get pregnant for some reason or she does and kills her babies when she gives birth. But wait to see what the vet says before you make any decisions. I'd also get the vet to give them a general health check whilst you are there, make sure they are a good weight and don't have injuries or sore genitals from all the humping. If they are not neutered then get the vet to check if the doe is pregnant (although they will only be able to tell if she is fairly far along) and discuss an emergency spay.

Don't worry, even if they are all unneutered, there is the simple solution of neutering them. It will all work out fine, so try not to worry.
 
Oh my goodness, what an afternoon!

So, took all three bunnies to the vet, to find all they are all entire. Lovely! The boys were in good health, good teeth, good weight etc, but the girl is very underweight and has some terrible old/healing and new wounds from the boys. :shock: I had left them alone to settle in so hadnt noticed them, she is long haired too. :(

So, I was left with a bit of a dilemma. Two fighting boys (not there fault of course!) and a wounded girl :roll: There was a lovely nurse there, who was into her rabbits, and explained I couldn't put the boys back together as they would fight and obviously the girl needed to be alone as well. I just dont have the hutches! So she told me about a lady nearby who takes in unwanted rabbits and rehomes them. She called her for me, and she agreed to take the boys. I just felt I would struggle with two at this moment in time and three was impossible, with the girl needing quite a lot of attention.

So i just dropped the boys off at this lovely lady's house (and made a £50 donation as I felt so bad!) So the girl rabbit (Tallulah I have decided to call her) is back in the double hutch, and is stretched out fully for the first time since I have had them. My aim is to get her spayed (booked for a months time to let her recuperate fully from her current injuries) and vaccinated and whatever else rabbits need (fleaing? worming? need to look into this) get her a nice new bigger cage (want to convert a shed like I have seen on here!) and then get her a bunny friend once she is entirely sorted and recovered.

Feel bad I couldn't help the boys but I know they will go to nice homes, but taking comfort from the fact if I hadn't of taken them they would still all be in a tiny guinea pig cage.

So a stressful, emotional afternoon! Thanks everyone for your replies and advice. I hope to keep you updated on Tallulah's progress! :wave:
 
Aww, it sounds like that's the best option for you and the bunnies, and now you know where there is a nice convenient rescue when you are ready to get her a friend :)

I take it the vet didn't think she was pregnant? Might be worth noting the date down and then you know when you are in the clear. It might be as she's in poor condition that's why she hadn't got pregnant.

I imagine now she's getting lots of tlc and not been pestered by two boys, she'll come on in leaps and bounds.
 
Thanks Tamsin :) I was umming and aaahing over the best thing for them, but I think this is the best solution for the three of them.

I am slightly worried she is going to be lonely, but hopefully she will have a little friend soon who is a bit nicer to her! Holding her I realised just how much of a bag of bones she is, its difficult to tell through all that hair!

The vet had a bit of a feel and said she couldn't feel anything but that isn't to says she hasn't got pregnant recently...how long is a rabbit pregnancy? Fingers crossed she isn't!

Am looking forward to nursing her back to full health :D
 
Aww, a little time alone will give you a chance to bond with her and her to eat without competition so she's looking her best for her new friend :)

Pregnancy is usually around 28-31 days. They only start building the nest a few days before but they can also have phantom pregnancies where they go through nest building etc. but aren't pregnant so waiting is the only way to be sure.
 
Yes will hopefully have some good bonding time with her now Tamsin! I had a soft spot for her out of the three as well :):oops:

So, I appreciate you have all been so patient, I just have a few more questions if that's OK? I am so grateful for all your advice!

1) Tallulah has gone back in the double cage they all shared, shall I clean it all out tomorrow? I don't want it to still smell of the boys and upset her?
2) How long should I leave it before getting her out? To go in her run and have some time with me?
3) Apart from the nesting, is there any other pregnancy signs I can look out for or not?

Thanks peeps xxx
 
Gosh you really have been through a rollercoaster couple of days haven't you! It sounds like the best compromise solution has been reached, all the bunnies would have been by stressed out by their previous living arrangements and while bunnies are naturally sociable, they are probably now very relieved and relaxed for the first time. Hopefully now Tallulah will start to gain weight and get to good health nice and quickly...and even more hopefully, that she won't be pregnant so won't have the additional body stress while she is getting better. On your specific questions:

1) yes it wouldn't hurt to give it a good clean out tomorrow; she will probably be ok but it might help her to settle and make it feel like 'hers'. Especially in this weather, regular cleaning of the whole thing would be a good thing to do anyway.
2) I would take your lead from her, see how quickly you think she settles and improves her body condition. I wouldn't rush it, bunnies who have been kept in confined conditions have not only very poor muscle but very poor bone condition, so a lot of exercise too quickly could actually do her more harm than good. As she is already in bigger accommodation, she will probably be happy with that for now.
3) not really - even some vets struggle to detect a pregnancy in some bunnies, so I think it's just going to have to be a case of lots of tlc and see how you go. If you mark off 31 days from today in your calendar, though, you will at least have an idea of when the latest is likely to be if she has been 'caught'.

Best of luck with your new addition, and well done for rescuing them and getting them sorted so quickly - I'm sure that all of them are far happier now :D
 
I take it the vets wasn't happy to spay her sooner to try and prevent any unwanted babies being born? Poor thing, it's likely she hasn't had babies before because of the stress and harassment from the boys and that can lead to resorption, so cancels the pregnancies or delayed implantation, which means she's holding off letting her eggs develop until she feels calm and safe.

I think you made the right decision with rehoming the boys to a rabbit savy bunny lady. She'll be able to neuter and bond them to other rabbits or rehome them. :thumb: And all the tlc can go to your girl and potential babies.

If she's not pregnant I'll be extremely surprised!
 
Sounds like a good solution for now :) When she is ready to have a friend you could get one from the lady who took the boys, maybe even one of them will be ready, neutered and waiting for a new home, as rabbits are hard to find homes for.

Can I ask what exactly you feed her every day and the quantities? She should put on weight naturally anyway now she isn't under constant stress, but it may be wise to speed it up a bit in case she is pregnant, as a litter would be a big strain on her body. What pellets do you use? What are her poos like, are they dry and round and crumble when you pinch them between two fingers?

1) Tallulah has gone back in the double cage they all shared, shall I clean it all out tomorrow? I don't want it to still smell of the boys and upset her?
I'd give it a clean out, yeah, I wouldn't think it would upset her but in this weather their toilet areas need to be cleaned every day, or at least every other day, so it would be a good idea.
2) How long should I leave it before getting her out? To go in her run and have some time with me?
See how you think she is. I wouldn't start picking her up or anything, just start by sitting by the cage and talking to her, and letting her sniff you. If she asks for a stroke give her one, but keep it on her terms. I'd give it at least a few days to a week before she goes in a run, maybe longer, play it by ear and I would build up the time in there slowly. Keep an eye on her for signs of muscle weakness. How big is her double hutch?
3) Apart from the nesting, is there any other pregnancy signs I can look out for or not?
She also may be more aggressive and protective of her hutch, but it is really hard to tell, because unspayed females are often like this anyway, due to the hormones.

Did the vet think her too underweight to spay?
 
Last edited:
Glad you've found somewhere to help with the boys. :) Poor Tallulah :( I hope she's not pregnant and she can build up her strength over the next couple of months. Sending lots of vibes xx
 
Well done for getting these poor buns out of their horrible situation. The poor girl must have never been left alone by the boys..I am very surprised that she and the boys hadn't all seriously hurt each other. I'd be surprised if she isn't pregnant, but having said that, I rescued a boy/girl pair of bunnies that were both intact and somehow the girl wasn't pregnant. :shock:

Hopefully the boys will be neutered and find good homes. They must have felt so frustrated and exhausted.

Sending vibes to Tallulah. :love:
 
Aaaah thanks guys, you lot are so nice and friendly! :D

The boys were fine Vegan Bunny, surprisingly! It was just Tallulah that had some wounds and they will heal on there own thank goodness. The lady who took them is lovely, I felt terrible leaving her with two more un-castrated boys so I donated £50 and am going to drop off the small cage they were in to her as well, as although massively too small is actually a really nice cage and she said she can get some use out of it!

Nessar, I will definetly go back to her for a bunny friend, she was really knowledgeable and can help me with bonding which I have no idea about! And she is only up the road, bonus! :D She even gave me a bunny book for nothing bless her!
At the minute she is on the adult pets at home nuggets as that's what she came with. Do you think I should change it slowly to something else? Been giving her fresh veg as well, a tiny amount of carrot and brocolli, trying something new each day and keeping an eye on her poo. Is that OK to do? She wolfed it down! And of course she is having as much hay as she wants, she is munching her way through that too.And yes the vet says she is too underweight to spay he was saying she needs to put some weight on, but didnt ask what she was eating?

Captain Helen, this lady was my savior! :thumb: to take both boys was a life saver and now I can concentrate on Tallulah and getting her well and healthy. I hope shes not pregnant too, eeek! Have noted yesterday on my calender so I know when we are in the clear lol!

Mirth, they were harassing her morning noon and night, and that cage was ridiculously tiny, I hate to think how scared she must have been not being able to get away from two big boys as they were a lot bigger and heavier than her. :( Fingers crossed she isn't pregnant!

Also, what are the signs of muscle weakness? I put her out in a very unconventional run this morning so I could properly clean her hutch out - my sons play house! It goes onto grass so she has been having a munch on that, and theres little chairs she can hide under. She has been eating grass and I actually saw her hop onto one of the chairs earlier to have a better look round! :love: bless! She just feels like a bundle of bones when u hold her, its a horrible feeling, I feel like I am going to break her. :cry: she just feels so fragile. Am building her a run this afternoon and my friend has given me some runaround thing, looks like a hose you attach to a tumble drier?

Thanks for all the vibes, we are really so grateful, I definitely picked the right forum to join and post on, everyone is so lovely and helpful. :thumb: I will try and post some pics of Tallulah later, if I can figure out how! :D
 
Last edited:
Oops, didn't read the rest of the thread haha. So glad you found someone to help out with the boys :)
 
Last edited:
Does your son still use the playhouse? Lots of people convert them into bunny houses, might be an option if it's bigger than the hutch. Have a look at this thread for some inspiration: http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?311878-Outdoor-Housing (That's if it's a wooden one rather than a plastic one.)

There's a tutorial here on how to post photos: http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?136183-Tutorial-How-to-Post-Photos You need to upload the photos to something like Photobucket and copy and paste the img code into your post on here.

I think Pets at Home pellets are OK, she can have about an egg cup a day of those. Did you say she's 10 months? Then introducing veg is fine, and you're right to keep an eye on her poops after introducing a new thing. Do you have anything like hawthorn or brambles growing in your garden? They're tasty and healthy for buns.

Sounds like you're doing a great job with Tallulah :D xx
 
Nothing to add but wanted to say what a great result for all bunnies and what you did for those bunnies. You will have to post a picture of Tallulah when you can so we know what she looks like.
 
I've heard a small amount of rolled oats everyday can help put on weight, as well as alfalfa hay.

I have just taken in a stray rabbit and have converted a play house into a bunny house. :thumb: Is your son's playhouse the wooden kind?
 
I'd keep the same pellets for now, you can always swap later but if she's eating lots of hay then they will be fine for now and that way you aren't making too many changes at once. A few rolled oats or just a few more pellets than you'd usually give a bun her size will help with the weight gain.

A lot of what she'll need to put on is muscle though so that will go on gradually, you don't want to feed her up too much and just put on layers of fat. The muscle wastage, from lack of space and where her body used it up as she wasn't getting enough nutrition, will be part of why she feels so light and fragile.

I'd definitely take some pictures now because in a couple of months you won't believe the difference :)
 
Thanks guys! Captain Helen, its a plastic playhouse, not one I can convert but that thread is amazing! Given me some good ideas!

I have posted two pics below, not brilliant as she is still nervous so cant get too close.

Tallulah...



and in her unconventional run...this is only for today to give her some freedom and grass and so i could clean her hutch!



for some reason the pics r tiny? x
 
Back
Top