Am struggling!!

[honeywebb]

Right here goes..this is what has happened with my bonding attempt..i know i have probably gone about it in the wrong way but this is what i was advised & it suited me & my set-up..its abit of a long story so bear with me..

I have a 2 year old female Dutch X Lionhead named Skittle. I decided she looked abit of a lonely bun & got a bee in my bonnet that she needed a boyfriend. I had her neutered on 29 December & then having spoken to my local RSPCA Small Animal Rescue Centre waited patiently for a neutered male to be available. The RSPCA told me they offered supervised bonding so that Skittle could choose her boyfriend...great i thought..perfect.

On Saturday just gone, me & Skittle went to the RSPCA & she was put in a open wire run with a 7month old beautiful Lionhead X named Mojo. She ran to him straight away & humped him then jumped off...they ignored each other for abit then he ran to her & humped her...this continued for a little while but there was no aggression between the two of them...they both groomed themselves had abit of a sniff...she lowered her head to him quite a few times & eventually rolled over on her back in front of him. This all took about 30-45 mins & the RSPCA advised that it semed a good match. They said to put Mojo in Skittle's cage when i got home & just keep an eye.

The set-up i have at home is this..Skittle has a two storey hutch (in the garage) & attached to the hutch is a large wire pen so she has access to both areas at all times.

I put the two buns in together & settled down to watch (& freeze). Mojo ran to a corner of the run & just sat there hunched while Skittle just went about her usual business appearing to ignore the intruder in her home..all appeared well. Over the next 24 hours i proceeded to run between my house & the garage to try & monitor progress..Mojo didnt appear to move from his corner & Skittle for the most part ignored him..occasionally she would go over & give him a sniff but there was no signs of aggression. Both buns were eating & drinking fine..in fact at one point Skittle was sat next to Mojo & they were both munching cabbage.

This continued until Monday morning when Mojo appeared to regain his nerve & started hopping round the run...Skittle seemed perfectly happy they were both interacting...having the occasional chase but nothing vicious then all of a sudden it all kicked off! There was fur flying in all directions & i had to separate them with a brush! All three of us were left shaking & panting heavily! The two buns hunched at opposite ends of the run looking miserable.

I rung the RSPCA immediately & they advised that Skittle was being territorial & that i try shutting Mojo in the hutch for a couple of hours to spread his scent & leave Skittle in the run...then swap them over for another couple of hours...and then reintroduce.

I got as far as swapping them over but never followed through with a re-introduction because by the afternoon Skittle's front leg was swollen & she was hardly weight-bearing. A trip to the vet showed she had puncture wounds & the swelling was probably bruising so shes now on painkillers & anitibiotics. The vet advised i keep the two buns separated for at least a week until Skittle is better.

So today is Tuesday & i have a weeks grace while i decide what to do next. Do i risk putting them together...that fight was so scary...& it all kicking off again...i cannot do 24/7 supervision as some people seem to be able to do & i cant do supervised bonding indoors as i have neither the time or the space plus its too warm indoors & both buns are outdoors. I have no other hutch or run or pen to use apart from the ones the buns are in now.

I dont want to give up on poor Mojo quite so quickly but i dont want them hurt again obviously. I feel like i've caused my poor bun unneccessary pain & anguish when i was trying to make her life more pleasant

 

[Sky-O]

I'm so sorry you have received such bad advice. Bonding on unneutral territory is never recommended because in most cases is doomed to failure before it starts.

I would go right back to basics and start from scratch, if you want to, but only when Skittles is 100% well, better and recovered.

I don't think that anything using her hutch (even if you did neutralise it) would, work, and if you can't supervise and also can't date them, then you are not going to be able to safely bond them.

I do think that maybe it would be worth seeing if someone on here (maybe one of the rescues) would bond them for a donation? But do you have space to keep them apart until Skittles is better?

 

[honeywebb]

I'm so sorry you have received such bad advice. Bonding on unneutral territory is never recommended because in most cases is doomed to failure before it starts.

I would go right back to basics and start from scratch, if you want to, but only when Skittles is 100% well, better and recovered.

I don't think that anything using her hutch (even if you did neutralise it) would, work, and if you can't supervise and also can't date them, then you are not going to be able to safely bond them.

I do think that maybe it would be worth seeing if someone on here (maybe one of the rescues) would bond them for a donation? But do you have space to keep them apart until Skittles is better?

Thanks so much for your kind reply.

I can keep them separated for now as Skittle is in her hutch in the garage & Mojo is in the run in the garage they can see each other but that is all. I did wonder about neutralising but as you say that may not work either now.

I didnt know Rescue Centres would bond for you...i presume you have to leave the buns with them for however long it takes?? I would be willing to give that a go but am unsure how i would go about finding someone willing to do it.

By the way...both the RSPCA Small Animal Rescue & the vet said i could put them in together OK & that i wouldnt need to go to all the palava of dating, neutralising etc...their words were as good as "just let them get on with it".

 

[Sky-O]

I think you found out for yoruself that whoever gave you they advice from the RSPCA and your vet were not actually particularly well informed about how to bond.

Yes, some specific rabbit rescues bond. They will have your bunnies for however long (varies between rescues and bondings) in exchange for a donation (normally an amount that would cover boarding, and then a little bit more). Whereabouts are you? I'm guessing England/Wales because you mention the RSPCA. If you're in like AUS then likely you won't be able to find someone to bond for you- at least not on here.

 

[honeywebb]

I think you found out for yoruself that whoever gave you they advice from the RSPCA and your vet were not actually particularly well informed about how to bond.

Yes, some specific rabbit rescues bond. They will have your bunnies for however long (varies between rescues and bondings) in exchange for a donation (normally an amount that would cover boarding, and then a little bit more). Whereabouts are you? I'm guessing England/Wales because you mention the RSPCA. If you're in like AUS then likely you won't be able to find someone to bond for you- at least not on here.

I live in Kent.

 

[Sky-O]

I don't know of a rescue off the top of my head that would help in your area so my next best suggestion would be to start a new thread asking for someone who can bond in Kent, and making sure you call it something like 'Looking for bonder in Kent please'.

If you can't find anyone though, and are unable to do it yourself, then you don't have much option for what to do with Mojo sadly.

 

[honeywebb]

I don't know of a rescue off the top of my head that would help in your area so my next best suggestion would be to start a new thread asking for someone who can bond in Kent, and making sure you call it something like 'Looking for bonder in Kent please'.

If you can't find anyone though, and are unable to do it yourself, then you don't have much option for what to do with Mojo sadly.

I'll try that and see what happens. Thanks for your help xx

 

[RubyGordy]

By the way...both the RSPCA Small Animal Rescue & the vet said i could put them in together OK & that i wouldnt need to go to all the palava of dating, neutralising etc...their words were as good as "just let them get on with it".

That's interesting because the RSPCA who I got Angel from did tell me not to put them together straight away and gave me the second degree when I did and Wes reacted badly - not eating etc and was scared of her. However, I'm wondering if that's more to do with him, rather than the situation because, although he's since shown signs of being interested in Angel by watching her from his run, she traumatised him the other day, when I allowed them to meet in the garden, by chasing him and ripping half his fur out of his rump. He hasn't come out of his hutch since and is very miserable.

I just don't know what to do now. Do I persevere? Keep them seperate for a few weeks and try again or is Angel just too young and forceful for him? I don't want to keep upsetting him unnecessarily.