Holly Go-Lightly
Alpha Buck
Hi Gang,
I am going to start a thread about my latest and on-going challenge.
Jodie. <sigh> :?
She is a gorgeous, black half lion head/half netherland dwarf (I think)
She is also a witch.
I originally brought Jodie home with Heidi and I had very romantic ideas about the two of them becoming good friends with Neville and Bob. All four buns living together in communal bliss. The girls were young, the boys neutered so what's the problem? :?:
No problem at first. Nev and Bob were very chivalrous and generous with their food and space. Soon they were all lying in a big heap together and grooming each other for hours. Lovely!
As the girls got older, the true horror of Jodies personality started to shine through. She was "bonded" mainly with Heidi but she started to snip at her whenever she came over in the run for a visit. Heidi stopped bothering and just hung out with Bob and Nev. Nev is the "Alpha rabbit” in that gang and he is also quite big. Jodie clearly, either having no fear or just incredible stupidity started to snip and Nev and Bob. In fact any animal or person that approached her was attacked. Sometimes (like when it was raining) she would attempt to join the group but it was pretty obvious that she had been sent to Coventry.
I finally had to stop letting her go out in the run. Frankly I just couldn't catch her. It could take up to two hours to pick her up. I needed to pick her up for several reasons.
1. She needed to get used to being handled more.
2. It's summer and I check for fly strike often.
3. Bob had a skin infection and I wanted to check that no one else had it.
4. I had to do her nails.
I finally caught her and was broken hearted to find every inch of her covered in little scabs and scratches. (nothing very bad or deep, just a lot of them) I'm guessing these are courtesy of Neville telling her to back off away from him and the other rabbits, although I've never seen him do it. She is also a big digger so I'm not sure if she has had a bad experience with some chicken wire that I haven't seen.
There was nothing for it. I couldn't let her stay in the run and hutches with the others even if she was her own worst enemy. I didn't want to take the risk that she would get really badly hurt. She moved into the office with me.
We have been trying to make friends for a couple of weeks now. It's not very rewarding to be honest. She grunts and screams like I've never heard or seen before in a rabbit. I thought she must have some kind of terrible internal bleeding or illness the first time I heard it. I took her straight to Karen my vet. Nothing wrong. She is fine. Just crabby.
When I or anyone else approaches her, unless she is terrified (in the car, at the vet), she freaks. She grunts, screams, and head butts your hands. She runs from side to side in her cage and tips over all her food and spreads it around the cage. I now have to use over mitts to pick her up and check her scabs. She bites and will fly from one end of her cage to the other to attack. You can’t even put yummy carrot tops in.
Yesterday she was spayed so she is feeling pretty miserable today. I honestly don’t know what is going to happen. She is still as grouchy as ever. Maybe she just likes to be on her own. I am going to keep her away from other rabbits and in the same room as me for 8 hours a day. Hopefully things will change and she will calm down and realize how much James and I love her, would never abandon her, and never ever hurt her.
We have the next 4 days off so I’m hoping for some quality time with the lady, that is, iIf she doesn’t fly away on her broomstick in the middle of the night :wink:
Story in progress… I’ll keep you posted.
Andrea
I am going to start a thread about my latest and on-going challenge.
Jodie. <sigh> :?
She is a gorgeous, black half lion head/half netherland dwarf (I think)
She is also a witch.
I originally brought Jodie home with Heidi and I had very romantic ideas about the two of them becoming good friends with Neville and Bob. All four buns living together in communal bliss. The girls were young, the boys neutered so what's the problem? :?:
No problem at first. Nev and Bob were very chivalrous and generous with their food and space. Soon they were all lying in a big heap together and grooming each other for hours. Lovely!
As the girls got older, the true horror of Jodies personality started to shine through. She was "bonded" mainly with Heidi but she started to snip at her whenever she came over in the run for a visit. Heidi stopped bothering and just hung out with Bob and Nev. Nev is the "Alpha rabbit” in that gang and he is also quite big. Jodie clearly, either having no fear or just incredible stupidity started to snip and Nev and Bob. In fact any animal or person that approached her was attacked. Sometimes (like when it was raining) she would attempt to join the group but it was pretty obvious that she had been sent to Coventry.
I finally had to stop letting her go out in the run. Frankly I just couldn't catch her. It could take up to two hours to pick her up. I needed to pick her up for several reasons.
1. She needed to get used to being handled more.
2. It's summer and I check for fly strike often.
3. Bob had a skin infection and I wanted to check that no one else had it.
4. I had to do her nails.
I finally caught her and was broken hearted to find every inch of her covered in little scabs and scratches. (nothing very bad or deep, just a lot of them) I'm guessing these are courtesy of Neville telling her to back off away from him and the other rabbits, although I've never seen him do it. She is also a big digger so I'm not sure if she has had a bad experience with some chicken wire that I haven't seen.
There was nothing for it. I couldn't let her stay in the run and hutches with the others even if she was her own worst enemy. I didn't want to take the risk that she would get really badly hurt. She moved into the office with me.
We have been trying to make friends for a couple of weeks now. It's not very rewarding to be honest. She grunts and screams like I've never heard or seen before in a rabbit. I thought she must have some kind of terrible internal bleeding or illness the first time I heard it. I took her straight to Karen my vet. Nothing wrong. She is fine. Just crabby.
When I or anyone else approaches her, unless she is terrified (in the car, at the vet), she freaks. She grunts, screams, and head butts your hands. She runs from side to side in her cage and tips over all her food and spreads it around the cage. I now have to use over mitts to pick her up and check her scabs. She bites and will fly from one end of her cage to the other to attack. You can’t even put yummy carrot tops in.
Yesterday she was spayed so she is feeling pretty miserable today. I honestly don’t know what is going to happen. She is still as grouchy as ever. Maybe she just likes to be on her own. I am going to keep her away from other rabbits and in the same room as me for 8 hours a day. Hopefully things will change and she will calm down and realize how much James and I love her, would never abandon her, and never ever hurt her.
We have the next 4 days off so I’m hoping for some quality time with the lady, that is, iIf she doesn’t fly away on her broomstick in the middle of the night :wink:
Story in progress… I’ll keep you posted.
Andrea