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Potential trio - should we go ahead?

E

echolouise

Young Bun
My lovely little Mia passed away on Saturday leaving my continental giant earnest alone. He has gone downhill rapidly since she died and has been at the vets every day since, he seems determined to follow her. He is refusing all food except a few nibbles of greens per day and has been given daily injections to keep his gut moving. For the last 2 days we have been having to syringe feed him medicated mush from the vets but have been told today to stop as the stress could counteract the injections. He has lost over 1kg in weight since Sunday. Vet has given him clean bill of health for everything apart from gut slowing down and suggested we try to find him a new friend to bond with asap as it seems to be loneliness/sadness.
Today we took him to our local shelter to try some bunny dating to see if his mood would pick up. The only females they had were a pair of bonded sisters. We introduced one sister at a time and his reaction was instant. Lots of nosing each other and sliding their heads under each other, the three of than ate some greens together, all very positive.
After a few minutes the sisters started chasing each other in circles around him and fighting which he then joined in with.the sisters were put back into their enclosure and earnest hopped up and down the corridor. When they couldn't see him they were best of friends but as soon as he was visible the more dominant of the pair chased the other into the garden area of their enclosure and wouldn't let her reenter.
The sisters have a very strong bond but were quick to fight over him and I'm frightened of breaking it, however earnest will not survive unless he is rebonded very soon. When we got home he went back to refusing food, it seems he will only eat with another rabbit.
Should we try to bond them?
 
I'm going to say Yes. Will you do the bonding at yours as I think that would possibly work better. It will take the sisters to sort themselves out as regards your boy but in my experience they should eventually like having him around. I am assuming there is enough space for 3?
 
The bonding will need to be done at home as it is not a service our local shelter offers. We have never bonded a trio before only two females (a nightmare) and some years later earnest and Mia (very easy due to earnests calm nature).
I have slightly fallen in love with the sisters after meeting them but tbh they would not have been my first choice for him. They are only 6months old and are a bit like a tornado when they are together. Their lively attitudes might be good for him in the long run as he is very lazy and prefers to join in with a game rather than start one but I am worried they might push him too far with their squabbling in the early days and cause him to lash out. He is currently 7.6kg after weight loss and they are so small (about 1/4 his size), he could definitely hurt them by accident during the bonding process if they draw him into another fight.
Current set up is 2 sheds (earnests shed and one tool shed) with shared run and dog flaps into the sheds. We were planning on opening up the flap into the tool shed and clearing half of it. I have a long babydan safety gate fence thing I will use to keep them in their half of the shed and a horse trough bucket that I made a lid for and cut holes in the sides, makes a good big warm bed when filled with straw and hay. I will divide the run in 2 and give them alternate turns in the garden as I can't divide that.
Do I need to provide the sisters with 2 separate beds in case they fall out?
 
Oh sorry, if they bond there is enough space for all 3 in earnests shed. Bed box is 6x2x3 inside 4x6 shed and have possibility to add levels above it, covered run is 24sqft and dedicated rabbit only garden is 288sqft.
 
I assume the sisters are spayed? Rabbits usually calm down when they are settled and I suppose what happened at the Rescue was what we call Referred Aggression. They certainly won't want to pick a fight with your boy! I doubt they will fall out especially as they will be in unfamiliar territory. The good thing is they will be going into his territory sh there shouldn't be any aggression. How long had they been at the Rescue? It seems like the dominant one had become territorial so you mustn't let her get too attached to her new home, you need to get them together fairly soon. Keep posting! :thumb:
 
both have been spayed but we are unfortunately not allowed to take them home for 2 weeks. I decided not to reserve them today as I need to wait and see if earnest picks up at all after meeting them and to see how their second meeting goes. Everything is happening a lot quicker than we anticipated. Earnest was provisionally booked in with another charity for a week long bonding boot camp to find him partner/s but that is not available till January and I don't think he'll last that long on his own if he continues his bunny suicide attempt. If things go good next meeting I will definitely reserve the sisters and keep bringing earnest to visit until they are ready.
 
I've always been told that trios are risky but in this case I think it could be worth a shot especially if they're getting along so well just by the one meeting and you've got the space. Sorry to hear about Mia and I hope Earnest picks up soon
 
We have no idea how Mia died. We decided to put the rabbits in early as the rain was just starting and found her sitting in it getting wet. We carried her inside and called the vets as she seemed quite odd, though nothing I could pinpoint. We dried her and put her in the carrier for going to the vets and 10 mins later she went to sleep and died. She wasn't ill or off her food and her behaviour wasn't any different other than right beforehand. When we called the vets we thought something was a bit wrong but not in a million years she was about to die.I hope it was just her time and that she went peacefully even though she was only young (6.5 years)
 
The problem with taking your boy to meet the sisters is they may have become territorial and won't like another bunny going into their space. The plus side is they are only young so have no preconceived ideas as to what they do or don't like if you were to bring them home.
 
UPDATE
Today I had a chance conversation with my grans neighbour and it turns out her male bun died two days ago leaving her female rhubarb all alone. She has her buns best interests at heart and told me if I can bond them then she will let me keep her. Took earnest round to meet her and reaction was ok. They ignored each other until we forced the issue a little by giving them a very small space to share. They sniffed each other and rhubarb tried to hump him which he allowed then he had a go at it but got bored quickly. They then went back to ignoring each other.
Both were the submissive buns in their pairs and neither seemed sure what to do, does it sound like it has the potential for a match?
I would love to give her a home where she won't be alone and possibly look into adding a third during the bonding boot camp we have booked for January.
If rhubarb and earnest have potential I would like to bring her to my house during the day and return her to her current owner in the evening for a few days to help her transition from one home to another and also give her some bonding time with earnest without having to keep bothering her owner. We are having a cold snap at the moment and she is very small and is quite underweight so I wouldn't feel comfortable having her sleep alone in the shed - her current owner has brought her indoors for this reason. I will get her checked by the vet if we are going to keep her and also see about getting her spayed. I don't know what food she eats but I have given her owner a bag of the stuff we use to transition her, even if we don't take her it should help her regain some of the weight she has lost as vet says it is a very nutritious food.
Does this sound good or would you do things differently?
 
I wonder why neighbour's rabbit died, and why Rhubarb is underweight. Regarding your neighbour taking Rhubarb indoors - rabbits are best staying in the environment they are used to at this time of year, as warm/cold can upset their respiratory systems. A healthy rabbit shouldn't be underweight so there could be some health problem there - how could you tell she is underweight?

I would go for the sisters personally - I know your intentions are good in that you don't want Rhubarb to be alone - but I think you might be taking a risk with her.

The sisters are young and spayed so shouldn't have any health problems. Also is the Rescue going to have them vaccinated?

To go back to your idea of bringing Rhubarb to your house and then returning her every evening really is not a good idea from Rhubarb's point of view. If you do decide on Rhubarb you will need to bring her to your house and try to bond them without separating them.

So, have a good think and I wish you success in whichever way you decide.
 
echolouise said:
UPDATE
Today I had a chance conversation with my grans neighbour and it turns out her male bun died two days ago leaving her female rhubarb all alone. She has her buns best interests at heart and told me if I can bond them then she will let me keep her. Took earnest round to meet her and reaction was ok. They ignored each other until we forced the issue a little by giving them a very small space to share. They sniffed each other and rhubarb tried to hump him which he allowed then he had a go at it but got bored quickly. They then went back to ignoring each other.
Both were the submissive buns in their pairs and neither seemed sure what to do, does it sound like it has the potential for a match?
I would love to give her a home where she won't be alone and possibly look into adding a third during the bonding boot camp we have booked for January.
If rhubarb and earnest have potential I would like to bring her to my house during the day and return her to her current owner in the evening for a few days to help her transition from one home to another and also give her some bonding time with earnest without having to keep bothering her owner. We are having a cold snap at the moment and she is very small and is quite underweight so I wouldn't feel comfortable having her sleep alone in the shed - her current owner has brought her indoors for this reason. I will get her checked by the vet if we are going to keep her and also see about getting her spayed. I don't know what food she eats but I have given her owner a bag of the stuff we use to transition her, even if we don't take her it should help her regain some of the weight she has lost as vet says it is a very nutritious food.
Does this sound good or would you do things differently?
Click to expand...

Hello ! The bunnies reactions sound pretty positive for a first date. Rhubarb & Earnest - i think their names are brilliant but thats irrelevant. To be honest I'd not bother with the transition thing with moving her from one home to another & back - I think it could confuse her (& Earnest too though less so). Personally I'd set aside bonding time, give it a go. I'll have my fingers crossed for you that these two find love together
 
tonibun said:
I wonder why neighbour's rabbit died, and why Rhubarb is underweight. Regarding your neighbour taking Rhubarb indoors - rabbits are best staying in the environment they are used to at this time of year, as warm/cold can upset their respiratory systems. A healthy rabbit shouldn't be underweight so there could be some health problem there - how could you tell she is underweight?

I would go for the sisters personally - I know your intentions are good in that you don't want Rhubarb to be alone - but I think you might be taking a risk with her.

The sisters are young and spayed so shouldn't have any health problems. Also is the Rescue going to have them vaccinated?

To go back to your idea of bringing Rhubarb to your house and then returning her every evening really is not a good idea from Rhubarb's point of view. If you do decide on Rhubarb you will need to bring her to your house and try to bond them without separating them.

So, have a good think and I wish you success in whichever way you decide.
Click to expand...


To me she looked quite thin, when I made a comment that she was small the neighbour misunderstood and told me she had lost weight after her partner died. Earnests weight dropped dramatically after Mia passed so I wasn't too worried at the time. I will definitely get her vet checked though. Her litter tray had fresh poo and it was the right colour/texture. we have watched the rabbits from my grans window for a couple of years and they seemed well cared for, large clean home and run and plenty of attention. Could it be the stress of separation?
I will have to think. The reaction with the sisters was definitely stronger and would probably produce a stronger bond, but I really don't think he can last the 2 weeks without another rabbit. He is back to barely eating, similarly if rhubarb is in the same position it would feel cruel not to try. But I agree it's risky.
She did say that if the bond wasn't working out then she would definitely want her back so it might be worth trying.
 
So after meeting rhubarb yesterday earnest decided he would like to start eating again so hopefully we are out of the woods with him. Spoke to the neighbour and she said her little rhubarb had also regained her appetite after he left. We decided to bring rhubarb to my house and I would try to bond them as it looks to be benefiting both.
It went AWFULLY.
I used my small kitchen as neither had been there before, rhubarb was a little star. She had no intention of being the dominant one and was being really friendly and showing interest while still giving him space. Earnest however turned into demon bunny. After a few minutes of watching her from across the room he decided that he was going to be in charge and started chasing her. We separated them and a few seconds later he full on attacked her. We separated him before he could hurt her but he was vicious.
At this point we decided not to go ahead, if they had been a similar size or if the smaller of the pair had been the dominant then we might have considered trying a very long bond but it's just too risky. She is just over 1kg and he is over 7kg and my head is saying that the size difference is only going to work if he is the submissive bun in a pair/trio.
Took rhubarb home and she was none the worse for it, her owners are going to look for a new husbun for her as she is clearly eager to bond.
I'm taking earnest back for another meeting with the sisters as even though there is a size difference, the submissive sister was still dominant over our big guy. Don't get me wrong I'm not eager to try bonding a trio but I'm not sure I can ignore how well they reacted to each other on their first meeting. Earnest was smitten with both sisters, the only issue was the sisters squabbling with each other but I can sort that out.
 
I'm sorry it didn't work out with rhubarb, to be honest if the sisters are squabbling then I wouldn't attempt a trio, it may break the girls bond and you could end up with a pair and a single or worse still 3 singles. I imagine there must be a suitable single bunny available in a rescue somewhere nearby.
 
That was my main concern. At the moment the sisters are like one rabbit, absolutely identical and moving in tandem lol. I'd be devastated to ruin that for them. I'd like to see how a second meeting goes before ruling them out though. The first 10mins of the first meeting the three of them cuddled together and then ate together - earnest was in the puppy crate that we used to transport him and the sisters just sort of ran in and snuggled with him. The squabbling started when they all left the crate together and had the run of the corridor. There was nothing vicious about it though and there wasn't really a proper fight.
It was really a rabbit led meeting, we didn't have time to introduce them because they just went to each other before we could stop them. There was definitely an instant 3 way attraction. Shelter says the sisters were back to snuggling as soon as we left so they are happy for a 2nd meeting.
 
Zoobec said:
I imagine there must be a suitable single bunny available in a rescue somewhere nearby.
Click to expand...

Our nearest rescue is almost 20 Miles away and we can't really travel much further, they are full at the moment and the only females are the bonded sisters. If he continues to eat then we have time to wait for a single female to come in and go on more bunny dates but if he goes off his food again there is an urgency we are not sure how to get past.
 
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