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New friends for Tethra

Jack's-Jane said:
Bless him. Does the Rescue have any single easy going Rabbits available ? I would not rule out a Buck as IME (for what it's worth) Buck/Buck bonds can be easier than Doe/Buck bonds even if the Bucks are unrelated and have previously been bonded with a Doe. IME (again) with Buck/Buck bonds it depends very much on the Buck's character more than their gender. The same can seldom be said for Doe/Doe bonds though !!

All that aside for now though, today may go better for you all xx
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The rescue considered that these four are easy going, so I'm not sure :) I don't think that they recovered fully from their journey (90mins) and so it could be that I should have left them longer before putting Tethra with them. However, they were settled yesterday morning, as they are now beside me in their pen in the kitchen. Just suddenly out of nowhere it all kicks off though. Perhaps I'm just not used to this, but yesterday's aggression was far worse than anything I've seen on the bonding videos :( Additionally, Tethra didn't appear to want to be friendly to the rabbits who were friendly towards him yesterday, but maybe he was just too scared.
 
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I feel for your Omi, I was really hoping the bunnies would make things easier for you. It must be pretty overwhelming for Tethra, I'm not suprised he hasn't chilled yet, its very early on. I'd give the top bun a nicer name than the aggressive rabbit though, it might help.
 
Omi said:
The rescue considered that these four are easy going, so I'm not sure :) I don't think that they recovered fully from their journey (90mins) and so it could be that I should have left them longer before putting Tethra with them. However, they were settled yesterday morning, as they are now beside me in their pen in the kitchen. Just suddenly out of nowhere it all kicks off though. Perhaps I'm just not used to this, but yesterday's aggression was far worse than anything I've seen on the bonding videos :( Additionally, Tethra didn't appear to want to be friendly to the rabbits who were friendly towards him yesterday, but maybe he was just too scared.
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Wishing you good bonding vibes for today, Omi.

It's really difficult to witness all of this, and I always think the stress of the owner/s can contribute to the atmosphere. I maintain a 'zen' like calm when war breaks out (in bonding and in life!) and it can help to defuse.

Good luck xx
 
Jack's-Jane said:
I expect that you have already seen this link, but just incase you haven't

http://www.rabbitresidence.org.uk/bonding-groups.html
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Thanks, Jane, it's actually one I hadn't read.

J&B - I can't think that it would make much difference to give him a different name :) They haven't actually got "proper" names yet from here or the rescue.

MM - I consider that I was very calm, both inside and out, each time it happened. My feelings overall were of sadness for Tethra and wondering whether it was fair to put him through it, especially when he hadn't displayed any signs of wanting friends.

Tethra is still alone in the shed this morning. I needed a break today as I hardly slept last night thinking about the situation. I know it's early days, but I have no confidence that time will improve things and importantly whether they could ever be trusted alone in the future. We have spent the morning discussing options, including splitting the accommodation outside. No firm decisions yet.

These particular rabbits were chosen because they seemed to be very relaxed, which even by themselves they are not.
 
Omi said:
Thanks, Jane, it's actually one I hadn't read.

J&B - I can't think that it would make much difference to give him a different name :) They haven't actually got "proper" names yet from here or the rescue.

MM - I consider that I was very calm, both inside and out, each time it happened. My feelings overall were of sadness for Tethra and wondering whether it was fair to put him through it, especially when he hadn't displayed any signs of wanting friends.

Tethra is still alone in the shed this morning. I needed a break today as I hardly slept last night thinking about the situation. I know it's early days, but I have no confidence that time will improve things and importantly whether they could ever be trusted alone in the future. We have spent the morning discussing options, including splitting the accommodation outside. No firm decisions yet.

These particular rabbits were chosen because they seemed to be very relaxed, which even by themselves they are not.
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I can imagine that it is all very stressful for you as I know how much you want to do right by Tethra and by the Quad too. As I said before, you are braver than me as I would not even dare try the combo you have.

Is Tethra eating OK now ?
 
Jack's-Jane said:
I can imagine that it is all very stressful for you as I know how much you want to do right by Tethra and by the Quad too. As I said before, you are braver than me as I would not even dare try the combo you have.

Is Tethra eating OK now ?
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Yes, he's fine today thanks :D He's had a double ration of kale to make him feel cherished and he has been binkying up and down the long run :love:
 
Jack's-Jane said:
Awwwww, I have a soft spot for Mr Tethra Rex :love:
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Me too :love:

OH found a very tiny nick by the base of Tethra's ear last night. It's like a tiny skin flap. I'm going to examine it again soon, what should I be looking for? If it was on me I wouldn't expect it to need treatment, so is it OK to just keep an eye on it?

On the subject of ears, I've seen the dominant male twice pick at the inside of his R ear and then eat whatever he's got on his paw :shock: I've never seen this before. Is this a rabbity habit or indicative of an ear infection. He seems perfectly well in all other regards.
 
Omi said:
Thanks, Jane, it's actually one I hadn't read.

J&B - I can't think that it would make much difference to give him a different name :) They haven't actually got "proper" names yet from here or the rescue.

MM - I consider that I was very calm, both inside and out, each time it happened. My feelings overall were of sadness for Tethra and wondering whether it was fair to put him through it, especially when he hadn't displayed any signs of wanting friends.

Tethra is still alone in the shed this morning. I needed a break today as I hardly slept last night thinking about the situation. I know it's early days, but I have no confidence that time will improve things and importantly whether they could ever be trusted alone in the future. We have spent the morning discussing options, including splitting the accommodation outside. No firm decisions yet.

These particular rabbits were chosen because they seemed to be very relaxed, which even by themselves they are not.
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Sorry for my suggestion, you are therefore an exceptional rabbit bonder! Most first time bonders can't help but get stressed :)
 
MightyMax said:
Sorry for my suggestion, you are therefore an exceptional rabbit bonder! Most first time bonders can't help but get stressed :)
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And I wasn't attempting to brag about it, but I surprised myself that the fighting didn't stress me. I think I've been watching so many bonding videos, so knew what it looked like :lol:
 
Omi said:
Me too :love:

OH found a very tiny nick by the base of Tethra's ear last night. It's like a tiny skin flap. I'm going to examine it again soon, what should I be looking for? If it was on me I wouldn't expect it to need treatment, so is it OK to just keep an eye on it?

On the subject of ears, I've seen the dominant male twice pick at the inside of his R ear and then eat whatever he's got on his paw :shock: I've never seen this before. Is this a rabbity habit or indicative of an ear infection. He seems perfectly well in all other regards.
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With regards to the injury, if it is a superficial tear then personally I'd just keep an eye on it to make sure it does not start to look 'angry' . But if it is a puncture wound IMO it would require treatment. Puncture wounds are the type of injury that frequently lead to abscesses.

Re the odd behaviour of the Rabbit who seemed to remove 'something' from Tethra's ear, it's hard to say for certain what all that may be about. Rabbits may show excessive interest in the ear of a Rabbit who has an ear infection. But that is certainly not always the case. I would have a good look in Tethra's ears and have a sniff of them too.
 
Jack's-Jane said:
With regards to the injury, if it is a superficial tear then personally I'd just keep an eye on it to make sure it does not start to look 'angry' . But if it is a puncture wound IMO it would require treatment. Puncture wounds are the type of injury that frequently lead to abscesses.

Re the odd behaviour of the Rabbit who seemed to remove 'something' from Tethra's ear, it's hard to say for certain what all that may be about. Rabbits may show excessive interest in the ear of a Rabbit who has an ear infection. But that is certainly not always the case. I would have a good look in Tethra's ears and have a sniff of them too.
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No, sorry :oops:, I meant that the dominant rabbit picked at and took something out of his own ear :shock: I was just imagining trying to medicate him :shock: And I don't think I'll put my nose anywhere close to his mouth :lol:
 
Omi said:
No, sorry :oops:, I meant that the dominant rabbit picked at and took something out of his own ear :shock: I was just imagining trying to medicate him :shock: And I don't think I'll put my nose anywhere close to his mouth :lol:
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Yes I thought you meant that :lol: It's perfectly natural :thumb:

They clean their ears in this way.
 
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MightyMax said:
Yes I thought you meant that :lol: It's perfectly natural :thumb:

They clean their ears in this way.
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Yes, I knew that, but I've never seen any of my rabbits actually find anything to eat :) Anyway, it's good that I probably haven't got the added complication of an ear infection then!
 
Omi said:
No, sorry :oops:, I meant that the dominant rabbit picked at and took something out of his own ear :shock: I was just imagining trying to medicate him :shock: And I don't think I'll put my nose anywhere close to his mouth :lol:
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Oh sorry, I had visions of Sir Dominant Dutchy routing around in Tethra's ear !! :lol:
 
Omi, I am sorry to read the bonding isn't going as smoothly as we all hoped it would.
It sounds like you're doing the right things and as JJ said; if its a small wound just give it a little clean and monitor. If it appears to be a type of puncture wound I would have it checked out.

As MM said - its just ear cleaning and doesn't mean there is an infection there. Just monitor the behaviour and ensure the cleaning doesn't become obsessive.

Obviously, if you need anything at all I'm just a message away. Happy to help in any way possible.
 
daphnephoebe said:
Omi, I am sorry to read the bonding isn't going as smoothly as we all hoped it would.
It sounds like you're doing the right things and as JJ said; if its a small wound just give it a little clean and monitor. If it appears to be a type of puncture wound I would have it checked out.

As MM said - its just ear cleaning and doesn't mean there is an infection there. Just monitor the behaviour and ensure the cleaning doesn't become obsessive.

Obviously, if you need anything at all I'm just a message away. Happy to help in any way possible.[/QUOTE]

Thanks, dp :love:
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