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Slow Bonding Method - Advice Please

HE'S HERE!!!

He's precious :love:

Apparently he was in a terrible state, both emotionally and physically, when the RSPCA first got him. But the RSPCA have done a lot for him, got him UTD on vaccinations, neutered, teeth sorted, tear ducts flushed. And his foster mum obviously did a great job caring for him and starting his recovery towards being a happy, healthy boy.

It's kind of heart breaking to see the damage his previous owner has caused him. I understand that he was a house bunny (lived in a flat) who got massively neglected once the owner had a baby. She put him in a very small bunny crate and honestly, it looks that he just got kind of left there. Judging by how thin he still feels, even after three months in foster care, I wouldn't mind betting that she didn't even bother to feed him some days :cry: The lady at the RSPCA told me that when they collected him, his crate was empty of any bedding or enrichment and the water bottle was dripping on the floor, so Muffy was soaking wet. There wasn't even any newspaper down :(

Apparently a friend of the previous owners just couldn't bear to see him being so badly cared for so she informed the RSPCA, that's how they got to know about him and got the opportunity to get the previous owner to sign him over to them. No idea what happened to that friendship after that, but hats off to the friend for doing the right thing for Muffy.

He doesn't seem to lift his head up properly, he's sort of hunched and looking down all the time, and I'm guessing that'll be because the crate was just so damn small :( Poor baby.

Anyhoo, he's got lots of space now and he's going to get sooooooooooooooo much love and TLC he won't know what to do with it all :D

With regards to the slow bonding. I think so far, so good. For anyone who hasn't read above, the two buns are living side by side in two rooms indoors, with a gate between the two rooms, so the bunnies can see each other and get used to each other without any chance of any scuffles or fighting.

Muffy seems completely oblivious of Caramel (the RSPCA think that he's never lived with a bunny before) and Caramel seems aware, very slightly inquisitive, but not much, and mostly just not bothered and kind of ignoring him. There hasn't been any aggression between them through the gate. So I'm hoping that those are good signs?

We have a vet appointment for Muffy on Friday as I would like to discuss his eye problems - he has a blocked tear duct still - and also how to best, and safely, get his weight up. I'm going with little and often at the moment and he goes absolutely crazy for his food! He gives me the impression that he was deprived of food previously because one of our rescue dogs was just the same, she'd been a stray before being picked up by rescue, so she'd definitely been in the position of never knowing when or where her next meal would come from. It was only after six months of being with us that she finally felt secure in the knowledge that she would never go hungry again- instead of gulping down one of her treats like she normally did, she went out in the garden and was tossing the biscuit about and playing with it. It made me cry when I saw her doing that :love:

I'll get some photos of our precious little boy uploaded soon :)



Natalie, I have just caught up with your thread and read this :(

Having fostered so many very neglected bunnies for Rescue Centres, my heart breaks for him.

I hope he can lift his head up high and enjoy a new life and fresh start with you and Caramel and all the love in the world :love:
 
Natalie, I have just caught up with your thread and read this :(

Having fostered so many very neglected bunnies for Rescue Centres, my heart breaks for him.

I hope he can lift his head up high and enjoy a new life and fresh start with you and Caramel and all the love in the world :love:

Thanks. I do love to just sit with him and stroke him and fuss him. He's so sweet. I'm not sure about his vision, I'm wondering whether there may be more wrong with his eyes then just a blocked tear duct. When I walk into his room with his pellets I think he is not so much excited as completely frantic :( and rather than looking for the bowl where I put the pellets, he seems to sniff the food out, I can hear him sniffing like our doggies do when they are on the scent of something. And I've seen him bump into things occasionally. :(

I can see I'm going to have a LOT of questions for our vet when we take Muffy to see her on Friday.

But considering all he's been through I think he's doing reasonably well. He's had a good look around everywhere and been investigative, which I see as a good sign :)

You're very brave doing fostering, I wish I could, but it's the giving them up bit that I just don't think I could cope with :?
 
Thanks. I do love to just sit with him and stroke him and fuss him. He's so sweet. I'm not sure about his vision, I'm wondering whether there may be more wrong with his eyes then just a blocked tear duct. When I walk into his room with his pellets I think he is not so much excited as completely frantic :( and rather than looking for the bowl where I put the pellets, he seems to sniff the food out, I can hear him sniffing like our doggies do when they are on the scent of something. And I've seen him bump into things occasionally. :(

I can see I'm going to have a LOT of questions for our vet when we take Muffy to see her on Friday.

But considering all he's been through I think he's doing reasonably well. He's had a good look around everywhere and been investigative, which I see as a good sign :)

You're very brave doing fostering, I wish I could, but it's the giving them up bit that I just don't think I could cope with :?


I love meeting new faces, making them well and happy again, and sending them on their way :D
 
The latest news :)


Firstly, and most importantly, we decided an elevation in social status was long overdue for our precious little Muffy, so we have renamed him ... Mr Muffles of Shropshire ... or Mr Muffles to his friends :lol:

Secondly, OMG! OMG! OMG! Check this out ... this is how I found Caramel and Mr Muffles snoozing this afternoon! Caramel chose to sleep right near the gate. Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww :love: Mr Muffles still a bit oblivious :lol: but hey, it's a start :D

p2782213275-4.jpg



and Thirdly, clearly Mr Muffles, bless him, has a lot to learn :? faced with the whole 'hay feeder next to litter' tray scenario, instead of sitting IN the litter tray and feeding FROM the hay feeder, he chose to sit IN the hay feeder and feed FROM the litter tray - it didn't go so well :roll:

p2782213278-4.jpg



But all in all our little chap is doing okay. He's eating, grooming, moving about and he even picked up a toy today and gave it a sort of mini toss, really getting into rabbit mode! Not to mention that he especially enjoys snuggles accompanied by the obligatory ear and forehead rubs :love:

LOVE HIM :love:
 
brilliant update. So sweet to see little Caramel lying so close. With Mr Muffles coming from rescue he'll be more used t rabbits in the vicinity which maybe is why he seems less interested
 
brilliant update. So sweet to see little Caramel lying so close. With Mr Muffles coming from rescue he'll be more used t rabbits in the vicinity which maybe is why he seems less interested

Unfortunately up until now, Mr Muffles spent his whole life on his own, and then when he was with the RSPCA, he was, understandably, fostered on his own, so he isn’t used to other rabbits at all :(
 
What a lovely update. I can just imagine Mr Muffles and Caramel cuddling up together! :love::love:

I have no idea when to try putting them together, don’t want to do it too soon, but don’t want to leave it too long either. It’s so hard to know when the ideal time is. Mr Muffles really doesn’t know anything about rabbit companionship so it’s difficult to predict what he’ll make of it.
 
Unfortunately up until now, Mr Muffles spent his whole life on his own, and then when he was with the RSPCA, he was, understandably, fostered on his own, so he isn’t used to other rabbits at all :(

Oh bless, imagine never having had contact with your own species. doh - I forgot the RSPCA sometimes foster. He is one lucky bunny now though & thats what counts
 
Lovely update ❤️❤️❤️

It'll be interesting to see what happens when you start bonding. I wonder if Muffles will instinctively know bunny etiquette or whether he'll be completely clueless!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
It would be good to get your vets opinion on when to start bonding when he has his health check. If his eye is nothing needing treatment that will be fab as once bonded Caramel will help him keep it clean :love: If he is proclaimed healthy enough it might be wise to try before spring fever is in full force.

I adore their space, they have so much enrichment. Which room will they have when together?
 
It would be good to get your vets opinion on when to start bonding when he has his health check. If his eye is nothing needing treatment that will be fab as once bonded Caramel will help him keep it clean :love: If he is proclaimed healthy enough it might be wise to try before spring fever is in full force.

I adore their space, they have so much enrichment. Which room will they have when together?

They'll have both the rooms. Previously Caramel had her room, the bigger room (which doubles as a spare bedroom), and the small room I used for storage. But now we've got it set up as extra bunny space, might as well keep using it for them :) The people we bought the house from had only just converted the loft, it was going to be their main bedroom with the little room being an en suite. But they sold the house before the en suite stuff was installed so, for selling purposes, they just carpeted and painted the little room the same as the main room. Which all worked out perfectly in the end lol, when we bought the house we had no idea we'd be turning the loft conversion into a Bunny Suite lol
 
The latest news :)


Firstly, and most importantly, we decided an elevation in social status was long overdue for our precious little Muffy, so we have renamed him ... Mr Muffles of Shropshire ... or Mr Muffles to his friends :lol:

Secondly, OMG! OMG! OMG! Check this out ... this is how I found Caramel and Mr Muffles snoozing this afternoon! Caramel chose to sleep right near the gate. Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww :love: Mr Muffles still a bit oblivious :lol: but hey, it's a start :D

p2782213275-4.jpg



and Thirdly, clearly Mr Muffles, bless him, has a lot to learn :? faced with the whole 'hay feeder next to litter' tray scenario, instead of sitting IN the litter tray and feeding FROM the hay feeder, he chose to sit IN the hay feeder and feed FROM the litter tray - it didn't go so well :roll:

p2782213278-4.jpg



But all in all our little chap is doing okay. He's eating, grooming, moving about and he even picked up a toy today and gave it a sort of mini toss, really getting into rabbit mode! Not to mention that he especially enjoys snuggles accompanied by the obligatory ear and forehead rubs :love:

LOVE HIM :love:


Natalie, this is so heart-warming xxx
 
awwww such an amazing thread and so pleased you have Mr Muffles for the lovely camarel!! :love:

When I brought home bella, she went in a spare bedroom and Bailey was free range, they had a panel between them. Similar to your bunnies, Bailey and bella would quite often sit by the panel where they we're close to each other, over time they'd lie next to each other and even try grooming through the bars. But due to Bailey being free range it was bit a nightmare to find a room he hadn't been in so we just let them meet each other and luckily were absolutey fine, bit of sniffing bums and then ignoring each other. We did this for regular dates over 3 days and after we took the plunge and left them together. They we're great and we haven't looked back since!

So pleased for you all and look forward to the updates on Mr muffles bless him. Such a gorgeous bunny, and love that even after everything he's been through he enjoys a good head rub! He's certainly landed on his feet with you xxx
 
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I somehow missed that cute pic of him yesterday sitting in the hay rack and eating from the litter tray :lol: I'm sure that Caramel will soon teach him the dos and don't of rabbit etiquette. It looks to be going so well for them both. I can imagine you must be over the moon.
 
:love:
awwww such an amazing thread and so pleased you have Mr Muffles for the lovely camarel!! :love:

When I brought home bella, she went in a spare bedroom and Bailey was free range, they had a panel between them. Similar to your bunnies, Bailey and bella would quite often sit by the panel where they we're close to each other, over time they'd lie next to each other and even try grooming through the bars. But due to Bailey being free range it was bit a nightmare to find a room he hadn't been in so we just let them meet each other and luckily were absolutey fine, bit of sniffing bums and then ignoring each other. We did this for regular dates over 3 days and after we took the plunge and left them together. They we're great and we haven't looked back since!

So pleased for you all and look forward to the updates on Mr muffles bless him. Such a gorgeous bunny, and love that even after everything he's been through he enjoys a good head rub! He's certainly landed on his feet with you xxx

Ah good to hear a success story. Thank you 😊 Bella and Bailey sound like the perfect couple :love:
 
I somehow missed that cute pic of him yesterday sitting in the hay rack and eating from the litter tray :lol: I'm sure that Caramel will soon teach him the dos and don't of rabbit etiquette. It looks to be going so well for them both. I can imagine you must be over the moon.

I am. And I’m getting the vibe that they’d like to be together - or that could just be my wishful thinking - but there’s no antagonism through the gate and Caramel desperately tries to get into Mr Muffles’ room when I’ve got the gate open to go through myself, so we’ll discuss the situation with the vet tomorrow and may try our first together session this week-end!
 
I am. And I’m getting the vibe that they’d like to be together - or that could just be my wishful thinking - but there’s no antagonism through the gate and Caramel desperately tries to get into Mr Muffles’ room when I’ve got the gate open to go through myself, so we’ll discuss the situation with the vet tomorrow and may try our first together session this week-end!

vibes are good (we have to rely on them a lot as bunny owners) & I think more so in bonding than anything else. I like to think its positive rather than wishful thinking
 
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