Netherland Dwarf Lone Female

[Lucky&Elizabeth]

I have a Netherland Dwarf female bunny I got as a baby. She was supposed to be bonded to my New Zealand rabbit who is also a female, but I do not know how to bond them.

When I put them together, they fight and bite each other so I have to keep them separate.

I got them both spayed, but even after that, they still fight and it has been months since their spay surgeries.

Right now, my Nethy dislikes everyone. She only wants you to feed her and walk away. She runs from being pet and I feel bad about chasing her around her enclosure because that stresses her out. I can't let her have exercise time outside her enclosure because she will not voluntarily go back into her enclosure. I, instead have to chase her, which makes things much worse. So she is not allowed outside her enclosure after that.

I put her on me and cuddle her on the couch after she freaks out about me picking her up and bites me when I won't let her off the couch. During cuddling though, I do see she may enjoy being petted but everything else is so traumatizing for her.

My other bunny gets to run around and is friendly and my cats hang out with her, lick her and nap inside her enclosure with her while my Nethy has no friends and is in her enclosure 24/7 and I just feel so bad. She doesn't seem to show any signs of loneliness and when I'm not around, I see her through the window or on our camera she flops on the ground or is playing in her hay box. She seems fine, but I'm not sure. Her enclosure is 134cm x 68cm or 53in x 26in.

 

[Mervinius]

I have a Netherland Dwarf female bunny I got as a baby. She was supposed to be bonded to my New Zealand rabbit who is also a female, but I do not know how to bond them.

When I put them together, they fight and bite each other so I have to keep them separate.

I got them both spayed, but even after that, they still fight and it has been months since their spay surgeries.

Right now, my Nethy dislikes everyone. She only wants you to feed her and walk away. She runs from being pet and I feel bad about chasing her around her enclosure because that stresses her out. I can't let her have exercise time outside her enclosure because she will not voluntarily go back into her enclosure. I, instead have to chase her, which makes things much worse. So she is not allowed outside her enclosure after that.

I put her on me and cuddle her on the couch after she freaks out about me picking her up and bites me when I won't let her off the couch. During cuddling though, I do see she may enjoy being petted but everything else is so traumatizing for her.

My other bunny gets to run around and is friendly and my cats hang out with her, lick her and nap inside her enclosure with her while my Nethy has no friends and is in her enclosure 24/7 and I just feel so bad. She doesn't seem to show any signs of loneliness and when I'm not around, I see her through the window or on our camera she flops on the ground or is playing in her hay box. She seems fine, but I'm not sure. Her enclosure is 134cm x 68cm or 53in x 26in.

Hi,

Do you mean you Nethie only has 134cm by 68cm permanently? That's a very small space even for a Nethie, they need much bigger area, RWAF suggests a space 3m x 2m. This gives them room to run, hop and generally be bunnies.

In terms of loneliness, sorry that the bunnies didnt get on, sometimes they just aren't compatible. Are you able to provide the space above and think about getting a companion for them? I own two nethies myself and they are 100% not cuddle buns! They are happy to jump on me for treats and sniff me, but they don't really like being touched. Nethies are often described as skittish. They are teeny buns, with big personalities.

 

[Orenoko]

Some bunnies do prefer less human contact which may explain why your Nethie is a bit more independent.

Part of the problem with the bonding may be that your other rabbit views the rest of the house as her territory and it will smell of her, which may make bonding more difficult.

You could either try a professional bonder who can use a neutral space, or consider rearranging your space so that your Nethie can have more space. The space you have isn't ideal, especially if she can never get out for exercise. Ironically this may be contributing to some of her grumpiness. Can she have the run of a whole room instead? She really needs more space or worst case scenario you may need to reconsider rehoming if there is no chance at bonding and no chance of giving your Nethie more space.

 

[Lucky&Elizabeth]

Hi,

Do you mean you Nethie only has 134cm by 68cm permanently? That's a very small space even for a Nethie, they need much bigger area, RWAF suggests a space 3m x 2m. This gives them room to run, hop and generally be bunnies.

In terms of loneliness, sorry that the bunnies didnt get on, sometimes they just aren't compatible. Are you able to provide the space above and think about getting a companion for them? I own two nethies myself and they are 100% not cuddle buns! They are happy to jump on me for treats and sniff me, but they don't really like being touched. Nethies are often described as skittish. They are teeny buns, with big personalities.

I don't know about getting a companion. I'm worried I might get another rabbit that neither of my buns like and then I have three buns that don't get along.

Yes, I can definitely make her space larger.

 

[Lucky&Elizabeth]

Some bunnies do prefer less human contact which may explain why your Nethie is a bit more independent.

Part of the problem with the bonding may be that your other rabbit views the rest of the house as her territory and it will smell of her, which may make bonding more difficult.

You could either try a professional bonder who can use a neutral space, or consider rearranging your space so that your Nethie can have more space. The space you have isn't ideal, especially if she can never get out for exercise. Ironically this may be contributing to some of her grumpiness. Can she have the run of a whole room instead? She really needs more space or worst case scenario you may need to reconsider rehoming if there is no chance at bonding and no chance of giving your Nethie more space.

I do think my other rabbit views the space as hers. They are in one very large room and my New Zealand has an enclosure that is 3 times bigger than Elizabeth's (my Nethie) and gets to run around outside the enclosure during her evening exercise sessions.

But Elizabeth also thinks her enclosure is hers because every time Lucky (my New Zealand) gets close to it, Elizabeth runs to protect her borders and tries to bite Lucky through the enclosure bars.

I will get her a larger enclosure. If she is to be alone, she might as well be alone comfortably.

 

[Omi]

I agree with others, the situation doesn't sound ideal. It's a shame that you got a female, rather than a male, bunny to bond with Lucky, as two females are usually the most difficult combination to achieve a successful rabbit bond. This is mostly because they are so territorial. Attempting such a bond needs to be done carefully and usually in a completely neutral space, well away from their usual territories. I would imagine that your chances of a successful meeting between the two bunnies in the room that they currently share would be largely nil. They are behaving perfectly normally.

If you have a local rabbit rescue, they might be willing to try to bond the two bunnies in return for a small donation. Care would still be needed when you brought them home to ensure that you didn't upset a newly-formed bond.

I agree that Elizabeth needs more space and she also needs time outside of her enclosure. It might not be ideal for you, but if they are not to be bonded, it might be less stressful for both of them for each to live in separate rooms. But being bonded would be preferable. I have always trained my bunnies to go back inside somewhere with the use of food. Maybe this would work with Elizabeth.

 

[Lucky&Elizabeth]

 

[bunny momma]

Elizabeth is very cute as is Lucky. I had several nethies over the years, though I currently only have one Male nethie named Peter. Mine could be territorial, though most of mine allowed me to pick them up as long as I supported their feet and belly with my arm.
They always get a few pellets or other treat along with a fee gentle pets before I attempt yo get cuddles.

 

[Shimmer]

I think there are a lot of things going on here.
Elizabeth is new to you. She doesn't seem to be that settled. She needs more space (as has already been mentioned) - small rabbits are a lot livelier than bigger ones, in my experience. She isn't getting on with the other rabbit, so will be stressed by her presence. You also mentioned cats - another source of stress as they are predators and she is a small prey animal (even if your other rabbit is OK with the cats). Chasing her around in her only 'safe' space is also stressful - so I would suggest enlarging her space, making it cat proof, and just spend some time sitting in there with her. Watch TV, read a book, or whatever - but just ignore her and let her get used to you. Don't force any interaction or try to pick her up. Some pellets may be useful as a bribe if she gets closer of her own accord. Build up her trust on her own terms and she will be easier to handle over time.