Feeling a little guilty

[RexyRex]

Hi all,

I adopted another bunny on Sunday, this makes 3. Bottom line is, my bonded pair HATE the fact that another bunny is in my house. They started nipping at each other, something that they have never done before, only from catching the scent from another bun! That has thankfully calmed down, I was getting very nervous there for a minute. I've not introduced them or anything, I want to make sure that the new bun settles in, which may take a while because he is very skittish around bunnies now. My ultimate goal is to have 3 bunnies that can have the same play time and enjoy each other's company. I see so many of you have sucessful trios and would like some of your advice....please:happybunny:

Also, I'm having some feelings of guilt from getting another bun, like I should not have disrupted the harmony of my other 2. I'm not giving the new bun back or anything like that, he's the sweetest bunny and loves attention from humans. He'll chill out on the couch with my while watching TV, my other 2 have never done that! Have any of you ever had guilty feelings when you've adopted another animal?

 

[mouse_chalk]

RexyRex wrote:

Have any of you ever had guilty feelings when you've adopted another animal?

Ohhhhh yes! I was feeling so, so guilty when we got Barney and Snowy, that it was the wrong thing to do by Mouse and Chalk, because they seemed a little disrupted with it. But then I also knew that adopting Barney and Snowy was totally the right thing to do, to give them a happy life.

Mouse and Chalk chased each other and nipped each other a bit when they went near Barney and Snowy at first, but that calmed down after a few days? And was ony every now and then, when they got too close to them... Now, all 4 bunnies are pretty much bonded and live together in a giant cage, so it can be done! Is the new bunny in the same room as the other 2 or separate?

I'm certainly no expert on bonding but what I did was have playtimes with a divider down the middle of the room, to prevent them getting to each other when they were still angry about each other. Then eventually I took the divider down so they could sniff each other through the cages when each pair was out to play. Eventually though they just started hopping over the divider and into each other's cages! I did a few bonding sessions, upstairs on my bed, which was neutral territory, and then they were fine playing with each other from then on. All in all it's taken 6 months to be where we are now, where they're at the stage of living together, but it varies with different bunnies. Yours might take longer to bond, or they might bond quicker....

Just make sure to try and introduce them carefully on neutral territory, somewhere like the bathroom, a bedroom etc!

Edit: Also, I just wanted to say, don't feel guilty! Your existing bunnies might be a bit upset at the moment, but they should calm down soon enough and get over it... AND we NEED to see pictures of the new guy! :biggrin2:

 

[Spring]

Ahh, they'll get over it, not to worry!

My bonded guys used to have little disagreements when Pebbles (my single girl) would come up to their cage during play time, but they got used to the scent of another bunny pretty quickly, they'll adjust too!

I lucked out majorly with my trio - bonded in less than a week from first formal introduction to living together. They have been in the same pen for probably a week or so with no problems, so got lucky there! For my trio I have a bonded pair that love each other dearly - one who is dominant and the other who is a sweet girl with most rabbits. For the addition, I think it worked out so well because she was so submissive and allowed mounting and was the one who started all the cuddling - which my other two LOVED since they are huge cuddlers with other rabbits. So I now have a trio that get along great - one big boy and two sweet girls .

 

[BEAUKEZRA]

My cat always has a looklike I've betrayed herwhen she see's me with the bunnies. My poor kitty .

 

[ilovetoeatchocolate]

Awww! Don't feel guilty Rex! You gave a new bunny a home that probably needed it. It is pretty natural for an animal to get their nose out of joint.

I have been reading a lot on this forum and from other places about bonding rabbits and it has given me new hope. Some of the stories made me feel like even the most impossible can happen, you just have to be prepared for the time that it might take. Also I would get another person's help incase you need help spraying with water. Take it slow and be patient is the key, or that is what I am getting from the things I am reading.

The main thing is that you are prepared to keep the other rabbit if it doesn't work out and you said that you would in your post. So if it doesn't work out then you may have to keep him in a seperat cage. That wouldn't be too bad? Maybe they could stay in the same room but different cages.

 

[RexyRex]

I'm glad that I'm not the only one that felt guilty over getting another bun. My problem is going to be Alaska, she HATES Max. She's very aggressive to him, even through the NIC barrier. Sad thing is that Max is really interested in them! Funny (but painful) story, last night I let Max out in the living room for some exercise so I spent some time cuddling with him and petting him. After that I went upstairs, washed my hands and sat down with Alaska and Gixxer to give them some attention. Immediately Alaska starts grunting and headbutting my t-shirt, before I could get up she BIT me on the boob! OUCH! Lesson learned: change your t-shirt if it smells like Max before spending time with Alaska!

I may try to see if they can at least be friends, but I've not decided yet. I don't want to stress Max or Alaska out too much, Gixxer doesn't care as long as Max stays out of his and Alaska's area. Either way, he has his forever home with me!