Me and Bunny-Bonding

[Holland Lops1247]

Long story short. I had the sweetest rabbit in the world and she got put down today because of health issues. To help stop the grieving, I got another rabbit from the same lady. (The sibling of the one who passed away) s/he isn't as sweet as Angel.
Angel looooved getting carried around and getting her belly rubbed. :biggrin:
New bunny isn't like that. But getting to the point, I don't feel the same as I did with Angel. Like "Oh she's adorable!" and "I'm gonna bring her everywhere!" like I was with Angel. But my question is,
Do you have any suggestions on bonding with my bunny?


Thanks Bunches:thanks:

 

[agnesthelion]

Aww, I'm SO sorry for the loss of your Angel. It is not easy to lose a friend and they are never here long enough.

Am I understanding correctly that you lost your Angel and got a new bun all in the same day?

Everyone grieves differently. Maybe getting a new bun right away will work for you. But also understand that your heart may need some time to heal so don't "take that out" on your new bun if that is the case.

That being said, if that's not the case (of your heart needing more time to heal) then just realize that all buns are different and nobunny will be just like your Angel. It takes time and patience to bond. I like the ignore method. Just sit and let bunny come up to you and don't rush things.

But even if new bunny starts to bond with you, if you are not ready for a new love then you might always compare new bunny to angel and not ever completely bond. There is no right or wrong answer to how long it will take. It's only something you can decide. But when you do decide you are ready, I'm sure a new bunny will give you much happiness

Again, so sorry for your loss. Best to you.

 

[cwolfec]

I'm sorry for the loss of your bun!! Ugh, I can't imagine how hard that must have been to make the decision to put her down. I'm sure it was the right thing to do.

I think the only advice I have is to just remember this is a totally different bun, with different preferences, quirks, and a completely different personality. Just because he or she isn't as sweet as your Angel, doesn't mean he won't grow to be later. Most buns usually don't automatically "love" you (though it sounds like maybe you had an exception with Angel) and it takes some time to build trust and love, in both parties involved.

I'm sure it's frustrating not having that "click" right away, but just remember that this bun deserves a good and happy life too.

I think you should pick a name! Then it makes the little bun more personal.

Good luck with your new baby!

 

[Blue eyes]

I agree with the others. A new bunny is going to take some time to get used to everything new -- new home, new sights, new sounds, new smells, new human.

I also think it's really a good idea to leave a new bunny alone for the first 48 hours so she can get used to the new home. This is a stressful time for her too, and she needs some extra patience as well.

Once she has some time to settle in, then she can begin to see what kind of relationship she will build with you.

 

[Imbrium]

welcome to RO! I'm glad you took my advice from yahoo answers to come check out our community here

again, I'm very sorry that you lost your little bunny so early on in its life :tears2:

http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/articles/sexing.shtml is a handy site to learn how to tell the genders of your bunnies... though you may have some trouble telling them apart until they get a bit older. if you have a camera and can get someone to help you take pictures while you hold them in the right pose, you can post those here and get opinions from people experienced with sexing rabbits

as others have said, it may take a while to really build a bond with the new bunny. one of mine was rather standoffish at first but over the last two months, she's become the cuddlier of my two.

 

[MiniLopHop]

Welcome to RO, so sorry for your loss.

Earlier this year I lost my Cinderella. Houdini, her husbunny was at her side the whole time and helped her cross the bridge. He grieved so hard I was afraid I was going to lose him too, so we picked out a new wife the same weekend. It took me a while to bond with Sophie because I was a bit angry he was able to move on so quickly even though that is what was best.

It is very challenging to get to know her as an individual. Once she settled in I have found Sophie to be very sweet, just in a differnt way than Cinderella.

Hopefully with time you will be able to bond as strongly with your new bun even if it is different.

 

[Holland Lops1247]

It was yesterday when I got my new bunny. S/he has settled in quite nicely. Her brother/sister loves her/him. They do everything together. I'm still pretty sad about Angel but new bunny is acting pretty sweet now. I think s/he was just stressed the first day. I play with her often and so s/he's getting use to me.

And s/he's too young to know the sex of the rabbit. (Just 5 weeks. I know, young, but it was an emergency and I had to adopt two. (Angel was my first and then I was given the third when she passed.)
But anyways, I'm taking my rabbit to the vet to see if its boy or girl when it's 8 or 9 weeks old.

 

[MiniLopHop]

Oh yes, it will take a while for them to settle in and show you their true personality. Really until they go through puberty you won't know their final adult attitude, but enjoy the sweet baby stage.