MrB
Member
Hi,
I need some help
Sorry - this post is long
I was brought here to this forum through a tragic circumstance that still has me fuming (and crying!)
The question is below - you can skip the tragedy bit if you want...
The Tragedy
Two months ago we purchased 2 dwarf rabbits (both male). Despite one being fairly large (Charcoal) and the other small (Pixie) they were the best of friends for two months - with the larger of the two (Charcoal) being very docile and constantly licking and loving to be around his smaller buddy (Pixie). Pixie was very active from the instant we saw him in the shop and got him home, here there and everywhere. He had one speed, fast!
Now for the tragedy - and it pains me to write this but someone came onto our property in the dark of night, opened up the cage and broke the legs or back of our beloved Pixie. He was found in the morning by my children, dead with limbs facing in directions not natural and had further been chewed by I suspect a cat :-(
Charcoal was found huddled in a corner, too petrified to move. We thought he was ok but when he tried to hop he could only drag his back legs :-(
We took him to the vet who said he couldn't find a break but I could feel a distinct clicking. The vet gave Charcoal inflammatory meds and an antibiotic injection in case he had been bitten (he just assumed a fox!).
Charcoal has nearly recovered after two weeks but still at times will favor his good leg. I have taken him out the back and let him run as much as possible and the way he runs you would swear he's normal. I have even seen him do the leg kick/flick jump thing recently - he used to do this in the past come early dusk as an act of excitement and joy
Before you say fox or other such creature as the perpetrator of this hideous crime, the cover on the cage cannot be removed by an animal - the police looked into the matter and determined that this evil work was that of a human (if one can even call them that). Sadly, the police are not taking the matter further, despite us having a few leads - it seems they have other things to do
I have spent countless hours thinking of Pixies last moments and the terror that he must have suffered but alas, I can not dwell on that any longer due to the exhaustion that it brings - I am slowing moving on - reminded of the awfulness when I have to comfort my young daughter nearly every night as she cries for the loss of her first and very cherished pet that she waited patiently for 2 years to get
She wanted to replace Pixie straight away, as all small children want to do but I made her wait a couple of weeks as I informed her that no new pet can take the place of Pixie and that all the hurt she is feeling still needs to 'come out' and when that is done, only then will it be time to get another bunny to love
Thankfully the hurting moments are reducing in frequency and severity. I promised her that over time she will be able to remember him without the hurt and that is starting to happen too
Tonight she came and told me that she missed him. I sat her on my lap and told her so did I and that we will always miss him and we thanked God for having him in our lives even if it was only for such a short time. Tonight we got some photo's printed and put them in an album for her and she has left some room for her new rabbit that we purchased a week ago (two weeks after pixie died - mainly because I could see that Charcoal was deteriorating without a companion). His name is Dash - he's even more active than Pixie was
My daughter believes it was a fox or a dog but lately she has added person. Amazingly, all my kids hold no malice towards the fox as they understand it was just looking for food - if only adults could be so forgiving. I will not tell them it was a person - not for a few years at least.
Sorry to have rambled on - I never thought the death of a little rabbit would be so heartfelt by myself. I have read and read about rabbits grieving (ok - they don't grieve like we do but in their own way) and how social they are as animals. I have a new found admiration for rabbits and even though I did grow up on a farm years ago and dislike the devastation they do cause, I have grown rather found of these wonderful creatures - at least the domestic variety
The situation as it stand now
The new Rabbit (Dash) is very timid, although that is subsiding now
We have both Rabbits inside as I dissembled the old cage that was outside vowing never to use a cage again that a human could get into without due authorisation
Both Rabbits are in two separate areas sectioned off by a small fence that divides them - they are in our dining room of all things - my house is incredibly tiny
Charcoal has been coming up to the fence, licking Dash when he can. Both have been laying next to each other with the wire separating them
Trouble is, when they bring their noses together, Dash stands there, then can suddenly lunge at and attempt to bite Charcoal :-(
I caught him doing it once and I yelled - he took off into his box and didn't venture out for about 20 mins. I think I yelled too loud
Tonight I saw Charcoal come up to the fence and put his body next to it. Dash came up, stood there for a while then suddenly lunged through the fence and tried to bite the side of Charcoal - Charcoal just moved away out of reach then hopped slowly away. I yelled at the instant I saw Dash try this - Dash scampered away
This is counter to what I want to do. It is doing nothing to help Dash and his timidness which I fear may be driving him to lash out like this
Neither Rabbit is nutured and when I rang and asked the vet about it (as I read it helps rabbits come together easier) they said they will not do a rabbit under 6 months of age - these rabbits are nowhere near that age
Charcoal is very docile. I have not seen him lash out at Dash at all. Dash is the new-comer with a very timid nature. We are working hard on making him more relaxed. We are picking him up, patting him, just walking past him and showing him that he isn't always going to be 'caught' - in other words we are trying to get him relaxed around people. It seems to be slowly working because he now doesn't run to his box at the first sight of a human!
The Question / Help I need
How can we help these bunnies come together?
We thought being next to each other would give them time to get to know one another but Dash is starting to lunge at Charcoal and I want to stop that habit as it's just started to be observed
Any and all suggestions on how to get two male dwarf rabbits to bond together will be greatly appreciated
I need some help
Sorry - this post is long
I was brought here to this forum through a tragic circumstance that still has me fuming (and crying!)
The question is below - you can skip the tragedy bit if you want...
The Tragedy
Two months ago we purchased 2 dwarf rabbits (both male). Despite one being fairly large (Charcoal) and the other small (Pixie) they were the best of friends for two months - with the larger of the two (Charcoal) being very docile and constantly licking and loving to be around his smaller buddy (Pixie). Pixie was very active from the instant we saw him in the shop and got him home, here there and everywhere. He had one speed, fast!
Now for the tragedy - and it pains me to write this but someone came onto our property in the dark of night, opened up the cage and broke the legs or back of our beloved Pixie. He was found in the morning by my children, dead with limbs facing in directions not natural and had further been chewed by I suspect a cat :-(
Charcoal was found huddled in a corner, too petrified to move. We thought he was ok but when he tried to hop he could only drag his back legs :-(
We took him to the vet who said he couldn't find a break but I could feel a distinct clicking. The vet gave Charcoal inflammatory meds and an antibiotic injection in case he had been bitten (he just assumed a fox!).
Charcoal has nearly recovered after two weeks but still at times will favor his good leg. I have taken him out the back and let him run as much as possible and the way he runs you would swear he's normal. I have even seen him do the leg kick/flick jump thing recently - he used to do this in the past come early dusk as an act of excitement and joy
Before you say fox or other such creature as the perpetrator of this hideous crime, the cover on the cage cannot be removed by an animal - the police looked into the matter and determined that this evil work was that of a human (if one can even call them that). Sadly, the police are not taking the matter further, despite us having a few leads - it seems they have other things to do
I have spent countless hours thinking of Pixies last moments and the terror that he must have suffered but alas, I can not dwell on that any longer due to the exhaustion that it brings - I am slowing moving on - reminded of the awfulness when I have to comfort my young daughter nearly every night as she cries for the loss of her first and very cherished pet that she waited patiently for 2 years to get
She wanted to replace Pixie straight away, as all small children want to do but I made her wait a couple of weeks as I informed her that no new pet can take the place of Pixie and that all the hurt she is feeling still needs to 'come out' and when that is done, only then will it be time to get another bunny to love
Thankfully the hurting moments are reducing in frequency and severity. I promised her that over time she will be able to remember him without the hurt and that is starting to happen too
Tonight she came and told me that she missed him. I sat her on my lap and told her so did I and that we will always miss him and we thanked God for having him in our lives even if it was only for such a short time. Tonight we got some photo's printed and put them in an album for her and she has left some room for her new rabbit that we purchased a week ago (two weeks after pixie died - mainly because I could see that Charcoal was deteriorating without a companion). His name is Dash - he's even more active than Pixie was
My daughter believes it was a fox or a dog but lately she has added person. Amazingly, all my kids hold no malice towards the fox as they understand it was just looking for food - if only adults could be so forgiving. I will not tell them it was a person - not for a few years at least.
Sorry to have rambled on - I never thought the death of a little rabbit would be so heartfelt by myself. I have read and read about rabbits grieving (ok - they don't grieve like we do but in their own way) and how social they are as animals. I have a new found admiration for rabbits and even though I did grow up on a farm years ago and dislike the devastation they do cause, I have grown rather found of these wonderful creatures - at least the domestic variety
The situation as it stand now
The new Rabbit (Dash) is very timid, although that is subsiding now
We have both Rabbits inside as I dissembled the old cage that was outside vowing never to use a cage again that a human could get into without due authorisation
Both Rabbits are in two separate areas sectioned off by a small fence that divides them - they are in our dining room of all things - my house is incredibly tiny
Charcoal has been coming up to the fence, licking Dash when he can. Both have been laying next to each other with the wire separating them
Trouble is, when they bring their noses together, Dash stands there, then can suddenly lunge at and attempt to bite Charcoal :-(
I caught him doing it once and I yelled - he took off into his box and didn't venture out for about 20 mins. I think I yelled too loud
Tonight I saw Charcoal come up to the fence and put his body next to it. Dash came up, stood there for a while then suddenly lunged through the fence and tried to bite the side of Charcoal - Charcoal just moved away out of reach then hopped slowly away. I yelled at the instant I saw Dash try this - Dash scampered away
This is counter to what I want to do. It is doing nothing to help Dash and his timidness which I fear may be driving him to lash out like this
Neither Rabbit is nutured and when I rang and asked the vet about it (as I read it helps rabbits come together easier) they said they will not do a rabbit under 6 months of age - these rabbits are nowhere near that age
Charcoal is very docile. I have not seen him lash out at Dash at all. Dash is the new-comer with a very timid nature. We are working hard on making him more relaxed. We are picking him up, patting him, just walking past him and showing him that he isn't always going to be 'caught' - in other words we are trying to get him relaxed around people. It seems to be slowly working because he now doesn't run to his box at the first sight of a human!
The Question / Help I need
How can we help these bunnies come together?
We thought being next to each other would give them time to get to know one another but Dash is starting to lunge at Charcoal and I want to stop that habit as it's just started to be observed
Any and all suggestions on how to get two male dwarf rabbits to bond together will be greatly appreciated
