The Bunny Dance - tragic

[coco_puffs]

Please don't be upset about this post. It's a tragic story born of good will and I'm a mess about it. I lost my first rabbit to a tragic accident. Coco was the perfect little Netherland and I thought all rabbits were as sweet and calm as he was.

We were to get a companion bun for Coco, but Coco died the day before we brought home 'Pie' - a female 9 month old. I was a wreck for a long time. Still am.

So - now Pie is a single rabbit here in our home and was so happy and we loved her and we became very attached to her. But she now needed a companion. So we brought home five week-old Woodrow. Pie immediately became aggressive, even though they were not allowed contact. She raced in her cage, chewed the bars and climbed the side of her cage.

We kept Pie and little Woodrow in totally separate rooms so as to avoid injury.



After a few days Pie became very aggressive with my free-roaming parrots, and she can do some very bad damage to them. After three days of internal battle and crying, we decided to return Pie to her foster home. I never cried so hard. It was the absolute hardest decision I've ever made.

So now Woodrow needs a companion and we brought home his sister Lorrie. They are bonded and spend all their time together. Everything here is bliss right now.

My other problem - I can't forget about Pie. I'm still attached and think about her all the time. The thought of her stuck in some cage or worse, a garage, sends me into a depression. My face is disfigured from crying. So I contacted the bun rescue and told her that I wanted Pie back. The plan was that the rescue mom would bond Pie with a male bun that she has, and we would take them both. I cleared out a big room and bought the materials to build a big enclosure with room to run (no cage), for when Pie and her friend come home.

I have the time, space and the resources to care for these four rescued buns, but I don't have the experience. It wasn't supposed to work out this way, but as it has, I want to do the best that I can for these four lives that have come into my home. I'm in neck-deep but I'm committed to making these four lives as happy as they can be. If anyone has any words of wisdom for me in my predicament, I'll be eternally grateful. I don't have a specific question, I'm just a rookie.

I'm reading and studying everything I can about buns. I've read The House Rabbit Society site, books, watched videos and talked to vets. I'm desperate for any more information that can make this four-bun household a peaceful one.

I've kept a free-roaming 26-gram Parrotlet alive for 20 years. I'm a responsible pet owner and very committed to my charges. Any advice will be received gratefully but please don't beat me up about this. I'm so stressed that I'm on muscle relaxers and can barely type this.

Thank you so much. Here is a blog of my four buns.


http://beautifulbunnies.wordpress.com/

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

You need to watch the babies carefully. 5 weeks is very young and digestive problems can be a serious issue. The other issue is that they will grow fast and become mature. Rabbits can be breeding at 3-4 months. They should be separated before then and spayed or neutered as soon as possible. There is a chance they won't get along after they are altered, so that is something to consider. Rabbits can change a lot as they mature.

Since Pie has such a bad reaction, you should work to keep the 2 pairs totally separate. It can be hard when rabbits really don't get along, even if they are never close to each other.

 

[coco_puffs]

Thank you! Another concern, that I forgot to ask about, is that Woodrow is already interested. The other night my roommate caught them spinning around each other. And it happened again today. We check for Woodrow's testicles to drop and as soon as they do we are taking him in. They say wait at least six months for a doe.

The other concern has been addressed. The two sets of rabbits will be in totally different rooms where they can't even see one another. I'm not sure how acute a rabbit's sense of smell is and I'm worried about that. They can sniff each other under the door.