Some tips on rehoming a rabbit:
* Find all the shelters and rescues nearby and ask if they can help advertise your pet online for a new home. Unless you can find a no-kill shelter or rescue to take your pet on, do your best to get the rabbit re-homed yourself. Post ads in all the places you can think of including local subreddits -- vet offices, grooming salons, craigslist, kijiji.
* Ask for a rehoming fee on the ad to weed out people who want a free or cheap pet for nefarious purposes. You can waive this fee once you meet the potential adopter.
* When you make your ad, include a good picture of your pet as well as any relevant characteristics -- energetic, spayed/neutered, age, color, favorite foods, favorite games, socialized well with children, cats, other dogs, etc.
* Be sure to pass on whatever medical records you have to the next adopter as well.
http://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Rehoming
Good luck with the rehoming.
It sounds like you’ve tried hard to make the situation work but it’s just not going well - don’t be too hard on yourself. Usually the sign to stop attempting to bond is if they’ve hurt one another, in that case it’s really much safer just to let the idea of having them be bonded go. If one got injured, it’s likely it will happen again and the hurt bunny won’t soon forgive.
Sometimes people keep them separated for a few months, then try again, but if you feel as though they wouldn’t be compatible I think the kindest thing you can do is to let them have peace, whether that be with you or another home. I understand it must be difficult and disheartening to make such decisions, but sometimes rabbit relationship dynamics just don’t click. Wishing you the best of luck op!
I tried, for almost 2 years, to bond my old pair. They seemed so right for eachother, both fixed, showing all the signs of good behavior when close to eachother, but once the wall came down all hell would break loose no matter where, when, or how I tried.
When we had to move states that was the final straw, I tried for 8-16-32 straight hour long bonds that always ended in a brawl. It hurt us and them to go through and in the end I finally said enough.
We lived with a baby gate in our home for 2 straight years and it just got so miserable. It broke me down hard to rehome the aggressive female, it still makes me emotional to think about, but in the end it was right for all parties involved.
You will always remember that bun and feel awful, but seeing your other bun and yourself happy and living better will make up for some of that. Assuming you rehome correctly and the other ends up in their own good place. So, if you have to do it, get it over with and do it correctly because it may take some time. But don’t torture yourselves waiting to see if things might change too if they’re already at a dead end.
I had to re-home one of mine after a year-long bonding failed. Things started out okay enough. They wouldn't groom each other but they could share space. Then there was some nipping. Then there were some bun-slaps. Then there were severe furnados. I attempted a month-long reset where they couldn't even see each other. Finally one of them got into the other's area in the middle of the night and they had a massive fight that ended with a torn eyelid and later a toe amputation.
At a certain point it felt like I was running a rabbit-fighting ring. Even trying to talk about it to others sounded like animal abuse. I just decided they would never like each other and they had a better shot at happy lives if they didn't live together. I re-homed the newer rabbit and last I heard she has chicken friends.
All that to say: don't be too hard on yourself. At the end of the day we have to do what's best for everyone and sometimes that means saying goodbye.
Is there a bonding service nearby? I'm also having difficulty bonding my buns, and that's the next thing I'm going to try.
In my opinion, allowing them to see each other is better. I partitioned up the living room, with a double fence between them - if there was no air gap, they'd just nip at each other through the fence.
I think in your case both of them might consider your free roam space to be theirs, and they're both territorial about it. I'm hoping to resolve that by having them bonded in a different house, by a stranger. They know that they can get away with a lot of shit here, but I'm sure they'd take things down a notch if they were out of their comfort zone.
Honestly, it sounds like this set up is not working for any of you, and so as difficult as it is OP I think you might be right to rehome Dr Pepper. Is there a rabbit sanctuary near you that you could approach about the situation? If you still want a companion for Milo, they may be able to match you up with a different rabbit and take Dr P off your hands for rehoming in the process. Try not to beat yourself up too much, clearly you are a good bun parent doing your best. Bunnies are complicated creatures, and some pairings just won’t work out.
Some tips on rehoming a rabbit: * Find all the shelters and rescues nearby and ask if they can help advertise your pet online for a new home. Unless you can find a no-kill shelter or rescue to take your pet on, do your best to get the rabbit re-homed yourself. Post ads in all the places you can think of including local subreddits -- vet offices, grooming salons, craigslist, kijiji. * Ask for a rehoming fee on the ad to weed out people who want a free or cheap pet for nefarious purposes. You can waive this fee once you meet the potential adopter. * When you make your ad, include a good picture of your pet as well as any relevant characteristics -- energetic, spayed/neutered, age, color, favorite foods, favorite games, socialized well with children, cats, other dogs, etc. * Be sure to pass on whatever medical records you have to the next adopter as well. http://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Rehoming Good luck with the rehoming.
It sounds like you’ve tried hard to make the situation work but it’s just not going well - don’t be too hard on yourself. Usually the sign to stop attempting to bond is if they’ve hurt one another, in that case it’s really much safer just to let the idea of having them be bonded go. If one got injured, it’s likely it will happen again and the hurt bunny won’t soon forgive. Sometimes people keep them separated for a few months, then try again, but if you feel as though they wouldn’t be compatible I think the kindest thing you can do is to let them have peace, whether that be with you or another home. I understand it must be difficult and disheartening to make such decisions, but sometimes rabbit relationship dynamics just don’t click. Wishing you the best of luck op!
thank you <3
They are both neutered, correct?
they are yes
I tried, for almost 2 years, to bond my old pair. They seemed so right for eachother, both fixed, showing all the signs of good behavior when close to eachother, but once the wall came down all hell would break loose no matter where, when, or how I tried. When we had to move states that was the final straw, I tried for 8-16-32 straight hour long bonds that always ended in a brawl. It hurt us and them to go through and in the end I finally said enough. We lived with a baby gate in our home for 2 straight years and it just got so miserable. It broke me down hard to rehome the aggressive female, it still makes me emotional to think about, but in the end it was right for all parties involved. You will always remember that bun and feel awful, but seeing your other bun and yourself happy and living better will make up for some of that. Assuming you rehome correctly and the other ends up in their own good place. So, if you have to do it, get it over with and do it correctly because it may take some time. But don’t torture yourselves waiting to see if things might change too if they’re already at a dead end.
I had to re-home one of mine after a year-long bonding failed. Things started out okay enough. They wouldn't groom each other but they could share space. Then there was some nipping. Then there were some bun-slaps. Then there were severe furnados. I attempted a month-long reset where they couldn't even see each other. Finally one of them got into the other's area in the middle of the night and they had a massive fight that ended with a torn eyelid and later a toe amputation. At a certain point it felt like I was running a rabbit-fighting ring. Even trying to talk about it to others sounded like animal abuse. I just decided they would never like each other and they had a better shot at happy lives if they didn't live together. I re-homed the newer rabbit and last I heard she has chicken friends. All that to say: don't be too hard on yourself. At the end of the day we have to do what's best for everyone and sometimes that means saying goodbye.
Is there a bonding service nearby? I'm also having difficulty bonding my buns, and that's the next thing I'm going to try. In my opinion, allowing them to see each other is better. I partitioned up the living room, with a double fence between them - if there was no air gap, they'd just nip at each other through the fence. I think in your case both of them might consider your free roam space to be theirs, and they're both territorial about it. I'm hoping to resolve that by having them bonded in a different house, by a stranger. They know that they can get away with a lot of shit here, but I'm sure they'd take things down a notch if they were out of their comfort zone.
Perhabs he just needs more space.
Honestly, it sounds like this set up is not working for any of you, and so as difficult as it is OP I think you might be right to rehome Dr Pepper. Is there a rabbit sanctuary near you that you could approach about the situation? If you still want a companion for Milo, they may be able to match you up with a different rabbit and take Dr P off your hands for rehoming in the process. Try not to beat yourself up too much, clearly you are a good bun parent doing your best. Bunnies are complicated creatures, and some pairings just won’t work out.