Bonding Half blind Rabbit

[Pintobean]

Has anyone ever tried bonding 2 rabbits where one of them has vision in only one eye? I'm wondering if this makes the bonding more difficult in any way, such as being startled if the other rabbit approaches from the blind side?

He lost vision in one eye 1.5 weeks ago, so I'm also wondering if that's not enough time for him to get used to it before I try bonding.

Thanks,

Brenda

 

[JBun]

I was able to bond an older rabbit and that was mostly blind due to cataracts, along with her bonded companion, to a group of 5 smaller buns. In fact the only reason it finally worked was because she got to the point of being mostly blind. I had tried months and years before, and she kept chasing the other buns and freaking them out so I had to stop. But when her cataracts worsened til she couldn't really see anymore, she could no longer chase them. She settled into being bonded with them after that and was perfectly happy.

But a rabbit with one eye might react differently. It all depends on his personality, as well as the other buns, on how the interaction will go. They may take to each other immediately, or he may be more nervous because of his limited vision. I would try a test of them near one another to gauge their reactions, then decide how to procede based on that. If you need to, use a wire panel in between to keep it absolutely safe. If he's overly tense or nervous, maybe give him more time to heal and get used to his limited vision, before trying bonding.

Another thing to consider, is if he has sutures from the eye removal, you may need to wait to bond. You don't want the other bun trying to chew at the sutures at all. So you'd need to wait on bonding attempts until the wound has healed. But you could have them in pens near each other, if they aren't already, so they can get used to one another. Just make sure the other bun can't get to his sutures through the wire spacing.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Bonding_rabbits_together
https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/bonding-bunnies.html
https://cottontails-rescue.org.uk/information/bonding-bunnies/

 

[Pintobean]

I was able to bond an older rabbit and that was mostly blind due to cataracts, along with her bonded companion, to a group of 5 smaller buns. In fact the only reason it finally worked was because she got to the point of being mostly blind. I had tried months and years before, and she kept chasing the other buns and freaking them out so I had to stop. But when her cataracts worsened til she couldn't really see anymore, she could no longer chase them. She settled into being bonded with them after that and was perfectly happy.

But a rabbit with one eye might react differently. It all depends on his personality, as well as the other buns, on how the interaction will go. They may take to each other immediately, or he may be more nervous because of his limited vision. I would try a test of them near one another to gauge their reactions, then decide how to procede based on that. If you need to, use a wire panel in between to keep it absolutely safe. If he's overly tense or nervous, maybe give him more time to heal and get used to his limited vision, before trying bonding.

Another thing to consider, is if he has sutures from the eye removal, you may need to wait to bond. You don't want the other bun trying to chew at the sutures at all. So you'd need to wait on bonding attempts until the wound has healed. But you could have them in pens near each other, if they aren't already, so they can get used to one another. Just make sure the other bun can't get to his sutures through the wire spacing.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Bonding_rabbits_together
https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/bonding-bunnies.html
https://cottontails-rescue.org.uk/information/bonding-bunnies/

Thanks, I'll try that.

BTW there are no sutures, and it's been 2.5 weeks since he lost his sight (I mistakenly wrote one week)

 

[Preitler]

My oldest doe, Red, is 10 now, and blind on one eye. Fury, her mother she lived with, died this spring. I was able to successfully bond her to my other pair of does, Ruth and Chantal, and at that time 4 doelings - by openening all hutches during daytime so they could venture into the others territory, and building a connection tunnel between their hutches.
I kinda felt that it helped that she's old and half blind, it looked like she quickly considered being territorial just wasn't worth the effort.

By now it's a group of 4 and she's integrated well. Still a shy girl, but I see her cuddle with all the others, and joining the frenzy when they get their veggies. She even leaves the hutch for grazing with the others again if weather permits., she didn't do that for months.

 

[Pintobean]

My oldest doe, Red, is 10 now, and blind on one eye. Fury, her mother she lived with, died this spring. I was able to successfully bond her to my other pair of does, Ruth and Chantal, and at that time 4 doelings - by openening all hutches during daytime so they could venture into the others territory, and building a connection tunnel between their hutches.
I kinda felt that it helped that she's old and half blind, it looked like she quickly considered being territorial just wasn't worth the effort.

By now it's a group of 4 and she's integrated well. Still a shy girl, but I see her cuddle with all the others, and joining the frenzy when they get their veggies. She even leaves the hutch for grazing with the others again if weather permits., she didn't do that for months.

Good to hear, thanks!