HELP advice needed urgently!!!

[floramarg]

hi everyone, just joined here for some advice urgently. i have had two bunnies who have been together since they were weeks old, for over a year now. One is a netherland dwarf and the other a mini lop (poppy and rosie). They've always been great together, snuggling up to each other, grooming each other and playing in our garden.

About 4 weeks ago our little poppy went missing (I assumed a cat, fox or big bird had taken her)...just disappeared into thin air. my daughter was devastated and rosie seemed very depressed, weent off her food and didn't run around the garden when i leet her out, she just sat under a tree. she'now back to normal and happy to run around.

miraculously, today, poppy turned up. she seems to havebeen living in the extremely overgrown garden next door (nobody lives in the house) and seems in verey good condition. my problem is that after they'd both been in our garden for about 2 hours this afternoon i put them back in their hutch as normal...the existing rabbit wasn't happy and was been fighting with poppy (welcome home poppy!!!!). poppy is now stuck in the hutch and literally scared stiff and rosie has had to stay out for the night. can anyone help with regards to reintroducing them??? ps i only have one hutch! thanks

 

[plasticbunny]

You'll have to treat them as though they never met. Try re-introducing them on neutral territory, like in the bath tub.

 

[Sweetie]

With reintroducing them: you can tell Rosie over and over again that it is Poppy. When I had to reintroduce Prince and Sweetie after Prince leg healed, I told Sweetie that it was the same Prince over and over again. It takes time but they will be rebonded. It took about two weeks for Prince and Sweetie to be rebonded. I just lost Prince, he passed away yesterday.

 

[floramarg]

thanks for both replies. you think puttin them in the hutch was the wrong thing? i don't really want them in my bath. would them both being in the garden together be enough???
sweetie sorry to hear of your loss.

 

[plasticbunny]

The garden may be a bit big. The tub is a great place because it's easy to clean, and it's slippery so if a fight breaks out, it would be easy to intervene. You could also use any smaller area, like the bathroom or kitchen floor, etc. If it's too big, they'll ignore each other.

 

[plasticbunny]

And no, they can't go back in the hutch together, just in case. If they fight badly enough, they could seriously injure or even kill each other. Two females, especially if they aren't spayed, caan cause some serious damage to one another.

 

[bunnymother22]

Ya I also agree putting them in the same space until they are rebonded is a dangerous idea. Fighting rabbits sounds silly but they can REALLY hurt each other. They're so territorial. Don't wait to seperate them.

The bathtub is a great way to bond them. Always works. Takes some time though. Not an overnite fix. :highfive::hugsquish:ink iris: