Rabbit bonding help
Hi everybody, I've come on here looking for advice. I have a qualification in animal management and behaviour but have found myself in an unusual situation. For context I am chronically ill and unable to work so I spend 90% of my time with my 2 baby rabbits I got as a bonded pair intending to raise them together. However at 4 months old due to unusual and unforseen issues one of my rabbits had to be kept at the vets for 2 whole weeks thus their bond was broken. During this time my other rabbit and I became very stressed and depressed and so we relied on each other and pretty soon we were joined at the hip. From 8 in the morning till 10 at night I was with her cuddling, grooming, playing, napping and eating together and when she gets scared she runs to me and hides between my feet. She is highly affectionate and both of us became less depressed. She also does not seem to distinguish that I am a human she treats me as if I am just a giant rabbit. However now that her sister is back from the vets I am struggling to reintroduce them. We have reached a point where my rabbit who stayed home now tolerates her sister during supervised time together but for lack of a better term she is disinterested in her. She doesnt seem to want anything from her as she comes to me for all of her social and emotional needs and simply ignores her sister. She has also become highly territorial of me and will attack her sister if she tries to even approach me. Her sister now runs and hides from her during supervised time together and is starting to also come to me for her social and emotional needs. How do I make us a trio again?
Posted Jul 11, 2024, 5:19 PM UTC