Put D&S together again. U/D Wed AM advice?

and let Davie and Skye meet today. I know it was a huge risk, but they were only together for half an hour. Im at work tomorrow so couldnt leave them together. Skye is now back in with Marley and Dolly, but ive rubbed her in the trios litter and all has been ok. As for Davie, they ignored eachother at first, then he started humping her and he eventually flopped next to her. It was at this point that i seperated them as i didnt want to let things go too far and finish up on a bad note....ill be waiting until the end of may to try again, my nerves are shot!

...Apart from some chasing, humping and a bit of fur pulling, there were no issues. They even flopped together, but Davie got a bit too humpy at times, so wouldnt have been able to leave them when i went to work tomorrow.

At least you were there supervising and nothing bad happened! I wouldn't have left them together either, not yet anyway.

Bodes well for the future I think hunni x x

I hope so. I stupidly bought a tunnel and a couple of toys for them today, and my Dad and I have been looking at sheds, which is probably what set me off. Naughty of me really, but i feel better now ive done it. Wont be doing it again until i have a week off at the end of the month.

Well, Mum decided today that she doesnt think its a good idea anymore. Fine, but why sit and help me introduce the two of them, possibly jeapordising the trios bond even more!? Im SO angry! She knows what could have happened.

When we discussed keeping Davie - i went through everything. She knows the pros and cons, because weve been there before when i got Skye. We discussed everything, cost, accomodation, what will happen when i go to uni, who is willing to help if necessary etc... She even said she would be willing to look after a pair when i was at uni (if i even have to move away for uni!), not to my standards, but they would be kept clean, fed and get some daily fuss.

...She sat there last night helping me with Davie and Skye, knowing i could be risking the bond between the trio, Dad took me to look at sheds and set ups yesterday adn today Mums decided she doesnt want him to stay, and that if he does stay, she doesnt have the motivation to maintain their set up properly and they will only get cleaned out every 1-2 weeks!!! Im quite upset, because i worked hard at not getting attached, until she said we could keep him. Ive also sold his outdoor hutch to help save up for accomodation!!

Is this entirely about when you go to uni?

When would that be? And you say that you might not even move away then?

If that is the case, I would carry on with the plans you had and worry about uni when the time comes. I know Tuckerbunnies were going to foster the trio for you while you were away - if they could not do the same for two pairs, it might be possible to send one pair there and have the other pair fostered elsewhere.

Yes, but thats a lot of what ifs and uncertainties, it would be irresponsible of me to carry on without having some sort of plan in place for them.

I dont go to uni until Spetember 2013 at least - even then im not sure as i may be having another operation, if i cant have it this summer, it will be next summer, and depending on the recovery, i dont want it to intefere with the start of uni, ive had enough of playing catch up.

Ive considered trying a quad, but im not sure thats going to help the initial problem - which is the hierarchy. I dont know how much square footage a quad would need either, but my garden isnt bunny proof, so it needs to be larger than the minimum.

Ive thought about nothing else for the last 3 hours. Im not sure what else to do.

If you were going this year, I would agree that it is unfair to commit to another bun knowing that in four months you have to have some arrangement in place for his care.

But I think that if Uni is at least 16 months away, and you might not be moving away from home even when you do go, you're allowed to have what-ifs and uncertainties. All sorts of other things could happen in that timescale to either completely screw up the plans you already have in place, or open up whole new opportunities.

When the time does come, you know an awful lot of people with rabbits - people who hold you in high regard and would help out if they possibly could - so would have a pretty good chance of being able to arrange something suitable.

Just my 2p-worth

There could still be issues if you had a quad but...if you are doing this on the basis that skye is getting bullied, my instinct (if all was ok in keeping him) would be to try a trio - if they bond, monitor it for a few weeks and you will know what to do.

Mine are a trio but years ago I had two pairs, and I bonded them together. They did bond and...probably could have stayed as they were but, even though they didnt fight I knew they werent as happy as they would have been in pairs, so I split them - no harm done as they were pairs anyway. Then Peanut died and they became a trio as I knew it had worked before, and Peanut was the bully so without him it worked.

To me, I think well....rather than go out, and buy more accomodation and give yourself more work to do as far as cleaning out goes - why not try a four? If it doesnt work straight off, you can take Skye away and bond with Davie, if it works but it doesnt seem a perfect fit - you can bond with Davie.

That way you are giving it a shot. The fact that Skyes smells didnt set off a fight is actually a big sign, i know Domino would freak out if either of his ladies went elsewhere

- thats all advice on the basis your mum changes her opinions obviously x

I'm so sorry to hear this, parents huh!

I's be tempted to think like the others, Uni is a long way off and anything could happen before then. I didn't think when I adopted Dougal in January that I would be moving only a few months afterwards. That doesn't make me wish I hadn't adopted Dougal, it has made things complicated when I have to get them both out of the way thanks to my letting agents, but I'm glad I have him.

If they are happy inside I'll always be happy to foster a pair for you, if you can get them down South that is! But who knows, once Davie is established there your mum might feel differently anyway and decides she will look after them afterall. She might just be having a crummy day, and saying stuff she doesn't mean.

to you

SarahJane wrote:There could still be issues if you had a quad but...if you are doing this on the basis that skye is getting bullied, my instinct (if all was ok in keeping him) would be to try a trio - if they bond, monitor it for a few weeks and you will know what to do.

Mine are a trio but years ago I had two pairs, and I bonded them together. They did bond and...probably could have stayed as they were but, even though they didnt fight I knew they werent as happy as they would have been in pairs, so I split them - no harm done as they were pairs anyway. Then Peanut died and they became a trio as I knew it had worked before, and Peanut was the bully so without him it worked.

To me, I think well....rather than go out, and buy more accomodation and give yourself more work to do as far as cleaning out goes - why not try a four? If it doesnt work straight off, you can take Skye away and bond with Davie, if it works but it doesnt seem a perfect fit - you can bond with Davie.

That way you are giving it a shot. The fact that Skyes smells didnt set off a fight is actually a big sign, i know Domino would freak out if either of his ladies went elsewhere

- thats all advice on the basis your mum changes her opinions obviously x

Im confused, do you mean a quad?
Im not sure there is enough room in the playhouse for a quad.

icedancer wrote:I'm so sorry to hear this, parents huh!

I's be tempted to think like the others, Uni is a long way off and anything could happen before then. I didn't think when I adopted Dougal in January that I would be moving only a few months afterwards. That doesn't make me wish I hadn't adopted Dougal, it has made things complicated when I have to get them both out of the way thanks to my letting agents, but I'm glad I have him.

If they are happy inside I'll always be happy to foster a pair for you, if you can get them down South that is! But who knows, once Davie is established there your mum might feel differently anyway and decides she will look after them afterall. She might just be having a crummy day, and saying stuff she doesn't mean.

to you

Bless you, theyre happy indoors or out, but they do like to cause trouble indoors! Dolly likes carpet shredding, and Skye literally bounces off the walls when shes binkying. Marley is a little Prince though AFAIK - he just mooches around following his girls, but is partial to the odd phone charger if its left laying around!

Thing is though, Mum cant change her mind once im away, and she said she doesnt want to be restricted by them if she decides to go away somewhere, and now she has said these things, i will worry about them. If shes not prepared to spend the time with them, she might not notice if they are sick. I dont know what to do for the best now, Davie cant really go anywhere until the beginning of June now anyway, so theres still time for things to fall into place, but it just feels a bit hopeless. I know things can always change, but i would only be happy keeping him knowing that i have things in place and/or a back up plan for when i go to uni.

Also, whoever takes them on - its not like were talking a few weeks here, it could be up to 3 years intermittently for months at a time.

I'm sorry to hear this has all gone down the toilet.

I hope you can work it out.

Yeh I meant a four, like...rather than say they would have to be two pairs,I would try a four first to make your own life easier. If it didnt work, either at all or it just didnt sit well and the hierarchy was wrong, by all means try a pair

Thing is, I can get what your Mum is saying because my mum looked after my buns when I was at uni. She didn't really "want" to do it, she was okay about it, and she looked after Peanut when he was poorly, she took Jelly to the vets when she needed it, she noticed. She gave them a quick fuss, spoke to them when she was giving their food, but...she didnt do it like I did - but thats okay.

Your Mum is never going to feel about your rabbits the way you do , because they are yours. When my mum first started looking after them she didnt "get" all the things I would say because she hadnt experienced it for herself, by the time I was in my second year of uni, she was sending me photo texts of how funny something was, and she would get dandelions from the field if she was walking the dog etc. All i'm saying is, don't expect her to be on your level about them because that won't happen, but I am sure she will care about them MORE once you are away at uni because she has to be more hands on, and that develops a bond.

Hope that made sense x

SarahJane wrote:Yeh I meant a four, like...rather than say they would have to be two pairs,I would try a four first to make your own life easier. If it didnt work, either at all or it just didnt sit well and the hierarchy was wrong, by all means try a pair

Thing is, I can get what your Mum is saying because my mum looked after my buns when I was at uni. She didn't really "want" to do it, she was okay about it, and she looked after Peanut when he was poorly, she took Jelly to the vets when she needed it, she noticed. She gave them a quick fuss, spoke to them when she was giving their food, but...she didnt do it like I did - but thats okay.

Your Mum is never going to feel about your rabbits the way you do , because they are yours. When my mum first started looking after them she didnt "get" all the things I would say because she hadnt experienced it for herself, by the time I was in my second year of uni, she was sending me photo texts of how funny something was, and she would get dandelions from the field if she was walking the dog etc. All i'm saying is, don't expect her to be on your level about them because that won't happen, but I am sure she will care about them MORE once you are away at uni because she has to be more hands on, and that develops a bond.

Hope that made sense x

Yes, i know exactly what you mean. I dont expect her to dote on them like i do, just to make sure they get their needs met. If they have eachother, they arent bothered so much, but i do expect her to clean them out more than every 2 weeks! I couldnt bring myself to leave them with her if she wasnt happy to spot clean them at least every other day adn a full clean once a week. I just couldnt do it.

What im more annoyed about is that she helped me introduce the pair of them last night, knowing that it didnt sit right with her and knowing that it could have caused problems for the trio. I havent had much time to watch them tonight, but Skye seems more left out than usual, ill watch them for a bit tomorrow and see if everything is ok. The other thing is, ive sold Davies 5ft hutch to raise money for another set up. If i knew she was going to change her mind with the weather, id have kept the hutch and attached it to a run so he could at least be out there through the day. I cant leave him out with the weather being so unpredictable as im not around to bring him in.

ETA: As i said from the beginning too, im going to put him up for rehoming, incase another good home does come up. It would only be fair to let him go. So dont be alarmed if he pops up on Facebook or the Forums. Im not trying to get rid of him, i just want to give him the best chance i can. I didnt think id be this upset about letting him go, as this was always my intention.

We are quite happy to Foster all 4 while you are at Uni if it means you can keep Davie , they will be cleaned out daily as we clean out every day and you know they will all be loved, looking after 4 would not be a problem for us.

3 months or 3 years we don't mind at all fostering them all

Tuckerbunnies wrote:We are quite happy to Foster all 4 while you are at Uni if it means you can keep Davie , they will be cleaned out daily as we clean out every day and you know they will all be loved, looking after 4 would not be a problem for us.

3 months or 3 years we don't mind at all fostering them all

Oh Maysie What would i do without you and Mike!? Taking on the trio is a massive help to me, i wouldnt expect you to take on 2 pairs though. I will talk to Mum when were both in better moods. I have a feeling its been causing tension between Mum and Dad, as Dad also started getting "funny" about having another set up or changing the playhouse for a double kennel. I dont want to cause more problems for Mum and Dad, things are quite rocky at the moment. I know i take full responsibility for my fur babies, but i do still live under their roof.

I havent spoken to Mum tonight, if she wasnt comfortable, she shouldnt have said anything and she certainly shouldnt have agreed to me introducing the two of them, let along supervise! Thats whats made me more annoyed, i think. Ive struggled to look at Davie tonight, he just sits and watches me.

Hugs for you! Nose touches to the bunnies in question. i hope it works out.

Maysie--you are such a kind and helpful person!

marleyNfriends wrote:

Tuckerbunnies wrote:We are quite happy to Foster all 4 while you are at Uni if it means you can keep Davie , they will be cleaned out daily as we clean out every day and you know they will all be loved, looking after 4 would not be a problem for us.

3 months or 3 years we don't mind at all fostering them all

Oh Maysie What would i do without you and Mike!? Taking on the trio is a massive help to me, i wouldnt expect you to take on 2 pairs though. I will talk to Mum when were both in better moods. I have a feeling its been causing tension between Mum and Dad, as Dad also started getting "funny" about having another set up or changing the playhouse for a double kennel. I dont want to cause more problems for Mum and Dad, things are quite rocky at the moment. I know i take full responsibility for my fur babies, but i do still live under their roof.

I havent spoken to Mum tonight, if she wasnt comfortable, she shouldnt have said anything and she certainly shouldnt have agreed to me introducing the two of them, let along supervise! Thats whats made me more annoyed, i think. Ive struggled to look at Davie tonight, he just sits and watches me.

As long as you know there is someone that will take all 4 on, like I said it's no probs

Yes I agree Icedancer, I always resented the way my parents made the decisions.

I hope you get sorted out soon love.

Hugs

JO xx

Well, weve sat down and sort of talked about it a bit more. Dad isnt digging his heels in so much, as ive come up with a setup that can house both pairs in the space where the playhouse currently is. Unfortunately though, it would mean getting rid of it

Im not holding my breath though, im worried they change thier mind again. I just want to go to bed, but i finally got Dad to sit and look at prices of things on the internet. I despair though, it went from kennels to sheds to...4FT HUTCHES!!!!

My idea was to have 2 smaller playhouses, about 4x4 with large aivery style runs attached to the front of them - between 8 and 12 ft, depending on what i can get away with, 10 would be ideal though. They would both fit in the space that i have at the moment. I have no idea how to value my current playhouse though!!

I don't want to put a downer on it, but Humum was watching one on eBay which had been fully converted for rabbits and would have been ideal for someone wanting to upgrade from a hutch - she couldn't believe it when it went for under £100

ETA - you might get more if you cleaned it up and converted it back to a kiddies playhouse....

I know Dad seems to think its worth a fortune because of what i spent doing it up, but just because its worth a lot to me, doesnt mean it will be to someone else!

Mum suggested keeping the larger playhouse, and using it for storing all of my things in - i would rather do that. But if were keeping it, id rather house bunnies in it!!

Morning guys. I spent the night on the sofa, while Davie and Skye spent their first night together in a 5 sided pen. Im just wondering if theres anything else i can do/looking for some reassurance as things seem to be going quite slowly.

They just have a waterbottle and some hay on the floor. They share their pellets and veg in a bowl quite happily. When i put them together they ignored eachother initially and then Davie began humping Skye from all directions on and off for the rest of the evening. She looked like a toilet brush!!

Skye isnt getting too stressed out, she tends to sit in one place, but isnt as stressed as she was when i bonded the trio as shes been eating and moving around much more. Very submissive as usual though - i know its a good thing, but i would prefer it if she was dominant. She did wriggle from under him and box him, but he wasnt bothered.

Anyway, this morning things are fairly quiet. No humping going on, but not much of anything else either. Davie (I know im struggling to call him Billy! lol) was sat in one spot and Skye was sat at the other side. He groomed her a bit last night, but nothing to really write home about.

Is there anything i should do? Or should i just leave them? There have been no real problems, i was wondering if it would be ok to leave them while i go to college?

I would certainly leave them together - I am not sure how I would feel about leaving them to go to college, but you will have to leave them at some point.

Ive stayed off today. Ive got work i can be getting on with from home, but its a bit of a pain because it means i wont get my bursary this week.

Ill split the 100cm cages up into 2 seperate cages again and put them in there if i dont feel i can leave them tomorrow. Davie is currently flopped out, and Skye is munching hay. I dont think they are going to be head over heals with eachother, i think its going to be something that develops over time once Skye realises that hes not going to chase her or hump her every time he approaches.

Hes currently flopped out in a sunny spot and Skye is munching hay. Will upload some pictures or a video or something when i get chance, but im going to crack on with this assignment.