# What a difference a good bond can make....



## Lopside (Mar 20, 2012)

I picked up Elvis from a rabbit show a few years ago. He was being carried around by two grotty kids whose dad bred agouti butterfly german lops, the story being he had been dumped in a box outside his allotment. Coincidentally Elvis is an agouti butterfly german lop  . He was being sold for £5 and by the end of the day was free to a good home. The guy said he had no use for him so was going to "neck" him if no one took him. He was wide eyed with fright and once i held him there was no option but to take him. I scouted around for a cardboard box and popped him in that and brought him home. 
He was an absolute pain in the bum...he sprayed every bloomin where, he drove my other rabbits mad if they caught sight of him, my older doe absolutely hated the sight of him! I was thinking what have i done?!
Anyhow he got his own hutch outside and run so things settled down. He was incredibly nervous and shy, very fearful of being handled. I did try to bond him with Arwen but she is a loon and completely overpowered him....he just sat hunched in a corner whilst she humped his head :blink:



Anyhow all my other buns got paired up really easily but i knew with Elvis it wasn't going to be quite as straightforward. He was very easily spooked and would be intimidated easily. So I watched the local rescue websites for a gentle, older doe....harder to find than you think! The local RSPCA phoned me and said they had a couple of new does in so I went to look and was drawn to Annie. She was only young but quite gentle and small. Anyhow he went along for 5 days and they bonded them for me....it took three days for him to move....they put them together during the day and he just froze haha....but the rest is history. They have one of the gentlest, happy bonds I have seen. He adores and idolises her and is so chilled out. I cannot tell you how much more relaxed he is. His whole body language has changed, he is not as tense or as flighty. She on the other hand has come out of her shell and turned out to be a complete scamp getting into all kinds of mischief!



So i guess what I am saying is that bonding a rabbit to another really DOES make a difference, they get a level of companionship and comfort that we cannot provide for them.
I would always recommend a rescue centre who will bond for you. This in itself means they have the rabbits best interests at heart & the advantage is they can assess personalities to see who would make your bun happiest 

It took me a good while to find the right girl for Elvis but the wait was worth it , plus Annie will have a Happy Ever After home after being found as a stray on the streets of Manchester :001_wub:


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## StormyThai (Sep 11, 2013)

I told ya that the right wife was out there for him, she just needed finding 


The difference in Elvis over the time you have had him is immense....I will come bun nap him one day tho....Him and Rhythm need to be bonded together to make everything right in the world :crazy:


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## Lopside (Mar 20, 2012)

If you took Elvis you'd have to have Annie and she would drive your lot bonkers....her new hobby is breaking into the shed and saying "hi bunny boys look at my lovely floofty bottom" and then legging it when i shout at her......mainly cos i have blocked off underneath the hutch, so it's payback time :crazy:


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## StormyThai (Sep 11, 2013)

I'm used to the uppy eared madness so it's all good


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## kathyr25 (Oct 8, 2013)

Oh I remember when you were posting about getting her/bonding/travelling - but I didn't know Elvis's back story
They look so so happy together and are such adorable bunnies


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## AmyCruick (Jul 20, 2009)

Aw what a lovely happy ending to Elvis's story! So glad to hear he's enjoying a happy life with you, it sounds like he had an awful start to his life.

It's great you kept on trying with him, lots of people would have given up hope I'm sure!


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## Summersky (Aug 11, 2012)

Sad beginnings, but what a lovely happy ending.


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## Lopside (Mar 20, 2012)

AmyCruick said:


> Aw what a lovely happy ending to Elvis's story! So glad to hear he's enjoying a happy life with you, it sounds like he had an awful start to his life.
> 
> It's great you kept on trying with him, lots of people would have given up hope I'm sure!


Bernie kept prodding me with a pointy stick :cryin:


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## StormyThai (Sep 11, 2013)

Lopside said:


> Bernie kept prodding me with a pointy stick :cryin:


Na, just a finger....I save the stick for certain people :001_tt2:


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## Lopside (Mar 20, 2012)

Sometimes you can be a teensy bit scary :eek6:


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## StormyThai (Sep 11, 2013)

Lopside said:


> Sometimes you can be a teensy bit scary :eek6:


Me?
But I'm coote and sweet and all that stuff..no?


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## Lopside (Mar 20, 2012)




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## Yulia (Jan 24, 2014)

Removed and gone


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## farhana (Mar 15, 2014)

It's lovely to hear your bun is happier now 


I hope you don't mind me asking but I wanted to get my bun Charlie a friend and I was hoping you could give me advice on finding him a bunny friend since things went so well for you. Charlie was sort of lumped on us so I have no experience with searching for an appropriate rabbit! :001_unsure: I'm terrified of the bonding process in case I do something wrong so the fact that you had them bonded for you sounds amazing to me!


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