Anderson Family Zoo

[Nela]

I'd grab Elvis in a swoop. I definitely do not think it's silly. If you have the space to calculate a third as a potential separate bun, seriously go for it! Hehehe. He's stolen my heart already It only means she's got two bunnies to choose from

My other fav. is Brennan ok and Lucas.Brenna is stunning but Lucas looks like such a sweetie. Hehehe. I am sure your girl will let you know who she likes though. :biggrin2:

Ah yeah that is true about the meds. Wishing you all the best!

 

[slavetoabunny]

Cinderella looks so much like my foster Tabitha:

The funnypart is that her original name at the shelter was Snow White.

Good luck with the new bunnies and bonding Becky. You are so sweet to take in poor Elvis.

 

[MiniLopHop]

Patti, wouldn't it be funny if the two were related? I doubt it though with the geography.

I just got an update on poor Elvis. He went to the vet today because he didn't want to eat. They did some blood work to see how his values are. Apparently he is completely blind in one eye. He is going to need it removed because the vet thinks it is causing him pain and has puss built up behind/in it. On the bright side, there's no structural reason for him not to hop. He was probably confined in such a small space he doesn't know how to. Oh it makes me so angry that someone could do that! To cage up a bun until they didn't know how to hop! What a sin. I sent along a picture of Becky for the foster mom to show him. Perhaps it will cheer him up to know there's a pretty little girl waiting for him. His mom printed it out and hung it up for him.

 

[slavetoabunny]

That is so sad about Elvis not being able to hop. We have gotten rabbits into rescue like that before.

 

[MiniLopHop]

How can you teach them? Will they figure it out on their own as they get time and space to run?

 

[slavetoabunny]

MiniLopHop wrote:

How can you teach them? Will they figure it out on their own as they get time and space to run?

You don't really need to teach them. With adequate space, they should figure it out on their own. It helps if you get down on the floor and play/encourage them to move about.

 

[Nela]

Giggles is one of those bunnies that was so restricted she didn't know what it was to be a bunny. I'd set her on the floor and she'd just sit there. When she got brave enough, she'd just wobble around. Then I did the split pen thing with her and Smores and I guess she must have understood then because after that she started bouncing around. She was quite unsure of herself at first and quite sloppy in her hops but she got the hang of it after I've had a few fosters with that problem as well but they all grew out of it in time.

So...

Are you getting him??? :biggrin2:

Come ooooooooooooon :halo

 

[MiniLopHop]

That's wonderful that he will be able to learn in time.

I'm just waiting for word that he's ready for adoption. I'm sure I would get first dibbs since I have been writing to them from the time he arrived. The rescue group just wants his health to stabalize a bit more before he undergoes the stress of moving. Would it be weird for me to ask if I could come visit him? Do you think he would like a visit?

Tomorrow Becky goes to meet her suitors at the HRS shelter. I found Joshua this morning scratching her ears and giving her dating advice! Way too cute. "Now if any of thoes guys says something mean or don't like you, just ignore them. You are the cuttest bunny ever." LOL He's afrid she will get her feelings hurt. "Remember, your not fat, your fluffy." ROFL She isn't fat, but she is very round. I think it's just a mini lop thing. She looked skinny when her fur was shaved off of her belly. The fur is back so she is back to her rounded shape.

Last night I went to a differnet grocery store than normal because I just needed some greens before I went home. I was not impressed with their produce, but the buttery lettuce heads were fresh. I was curious what Becky would do with a whole head of lettuce, so since it was small (about 2 cups total) I gave it to her. That silly little girl at the whole thing! Of course there was no camera around, but it was the cutest thing watching her pull at the leaves and then get excited. I may have to get her one of these more often. There was extra poop this morning, but it wasn't wattery. Good thing she normally gets lots of veggies at night. It was just one kind for a change.

I'm so excited about tomorrow I can barely contain myself! It's going to be a long day at work today. I think I'm going to brush Becky and trim her nails tonight. She has to look good for her dates.

 

[MiniLopHop]

Last night I spent 6 hours bunny proofing my office. I had no idea how many wires I had until I started crawling around on the floor. The xpen was too small to devide, so I used it to devide the room in half. Each half has the same things; litter box, igloo, food, water, veggie station, cooling tile, blankie, lots of toys. If all goes well then I can swap sides each day so they get more used to living in each other's space.

Now I'm just waiting for 10 more minutes until it is time to go. I don't want to be there obnoxiously early, but I want to lave enough time that I won't be late either. I shut Becky's house door so she wouldn't get under the dresser and I wouldn't be able to get her out when it was time to go. I think she knows something is up, she's making sure she has a clean face and ears. I love to watch her groom, it is just too cute. She ate her breakfast, had a drink, and used the litter box. What a good girl!

I'm taking a camera so I can post pictures of the process and who she picks. Ok, close enough, we are going.

 

[Nela]

Woo! I hope it will all have gone really well. Looking forward to hearing about it! :biggrin2:

Btw, I definitely do not think it would be silly to ask to visit him. I think it would show that you are serious, give you an idea of what he's like, and maybe even offer him some sense of familiarity if you do adopt him. :biggrin2:

 

[MiniLopHop]

Thanks Nela, I think I'm going to write and see if I could stop in to see him. Perhaps the good wishes will make him know that he has something to fight for, otherwise he might slip away under anethesia.

Today went so well with the dating. Becky was such a sweet little girl meeting everyone. There was no outright agression with any of the pairings, but Cindarella was the best. They stuck close to each other and groomed themselves. I think that is a pretty great start. When we went to put them in the same carrier Becky growled and wanted to start a fight though since it was then her turf. The shelter volunteer was so quick to stop the altercation. She was able to pet them at the same time and calm them before seperating them so it ended on a positive note.

Now we are hanging out in my office at home relaxing. Cindarella is starting to explore her side of the room and Becky is napping in her litter box. Why do they like to sleep in the litter box when she has half a room to choose a spot. I think I'm going to put some hay on the floor of her igloo to try to get her to sleep there instead. Victoria sniffed the new bun and walked away. Apparently the new one is no more exciting than the original. Andre sniffed and laid down with her a while. He's more upset about the fence down the middle of the room than either rabbit. He can easily jump on the table to the desk to the floor and back, so he has no excuse for complaining about the fence.

I think I'm going to wait until tomorrow to spend time on Cindarella's side. I have been sitting in a recliner on Becky's side of the room this afternoon. I can see both of them and Cindarella keeps looking. She was at the shelter for over 2 years so this is such a different situation. At least she has a good appetite (obviously thrilled with the parsely) and happy ears while she is exploring. With some time I'm sure they will be good friends.

 

[MiniLopHop]

Last night at supper time we had a little bit of an altercation at the fence. I had the greens balls hanging off the fence. Cinderella tried eating Becky's greens through the fence rather than eating out of her own. Becky didn't like that and growled. There was alittle fussing but they broke up easily. I moved the balls onto the floor of the respective sides and that was the last of the fighting. Now they will sniff eachother through the bars and just hop away. There is a bit of a poop war going on along the fence, but I'm pretty sure that is to be expected. I'm going to read over my bonding articles again to make sure everything is on track.

It's so nice to see Cinderella settling in well. She explores her side of the room and is eating well. She gets so excited that she binkies and runs as fast as she can. I think all the space is an exciting experience for her. I really don't understand why people keep rabbits in cages. I'm not going to toss the one I have in case they ever need to be confined after a procedure or something, but I never plan on actively using it again. I feel like it was a waste of $100. Oh well, my fault for not talking to real rabbit people first.

 

[MiniLopHop]

Tonight was a good evening. I decided some quality cuddle time was in order. I watched an episode of bones with Cinderella. She looked frightened at first, but then settled in with light pets to her nose and back. She wasn't entirely comfortable, but we are just getting to know each other. Becky got to watch the second episode with me. She loved the cuddle time. It was so sweet. Whenever I scratched behind her ears she would tooth purr. She also kept licking my neck. Little bunny kisses are so sweet! I think she was sad when the show was over.

I brought their night time veggies in and read a chapter of watership down to them. Becky charged the fence a couple of times but a verbal no broke it up (I keep a water bottle handy just in case) so she must not be too mad. It is going to take time, but I feel like they are making a little progress already. I'm not going to put them together until the weekend at the earliest. I would rather move slow and create a good bond then rush it and have it break later.

 

[MiniLopHop]

I think Cinderella and Becky are progressing nicely. I had our first bonding session today. I put them both in the bathtub so I could contain them by myself. They ignored each other for the first few minutes. Becky grunted and nipped once, then they huddled together in the corner. I petted them together and Becky licked Cindi's ears. We ended on that positive note. They were together for 20 minutes. For a first try that was fantastic!

When I brought them back to the room I switched sides for the first time. Cindi really wants to go back to her own side (digging at the fence a bit) but Becky seems content to explore. They have had a couple minor skermishes at the fence, but I can stop it with just saying "no" so they can't be that upset.

I'm looking forward to a truce in the poop wars along the fence. Otherwise I think they are doing extremely well.

Last night I was cleaning the bird cage. Becky was too cute trying to "help". She was so curious what I was doing and repeatedly tried to get into the trash bag. I don't know if she was after the dumped bird food or the smells because I had emptied their litter boxes into the bag first. Either way, a trash bag is no place for a bunny.

 

[ChocolateBunny]

nice blog, enjoyed it

 

[MiniLopHop]

Thanks ChocolateBunny I love comments

 

[Nela]

*Pokes*

Hey Brandy, how goes it sweet woman? Sounds like all is going well with the bunners. I don't remember but are you fostering Cinderella for now or have you adopted her? Um,and where are the pics Missy? Hehehe. Any news on the poorly bunner?

Cages are rarely too much of a waste. Okay, maybe in terms of money... You never know when you may need one though. I always kept my cages and surely enough someone would contact me about a rabbit they needed help with or just left one on my doorstep. Lol. Also, the more you love animals and get involved with them, the more likely you are to go one rescuing or assisting someone in the future. Knocking on wood that it wouldn't be needed, but maybe in the future you'd need to restrict one's movements for whatever reason so it's probably a good thing to have on hand anyway right?

Looking forward to more. I can't wait to see pictures :biggrin2:

 

[Flash Gordon]

any update on Elvis?..i shouldnt have looked at his pic...geez....ive melted into a puddle....what a doll...i hope u get a chance to show him what its like to be loved.

 

[MiniLopHop]

Well, things have been a little over exciting here the last few days. My fibro acting up in the middle does not help either. At least that is calm again after an extra acupuncture session yesterday.

Lets see, Becky broke out of her side of the room and into Cinderella's side. They must have duked it out over night (Thursday into Friday). Neither one was hurt though which was a blessing. I tried another bonding session on Friday that went horribly. As soon as paws were on the ground they went into a clench, biting and kicking. I was spraying them with water but it wasn't breaking up. I ended up pulling them apart. Cinderella bit me and slashed open my little finger. I didn't think either were hurt, but I found 2 scratches, about 1/2 inch each, that broke the skin when I was brushing her today. I put antibiotic ointment on them and will keep an eye out. They aren't very deep luckily.

I'm really discouraged. It's hard to see my "baby" in such a rage. I adopted Cinderella to make Becky happier. I'm going to try the car. Perhaps the stress will make things better again.

Elvis is eating better, but he couldn't get into the vet for the second opinion until Monday. I think that is a blessing in disguise. Every day he gets stronger from eating well and having room to hop around. The metacam is keeping him comfortable for now. I am in love with him too, but he would be a lone bun until he is completely recovered. Bonding these two is hard enough that I don't want to think about a third yet.

Thank goodness Monday is a holiday! I need an extra day off. I have been taking pictures, but Joshua has been busy so he doesn't send them. I will tell him that he's going to have angry women on his hands if he doesn't get to the pictures soon!

 

[Nela]

Personally, I would attempt to bond Elvis with Becky when Elvis is better and not really count on a trio happening although you can still try it of course. Trying a bonding session soon after they squabbled usually always fails because they are on their guard right away so they may need a bit of time to settle down. Bonding two females can be a bit tricky so don't get discouraged. Bunnies are quite finicky about whom they like. Lol. That is the one thing that I find hard with them. You want a friend for thembut then you have to find the PERFECT friend or they might eat each other. Lol. I once had a bunny that wanted to eat every other bun. I had given up on her even having a mate until one night I tried four together and she paired herself off with another female, and the two boys went off together. You just never know with bunnies... Hang in there!