Bunnies...And Other Very Important Things

[Brittany85]

Aww so CUTE! I loved your pet stories. I am definitely going to do this too! Mine will be longer though since I have had so many pets haha!
Great blog!!

 

[Brittany85]

OH and here is my blog: http://www.puppy-parent.blogspot.com/
On Chloe

 

[Brittany85]

And my old website with pictures of all my old bunnies
http://sunshine-acres-bunnies.piczo.com/?cr=3

 

[plasticbunny]

Aw, so cute!!!

Thanks for commenting, Brittany. I was beginning to feel a littlelonely here... :sad:!

 

[Brittany85]

Haha! I finally found it! Your pets are so cute, Molly is the same colour as my new bunny Lila. But about 10 times bigger!

 

[SOOOSKA]

Erin, how is the bondng going?

Anymore Bathtub sessions?

Of course we need MORE pictures.

Susan:biggrin2:

 

[plasticbunny]

Oh yes, there has been 1 more tub session! It went very well, with lots of snuggling, but no grooming yet.

I'm just worried because at three this morning, Rob and I woke up to a loud crash. We ran into the rabbit's room, and somehow, Molly had escaped from her pen and was loose in the room with Gus! There were tufts of orange and black hair everywhere, and Molly had squeezed herself into a teeny hiding spot, and was so scared... It took me a good twenty minutes to calm her down.

Neither bun was injured, but I'm taking a couple of days off bonding to give them some time to cool off.

 

[Kipcha]

Oh no! That is very scary... I had a similar experience when we were pet sitting a checkered giant, somehow he managed to get out of his cage and jumped up into Star's cage, pulled him down out of it (Star is raised off the ground with an open front, which he really likes) and just beat the snot out of him. The checkered didn't have a mark on him but I found Star hiding behind our saddle rack just terrified and at first I didn't think he really got hurt other then the black and white fur everywhere, but a few days later when his wounds started to scab over I found he had over 20 large bites all over his body. I felt so bad...

I agree with Susan, we need more pics of Miss Molly and Gus! I love reading your posts on here

Hopefully this incident won't effect your bonding.

 

[plasticbunny]

Well, here's a shock for everyone!

Gus has a new mommy. That's right, he's moving to a new home.

I brought Gus into our family with the hope of bonding him to Molly. It appears more and more that this won't happen... And if it does, it will be after many more months and a bucketload of stress.

I was certainly up for the challange, daunting as it was. Then today, I was telling a coworker of mine about the fight that happend, and she OFFERED TO TAKE GUS.

I went to object, but then I thought about it. I mean, Molly and Gus really aren't a great match for each other. Just because it COULD work doesn't mean it SHOULD. And Gus is a rather unfriendly rabbit that needs a lot of one on one time - something I don't have time to dedicate to right now. I do get the feeling that Gus would be happier as a lone bunny with lots of love from a special human.

So, after some thought, I said yes!

At the end of August, Gus will move into his new home. He will have his own room, a NIC cage that I will build for him as a going away present, and a very nice young girl who will love him as her only rabbit. I think it will make him much happier.

I wouldn't have even considered re-homing Gus until she offered to take him, but now I feel like it's just what he needs.

Now I'm left with a question: I've always wanted Molly to have a bun buddy, but I'm wondering now if I should get her a friend when Gus is gone. I know that Gus was the agressor, so I think that bonding Molly to another laid-back rabbit would be far easier. If she stays alone, Molly will have her own room to be free range and lots of toys, but I'm worried she'll get lonely if I have to work a lot and can't spend time with her. She's never been alone in that room before. Will it impact her that much? I'm not sure. She may very well get along fine by herself, but if she'll be happier with a mate I would stillprefer to bond her. One thing is certain - I would only bond her with a Flemish buck, preferably one bigger than her. I think she'd be more attracted to a larger rabbit. This would be easy becaue she's on the small side for a Flemish, only 13 lbs or so, and may not grow much more because of her spay.

Well, I suppose thats enough rant for today! Any opinions on whether Molly should remain single or not are very welcome!

 

[TinysMom]

I have a number of flemish giants and I have to say that each one is different and has different wants and needs. Harmony and Athena want NO other buns around them and they prefer to be alone. Nyx seems to crave the attention of other bunnies and lives with four other flemish girls plus an elop girl...and the hollands play with them too.

I know that when I had Tiny - I tried to bond him with a french lop doe - thinking he might like a mate his own size. BIG MISTAKE.

I have lots of pictures of Tiny with girls....all of them lionheads and much smaller than him. He loved all the girls - as long as they were smaller than him and willing to snuggle.

My point is - you'll pretty much have to wait and see what Molly wants and how she handles it when Gus leaves. I feel bad that it didn't work out - it sounded like their first date went so well too.

I'm glad you're doing what you feel is best for Gus.

Oh - and I LOVE chow chows. We had a dog that was half chow...she looked just like a full blooded chow though and was just an awesome dog.

 

[plasticbunny]

SECOND THOUGHTS

Oh, dear.

I slept on it, and now I'm starting to have second thoughts about rehoming Gus. Even though he's a mean little pooper, I'm kinda attached to him. With enough love I think he may come around. And I decided once and for all that I do NOT want to get another rabbit if Gus goes, so Molly would for sure be alone.

Their first bonding session went so well (Gus clearly LOVES Molly, Molly tolerated Gus), but after their fight, they were set back significantly. I have to face the fact that if I were to kep Gus, the bonding may take a long time, and they may never fully bond. In that case, I would be keeping Gus for me alone, not for Molly.

Grrr, I don't know what's right. I feel like I'm being selfish no matter what I do. What is truely best for Gus???

PROS of rehoming Gus: He will have his own space, he will have an owner who can give him undivided attention, Molly will have the room to herself, No one needs to go through the stress of a prolonged bonding.

CONS of rehoming Gus: Gus and Molly are so cute together and will probably bond eventually, Gus loves Molly, I don't want Molly to be lonely, I would miss him even though he's a complete jerk,.

I'm leaning towards keeping him... WHAT DO YOU THINK???

 

[Wabbitdad12]

Great blog.

Rabbits are social creatures and not all are going to bond. Sometimes they like being able to be next to another bun. For example, my wife's bunny that passed away recently was next to a Mini Lop named Pudge. The days after Dutchie died, Pudge wasn't herself. A couple of weeks went by and my wife and daughter came home with a baby bun she named Louie. Since then Pudge has been in a much better mood.

I guess my point is they don't necessarily have to be in the same cage to enjoy each others company. Sometimes being next to each other and being friends through NIC panels is all each of them may need.

 

[plasticbunny]

It's true. If they don't ever bond, at least having each other's presence in the room makes a difference for them. And I know that I wouldn't replace Gus with another rabbit. I would hate for Molly to be alone...

So Dave, your opinion is to keep him?

 

[sarliz]

I read everything, start to finish.


I told you I did! Just remember to make sure your happy with your decision, as well as Gus!

 

[TinysMom]

Wabbitdad12 wrote:

I guess my point is they don't necessarily have to be in the same cage to enjoy each others company. Sometimes being next to each other and being friends through NIC panels is all each of them may need.

I had two holland lops that were side by side in cages - a male and a female. Earlier this spring the female got sick and passed away. Before she was ill - she would literally spend HOURS every day staring into Zuba's cage - and he would look down into hers (slightly different levels).

I tried everything after she passed to work with Zuba and make him happy - even breeding him! But after about a month he passed away - in perfect condition - no signs of illness - good weight - awesome fur - great show condition.

To this day - I swear he died of a broken heart and he would not have anything to do with another girl in that cage- no matter who I tried.

I don't think they need to be in the same cage to be friends....

Another story - I just adopted Popcorn and Charlie from a forum member who is about to go to college. The original plan was to adopt Popcorn as she's a stinker who is a bit cage aggressive and hard to work with...and mom didn't feel comfortable having to deal with her. Only Charlie was her "cage mate" in the next cage and when they got separated about a week before the time to pick her up - both Charlie and Popcorn did not do well with the separation....so I was asked if I would take Charlie too.

Now they're both side by side in cages in my bedroom and they sleep beside each other during the night and sometimes during the day (if Charlie hasn't hopped out of his cage onto the adjacent table).

You say Gus is a stinker....my personal opinion is hollands *can* be that way. But I've also found them to be lovable stinkers over time as they get used to me and I get used to them....(for months I wasn't a fan of our first holland lop, Puck - partly due to his energy - I wanted a snuggle bunny and he wanted to PLAY!).

Good luck with whatever you decide....

 

[SOOOSKA]

Erin, I read your post about re-homing Gus, that saddened me but everyone has to make decisions that are best for them.

Sometimes Winston drives me nuts with his litter habits, I get so frustrated that he doesn't use the litter box half the time. Then I have to remember he is an animal and he is mine no matter what he does. Watching him and Vega together makes up for my frustrations.

Then I read you post about having second thoughts, I can imagine it is a difficult decision for.You got some good advice. I know it took me and the ex 3 months to re-bond Wilbur & Jackie when their bond broke. In the end they are (live with ex now) the cutest couple together. Being patience with them paid off in the end.

Good Luck whatever your decision is.

Susan

 

[plasticbunny]

Thank you to all of you for being so supportive.I'm certainly not the type to rehome an animal because it "isn't working out", and would never have considered giving him away unless she had offered.

BUT, I couldn't do it!

That's right, Gus is staying . In the end, I couldn't justify giving him away, and I had to do what I feel isbest for both him and Molly.

Let the bonding commence!

 

[SOOOSKA]

Erin, i'm so happy for every bunny:biggrin:.

Is that an updated picture? They make a beautiful couple:big kiss:.

Susan

 

[plasticbunny]

It is :biggrin2:.

Stay tuned for the newest bonding news... We've had some breakthroughs!

 

[plasticbunny]

Well, I have LOTS of bonding news for everyone!

Molly and Gus had a total of three incident-free dates in the bathtub, thelast one being about an hour long. Gus was clearly smitten with Molly, and Molly finally showed some emotion towards Gus, too. Up to this point she'd seemed to be rather blah about the whole ordeal, so I was quite pleased. In fact, she was so excited about her third date, she went right up to Gus, gave him a sniff, and BAM! Dead bunny flop, right in Gussy's face!

I'm just glad her aim wasn't off, lol.

So, because the tub dates had been so promising, I decided to try them on the floor of the bathroom. This would give them more space to hop, play,share a litterbox, etc. It would also give me an idea of whether they would choose to spend their time near to each other, or ignoring each other.

At first, they sniffed around to becoe familiar with their surroundings, and then sprawled out a few feet apart.

About twenty minutes later, Molly decided to join Gus in his corner of the bathroom, and request a groom.

Gus wasn't ready for grooming yet, so they stretched out for a bit instead.

A few moments later, we reached a breakthrough - Gus mounted Molly for the first time! She was very receptive, and it only lasted a second, so I didn't have to intervene. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of it because I didn't grab the camera fast enough
. BUT, what happend next was even better! Gus decided to start chinning Molly's ears, and then tentitively groomed her for a minute... Molly seemed delighted!

Ah, love.

But wait, there's more!

Today, I decided that since the bonding was progressing so rapidly, I would take it to the next level. I scrubbed down every inch of their room. The floor was washed twice and wiped with white vinigar. I moved everything around so it didn't look like the same room to them. This took a good three hours of work, and meanwhile they were snuggling in the bathroom.

Finally, I set up an Xpen in their room and popped them into it... And held my breath.

They poked around, but didn't seem to recognize any of their surroundings. It was truely a whole new space.

And it wasn't long before they stretched out for a good nap, side-by-side.

It looks like we're almost there! I'm going to leave them in this set-up around the clock, and I'll sleep in the room with them for the next couple of nights (just in case).

I hate to say it, but I'm kind of disappointed! I was fully prepared for a long drawn-out bonding with lots of spats and set-backs, but it looks like they were a good match after all :biggrin2:!