Cookie and Co

[Djakarta]

Yes, the 4 girls are still with me.

Keebler and Lorna Doone were spayed last week and will be ready for adoption soon.

Ditto will be staying with me. When her hip problem was discovered, I discussed the situation with my husband and we agreed to be her sanctuary home.

Rightas Ditto's surgery was being planned, Boston began to limp. Her x rays showed that she also had hip problem, although not as severely as Ditto.

At that point, all the bunnies went in for x rays, Thank heavens, all the rest were normal.

If Boston's hips worsen and she is deemed "unadoptable", we will become her sanctuary home as well.

I do love Cookie and Sparky. If things has been different and all the babies had been healthy, I would have wanted to be the one to adopt Cookie and Sparky.

It was very hard to let them go.

It's not that I don't love Ditto and Boston, because I do. But Cookie was very special. And Sparky was one rabbit in a million, a once in a lifetimekind of guy. Maybe I should go back to the beginning and try to explain.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Aww You gave them a great home and love until they could get to their forever home.

I'm glad you will care for the two girls who have problems. I know how that can be - I worry so much about Clover and her hip. She does well tho - you'd never know!

 

[Djakarta]

When I first brought Cookie home, I put her babies into a nest box in a Libby style cage. I then let Cookie hop into the cage so she could see where her babies were.

My set up for them had a Libby style cage set under my 2 by 5 C&C cage and an Xpen extension around that. This gave them about a 5' by 6' enclosure.

When I let Cookie in the cage, I left the cage door open, so she could come out and explore the pen area.

Well, she hopped all around the cage, sampled the water, pellets and hay and then looked a the open door. She sniffed all around it and hung her head outside a bit and then looked at me quizzically. You could see the thought bubble above her head-"Do you know you left this open?You do realize I can get out?"

So I answered her-" It's ok, come out and explore!"

She slowly exited the cage and began to hop around the pen, stopping and staring back at me every few hops. I think she expected me to yell at her or react to the fact she was out of the cage.

She did a slow circuit and discovered the food and water bowls and the second litter box. I had placed a very plush piece of carpet at the back section where there was a little shelf to hop onto or hide underneath. She did a kind of double take when she hopped across this carpet. She returned and stretched out and slowly lowered her head until it nestled against the carpet. Ahhh.

 

[jordiwes]

Wonderful news about the adoptions and wonderful stories!

:hugsquish:

 

[LuvaBun]

Ohhh, it must have been sooo hard to let them go - they were all adorable, and Cookie was a very special girl.

I am pleased to hear that you are keeping Ditto, and perhaps Boston 9and we can keep getting pics of them )

I hope Keebler and Lorna Doone get over their spays quickly, and find good homes

Jan

 

[Djakarta]

One of my early challenges with Cookie was reading her expressions. Ididn't haveexperience with lop bunnies. I was used to checking out the ear position to gauge a rabbit's mood.

For example, the first time she came running up to me, I had no idea if she was angry and charging me, or simply coming up to greet me.

I reflexively but my hand on her head and pet her, trying to control her advance while I beat a hasty retreat. But she collapsed under my hand into the "groom me" posture.

Turns out, she adored to be petted.

Long before the babies were old enough to begin exploring, we had settled into an evening routine. After my kids had gone to sleep and the house was quiet, she and I would sit beside each other in the pen and I would rub her nose, ears and face.

She would sit in the typical grooming position, but would slowly sink as she relaxed. She would usually kick her legs out behind her and settle into a comfortable position. She would lean again my hand or turn her head to direct my administrations. She would tooth purr and mumble to herself.

I learned that if she was stretched out by the gate to the pen, that she was hoping for some pets, and would be insulted if I breezed by with out stopping.

When the babies started exploring, they would hop all around me as I was petting Cookie. Sometimes they would put their heads down for pets and I sometimes was faced with the challenge of trying to pet 7 bunnies with only 2 hands !

Sparky and Ditto were the smallest, and if I wasn't petting them, they would start grooming their nearest sibling.When I would pet them, they would start to tooth purr almost as soon as I touched them.

The babies would also come up to greet me with bunny kisses. They would kiss any surface they could reach- face, hands, arms, legs and feet.

Lorna Doone, especially, had a foot fetish. If I knelt in the pen with bare feet, I could expect to be tickled to death.

Cookie (with Keebler)by the gate, awaiting pets

Babies exploring

Snickerdoodle

 

[Djakarta]

I waseagerly watching ear development- were the babies going to be lop eared like Cookie?


What I did see were "floppity" ears.

Ditto

Keebler

Boston

Lorna Doone

Snickerdoodle

Sparky

 

[LuvaBun]

They really are the sweetest little babies - they all have such beautiful markings. I couldn't pick a favourite out of them.

The pic of Cookie with Keebler is adorable.

Jan

 

[Spring]

I can't believe I missed this blog before! It was so sweet looking through the pictures, such a lovely group of bunnies!

I would really love to foster or adopt a pregnant doe to have the experience of kits, I think it would be so rewarding and special.

 

[Djakarta]

Pink noses and furry feet

It was clear that they were developing their own personalities and their own style of doing things- even sleeping.



Snickedoodle

Ditto

Boston

Lorna Doone

Is this even comfortable?

 

[Bo B Bunny]

OMG I am so sick and feel like someone beat me up, and threw me out in the cold.

I opened this thread and smiled from ear to ear! Look at those adorable ears! and Ditto is so cute laying there asleep. All of them are but OMG that's jsut too cute!

 

[Djakarta]

Sorry you're not feeling well.

Here's another dose of Ditto

With a Sparky chaser ( He hopes you feel better, soon!)

 

[Bo B Bunny]

LOL! THank you so much! That second picture of Ditto - PHEW !!! If looks could kill! :shock: