Thumper and Peaches - Loving Life

[Thumpers_Mom]

PikachusMom wrote:

arty0002eaches is beautiful. Congratulations! They make such a cute couple. :bunnieskiss

Thx PikachusMom...she is definitely a cutie patootie.

 

[Thumpers_Mom]

Thx guys. She is a character all right. She was flopping all over the place yesterday. Thumper has NEVER flopped!

I have a question...Can one of the Mods change the name of this blog to Thumper and Peaches - Loving Life...?

Now I feel bad that my name is only ThumpersMom...

 

[SnowyShiloh]

Ooh, did Thumpy make BABIES before you got him? I want to see Thumper babies! I want a Thumper baby!

Poor Peaches bein' all scared. Hopefully she'll adjust soon! I think Lavinia would be a good name for her, very feminine and Victorian :biggrin2: You could call her Livi or Vini. Cute! Or Isabella, Hannah, Chrysanthemum, Marigold, Luna, Samantha, Trudi... But Peaches is cute too!

Has she been spayed yet? Perhaps that would help with the bonding. She probably feels vulnerable being in a new place and knows that the space belongs to Thumper, so maybe she was just being defensive during the bonding session. Kind of like how a declawed cat sometimes resorts to biting and being more aggressive with other cats because they don't have their claws to defend themselves. Or maybe not like that at all! Anyhoo, I'm glad you have your new bun and look forward to hearing all about them growing to love each other. Hopefully by the time your two have been bonded for a while, I will have my own little girl bunny to bond with Rory!

Earlier you said that you were concerned about Thumper not loving you as much after they bond, and I have to admit that I'd wondered about that before too. I asked that on the Nutrition and Behavior board a couple weeks ago and the general response was that your bunny will still love you and want your affection as much as it did before, the difference is that now he will be even happier when you're not with him because he has another bun to love. Here is a link to an article I found about bonding your bunnies, and it also says good things about bonded bunnies and people.

http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/articles/bond.shtml

Also, I don't remember if it said this in there or not, but I was told by someone who has bonded lots and lots of bunnies that one of the most important things is to never allow the bunnies to fight because it can set back bonding (so have a broom, squirt gun and thick gloves handy) and if you're wrapping up your bonding session and the buns do something aggressive, sit back down with them and pet them for a couple minutes more so you're ending the session on a good note. She said that you should never let a session end on a bad note. And I know it says this in the bonding article, but I just wanted to say it as well since I don't want Thumper's "manhood" to be endangered... Never let Thumper mount her from the front because there's a chance she could accidentally bite his little wee wee off! Do not want!

Can't wait to hear more about Thumps and Co!

 

[Thumpers_Mom]

Thx Snowy...This bonding is going to definitely take some work.ullhair: Thumper is not as aggressive as I thought he would be. Not really trying to fight at all. All is does is try to mount.

Peaches on the other hand, though not a biter of humans, she is a Thumper biter all right! :shock:

I have to get a water bottle. Thumper put a hole in the last one I had. :nope:..he wasn't too happy about the spraying thing.

I have gotten down on the floor with them in the pen area to give them pets and treats and they relax right away. Then a bit after I stop petting, Thumper goes to try and mount and Peaches runs then comes back to bite him.:faint:

I know that it might also be a lot for her since she has only been here since yesterday. It'll take time. :waiting:Right now she is in her cage and Thumper is right outside of her cage. They are just lying down.

I did notice a good thing, she is not trying to bite him through the cage anymore and she actually groomed him for a bit. Good sign I hope!ray:

 

[SnowyShiloh]

Wow, the grooming is a good sign! I'll bet Peaches is just overwhelmed right now. Did you read the bit in the article about not letting one bunny mount the other for too long and to pet the one that's being mounted? Maybe that would help! I'm glad Thumper isn't being too aggressive, what a good boy. I get the feeling Rory won't be aggressive either, he's so laid back. Cinny was aggressive and very territorial with the new bunny we brought home even when he was 9 weeks old!

Is Peaches a rex? She looks like she has such soft fur!

 

[Thumpers_Mom]

She does seem to be calming down a bit. She started drinking water and eating. so hopefully she'll feel safer soon.

Thx for the article. I just wasn't letting him mount her. I guess that should have been done the first time. He is really pushy so now, everytime he tries to mount her, she goes to bite him. The article gave me lots of good tips that I intend to use.

Thumps is def. trying to assert dominance but I think that she is also. She doesn't mount but she always presents herself to be groomed.

No she is not a Rex. Her fur is soft and she has A LOT of it. I believe she is a mix of some sort.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Is that how you wanted the title?

She's just too cute! they both are!!!

 

[Thumpers_Mom]

Oh wow...thx! You Rock Bo B... This is sooo cool! :yes:

She really is a cutie. She is sooo calm. Thumper on the other hand...boy is he a handful! I love them both so very much and feel much better now that this blog is about them and hopefully their blossoming love.:bunnyheart

 

[Bo B Bunny]

You're very welcome. If I don't see something like this - I apologize but you can always pm me or another MOD.

 

[PikachusMom]

More pictures of Peaches and Thumper please!opcorn2

 

[Thumpers_Mom]

:biggrin2:Here are more pics of my dynamic duo!

Stay tuned on bonding progress. :biggrin2:

 

[SnowyShiloh]

What a lovely couple! I adore Thumper and Peaches. Is Peachy more calm today? How are they acting with each other?

 

[PikachusMom]

Your pictures are great! I think Thumper might be falling in love.:inlove:

 

[Thumpers_Mom]

Awe shucks...thanks guys! I think both Thumper and Peaches are falling in love. :bunnyhug:

Sorry I haven't posted on bonding. I had a thread going in the general chat section called Bonding update.

Here is what happened today:

I again took them to the pen with their greens ready. This time, they went straight to work on eating. Mainly ignoring eachother. When Peaches had enough, she went over to Thumpers side. He continued to eat for a bit then he scurried over to her. I pet them both and they just lay there side by side while I talked to them and continued petting.:woohooNo grooming though...(I'm not trying to rush things either)

Then he tried to mount her, I pet her and talked to her (I was told not to stop the mounting but to not let it go on for more than 10-20 sec.) and pushed him away after about 10 sec. After that, she turned and met him face to face and nipped him. :bangheadShe was going to go after him so I just started petting and talking some more while they both just relaxed.

Then Thumps went over to the other side. I gave them both a papaya treat, some more pets and called it a day. From what I read, mtgs should end on a good note and that definitely was a good note.:bunnydance:

Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Oh, here are some new pics...

Here is the first pic of me and my Princess Peaches!!!

And of course, here is my Prince Thumper!

 

[Bo B Bunny]

I am in LOVE with Peaches!~ she's so pretty!

Thumper's pretty handsome too!

 

[Thumpers_Mom]

Thx Bo B

More Bonding Update:

Yesterday I did a session that lasted 40min. They scuffled twice but were pretty good for the most part. Well, except that Thumper finally got tired of being nipped by Peaches and he started acting out! :shock:

All in all, they ate, ignored eachother, then sniffed eachother and ran passed eachother a few times. Thumps again, went to mount Peaches as I pet and talked to her (didn't last long and I think he might be getting over it).

Now I just feel bad because I have class tonight and won't be able to do a session. I hope that won't affect the progress in a negative way. Who knows, maybe I'll squeeze in 10-15 min.

 

[SnowyShiloh]

How are the lovelies today? Is Peaches getting less nervous with the pets? Such a pretty girl! Is Thumper sharing the attention okay?

 

[Thumpers_Mom]

Whew, it has been a while since I have posted here...so, here is the newest scoop.

Peaches is settling in nicely and Thumper...well, he is still my cuckoo bun! :biggrin2:This past weekend, I took them on a car ride!!! Turns out, Peaches is NOT afraid of the car...but Thumper is quite the punk. He crawled under her and didn't move!:laugh:After the car ride, which was pretty long (40 min. or so) since I had to put gas in the car and go to Petco which is not that close to my house and they were GREAT! Then we came home and I put them in the pen for about another hr and they ate and started grooming eachother.

Yesterday I did a shorter session, around 30 min. and they ate, sometimes eating the same leaf together and NO nipping!! :woohoo

Tonight I have class and won't be able to do a session. Tomorrow, I get out of work early so I will be trying to do a long session while I pack for my trip on Thurs. morning, but I am sad that I will be gone for two days and I hope that they keep this level of bonding...then Sat. it will be time for another car ride.

 

[SnowyShiloh]

Well, it sounds like the bonding is going great! I hope it goes so well when I try. I can just imagine Thumper literally taking cover under Peaches. Are their cages next to each other? If not, perhaps while you're gone you could put their cages right next to each other so they can "chat" through the bars. But far enough away so they can't nip :biggrin2:

Have a good Thanksgiving, I'm sure the buns will be fine but I know, worrying is mandatory! Can't wait to hear how they did while you were gone.

 

[PikachusMom]

Peaches and Thumper are turning out to be quite a pair!:bunnyheart:bunnyheartHappy Thanksgiving to everyone!:bunny16