For the height of our fence, we decided to make it flush with our back porch (just slightly about 6′, which I think is code). Our plan is to have a 2×6 top board that will sit on the top of the fence… so I made this rough jig to help identify how high we needed the post to be. Worked out pretty well!
It sounds like Hazel was a bit of an aggressor at the start. But then Hugo made an aggressive move towards Hazel – and Liz blocked it with her hand.
When this happened though, Hazel had turned around and was in attack mode – and thinking she was going after Hugo, really bit in to Liz’s hand.
Liz, literally stopping to smell the roses.
I’m unclear what conditions brought this about, but frankly… I don’t care. This was a delightful moment to capture. Liz and I were stifling our laughter, and I feel lucky I was able to sneak in a few photos of… well, of whatever was going on here.
Hazel has been enjoying the Hop ‘n Flop a great deal. Ever since we moved it into her cage, it’s been her go-to spot.
Liz, sitting with the bunnies… and with some baby food at the ready. Fake it till you make it.
In the evening, we were hanging out in the yard and noticed a small bunny just chillaxing. Despite Liz moving around and doing some light yard work nearby, this guy didn’t really budge.
It felt like things were ok, and I allowed the bunnies to get close – but it was too early. Hazel in particular has come out of her shell, and has gotten a little… feisty? Sassy? She’s a lot more opinionated, it seems.
Well, there was a bit of a scuffle and I tried to insert myself to break things up. My hand caught a bite that was intended for Hugo, so this injury came from Hazel.
Tonight, I was really wary. So I kept them apart as much as possible. Both bunnies seemed riled and amped up. So I had a screen between them for most of the night. I was able to calm them both down (eventually), but probably 45 minute passed before they were in a calm state.
Our drywallers needed to stay late today, so I ended up remaining at home while Liz took Hugo back to Red Door for another round of speed dates.
The goal was to see how things went with Kavorka, and maybe Salt. Hugo was pretty stressed out on his second meeting with them, so we were curious to see how things would go this time around.
A session with Salt, which seemed to go rather well. A bit later, Toni would let us know that Salt was “a little boy crazy.”
With a lovely breakfast behind us, we headed over to Red Door Animal Shelter, to meet some bunnies. While Hugo gets the official final say, we do a first round to check out all the contenders.
It’s with great sadness that I share the news that we had to return Cloudy back to the Animal Care League. As much as we tried, Cloudy and Hugo just didn’t get along – despite all the attempts and bonding sessions we held for them.
This outcome is challenging, for a few reasons. We’re old hands at bonding, and so Liz and I felt like we were familiar with the process. This is by no means our first rodeo, and we know the ups and downs of bunny bonding – we know what it takes, and we’re not ones to easily give up.
It’s a bit hard to see. Her nose has a natural, dark patch of fur – but from her nose to her eye, that dark run shouldn’t be there. That came from her investigations, and her trying to get into the fireplace.
Liz and I are not used to this happening. And whenever it does, we shout out to one another to announce its occurrence. We’ll yell out “Hot Licks!” to let the other know that Cloudy is grooming us, and that Cloudy really, really likes us.