Hugo: Bunny Rabbit Speed Dating @ Red Door Animal Shelter Part 2
Back at Red Door again, with Hugo on his second visit. While he had a good first meeting with Sumo, we wanted to take this cautiously.
Posts Tagged "bunny rabbits"
Hugo: Bunny Rabbit Speed Dating @ Red Door Animal Shelter
We’re back at Red Door, for another round of speed dating for Hugo.
It’s been a tough road for him, this last year. With us (and him) losing Daisy, it’s been a difficult search to find Hugo another friend.
Bunny Bonding: A Serious Injury
So a bad thing happened tonight. Liz was having a bonding session between Hugo and Penny, and things got bad. Like, really bad.
I heard Liz yell “No!” a few times, and then I heard her scream. Really loudly. And when I ran over, she was trying to get the bunnies separated (they were having a bit of a tussle).
Hazel Gets Bold
Of late, we’ve let Hazel have the full run of the first floor (Hugo’s been relocated temporarily upstairs, while we try to find him a friend).
For the most part, she’s comfortable on the carpeted areas but treats the bare floor like laval. However, I happened to catch this today:
Penny Prevention
My first attempt was to stitch together a bunch of moving boxes with duct-tape, and draping that across the pen. I have no idea what I was thinking, because all I did was make a device that had multiple hinges.
On placing it at the top of the pen, the thing fell to earth like a deflated balloon.
Buddies
Liz has been away for a while, so in the meanwhile I’ve been trying to attend to all the bunnies. While I’m not comfortable trying to do bonding sessions solo, I’ve been letting Hugo and Penny roam a bit in the evenings.
Tonight, they were interested in one another… but nothing aggressive.
Bonding Resumed
We’ve had a rough patch, in terms of Hugo and Penny bonding. While we had some positive interactions, we’ve also had a few negative ones.
They tend to occur when, to be honest, Penny just kind of freaks out. She’s a super young bunny, and still seems a little skittish. So when they’re in the same pen together, sometimes she’ll just up and start running around.
Hugo and Penny: Grooming
This is from one of the more successful sessions, between the two.
Hugo ended up caving, and was grooming Penny. I think we’re all still waiting to see if there is reciprocation or not. So far, it’s just been one direction.
A Day Out: Errands, Beyond Grandma’s Attic, Lunch at the Whale, Animal Friends
Liz and I spent a slow, lazy day out and about today. It’s been a long while since we’ve done someting like this, taking it easy on a weekend day. It was strange – at a few points, I had to remind myself that we were in no rush. We had nothing to do, nowhere…
Her Name is Trouble: a Triptych
It’s tough when we get a new bunny in the house, that isn’t yet bonded. We get them with an existing name, but invariably want to give them a new name when they start their time with us.
Penny is the bunny we’ve brought home, in the hopes that she and Hugo get along well together.
Hazel, Binky
You know how, in musicals… things swell to a point where the characters have no choice, are so overcome with the moment that they break out into song? That’s pretty much what is happening for bunnies, except that they just leap up into the air.
It’s a joyous thing to see, because it’s a direct indicator that the bunny rabbit happy, excited, perhaps both. It’s an expression of joy, and not something they do unless they’re really having a good time.
Hugo’s Speed Dates: Animal Care League
Fast forward to today: we’re at Animal Care League, where our friend and Bunny Expert Liz Rench works. Today, he’s set up to meet two potential bunnies: Penny and LadyFred.
Hazel’s Project
I heard a lot of rumbling from Hazel’s area. I was upstairs at the time, and when I came down the stairs… this is what I saw:
Hazel Gams
Look at these little ham hocks! As adorable as this looks, it’s even better in person, close-up.
Hazel and Hugo: Last Bonding Session
Tonight more or less sealed the deal: Hazel and Hugo, despite what seemed like an incredibly positive first encounter… are not meant to be a pair.
Which leaves us in a challenging position. We now need to figure out two separate spaces for them. And while Hazel seems more of a solo bunny, Hugo is still desperately in need of a friend (he really hasn’t been the same since Daisy passed).