All Jenny » Bunny Bonding

Little Victories

admin — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 01:04:26 +0000

"I've had enough bonding for today. How about you?"

Day five…

Mr. & Mrs. Rabbit have made many small steps forward:

Mrs. Rabbit is approaching Mr. Rabbit more often. Her confidence is building.
"Can you please pass me the Cilantro?"
Both are eating together all the time. Even when they are in separate cages. When one eats, the other follows.
Both are poking at each other with their noses more often. Which almost looks like grooming but not quite there yet.
They haven’t growled or stomped so no squirt bottle needed for the past two days.
Mr. Rabbit has begun a little lover dance move showing off to Mrs. Rabbit. – He hops, kicking out his hind legs. I wonder why the boy doesn’t do that for me?
Mounting has decreased with more dancing – running in circles around each other.

"What's this? You have a tattoo?"

No marriage yet but it’s definite they like each other. They sit with their backs to me as if I can’t see them, and they touch noses and rub cheeks together. It’s so darn cute, I can’t stand it. I just want to squeeze them. Oh, how precious. The pictures do not do it justice.

"A little to the right!"

I’m trying not to focus on them as much; turning my back to give them more privacy. We started out with dating for 15 minutes per date, but because of the Little Victories we are attempting 25-30 minutes. I set the alarm for 25 and if all is ok, then I’ll let it go for another five.

Mr. Rabbit likes standing on Mrs. Rabbit. Her laid-back attitude is too funny; letting him walk all over her. Typical girl behavior!

"Your tense! Relax! I'll give you a massage."

The past couple days, I’ve had them in the kitchen area giving them more room to play bunny games. With me sitting on the floor, they want to include me in their game playing; tossing a toy, and nudging me to fluff their fur.

"Come on already, take the picture!"

Mr. Rabbit and I have been doing a little bonding ourselves. He’s been nipping at me; not quite a bite but those two front fangs are involved. That needs to stop but it’s normal for a bunny to feel you out.

In the warren bunnies have one Alpha rabbit who is ultimately in charge of setting the rules. I’m suppose to be the Alpha rabbit; I like that!

"What are you looking at?!?"

"Taste like chicken."

Now if I can only get the boy to see it that way.

Tale of Two

admin — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 23:50:50 +0000

"You're going to post this on your blog, aren't you?"

Sunday was day two of Mr. & Mrs. Rabbit’s courtship. I think they genuinely like each other. Mr. Rabbit pushes food over to her, and he

"I RULE!"

stretches along side her with his chest out; he’s really saying, “You can eat now, and yes, I’m the boss.” Mrs. Rabbit on the other hand, won’t eat the food until his back is turned. A game she is playing – just like in human relationships. When she does eat, Mr. Rabbit hears her munching and stops her; saying, “You can’t eat without me.” Mrs. Rabbit seems to be standoffish – always hunched in a ball with her eyes closed thinking, “If I can’t see him, he can’t see me.”

It seems Mrs. Rabbit has stopped mounting him. She’s now allowing him to do all the work. This process is putting my past relationships into perspective. Neither has given into grooming each other. You see, the first bun to groom the other will be the submissive partner. This is why they are both shoving their heads under each others chin waiting for the first lick. It’s rather comical. My vote is with Mrs. Rabbit being submissive. Until then, she is playing the game of hard-to-get. Sound familiar girls…?

"DAMN IT WOMAN, LICK ME!"

Mrs. Rabbit still has dominion over the house, and continues to lie outside his cage; every so often, pulling a piece of his hay out and eating it.

"Nah, nah, I'm eating your hay."

– Of course when his back is turned. I’ve also been switching their blankets to get their scent on one another. This makes me think of when the woman wears her boyfriend’s t-shirt. It’s all about marking your territory.

I’m continuing to use the bathtub as the bonding facility, and toss in the salad. It reminds me of Kramer with the garbage disposal in the tub. No one is going to eat at my house again… On day two, Mr. Rabbit was getting upset – he’d mount her for few seconds, then put his head under her chin, and when she wouldn’t groom him, he’d stomp. Stomping is something bunnies do when they are upset. Something like us human’s, wouldn’t you agree? I got out my handy squirt bottle, aimed and fired. That was the end of the courtship for the night.

Legend and Light
Day three…

Long day for me at work and having class so Mr. & Mrs. didn’t get much time together. Though, it was a perfect 15 minutes – we made two

"Just eat, this will make the human happy."

steps forward. 1. They were eating together, and 2. Mrs. Rabbit is now approaching Mr. Rabbit more often. She hops up to him – still with caution but with a little more confidence.

More on a personal note – I was feeling a bit jealous. Mrs. Rabbit use to hop up on the couch with me and cuddle. It’s what women do starting a new relationship; they stop hanging out with their girlfriends, as much. However, last night she must have known how I was feeling and came to sit next to me, and we talked it out.

The Changling
Day four…

Mrs. Rabbit is doing a bit of behavior changing. She’s gone on an exploration to places in the apartment she normally does not visit; at least on her own. This morning I found her in the kitchen and the bathroom all alone. I’m assuming since we use these rooms for bonding, she’s sniffing around for Mr. Rabbit’s scent.

Things seem good today. Nothing unusual just more of the same with slight forward moving. Until they bond…

Who do you think will be submissive or dominate? Send me your comments.

Mr. Rabbit’s Homecoming

admin — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 16:05:23 +0000

"Welcome Mr. Rabbit! Would you like a carrot?"

If you’ve read my blog I’ve introduced the Rabbit, and you know I’ve been in search of a playmate for her. It’s been several months but on April 18, we found a possible bonding bunny at the Animal Rescue League. Please donate.

Bunny Blind Date

First you must have a Bunny Blind Date. This is where you put the two together and see if there are any signs of a match. If they don’t fight, Woo Hoo, it’s a possibility. Bunnies are timid creatures therefore it can take several weeks of sniffing as they build trust. Some can take less time or even longer. During this time us bunny people call this the “courtship” period. So, the pair, are not truly Mr. & Mrs. as of yet. Though, I have confidence they will fall in-love. Mr. Rabbit at this point must make his nest in a smaller cage next to Mrs. Rabbit’s two-story condo until she decides to let him move-in.

"My Condo! No Boys Allowed."

In any relationship, one must be dominate and the other submissive – admit it, you know it’s true. It was a big day when we brought Mr. Rabbit home. Since this is Mrs. Rabbit’s territory, she will want to be dominate, at least until she builds trust in Mr. Rabbit. Good signs of uniting would be eating together and grooming each other. None of which has happened but they seem curious of one another so that’s good.

Mr. Rabbit is quite active where Mrs. Rabbit is only active about twice a day. However, Mrs. Rabbit is very interested in Mr. Rabbit, and her curiosity has perked her up a bit. She’s constantly hanging out near his cage. She takes her naps close-by while keeping one eye open watching his every move. It’s almost an obsessive behavior and a little teasing “nah, nah, I’m out and your not.” Mr. Rabbit has been in foster care so he has been around other bunnies. Where Mrs. Rabbit has never seen a bunny since she was born six years ago. This is very new for her. Though, I think she likes it.

Be Nice!

The boy and I put the two in the kitchen with some greens (getting them to eat together). Mrs. Rabbit seemed scared of him and was nestled close to me. I would try and push her towards the greens while Mr. Rabbit was hopping all over the place. Eventually the two started sniffing, and both had a little aggressive behavior towards each other but I would stop that with my squirt bottle. I just laugh because if you were bad, how would you like it if I squirted you with water? Anyway, Mrs. Rabbit is so laid back that it doesn’t even stun her. So, I have to step-in and calm them down with stroking their backs. Nothing dramatic transpired between them but again they are courting.

Watch Out! She's a Nymph.

This morning, I fed them breakfast in the bathtub. The bathtub, you ask? It’s easier to manage any fights, and allows them to have closer interaction. It was an exciting morning for us all. I put some green mix of vegetables in the center. At first, they took turns eating but not at the same time. WHAT’S THIS? OH MY!, Mrs. Rabbit mounted Mr. Rabbit. Told you, she wants to be dominate. It’s not sexual at all, it’s all about who is going to wear the pants…I allowed this for a few seconds then gently moved her aside. Next up, Mr. Rabbit mounts Mrs. Rabbit. And, this just repeats for 15 minutes. Times up! And, back to the cage they went. Bunnies can become irritated easily, so you don’t want to keep them together for too long during courtship, or they will start to hate each other. I think that goes with Humans as well.

My Daily Dose of Bunny Porn.

Well, that’s all I have to report in the first 24 hours. The two are napping so I think I’ll head to nap myself. Stay tune for more of Mr. & Mrs. Rabbit during their “Courtship.”