Soulmate Beginnings
Lizzie is out of her house most of the time during the day. At night she seems to prefer her house and has plenty of things in her house to keep her occupied. Thank you again for such a wonderful little companion.
I told Maureen about SRR, whose rabbits I had seen listed on Petfinder, in the hopes of finding a foster home for him. When Maureen called the shelter to let her know that Julie was working on finding him a foster home, she found out that he had been scheduled for euthanasia later that day. They canceled his final appointment. Maureen posted about this, and I offered to take him as a foster through SRR so he could get out of the shelter ASAP. Soon enough, the big boy was taking over my house. I named him Oberon (Shakespeare's lord of the fairies) in the hopes that he would bond with my dwarf hotot sisters Fey and Sprite.
It is now June and I am still working on bonding, but there is definitely progress. They cuddle willingly, and they sometimes groom. I'm experimenting with non-neutral territory, although Sprite gets a little aggressive there. I do think this will work, it will just take some more time. Till then, Oberon is technically still a foster for SRR. It's nice to have a back up just in case. - Angela
L to R: Phil holding Monty, Soozie cuddling Ballerina, Soozie cradling Norman. 2nd row: Mr. and Mrs. Monty and Ballerina, Zilly in Norman's hidey box.
Dear Grandma Julie and Grandpa Karl...
A family reunion with grown-up snapshots below! Ballerina and her 5-wk-old babes Brenna, Sparkles and Zilly had no space when they came to the shelter. Look at those lucky ladies now.
Brenna enjoying some quiet time.
Brenna poses often for Dad's camera lens.
Are cheek cuddles not one of life's simplest pleasures?
Sept-10-07. Sparkles had her 1st weekend with a �bunny-sitter� as this was the 1st weekend all summer I�ve been out of town! She did very well. Our neighbors are over a lot so she knows everyone very well already. She also has learned from Poncho to eat with gusto. Her former ways of taking her time would probably leave her with nothing living with that little guy so she gets right into it now... those pellets are gone in a flash every time... both of those bunnies! Hay & veggies also. She devours every strand and bit. Last night we had some especially juicy fresh carrots and we then ended up with two bunnies with orange noses. (from the carrot juice!)
Update on Shamrock and EmmaLee, adopted by Margi. Sept-24-07.
They had been getting along so well that I decided to let them spend their first night together. There was no fighting - only
snuggling and sharing food. So they have been together day and night
since then. We went on a car ride yesterday (40 minutes each way) to my
parents' house. They rode together in one crate. I let them out once we
were in the house, and they hopped around my mom's kitchen for a bit,
but both went back into the crate on their own. They seem to play
"follow the leader" a lot. There has been absolutely no aggressiveness
from either one of them towards the other.
Dec-28-08. Must be nice to have your own personal stylist! ~ Amy
Letters from Home/Gigi's home.
"Mom" writes: Gigi has 'expanded' her territory around the house. We have been able to gate off the one living room (cords, cables, TV, etc.) and if we shut the office door to the computers, etc., and my bedroom door, the rest of the house can be hers. She LOVES the freedom! She doesn't have the house every day, but many days it's easier to do that than for us to have to go 'over' her regular gate.
She loves to be brushed. Today she was so relaxed she let Sadie have all sorts of fun with her tail. It was hilarious. She would twitch it, Sadie would catch it, twitch, catch, etc. I'm surprised she let her do that. She stayed stretched out and relaxed the whole time. I'm guessing she was just hoping Sadie would eventually move up toward her head and give her a much needed head pet.
May-10-08. I've been meaning to write and tell you just how well
GiGi is doing. It seems that over the last several weeks she has become so much more friendly and comfortable around us - as if that were even possible.
She has stopped digging into the couch, and now just jumps up and begs to be pet, from whoever she doesn't even care. Sometimes she gets 1-2 hours nonstop and doesn't move.
She is eating individual pieces of either oatmeal or pellets right from the kids hands. They actually hold them in between their thumb and forefinger and she is so gentle taking it from them. I can't believe it. ...
And loving it here, I think! Thanks for picking out such a perfect bun. She is also completely unphased by other kids, adults, or whoever comes over. We
usually keep her confined when we have company but she will come right over and say hi to anyone. She's doing just great,
Kaitlyn and Gina, Jan-10-09
I have found Gina to be the perfect pet for our lifestyle. She is easy to care for and a good companion. However when we got her we did our homework and I knew bunnies could live a long time since Blackberry lived 9 years in my parents home. We were also lucky to find the right rescue network to adopt Gina from last year. It was nice that you opened your home to us and helped us to choose Gina after visiting with many bunnies. To include the many visits, also, we have shared with you over the year. I always appreciate all you time and assistance. I am sure this had made adopting Gina last year a positive experience. - Lisa, Kaitlyn and Gina
Felice in her home, photos from Ashley and Adam.
We spent a lot of time in the sunroom this weekend which Felice really enjoyed. She was jumping up on the window ledges and watching the bunnies (cottontails) play in the backyard, while basking in the sun.
We built a tower for her to climb in and there are treats and toys on every level. She especially loves to sit on the back of the couch to get as high as she can and watch what is going on... We have a few cat towers and blocks that she likes to run through and jump on.
Everyone who sees her says she looks like a cow. I do too. She still has not grown into those ears, but she is simply adorable.
I went in on the weekend to work (in the classroom office). She loves it there because there is so much room to roam. She loved it. She would flop down by my feet for two seconds, and then take off binkying across the room...
She is a big fan of cuddling. My grandmother spends a lot of time with Felice. I will come home from work and find them laying on the couch. I have found that she loves to crawl up on my lap while I am doing homework and just sit there. She doesn't want me to pet her because she will run away, but after a minute she will be right back on my lap!
From Ashley, Felice's mom
Credits to Lindsey, adoptive guardian of Jeffrey (who is acclimating to his new name Saul).
June-10-09
Some exciting break-throughs this week! I've seen several binkies and Jeffrey is now eating hay! Your trick worked--last week I got him some banana chips and buried one at a time in a toilet paper roll I zip-tied to the side of the cage. The first couple times he was quite focused on getting to the chip, but since then he's taken to using the toilet paper roll as a hay trough (though I've seen him eat hay elsewhere too).
We've had some great bonding time and he definitely seems to be opening up. His litter habits are great in his kennel but just so-so during play time out of his immediate area. Mostly its just been a little marking and no peeing outside the litter box but he had a pee accident last night...Anyway, we'll work on this, but I just wanted to give you a quick update about the good news!
July '09. It has been a joy watching his personality emerge more and more over the past six weeks. He loves to call my attention by tossing his plastics keys and bell--we've even worked out a little game in which we take turns tossing them...
I've been noticing lots of happy bunny flops and tooth purs and the occasional binky. He even gave me a little lick the other day!
He is still reticent to leave area rugs, but I have assembled an expansive enough area of overlapping rugs so as to give him some real run room. Besides making good use of his toys he is also an enthusiastic jumper and loves exploring some of the hay and card board tunnels we have. - Lindsey and Saul
Norman has turned into Mr. Stretch Out and love me, love me,
love me bunny. Of course, he still continues with his artistic pursuits. He
seems to have a new sculpture almost every day. Zilly still thinks she's a
dog, and the upstairs two are as silly as ever. Bal still plans her great
escapes. Now that I've brought several plants in for the winter, I'm looking
for new ways to fortify the fence that attempts to keep Bal at bay. :-) Monty
looks for places to mark, and then practices looking innocent...
Our little Joe...
The trauma of toe nail-time ended and I cuddled and smooched him a bit to make it all better. I loosened my grip so that he could go on his merry disgruntled way, but he stayed. Joe actually cuddled his nose into my robe. He sat with me for the longest time with his nose in my robe and my petting him getting lots of loose hair off.
Joe's reaction just makes me realize the fear that these small furries must go through... Joe will make it... He is out, ... Joe will reveal himself a little bit more to me now that we had our moment.
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Lots of Cuddles, Joe and Janet
November '09: From Andrew Allen's dad ~
Hi Julie,
Thanks for the great addition to my family. - Tony and Andy
December 2009
Photo from Amy & Keith, "Gigi, getting some love from Katherine underneath our piano, which we just moved into the family room."
Shortly after Keith took this photo, Gigi climbed onto the piano chair and then worked her way onto the key board - making quite a racket as she hopped along. The girls thought it was quite funny, they laughed so hard and Gigi just kept going back and forth looking at them - not sure why she didn't hop back down, but when I put her back on the chair she climbed back onto the keyboard. Lately that is her new 'trick', I think she is still getting used to having it in the room. A new toy I guess and it's up high, so of course that makes it fun to climb on. - Amy S.
Charlie Bear came into our home the end of December �09. We were looking for another �bunn� to bond with our 2 girls, Lucky and Dot. The bonding process is progressing slowly and that is okay. Lucky and Charlie have shared nose kisses and lots of �sniffs�. Lucky has performed some unique �girlie� dances for the �man�.
Charlie Bear loves to run at �break neck� speed under the dining room chairs, into the living room and under the piano bench. He does a couple of binkys, and wiggles his cute butt. It is hilarious!!!!
Jan-31. Friday evening about 9:30 someone came to the door to pick up a part for a furnace. Charlie Bear went running down the hall and into the entrance way to see who came to the door. It was really cute. He even let the man pet him...
He is not shy.
Photo credit: Diane
We are so fortunate to have Charlie Bear in our lives. - Diane and Dan Z.
Photo credits: Diane.
Sharing another Charlie moment, May-7-10.
Charlie has begging �down pat�. Dan and Charlie are next to the refrigerator and Charlie is waiting for Dan to open the door. Charlie usually gets right into the refrigerator. We usually have to physically move him out of the way in order to shut the door. It is so funny.
Last night I had the bottom cupboard open when Charlie was down on this end of the house. He quickly jumped into the cupboard, grabbed a bag of chips and took off running. He was in �7th Heaven�. I quickly snapped a picture. Before I could take the bag away Charlie had bitten a hole in the bag and was hastily munching a small chip. He really seemed to enjoy it!
Photo credits: Diane and Dan
May-19-10. "That's a rabbit in there?!"
Oftentimes when I'm traveling to the vet clinic with one of our special needs' buns, the look on persons' faces amazes me. Today such an occurrence took place again.
I can visit various forum boards and read of the immense devotion and love that parents have for their family; Four-legged family & less-abled furry friends.
On the elevator at our daughter's apartment on the east side of Milwaukee, the people bring on their dogs and talk about them being their babies... Dogs, babies? Sheesh. Did they ever have an affectionate rabbit? Rabbits' therapy value, quiet times tooth purring in your lap, or snuggling on the floor nose-to-nose, begging at your toes, will show others that family members have up-ears and lop ears. ... Eat cilantro and romaine, and oh, those healthy veggies and hay.
Our less-abled bunnies and quiet healthy seniors (or rambunctious hoppers) have a special place in our hearts, always.
He came down to the living room like he usually does about 8:00 and started zooming around. I called Dan to come and watch. Charlie was running in circles, running under the end tables, jumping in the air and showing us some fantastic binkys. He did this for about 10 minutes. It was hilarious. It would have been something fantastic to tape and send to YouTube.
Every day Charlie surprises us with some gesture and love. He is so curious and loves to be petted. We sure are enjoying Charlie Bear!!!!
Dot and Lucky are enjoying the cooler weather also. They love to come down to this end of the house and run around. The girls run in circles and wiggle their cute butts.
- Diane and Dan
September 2010
Photo credit: Kerry. Socks' tail is pointing to Deeny and Thumper's salad!
She's put on a few ounces as Thumper has lost a bit; he has developed cataracts and must be slowing down a bit with age. He still tries to be the first to the food, chasing her away as I approach, but she always wolfs down her banana and tries to get some of his! - bun mom Kerry
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~ Katherine and Gigi ~
Photo credits: Amy S.
Sept-19-10
home sweet home
Dec-6-10. Mayna is just so adorable! She absolutely loves to snuggle when I hold her on my lap sitting on the couch. Her favorite is to stick her head over my left elbow while I pet her. (as if you were holding a little baby)...
Photo credit: Amy and Keith
Photo credit: Ashley, Felice and Anya.
We have a new addition to our family and can't believe how amazing Felice does with her. I was really nervous how they would be together, but Felice follows Anya around the house, then they take turns and Anya follows Felice around. I enjoy watching the two of them playing around together, it is kinda like I have two kids. - Ashley
Soulmate Beginnings, by Soulmate Rabbit Rescue ~ and Families
Hi Julie, Lizzie and I are just fine. She is such a cuddler. Tim is jealous because she is definitely momma's girl, but they are getting along fine.
Lizzie's new favorite spot is under the little table with the table cloth. Unfortunately the telephone cord must have fallen from it's elevated spot during my cleaning and the next day the phone in Lizzie's room didn't have a dial tone. I asked her "what did you do Lizzie" and she put her little head down and came over and nuzzled me. What a little lover. I guess the funniest thing she does is we have a Tweety bird (stuffed) about 6 inches tall, we put Tweety on the couch and Lizzie will jump up on the couch and throw Tweety off. Seems to be very jealous of poor Tweety.
Oh my goodness, Lizzie just ran over here and binkied. That's my girl.
Lizzie sends her kisses, Have a great day, Barb & Lizzie
I'm very lucky to have Oberon. He almost died twice. Some of you may already know his story, but I'll give you the quick version. I'm a member of the Rabbits Online forum (formerly Rabbits Only). Last December Maureen, another member, posted about a male New Zealand White that needed a home. He had been at the Coulee County shelter for several months and she was worried he was going to be euthanized soon. His original owners had bought him to feed to their snake. Two weeks later they brought him to the shelter. He was very frightened and it was thought that he had been put in the cage with the snake. Some of the shelter workers thought he was aggressive, although Maureen didn't think he was aggressive at all. Just scared.
Oberon never showed any aggression and quickly settled in. He quickly adapted to the pain and torture of a large pen, daily exercise, good food, and free massages. He gained a name for jumping into the laps of my friends, and he got along famously with my cats. He even made a debut as a therapy bunny, visiting the home for developmentally disabled that my husband works at. He wore a harness and hopped around the living room, letting everyone pet him and kiss his nose.
Rabbits were another story. He was very aggressive with Fey and Sprite. As I watched during their fruitless bonding sessions, I realized that he was terrified of them even though they are tiny next to him.
He was probably never allowed to interact with other rabbits before and he had a very hard past. I had grown too attached to Oberon to give up this quickly. He slowly learned to like the girls during cuddle sessions on my lap, and he began to snuggle into them instead of nipping.
Brenna Margaux being cuddled by Elizabeth.
- Karen
Sept-1-06. "Do you have space for 3 bunnies?" was the email query SRR received from a Wisconsin shelter rescue coordinator. Fosterer(s) Cheryl and John could take one, and dove in with enthusiasm to accept this abandoned tykester. There's more to her story. The great outcome was that Nibbles became a permanent family bun. Shown here in the transport kennel cab on her way back to SRR. Add'l pics forthcoming. A white new zealand fosterlette in a bunny-gracious home.
I fully expected the
bonding process to take much more than 2 weeks. Maybe they both just
really needed a friend. I've noticed that when EmmaLee is around the
corner, out of Shamrock's sight, or if she's behind me and he can't see her,
he tends to do the bunny periscope, looking for her. I think he really
cares for her. And she grooms him often, so I know she likes him too.
They use the litterbox together, eat hay together and she taught him
to hop on top of their crate. They also like to lay around in their
tunnel --
So it's been good actually for us and for her. She has discovered a nice place, the wall underneath Katherine's bed, where she usually will rest for quite a while. I don't know if it smells like Katherine or is just a nice spot to watch the world go by - but it's where she ends up.
I have lined the hallway with those cheap 3 dollar mirrors so that she can play with them. She would rather sit near me than go and play with the mirrors.
I have taught her a few tricks. She knows "home", means go in the cage I am going to be fed. "Circles" means run in circles like she is chasing her tail. And she chases around a bouncy ball on the linoleum floor like a puppy.
Update October / November 09: Bonded duos, foursome furries, living with Phil and Soozie.
I decided to catch him today to at least get his toe nails done because I noticed they were really pointed/sharp. So at the end of his playtime, I caught him up, put him into position, and started doing toe nails. He was not a happy boy...
Joe sat with me for such a long time that I started to worry that he was hurt in some way from his fussing over having his nails done. So I loosened my grip even more, and Joe stayed right in my arms. I think he finally felt safe and secure for once ..... that he so relaxed to start napping.
Thanks for letting Joe enter SRR foster system. He was just tired of not being safe...
He is one little happy bun! He must be living the high life...I get binkies, kisses and encircled every day. Occasionally I get a "hum" (I'm pretty sure it's a hum). At times he follows me like a little puppy. He still freaks me out when he flips over on his side and squints his eyes. I've been reading alot of the bunny literature and book you gave me...so I am understanding what Andy is doing. He still occasionally gets startled for whatever reason. I lit a candle in the living room and POOF he shot behind the couch. I walked in from the kitchen and he THUMPED and took off behind the couch. He doesn't hide for long, he comes out a few minutes later. He gets his exercise everyday...when he winds up he shoots around like a furry pinball. He likes to play peek-a-boo...he hides under the curtain and pops out. My friends wives all think he is very cute...yeah he's a ladies man and I love the little guy...he is very cool.
Loving Charlie Bear
We are enjoying Charlie�s charming personality every day.
After Charlie inhales part of his breakfast he zooms down to the kitchen to help me make my lunch for work. Somehow, Charlie has figured out that apple pieces and little carrots are inside that big metal box. He glues himself to the frig until that door opens. After we make lunch it�s over to the table where Charlie sits at my feet while I eat my breakfast. This also is a favorite spot during the hours I spend at the table working on our business book work.
Perhaps you've had this experience when carrying a kennel cab with your valued & beloved family member. The majority of pet owners are unaware of the joy and companion-value that lagomorphs are capable of. So looking at us with disbelief is comical.
September '10 Charlie adventures - "and the winner of the dance-a-thon is" ...
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- Mayna's mom
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