The Meeting of the Buns

As of today, I am happy to announce that I am in the beginning stages of bonding my widow bunny Cinnamon to Boo, a beautiul white Holland mini-lop, we adopted through BunnyLu Adoptions. Besides being quite the handsome bun (snow white fur, bright blue eyes), Boo has a rather sad background. His original human companion passed away, and sadly her surviving family members (husband, daughter) were not interested in caring for him. He was being fed but that was about it. He has been starving for affection and when you meet him, you can see how sweet he is. But he has also never been with another rabbit before, so when Cinnamon, my mini-Rex with the princess attitude, came along, needless to say, he was, shall we say, EAGER? To my amazement, Cinnamon did not seem to mind the mounting at all, though I am very nervous he will hurt her.

Tonight when I brought them home, I put them in small square pens side by side, with the intention of putting them together each night for 15 minute sessions, increasing each session as their relationship strengthens. Tonight Boo kept mounting Cinnamon again and again, then he would sit quietly, and she would kiss his neck. At the fifteen minute mark, he got startled somehow--it happened too fast for me to see if she had nipped at him--and when he lunged at her, I broke it up. Now I have them in the carry cage next to me, trying to keep them together in one small space as frequently as I can. But I wonder now, am I progressing too slow? Are they already advanced in love, as a friend has just suggested, that I can give them the same small space? I certainly can't allow that when I am at work all day.

I hope I don't do this wrong! I want more than anything for both these rabbits to be happy. They need each other, they have both been so lonely but they are rabbits after all, and dominance issues and the territorial issues must be worked out first. I will be blogging often about their progress so I can keep a written history of a bonding, with the hope of learning better techniques and learning from mistakes (which I hope I don't make!) I certainly hope I don't bore you! Also, I welcome any and all suggestions as I go along documenting the love story of Cinnamon and Boo. Feel free to chime in at any time. (Photos to come soon.)

The Hoppy Vegan