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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 11sd replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 15 years, 10 months ago by Cajunboi.

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- 01/09/2009 at 3:56 PM
  Cajunboi
  Participant
  42 posts
  Hi guys! I’m new here… Well i’ve been reading the posts for a while but just joined as a member…
  
  Our family has two beautiful Bunnies, One Mini-Lop named August Phelps and a Holland Lop named Buster Wubsy…
  
  We found August on Craigslist from a man who had found him out in the country… Someone had dumped him off at a farm and he was living in a wood pile. We don’t know how old he was but he was very small… He has grown now but is still smaller than Buster. He has always used his Litterbox from day one so I do think he was a house bunny… Maybe from an oops litter and they didn’t want him anymore. When we first got him he never dug or chewed on anything… Now that his hormones have kicked in he is a digging and chewing machine… Nothing helps to control it, he just digs and chews everywhere…
  
  Buster we found on CL also from a lady who was fostering him from another lady who babied him terribly but her husband was going to sell him for meat because he was tired of him. We took him in and it took two months for him to get even slightly used to us. Of course, he is in total adolescence and is sometimes a very BAD bunny! He humps anything and EVERYTHING!
  
  They are both going to be neutered very soon… We love letting them out but Buster is just a humping machine! He comes running and jumps in the bed with me and my wife… If we pet him he will lay there and let us pet him for hours but the second we stop he is attacking our arms and legs… So we just put him up in his condo, which is Very nice, I might add… Buster is a very quirky bunny… We are learning very quickly his bunny language…
  
  August is another story… He is a very skiddish, scaredy bun! When we open Busters cage he runs right out and starts exploring but August will sit and wait to see if it’s safe… He’ll then take a step out of the cage and if anybody in the house moves, he’s right back in… He will do this for 30 minutes and finally come out and start sniffing around… If you go near him right away he runs back to his cage or hides somewhere in the room. We have had him since August (hence, his name) and he is still like this. He does LOVE to be petted, no matter where he is but especially in his cage! After we had him about a month, He was becoming comfortable with us and started playing with our kids, binkying like crazy, coming up to us for pets and even jumping in our laps… He does NOTTTTTTTT like to be held! I mean does NOT like it! In the last few weeks he has regressed 100%. Even when we pet him his eyes bulge till the white shows… He begs for treats when in his cage but if you go close to the door he hides… I mean totally hiding his head with bulging eyes… It is freaking us out! We love him but are wondering what’s wrong… it’s like he is scared to death! I can’t even let him out now because He poops everywhere (Which he never did before) and now is peeing on the kitchen floor (Which he has done only once before when we first had him…) He was out recently and when I put him up, the minute he went back in his cage he jumped in the litterbox and then jumped right put and pee’d in the middle of his cage floor! I mean full on, pee’d… and it was milky white… We just don’t understand!
  
  He and Buster live in seperate cages but occasionally on outings they will escape and make it over to each others cages and they nuzzle each other and try to hump each other… Only once has August bit Buster on the nose… In the last few weeks August’s hormones have kicked in leading me to believe he was a very young Bunny when we got him.
  
  What I am wondering is if they will possibly bond after they are fixed? Will it be easier since they know each other already and will their behaviour change once they are fixed? Will August EVER loosen up?
  
  Your comments are appreciated!!!
  
  Donnie
  
  Here are pics of my little guys… First two are August Phelps and the next two are Buster Wubsy
  
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- 01/09/2009 at 4:50 PM
  skibunny8503
  Participant
  1338 posts
  Welcome to the board Donnie!! I think Buster and my Archie would get along great Archie is the same way about being petted…soon as you stop he attacks you. Buster and August are adorable!
- 01/09/2009 at 5:22 PM
  Aspens mommy
  Participant
  33 posts
  Welcome! You have beautiful bunnies…August Phelps looks kinda like my lop Aspen but a male version lol Very cute!!
- 01/09/2009 at 8:29 PM
  Beka27
  Participant
  16016 posts
  since rabbits are naturally prey animals, they all react differently to a home environment. some are going to be more outgoing and friendly than others. Buster sounds like he’s going to be a fun lil bunny once the hormones are outta the way. August sounds like Max, my lop. we adopted him 6 months ago and bonded him to Meadow, our mini rex. they’re in love, but he is still kind of unsure about the humans in the house. it’s hard to say how much August will change, or if he will. it’s important that you are patient, and even if he does not become a big attention-seeking/affectionate bun, as long as his needs are met, he will be happy.
  
  i think it’s definitely possible to bond them after they are neutered. being together might calm August. what you can do post-neuter, but before you begin to bond, is switch the bunnies betw/ the cages each night. this will get them used to the other’s smell safely, and it will prevent them from becoming territorial over their space.
  
  edited to add: not all bunnies will stretch out like that, so i think you’re def doing something right with August!
- 01/09/2009 at 10:58 PM
  jerseygirl
  Moderator
  22345 posts
  I agree, for a skiddish bunny, that 2nd photo doesn’t demonstate it – he looks pretty relaxed! However, I’d take a guess and say it’s part of his past. He hasn’t been socialised like Buster and was alone in the big wide world from a young age. It may take some time for him to be more comfortable.
  
  Anyway, Welcome! Buster and August look a handsome pair!
- 01/09/2009 at 11:32 PM
  Cajunboi
  Participant
  42 posts
  Yeah that pic of him so relaxed was one in a million! Very RARE! I still don’t know how I got it…
  
  I’m sure his past was not very good. But he has always let us pet him, even from day one! He would just lay really close to the floor and completely zone out… and if you stopped he would put his head under your hand and nudge us… He had really gotten comfortable, so we thought. He would run and run and binky all over our house… Now all he does is hide when we let him out. When he does come out it’s to run to another hideout… He is So funny!
  
  Now, tonight, I went to Buster to pet him and he moved away from me really quick and looked at me like “Yeah, touch me, you crazy man!” I gave him some treats and layed down next to his cage for a while… We were nose to nose for a while… I went to pet him again and he jumped away from me… He’s never done that before. I have been paying more attention to August the last few days and I think he’s jealous… Also, we were gone all day today and he might be upset about that… Funny Bunny!
- 01/10/2009 at 3:00 AM
  Kokaneeandkahlua
  Participant
  12067 posts
  OMG August is feaking adorable!! He’s a harlequin (personal fav) OK they’re both adorable, but August might get stolen!
  
  I firmly (maybe naively) believe *ANY* two buns can be bonded. If they are unneutered and nuzzling through a cage, I think you’ll have an easy bond on the horizon!!
  
  Welcome by the way!
- 01/12/2009 at 1:12 AM
  Lightchick
  Participant
  1017 posts
  Hello, and welcome!
  
  Both of my buns were older when I got them, so I don’t know much about buns going into adolescence, but I would suspect that some of the behavior changes you’ve noticed may be due to hormone changes. And once you get them neutered, you’ll probably notice that their behavior changes AGAIN… I would get the neuter done before you worry too much, because then you’ll have gotten them in their final hormonal state…if that makes any sense.
- 01/12/2009 at 11:44 AM
  KatnipCrzy
  Participant
  2981 posts
  They are both so, so cute! What lucky buns to be rescued!
- 01/12/2009 at 4:10 PM
  Cajunboi
  Participant
  42 posts
  Hey Guys! Thanks for all the welcome messages! Well I do believe that Buster was mad at me because now he’s back to being his sweet little self… Sometimes it’s so hard to understand their moods… LOL I can’t WAIT to get them neutered! I think life in our house will be alot more pleasant…
- 01/13/2009 at 9:01 AM
  Sage Cat
  Participant
  1883 posts
  Hey Donnie! Love August’s “Super Bun” Flying Pose
  
  My buns were also older and fixed when I got them – so i am not knowledgeable about hormones. But, I do know shy bunny’s!
  
  I got my pair last February. They had been at the shelter for a while because they were so shy.
  Little Winston still runs and hides at a lot of noises, sometimes just because I walk in the room. But, he is also starting to tug on my pants when he wants to play! Yet, at first, he was the more adventurous of the two.
  Sweet Kay became quite floperific over Thanksgiving and has not let up since. She, also at first, would only let me pet her in their pen. Now she begs for pets all the time.
  
  It can take they quite a while to feel comfortable. especially if they had a tough time before. It sounds like you are doing a great job.
  Keep up the patients!
- 01/15/2009 at 3:57 PM
  Cajunboi
  Participant
  42 posts
  Well Guys, Buster has gotten over his anger towards me and has been wanting all my attention and wanting me to pet him ALL the time… Till my hands hurt! August is loosening up also… He has been begging when I come close to his cage and when I open the door he begs for pets… I start petting him and he lays really close to the floor and goes to sleep… just like he used too!
  
  Crazy Bunnies… They sure do work my emotions!
  
  Thanks everybody for your advice!
  
  Donnie
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