Peppy and…Peanut?

[peppypoo]

Went to the local rabbit rescue today, and started bunny dating!  Not sure if this should go in the bonding forum, because, well…we’re not really bonding her and her husbun (more on that later).

First, we tried pairing Peppy with this grey and white smaller guy (Champ), but that didn’t go so well since all they did was relentless mounting (by both of them), and it was near impossible to separate them.  In any case, they said Champ had just been neutered recently, so was probably a little “fresh” for bonding. So, we figured we’d try out some more bunny bachelors.

Second bun was an agouti named Peanut. Because of his severe malocclusion, he’d had his incisors removed but was a sweet bunny boy, somewhat bigger than Peppy.  He’s a pretty passive guy, and didn’t react to Peppy a lot…while she mounted him a couple of times, I don’t think he did at all and tolerated it all very well.  They got pretty comfortable and even laid down next to each other.  After a while, Peppy actually started grooming him already (!!!) and begging him for attention, but he didn’t really respond, lol.  Overall, they said that they were very impressed with how Peppy and Peanut were getting along.

According to the rescue’s rules, when somebody is looking for a second bunny, a volunteer takes both bunnies home for bonding.  It might be 2-3 weeks, or sometimes even less than a week.  The volunteer managing Peppy and Peanut said they were doing really great, and we might even be able to pick them up sometime this week or next weekend.  I honestly didn’t think that it would happen so fast, but I guess they really liked each other!  So now, I’m Peppy-less…it’s so weird not having my pretty little girl around for a few days.  But they’re very experienced bonders, so hopefully this arrangement is all for the best, and Peppy and her husbun can come home soon!  I’m also thinking about changing Peanut’s name, but I’m not sure what to change it to yet.

 

Now, for the pictures! I saw this interesting looking bun that looked like Lintini’s Bumblez crossed with a lionhead..I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a unique bunny before!  This is Tiger:

 

And now, for Peanut and Peppy:

 

 

 

[RabbitPam]

That is one good looking bond!
I think Peanut is a wonderful name, but then, it was the name of a friend’s dog who was the most adorable, amazing and loveable dog I have ever met.

[Elrohwen]

How cute! Congrats to you and Peppy on finding her a husbun. Such a cutie.

I always like people names for animals so I’m not a huge fan of Peanut, but it does kind of fit him. He looks like a quiet soul, and a little bit nervous.

[Michelle&Lolli]

Awe! Peanut looks like he’s pretty laid back. lol Glad it went so well!

As for Tiger – wow, he IS an interesting looking bunny.

[peppypoo]

LOL I just realized in all the pictures, the little guy hasn’t moved at all while Peppy is constantly changing positions . Pretty representative of how the session went, actually.

My sister just told me that if the bunny boy doesn’t have teeth, that means he can’t chew the carpet, the furniture, the cables, the cage….etc. Oh man, sounds good, lol! Just gotta cut up his veggies for him, and it’ll be fine.

To me, Peanut sounds like a petite little nethie; he kinda looks big to be a Peanut. Plus, my sister brought up that “peanut” is what they call those homozygous recessive lethal dwarf babies…eep. Still thinking about names…suggestions are more than welcome!

[lazyhistoire]

That is the same place where we got our pairing done. It is strange not having your bun around for awhile! When we took her in to go bunny dating they said it would take awhile, 3 weeks to a month! But it is worth it – they are very good there and it ended up only taking our buns a week.
As for the name, personally I changed it – Clyde used to be Sparkey. I didn’t like that name at all… not for him, at least.
Your bun is in good hands though, don’t worry!

[lazyhistoire]

PS – is that Smudge in the first pic with Tiger?

[peppypoo]

Yes, that is Smudge! The HRRN people were great…I know my Peppy will come back safe and happy .

Thanks for the comments everyone! I think we’re naming him Bruno…I don’t know why, he just looks like a Bruno. Big chill teddybear guy

[Monkeybun]

Peanut so does not look like a nethie. Ears too big, face wrong shape. Much too large.

I have no idea how you can do that, let someone else, a total stranger, take your bun away for who knows how long. I couldn’t do that! I’ll bond my bunnies on my own thanks

[peppypoo]

MB – lol, I mean that the name “Peanut” in my mind sounds more like an appropriate name for a nethie – which he certainly is not! Yea, it’s pretty hard letting somebody else take away my little girl for a bit…I miss her terribly already! But that’s the rules of the rescue, and I don’t think I’ll be able to adopt another bun from them unless I go along with their rules. Plus, I do trust them and they’ve found many a bun lifelong friends…I think it’ll be okay

[jerseygirl]

It’s amazing how quick this might be. One dating day and off to be bonded. I don’t know if I could let someone else take them either but I can see how it might make for a quick bonding. Totally neutral space and neutral people. Hope you have them home soon!

You might have a little more bonding to do at home once Peppy comes back into her territory but it sure is looking like these 2 are getting on fine.
Bruno is a good fit for him! His colouring is just like my Rumball. : ) Actually, he’s a bit like Saritas bridge bunny Pepe.

btw, Peppy’s markings look so striking from the overhead shots. She’s very stylish!

[Monkeybun]

Gotcha! My lack of sleep is catching up to me I think I need a bit more explaining of things these days it seems.. lol

[peppypoo]

JG – yea, I didn’t expect it to be this fast at all! Is the lying next to each other + grooming on the first date very unusual for bonding? I have no experience with these things, lol. It’s so weird not to have Peppy scurrying around, but we took the opportunity to do a good thorough (long overdue) cleaning of the condo/entire room.

MB – lack of sleep? Totally understand you there

[Sonn]

Lol Tiger kind of looks like an uppy eared less fuzzy version of Baby Jax.

I just love Peanut! My fave pic is the last one all smushed against the wall they make an adorable pair.

I freak out when I have to let someone pet sit Pacey I call like a billion times while I am gone I would drive whoever was bonding my buns crazy!

[peppypoo]

Argh, so something has been bothering me about this whole setup, and I’ve been trying to tell myself that it’s all good, but I think I really need to talk about this.  I need opinions…

Is it normal for me to have no say whatsoever in the boy buns that get a chance with my little girl? I do understand that ultimately Peppy gets to choose her boyfriend, but I was expecting to at least have some input on the buns that they would try to pair her with.  From when I got there, the volunteer who was working with us pretty much picked up boy buns at her own discretion and voila, Peppy and the second boy bun she met didn’t try to kill each other on first sight…so that’s it?  Honestly, it’s just that Peanut/Bruno wasn’t quite what I had in mind for Peppy.  Among other things, nobody ever told me his age, and I have a feeling he’s got a few years on her…I’d really like for both the buns to be at least within a year of each other, so they can enjoy each other’s company as long as possible.  I know things like this are really quite unpredictable, but I figure it doesn’t hurt to try.

I can’t say that I don’t have qualms about Peanut/Bruno’s dental issues either.  The more I think about it, the more I realize how different things will be with him considering he doesn’t have incisors.  I give her whole vegetables without cutting them, she has chew toys she likes to play with/toss…I love watching her digging/chewing at the old shirts we leave around and the grass mats.  I share apples with her…I like to play tug of war with her treats (heh) and feel her wrestle them from me.  I like her little love nips when she’s grooming me.  It’s just kind of difficult to think of a bun that won’t be able to do all these things…

Do I come off as completely self centered? Please please tell me if I am.  Is it a good idea to voice my concerns to the volunteer tomorrow (I’m visiting Peppy in the morning)?  I’m sorry if I seem idealistic or less than hospitable toward an assuredly nice little bun who needs a good home, but I feel like I need to be at peace regarding these issues before I can commence with adoption.

Hm, this is starting to look more like a bonding thing, I guess maybe it should be moved? I suppose that’s at the discretion of the mods.
 

[jerseygirl]

You bring up a good point. At the end of the day a new rabbit will be your new pet too, not just Peppys mate. So yes, you should get the rabbit everyone will be happy with. Who knows, it might end up being Peanut/Bruno but it would be good to meet some of the others too. I know part of the reason you are getting her a friend is you think you’ll be getting busier with your studies. So if you know ahead of time that any candidates might require more maintenance, then it is sensible to take into consideration.

My concern now would be if there was an instant bond or Peppy and Bruno have now bonded and separating them would effect them. But in my mind, I couldn’t truly call a bond complete until I’d seen my original rabbit accept the new rabbit in your actual home.

I think making some calls would not hurt. Maybe see Peppy meet some other rabbits and if there is not fit, think again about Bruno?

[GrumpyBun]

JG makes some very good points – this is your rabbit as well as Peppy’s, so you both need to be happy. I would certainly talk about it tomorrow.

It seems very odd to me that the volunteer didn’t give you basic information such as age *before* introducing buns to Peppy; they should have been buns you were happy for her to meet.

(On an unrelated note I’ve been rereading the Redwall series from when I was a kid. Once I got to ‘The Long Patrol’ I could not picture a hare for Tammo, he was a chocolate dutch.)

[Lintini]

*grabby hands at Tiger*

[jerseygirl]

Tiger comes with his gf ya know.

I saw he’s been available since Nov 08. Some of them listed since 2006.

[peppypoo]

Thanks for the responses, everyone…I’m still thinking about things.

On one hand, I feel like as somebody who is paying them to bond/adopt, I should have some say in the rabbit I bring home. But on the other hand, the previous sentiment is really quite self-centered and I have to admit that part of it is because his type of rabbit isn’t my favorite…something which makes me feel terrible. Not sure how to talk to them either; “uhh, can I try another one?” kind of sounds snobby toward this poor soul who is trying to find his forever home. Also, they’ve been together for a bit (albeit less than 24 hours already) and I’m not sure how wise it is to separate them at this point. I mean, I really think there are multiple rabbits at the shelter that would go along great with Peppy; why this one?

 I’m not sure how much of an “instant” bond there was between the two of them…Bruno just kind of hunkered down the whole time while Peppy did a little bit of dominance establishing, then started begging him for attention. He didn’t really respond at all, lol. It wasn’t aggressive, that’s for sure, but he didn’t necessarily take to her immediately either.  When we first saw him, I asked how old he was, but the volunteer said something the lines of “Hmm I don’t remember for him, you’ve got to ask ____”.  In the end, I never really got around to figuring out.  Essentially, all I knew about him was that he didn’t have incisors, poor bun.

Sigh, I guess I kind of rushed into things without thinking things through…that’s what got me in the sticky situation. My boyfriend likes Bruno though, and he’ll be the one taking technically adopting Bruno and taking care of both the buns; if he and Peppy both love the bun boy, who am I to say otherwise? I guess I’m like a protective parent who wants to best for her little girl, heh. I’m going to the shelter soon, and I’ll take a good hard look at them again and see if it changes anything. I’ll try to bring my fancy schmancy camera too, for pretty bunny pictures.

grumpybun, that’s awesome! *imagines an armed Tammo bun running down slopes of Salamandastron shouting “EULALIAAA”!* The Redwall books were a staple of my childhood, and my savior from boredom in elementary school…I was shocked to hear Brian Jacques had passed away recently.

[peppypoo]

Pictures from today:

The more I think about it the more unsure I am. And I realize that the more time passes, the harder it is to go back..I really really would love to change my mind at be at peace about it, but I just can’t. Sigh.

[Michelle&Lolli]

It does seem like they maybe pushed Bruno on you. Just for myself, I’d question them bonding them. Just because they get them bonded THERE doesn’t mean Peppy’s not going to territorial nuts on him when you get them home. It just seems like they are placing rabbits based on THEIR needs and not on adopter’s need which is the most important thing.

Did you get any of your questions answered?

[jerseygirl]

Oh Gosh, the pictures kinda tell you they are already pals….but that might not be so in real life. Did the volunteers indicate where they are in bonding? How much time they’re spending together?

You shouldn’t feel bad voicing your concerns to them. They want a successful adoption as much as you do. You have the chance to get the best fit for Peppy AND the human family.

Any of the new rabbits you bring home will seem odd at first. If it ends up being Peanut (or some other rabbit you didn’t imagine) I think in time they’ll grow on you.
I remember when I got Rumball that I thought he looked so odd having had only and up ear rabbit. Once I got used to I found his differences really endearing. Once you know their characters too, it changes. I love him just the same as Jersey.

[peppypoo]

The pictures were taken when we were force snuggling them. There hasn’t been any fighting going on, but he’s thumped at her when she’s gotten a little eager on the mounting; Peppy’s…enthusiasm is the main problem, it seems. As for Peanut/Bruno, I think his lack of incisors/defenses just makes him a super submissive rabbit, which probably would make for easier bonding with almost any bun. At this point, they tolerate each other, but aren’t like really buddy buddy yet. I think the time they’ve had together has just been the few hours I visited today…they’re being housed in adjacent ex-pens for now.

 JG, I did kind of try implying things to them, but I don’t think I was bold enough to really get my point across because I feel pretty terrible about the situation. I’m going to call them later in the evening…I think what I want to do at this point is to take her back for now; will that completely mess things up? The more time I spend deliberating and being unsure, the harder it becomes to backpedal on the situation because the bonding will keep progressing..I want to step back from it while I still can. I’m going to be quite busy this week (the rescue is a bit of a drive away)…spring break is next week though, and I want to see if I can resume the dating/bonding process then. Maybe try a few more dates, and if I see myself that Peanut/Bruno is really the best fit for her, then it will make me feel several times better about the situation.   Good or bad idea? Ahhh I really don’t know anymore, sigh.

Michelle, I did find out that he’s about 2.5 years old right now. While Peppy has been gone, we’ve cleaned out her cage and spritzed everything with vinegar/water so that maybe, whatever bun comes back with us will not feel so much in “her” territory.

[Michelle&Lolli]

I think if you are unsure and want more dates, then you should get her back. It doesn’t make you a terrible person. You DO have to take into consideration how his lack of incisor is going to affect you all. The first quetion that comes to MY mind is…..will you have to feed them separately? If so, that might create problems. I don’t know.

I think maybe what is getting to you is that we all know that “special needs” bunnies rarely get adopted. And Peanut/Bruno is special needs. So it’s causing you to question telling them he is not the bunny for you and Peppy. It doesn’t even sound like they like each other all that much anyways. lol Also, I think maybe the fact that they are being bonded there doesn’t sit well with you. It wouldn’t sit well with me either. Because you have no way of knowing or seeing how they really are towards one another.

[LoveChaCha]

I’ve been reading this topic at work and I don’t have much to say but I do agree that it seems like the shelter is forcing rabbits on Peppy. I believe that you have say in it as well, Joanne. You will have to live with the bumba also. This bond should be for the betterment (is that even a word?? lol) for not just the shelter and Peppy, but for you too, so I believe you should have a say in this.

[jerseygirl]

I’m sure you wouldn’t be the first person to call off an adoption or bonding. You don’t even need to say specifically what the problem might be. Just that you’re having second thoughts about the timing and want to look again in spring break. Or that you’ve had reservations about the process.  I know I would feel a bit odd about not seeing all the rabbits first then choosing who I want to try with my rabbit.

I don’t think you need feel guilty over Peanut either. The other rabbits there also need homes. I wouldn’t have thought his lack of incisors would be a big drawback to potential adopters. As you’ve noted, it has it’s benefits but also, his major dental issue has already been taken care of. That’s going to save potential adopters a lot of money. By the way, I’m not trying to talk you out of him or into him… lol. I just think you should be feeling more comfortable about things then you are. The sooner the better if you want to postpone this.

[jerseygirl]

Oh, and if you do postpone, all is not lost. It’s been a good way to socialise Peppy.

[peppypoo]

I made the call earlier this evening and pretty much told them what was on my mind…they said it was okay, and we could try again next weekend. I guess I just felt kind of taken aback by how fast everything went and wasn’t prepared. Like you said, JG, kind of feels like an arranged marriage…maybe I would like to date around a bit more, to run with that analogy. Perhaps Peanut in the end will be the one for my little girl, but I want to feel 100% about it before I make the move for him or anyone…I don’t think it’s fair to the either of the buns or myself otherwise.

Now that I actually sit down and rationalize it, I don’t feel like the dental issue is a care problem to me, just something that will definitely take some getting used to. In any case, I don’t think the little guy is completely out of the picture yet…I just want to take a big step back in the whole process. 

Thanks everyone for the comments/suggestions and for listening to me freak out about the situation, heh. Hopefully I’ll start over more (mentally) prepared next week. I’m probably stressed also about her being gone…I miss my pretty bun girl so much, and keep imagining worst-case scenarios where for some reason I don’t get her back. Can’t wait to pick her up tomorrow

[GrumpyBun]

I’m glad you’re feeling better about the situation – and I can completely see how it went too fast for you. You just want the best bun to meet Peppy and your needs – this is a good thing!

[MarkBun]

I just watched a selection for a bonding rabbit and one of the things was that we had to find a rabbit that didn’t mind being held because the owner wants snuggle bunnies. It isn’t wrong for you to find a rabbit that you enjoy as well. I took in Dono because I felt that Maryann desperately needed a buddy and not anything for me. After three years, Dono still hasn’t warmed up to me although he will now come and check to see if I have a treat before running away from me in terror. But he loves Maryann and that’s why he’s here. Besides, he has such a personality, I enjoy him even if I don’t get to pet him.

As for the teeth issue – if the incisors are removed, there really isn’t any dental issue. The only thing is that they won’t be able to eat things like slices of apple or uncut carrots (you’ll have to make them into small bits or slivers) but hay, pellets and greens are still no trouble for them.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Wow..they bond your bunnies for you? I would hate to have my buns away from me but it would be nice for someone to take over the stress and guess work of it all!

Peanut and Peppy look adorable together…not very helpful but that’s all I have to add! That second pic is very DR worthy.

[MarkBun]

Actually Marcy requires that you leave you bun for 24-48 hours for the bonding process. She’s also good at finding a rabbit that is compatible for both you and your bun. She then gives you further instructions for when you take them home. Having your bun in unfamiliar space without his slave around to help him out and do as bidded helps to do the bonding. It’s why I work with them. I spent 8 grueling months trying to bond Maryann and Dono and Marcy did it in 2 days.

[lazyhistoire]

Hey! 

Wanted to add some input for you since I adopted there too… when we went they were a bit pushy with bunnies too, but it seems strange.

I think… well, when we got there, the woman who does all the actual adopting wasn’t there yet, it was just the volunteers. And honestly, they were a bit more helpful. *sigh* Let’s just say I had some opposing views with her, and we didn’t really hit it off.

Anyways, with the volunteers, they had us pick out rabbits that we liked, or thought would be a good fit first and try it out. But after reading this, I was thinking back, and I do remember that whenever .. ok, let’s call her…. Sandra. (not mentioning real names but I know you prob know who I mean) When she got there, she was super pushy. She just kinda started pulling out rabbits that we didn’t really have a say on, or even really consider. She didn’t ask us, just shoved em together until my bun started getting really ticked off with how many strange males she was getting stuck with on the couch. She didn’t tell us ages, or names, or anything. I had concerns and tons of questions about rabbits that she tried but she waved me off.

I’m just going to say, when you go back, you have to be kind of stern with her and be very precise in what you do/don’t want. Don’t be a pushover because she will push you. I was a pushover at first because she had experience but things didn’t feel right here and there and I started voicing my opinion more. We ended up going with the first rabbit, that WE picked out, and it worked out awesomely.

Take your time, they do go fast but you are right to want to feel 100%. And be cautious about ‘Sandra’. Not saying she doesn’t know what she’s doing, she’s very smart, but, well, you’ve met her and I’m sure you know what I mean.

[peppypoo]

lazyhistoire, I totally know what you mean; went in expecting an intro to bun dating, and Peppy was paired up and out of my hands before I knew it. PMed you with more details for privacy.

MarkBun, I definitely can see why having somebody else pair your buns is a good thing…I’ve read more than enough grueling bonding stories on here to realize that having an experienced person bond my buns in unfamiliar territory does expedite things greatly, but I am missing her something terrible and it’s only been a few days

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