2 New Members of the Warren

I went to the Porter Co. Animal Shelter on Saturday and pulled 2 rabbits that are very good candidates for our Petco program. It was a male and female living together in one cage and neither neutered (sigh).

The boy is Jasper, about 7 pounds and with some lop in him from the way his ears are droopy (much like Harrison's). He's white with gray rings around his eyes, gray ears, and brownish gray markings on his back and butt. He's quite a charmer, with his dark eyes and manly jaw.

The girl is Jodi, about 4 pounds and either a full mini lop or mostly mini lop. She's white with gray Himmy markings (sooty nose, gray ears) and very light markings on her back. She has dark eyes and so far loved getting newspaper to shred.

I felt bad breaking them up but my vet thinks Jodi is pregnant (as do I - they've been living together since 6/25, so I'm sure Jasper took care of things on his end). Jodi is getting spayed now (for her health, too, since Jasper is twice her size, and she could have complications if she tried to give birth), and Japser will get neutered hopefully in the next week or two.

So I'm back up to an even dozen. Time to light the "NO Vacancy" sign again :-)

Mama

Two Adoptions and Carson is in Petco!

Nadia, my second foster bunny to graduate to living at Petco, was adopted on Sunday. There were two approved adopters meeting the 8 rabbits we have available up here. Nadia went home with a young woman who doesn't have kids (a quieter home was best for Nad). The other approved adopter was a family with a 10-year-old or so daughter.

The daughter met everybun (except for Cassandra), and it was down to Greta and Joshua (Josh being one bun I brought back from Indy on 7/3). The girl picked Joshua!! They're getting him tonight. I had a vet visit scheduled to get a handle on Joshua's sneezing and stuff, to see if there was anything I should be doing for him, and they're going to be there for the exam, too. He and the girl really hit it off, and he just loved being petted. I think she'll have a great confidant and snuggler in Joshua.

Since Nadia had been living in the Merrillville Petco, her being adopted left an empty hexi. I had mentioned Carson to the chapter head before, and she felt it'd be fine to enroll him into the IHRS system. It was hard leaving him at the Petco, but I'll know he'll do great there. He's such a sweet guy, and he'll love everyone who comes to see him. I'm trying not to think about my "empty cage" syndrome, and I know it's for the best that he's at the Petco. A lot of people will get to see him and fall in love with him. Hopefully his forever home will find him soon.

Mama

Caspian at Work

Last Thursday, we were getting out of work early to get a jump start on the holiday. I asked my boss if I could bring in Caspian to "cute-n up the office" - she said yes. So, Caspian got to come to work. I should have brought my camera.

Everyone loved him, especially when I put him down on the floor and he went hopping around, entering other peoples' cubicles and offices at whim. (I work in publishing.) The production group really loved seeing him hop around, especially since his lop ears bounce and he moves along. He even did a few binkies, though mostly out of sight of his adoring fans. He stretched out on the floor in the hallway, too, for a little bit. He stayed that way until I brought some of the gang over to check it out and one touched his big fuzzy feet and made him sit back up again.

I think Caspian liked being here with me, and it was nice to have somebun cuddly here at work.

Mama

Bunny Swap

Well, all sorts of things have been going on in the warren in the last few weeks. Kristie, my first foster bunny "graduate" who went to live in Petco, is back with me. She was getting stressed out at the store (she'd been there for 6 mos., I think).

Greta, Kristie, and I went down to Indy on June 22nd for bunny dates. Harrison came along, too, and he went to a different foster home and I got Cinnabun to keep my big bun slot filled. Kristie was pretty cranky on the first date, so she was left alone for the 2nd date and the meeting with a potential adopter of a single bun. Greta did okay on the dates, but the first boy bun didn't really hit it off with the girl buns there. The adopter of a single bun, though, did pick her. I was going to hand her off to her new Mama that following Saturday. Kristie, Cinnabun, Greta, Jazmine (a bun for another woman in NW Indiana to foster), and I all came back home.

That following week, Greta stopped eating. We were at the vet every day getting X-rays and other tests done to see what the problem was. Unfortunately, her new Mama (a first time bunny owner) decided that she should probably choose another bun instead - Greta has a few other issues that might cause problems in the future. Poor Greta. She's pretty much back to normal now. I did get to learn how to give subcutaneous fluids, though, which was a goal of mine.

Then after work on July 3rd, I drove down to Indy to trade Cinnabun for Cassandra, another former foster bun of mine who has gotten into some trouble. She had bit a few of the volunteers at the Petco store where she was, and this last one nicked a blood vessel. So the decision was made to pull her from the store, and I brought her back home to live with me. She is a lot sweeter than she used to be, but she did nip me on my wrist when I was putting the refilled pellet bowl back into her pen. It didn't bleed, but it bruised right away.

I also took in 2 short-term foster buns because their old foster Mama had to take in a relative who needs surgery and there are allergies. Honey, a gray-ish agouti Dutch, is 11-12 years old, and I feel very honored to be caring for this matriarch of IHRS. She's finally starting to warm up to me - dried fruit treats really help, as do great butt scratches I give her. Joshua is the other bun I took in. He's a brown agouti and has upper respiratory issues at times. He's pretty sweet.

I certainly have no more room at the Bunny Inn!!!

Mama