He Said....

Wow! Julia is everything Mama said she was. I love her so much!! I grunted at her and danced around with joy. She was rather frigid with me, though, but I'm sure I can win her over. I gave her kisses around her face, showed her that I'd take good care of her by mounting her, and of course grunted at her to say "I love you" a lot of times. Julia seemed more interested in Mama than me. I've only ever loved one other woman, and Jenna would keep me on a tight leash. If I have to wear the pants in this new relationship, I hope Mama can help me figure out what I need to do. I even flopped down with happiness at one point on our date, though I was too excited and had to get right back up again. I'm trying to cover up the fact that I'm so shy, and I know I made some mistakes. But I can do better if Mama and Julia can give me a chance.

Conner

She Said....

Hmmm, I got put into a pen with this big, rude, fuzzy boy named Conner this afternoon. Talk about forward and crude! He even mounted me and talked nasty to me. I was not happy. I tried to hide behind Mama, and she'd put me back facing this oaf. She wanted me to assert myself, that Conner was a wuss and would be put in his place if I'd just smack him. I'm too much of a lady for that! I did put a damper on his running at me by lunging at him, and he at least listened to me (usually) when I put my head down for a grooming. He kept focusing on the area around my eyes, so that made me mad, too. Mama says we'll have other dates, and he had better learn some manners or else I'm going to turn him from an angora to a mini rex.

Julia

A New Resident

Julia's bunny date on Saturday went pretty well, I thought. We brought home Flannery, a Mini-Rex girl who was grooming Julia during the date (and mounting too, but Julia didn't protest). At home, Flannery eventually took over the pen I put her and Julia into, resulting in a few fights come daylight, and I'm not sure if it was Julia telling Flannery to go away or that the big litterbox was her territory and Flannery should stay away.

So, I tried Flannery with Calvin. Again, Flannery was aggressively grooming Cal on the neck and back, eventually making it to his ears. She mounted him a few times, with no reaction (well, Cal did eat some hay while it was occurring, which he'd do with Jessica and I took that as a good sign). They dated later in a pen outside, and Flannery wanted nothing to do with him.

So, Flannery and I had a talk Sunday night. She just lost her people last week (they lost their job and their house), so I thought to give her some time off from dating to settle down a bit. Last night, we were cuddling on the couch, and she peed on me and it. I was still smelling like all of the other bunnies (cleaned litterboxes), so that might have had something to do with it. She had gotten pretty relaxed at one point, so maybe she just lost control. With all the poor girl has been through, I can't be mad at her. (I mean, Caspian's peed on me and the couch several times to let me know he's litterally pi$$ed off, so it's not like it hasn't happened to me before.)

Flannery will be dating Julia and Calvin again tonight (she's more a prospect for Cal at this point), so we'll see how it goes. I think she's trying too hard to be liked. I can't keep her if she doesn't click with somebun here, but I'll feel bad to take her back to the rescue shelter.

Mama

Julia has a Date :-)

Julia and I are going to Red Door on Sat. to seek a partner for her. They have a ton of boys (IHRS only has 2 right now), so I figured that'd be the best place to start. I'm really hoping for love at first sight. I've seen it once (Jenna and PJ, at least on Jenna's part - PJ looked like a deer in headlights after she moved in LOL), and I'd love to see Cupid's arrow strike Julia and her prospective boy.

Mama

Actual Escapee and a Few Humorous Thoughts

This morning, Julia jumped out of her house. She hopped over to Cadence (who didn't try to rip her face off, which surprised me - I thought for sure Ms. Hormonal Evil Doe would want to eviserate any competition she'd see). Julia then checked out Jenna and Conner, who also just sniffed her. I put a little stuffed toy bun in Julia's house for the day so she'd have some company. Tonight, she and Calvin are going on a car ride together in a carrier to push things along. An 8 1/2 year old bun has to be pretty lonely to jump out of her house (24" off the ground or so) and go nosing around at the other buns near her. If nothing sparks tonight, I'll have to try her with DeVille again. If nothing there, seek to adopt somebunny for her.

I also either left Caspian's door open again on Friday or else I'm not securing it, making it easy for him to push open. He exhibited common sense again (I'm sure the third time will be the charm, so to speak) and stayed in his house.

Whenever I take Caspian out to the living room for a "couch cuddle", we pass Cadence's pen. I often wonder that if I accidently drop him in (or he jumps away from my hold and falls in), if Cadence will start singing "It's Raining Men." :-)

Enough rambling for a Monday morning.....

Mama

Sunday Play Time

Yesterday, the buns got play time outside. The weather was great, and I set up a double pen for twice the space for them to zip around in and sample the weeds. Only two buns were brave enough to go upstairs in the cardboard playhouse - Capsian and Stew. Neither went to the top floor, and both did jump out the window a few times. I was worried that Stew would weigh too much, but he was fine.

Calvin and Julia had another date yesterday. She solicited a groom from Calvin, and he obliged her for a lick or two, then groomed himself. Hmm, not overly friendly, and it certainly seemed narcissistic. Poor Julia was left "hanging" with her head down and thrust towards him for quite a while before she moved. Still, it showed some promise. Julia has been very lonely lately, and hopefully she and Calvin can finally work out their differences. She just wasn't that into DeVille, and Stew, Caspian, Heath and Jake don't like her. Poor girl.

The buns reacted to a very odd occurrence last night - the furnace kicked on around 10:30 last night! I had it set to 50-something, and it clearly read 72. The buns were thumping, so they knew something weird was going on, too. I had to turn the furnace off by a switch on the unit itself (and the gas, too). While I know I was safe at that point, the rest of me didn't, and I lay awake half the night unable to sleep. I installed a new thermostat today (works fine, and it has an off switch that works), so the buns and I should be able to spend a peaceful night.

Mama

Back from Vacation

The buns and I spent a great vacation in NW PA. "Grampy" got to meet Stew and Conner, and I took Caspian out to meet a friend. Everyone thought he was cute. (He is my poster child for cuteness, and rotten-rabbitness - he's so stubborn!) It's a 6 1/2 hr. car ride to and from, so the kids were tired when we got there. Grampy got us some awesome hay, too (even better than what I've been able to get lately around here). I certainly had no room in the car to bring my own, so we really lucked out :-)

I did 2 bonding sessions, one with Calvin/Julia and the other with Conner/Jenna. Dad was surprised at how Cal and Jules fought. I'm telling you, rabbits can really fight! It wasn't a bad fight, but a big ol' chunk of fur was torn out of Julia.

On the way back, we got stuck on the Indiana Toll Road for a while because of President Obama's motorcade (he spoke at Notre Dame's graduation). I didn't even get to see it because he was way ahead of us.

I rearranged the bunny room a bit when we got home. There was a thumpathon that night as they adjusted to being in different places, with I guess different sounds and stuff. At least it was before I went to bed.

Mama

Julia's Carrot

Julia lives in the top of a two-floor bunny condo (above Jenna). Whenever I give Julia a carrot, she grabs it and seems to want to hide someplace to eat it. She'll hop from her litterbox, to the other side of the cage, almost put the carrot down to eat it, then hops back the litterbox, etc. It's almost like giving a dog a treat and then watching him find a nice secret spot to enjoy the tidbit without any other critter stealing it from him. Julia doesn't have a roommate (going to try pairing her with Calvin again - been busy unpacking), so it's not like anybun can take it from her.

Jessica used to take her carrot and run downstairs with it, but she was in a two-level condo and was bonded to Calvin - she had somewhere to escape to and someone to hide from. Julia? Who knows what goes on in her head.

Mama

Bad Bunny Karma Today

What a morning! I go downstairs to get the salad for everybun, and Julia (Calvin's girlfriend) somehow got out of her pen and was loose. She went back in on her own with some parsley for a bribe. Then when I'm putting the water/pellet bowl in Rose's house (she's the unspayed female I'm fostering for the local shelter), Rose attacks me, boxing and nipping. I had a small cut on the palm of my hand and a tiny scratch. When getting Kristie's water/pellet bowl out of her house (she buried it under hay), she attacked me. She didn't have her heart in it like Rose did, and I have no cuts or anything.

What the heck did I do to deserve this treatment today? I wonder if tonight will be the boys' turn.

Mama

Calvin and Julia Bonding Update

Love must be in the air. Calvin and Julia had a really great bonding session tonight. I think part of the reason was that I changed the layout of the bonding space, and I also lay on the floor reading for a good part of it. Julia wasn't able to hide behind me and wasn't able to climb up me like a tree. She did hop on my back a few times, but it wasn't a hinderance to the session.

I got Calvin to groom her for a while, and Julia actually sat near him for quite some time, not running away. She didn't thump at all today, and I think that me being stretched out on the floor helped put her at ease.

I can't wait until she and Calvin can "shack up."

Mama

Julia is Bonding....

But with me! Julia is terrified of Calvin for some reason. She will approach him, groan, then run away, thumping as she comes to stop behind me.

Last night, I got to play "tree" to Julia's "squirrel." I usually sit with my back against the wall, in the corner beside my bedroom door, during bonding sessions. Julia likes to hide behind me, even if she has to squeeze herself between me and the door to get away from that "evil" boy, Calvin. She finally got the hint that I won't let her squish into that spot any more. (I will usually move and set her back out in the open when she hides.)

So, Julia decided to get on my lap, climb up the front of me, and get on to my shoulders, groaning and obviously upset at Calvin for *GASP* sniffing at her gently. As I sat there with a rabbit around my neck, trying not to laugh myself silly, I did feel bad for Julia. I mean, that must be one desperate rabbit to go hiding behind someone's head.

I might stir things up a little bit and put Julia and Calvin into the same carrier (a bigger one that neither have been in before) and take them on a car ride. That's supposed to get rabbits to join together against the horrible sensation of car travel. I'm going to wait a week or two to see if Squirrel Girl will relax any more with Calvin.

But at least she knows I won't let Calvin hurt her, so that's something, I guess.

Mama

My New Home

Tonight, I sat in a pen with Calvin and the woman who wants me to call her Mama. While Calvin was relaxed, I was a bit apprehensive. I asked him several times to groom me, but he didn't. I got a little upset, but I held my temper and didn't vent my frustration. I mostly just sat there, getting some good headrubs from the human and keeping my eye on Calvin.

Calvin is handsome, but it's going to take me some time to trust him and "Mama" - I miss my old home and people. The hay here is tasty, as is the salad. I'm content to stay here for now and see what happens. "Mama" said that even if I decide that I wouldn't be with Calvin if he was the last bunny boy on Earth, I can stay here. I've gone into homes before and ended up back in foster care, and I'm glad that "Mama" realizes I have reason to think everything is too good to be true - me, an older bunny girl, getting wooed by a handsome gentlebun and receiving lavish attention from the resident human. Don't pinch me yet, for if it's a dream, I want to enjoy it while I can.

Julia

A Big Bunny Welcome To.....

Julia Louise

Julia is an Hotot mix and about 7 years old, close to Calvin's age.

Julia's profile on the Indiana House Rabbits website. Julia was her name from the IHRS, and I've added Louise as her middle name because it fits her and her name. JLou will probably be her nickname.

She and Calvin will be going through bonding sessions, so I'll post updates on how the couple are doing as they iron out who's in charge.

Julia settled in pretty well last night. She felt comfortable enough this morning to box at me when I tried to pet her, so that made me feel good. She didn't eat all of her salad, but she has been enjoying the hay. She has a good view of Calvin, and they can get a good look at each other as they go through their day. Calvin sure had a puzzled expression on his face last night when I put Julia into her pen, the same expression he had the day Jessica moved into his house, sort of like "What is she doing here?"

Calvin got to meet a total of 6 girls yesterday for 5 dates, two girls being a bonded pair, and he got along best with Jenna and Julia. I ran the last round of dates, and Cal did well enough with Julia to have me pick her and not try Jenna again. Julia reminds me of a favorite teacher I had, sort of matronly and dignified.

More pics will be coming as she settles in.

Here's to a quick bonding and to a long life together. :-)

Mama