Empty Nest

I drove down to Indianapolis this morning with Marja and Greta, who were going on a date with a guy-bun named George. I had Cassandra with me, too, for she was going to move into the Greenwood Petco.

Marja and George hit it off really well. She was the first girl he dated, and when Greta, Mae, and Arwin didn't hit it off as well as she did, Marja went on a second date. George's Mom and Dad picked Marja, and I'm really happy. Marja really made great strides this last week or two, actually kicking her feet out and relaxing fully when getting a head/cheek rub. George's parents are thrilled, especially since you can actually pick Marja up without too much fuss (while the same can't be said about George). I feel horrible that I never got pics of her, but anyone interested can see her pics on the IHRS website:
http://www.indianahrs.org/adoption-details.aspx?id=356

All three of Marja's babies had already been adopted, so I'm so glad that she finally got a home, skipping the Petco digs altogether. It was really funny when it was time for George and Marja to leave. Since George doesn't like being picked up, I put the carrier in and we hoped he'd hop in. Well, Marja went inside of it instead, so George got to ride home in the cardboard carrier that had Marja's pellets, some hay, and salad in it. I know Marja is really happy with George, and this just goes to show it.

I drove Cassandra to the Greenwood store after leaving the Speedway store where the date was. (I'm going to make a list of all the Petco stores I've been in and see if I can visit all of the ones where we have buns up for adoption.) Her hexi that she'll be living in might not be as much square footage as she's used to, but at least the top is high enough that I don't think she'll hit her head if she stands up. It was harder leaving Cassandra at the store than watching Marja go home. Marja is my first foster bun to be adopted, with Kristie and Nadia still in Petco awaiting those special bunny parents. I hope Cass doesn't think I abandonned her or that she did something wrong.

So now I'm down to 6 buns from an all-time-high of 9 (Mario transferring to Robin's house a few weeks ago). I'll actually have time for my own rabbits now. Wow, now there's a thought! :-)

Mama

Bunny Swap

Well, Lil' Miss went back to her old foster home yesterday. She's going to be a regular foster rabbit instead of a Petco rabbit. She'd do much better in regular foster care, and I don't think she'd do well in the store when space became available.

So, now I have Greta. Greta is the most scared of all the rabbits from the big rescue of Dutches that the IHRS did (basement breeder, so the rabbits weren't socialized at all). Nadia came from that group, and she's doing great at Petco.

Greta freaks out when you walk into the room, so she's going to need some special TLC to bring her around. She has a box to hide in, and she dragged her salad into it last night. She opted not to come out for play time, but hopefully tonight I can entice her out.

I put Greta in Marja's old cage and moved Marja to the "big girl cage" - it's above PJ and Jenna's cage, so I have to pick Marja up to bring her out for play time, hence the "big girl" (ie, mentally and emotionally ready for being picked up) part of the name :-) Marja is being bolder, and she likes being up higher. Plus she puts her head down as I walk by, asking for a headrub, so I indulge her. Hopefully I can get her to demand headrubs (rip book out of my hands so I pay attention to her instead, etc.).

Mama

Marja and Lil' Miss - The Two New Fosters

Marja and Lil' Miss, the two Dutch girls, have been with me for about a week and a half now. Lil' Miss is settling in well, but Marja is still very nervous. She really freaks out at the sound of plastic bags (she tried to disappear into a corner of her cage when I changed her litter box - the sound of the trash bag scaring her). I tried to comfort Marja by petting her and talking to her gently, but she was actually flinching when I touched her. I think that Marja was hit (she came from a basement breeding situation with about 90+ other rabbits), and she obviously has some post-traumatic stress going on.

Rabbits are such gentle creatures, and I just can't understand how someone can treat them (or any other kind of animal) so horribly.

Mama