Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time. Thomas Merton

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Yogi Update

Yogi is such a sweetie! He seems to be settling in and getting used to us. I know he misses his previous family, especially Ms. Ava, who was as good at spoiling buns as the rest of us. As he becomes more accustomed to his new home, his personality is coming out more. He is also beginning to cultivate a relationship with our big tabby cat, Pants (Pascal). Pants is still not quite sure what rabbits are and even though he weighs about 20 pounds, he is a little afraid of them. This has led to some humorous moments between him and Yogi, especially yesterday when Yogi hopped out of his enclosure and right onto the middle of Pants, who was sleeping belly-up beside the entrance.

I am still keeping Yogi separated from the girls. Since Mopsy died, Matilda and Gabby have not been themselves. Even though they were not what I would really call  bonded, Mopsy's absence has affected the behavior of the other two. The three of them were a bit grumpy when in close quarters, so they did not share living quarters, but they did enjoy being out in the playpens, both inside and out, where they had more space to hop around, socialize if they felt like it, or get away from each other. Now, Gabby has become very quiet and withdrawn, quite unlike her usual behavior. Matilda has become aggressive and belligerent, reverting to her old biting, boxing, and grumping actions and has bitten me on both hands and on one foot. Not nips, but honest-to-goodness bites which hasn't happened for a number of years. I have quite a bite on the fleshy part of the thumb of my left hand. I have been trying to give them extra attention, but I think it is just going to take time. I would have thought that maybe part of this is due to Yogi's presence, but they seem to mostly ignore him initially and are not housed in the same room with him at this time. Until their behavior gets a little more back to normal, I am not going to try to force anything.

(as usual, click on the photos if parts are cut off)









13 comments:

  1. Yogi is so adorable--just want to scoop him up and smooch and squeeze him!

    As for the girls, it is possible that they are fighting over him even if they are not showing him any special attention when he is with them. Even if he is not usually in the same room, they would still be aware of his presence in the household through scent, and there's nothing like a new and available man in the neighborhood to bring out the competition in the ladies. I've seen it more than once in a one-male, two-female household.

    The other possibiliity is that with Mopsy gone, it has upset the balance of power in the household, and Matilda is trying to establish herself as the new head bun in the house. Rebonding may be necessary to keep the peace if that's the case. I hope things get settled down for you soon!

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    1. Good points, Jade. Thanks. Usually when there has been tension amongst the girls, I would put them out in the playpens because the sounds and distractions of the out-of-doors seemed to settle their differences. However, it's been so hot here, they haven't been outside in two weeks. The indoor playpen doesn't work as well to get them back on track. Changes. Changes. I guess time will settle things down.

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  2. That is one beautiful rabbit.

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    1. Thanks, Robin. He is a plush little guy. Like a velveteen rabbit.

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  3. They are trying to train you. It is a slow process. (And now painful - ouch.)

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    1. Yes, RG, they do train us. We only think we train them. :)

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  4. Yogi is so sweet! Good luck with getting all the bunnies to get on together!

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  5. yogi looks so velvety!! so huggable!

    in time...the buns will all get along...right now matilda & gabby are probably going through their own bunny grief :(

    they're ALL so cute!!

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  6. all will come right in the end,maybe meeting yogi on a regular bases will sort the girls out

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    1. I want to try to give them more face-to-face time in the indoor playpen, but don't want them to get into any bullying or fighting right now. Be glad when we have cooler weather. The early mornings are good for outings, but I haven't been able to get them out that early since it's "cooled off" a bit (meaning no temps near and above 100).

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  7. Replies
    1. Thanks. He's so huggy. Just looking at his pictures makes me want to go over and hug and squeeze him.

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