The rest of Sunday went well - Blanco seemed happy in his new home. The only thing that concerned me was that I got sprayed with pee FOUR times today. Oh, and Jenny got sprayed once. Blanco should have been a fireman, because man does that kid have great aim! Right for the face each time...gross! Even with Jenny!

From what I can tell, this is his rebellious, cranky "teenager" stage, which neutering should help with. Since he was only neutered a week ago, his hormones are still raging for about another 4-6 weeks. I also read that it could be him marking territory...ok, ok...Blanco we get it now....we are YOURS! It could also be that he is getting used to his new surroundings.

On Monday, he seemed happy again - he was most active early in the morning around 6am. I saw him running around the bottom part of his hutch. Then most of the rest of the day he laid around. I cleaned his entire cage out today. It was pretty easy to get him into the carrier - just add a carrot and he walks right in! I put the carrier in the x-pen to let him hop around a bit more. He hopped for a bit, then relaxed the rest of the time in the x-pen.

I already have a better idea for the shading of the x-pen area...and some different floor material.

Dog and Bunny
Jenny did a great job out there with us. Whenever she got too close to the x-pen I would call her over and she came running (she has been learning "come.") I was quite proud of them both! She tried to spray at Jenny today, but missed (phhhhhhew!) and did NOT try to spray at me at all today! I hope we have another day tomorrow of not spraying mom!

This is how I exercise!

Cleaning
It was pretty easy to clean out the cage - sweeping up the poop pellets is a breeze, but
Blanco's aim in the litter box for pee leaves something to be desired. He seems to enjoy peeing right outside of the litter box. I also noticed that he peed in his sleeping box on the fleece I put up there :(

Blanco is famous already!
The Beach Reporter (local beach cities newspaper) posted a picture of Blanco today! I was so excited!

I transitioned Blanco to his outside home today and I'm hoping for the best! So far her seems quite happy in there! I put some of his old poop and pee in the new highback litter box, hoping he will use that. He had a bad habit of sitting in the litter box while it was in the bathroom and peeing just outside of it, as if his butt was hanging over the edge. We will see if this helps.

I put the carrier near the entrance of his new house and after a few minutes he saw his favorite treats and ventured in. The first thing he did was sniff and explore the downstairs area...then he started to chin rub everything down there. "Mine...mine...mine!!!"

First steps out of carrier to new home

I placed some parsley about halfway up the ramp with more up top to coax him up there. It took about 5 minutes for him to explore the upstairs area! he even went into his "bedroom" for a bit.

"Look mom! I made it up!"

Next, he got some exercise! He started to run up and down the ramps and back and forth on the bottom level for a bit. I noticed him chin rubbing some more and now he is sprawled out on the bottom level - front paws forward and back paws back as if he in lounging on a couch or something! I sure hope that he enjoys this new home. 

Chillin' in his new casa...

I am trying to just leave him alone in his house for today so he can get used to it. I did go out to give him some pellets before and when I opened the front door he sprayed me with pee -  it got all over my arm and my pants :(

Then, he did it again when I brought the dog out there (Jenny the dog was awesome when we went out there...no whining or barking by the Bun House!)

I'm hoping that's just a temporary thing....it is a big day for him, just like the first day in the bathroom was. He needs his space and time...

Guilt.

I have to admit, as Sunday approaches (the day I transition Blanco from the downstairs bathroom to his new outdoor home) I am experiencing a TON of GUILT.

I KNOW that his life outside in the hutch is still probably WAY better than the life he had before the shelter. I know that his life outside in the hutch is a better fate than the euthanasia he was facing at the shelter. But still I feel a ton of guilt for putting him outside.

Luckily the weather here in Southern California is mild through the year - it barely rains, never snows, and other than a few hot days in the summer and a few cold days in the winter (never below freezing) our weather is pretty darn spectacular. My husband said that he can build a 2nd hutch for the garage if we ever need to bring him in if we get rain or really cold weather, but the guilt is still there.

I think I mostly feel guilty because I want Blacno to feel part of the family. I wish I could make him feel as special as Jenny and Bela do inside (my cat and dog.)

But, I cannot.

We thought about trying to have an indoor hutch, but our house is very small and we just cannot accommodate in that way. He will actually have more space if he lives outside.

I also feel guilty that I will not be able to spend as much time with him as I do Jenny and Bela. For example, right now I am typing on the computer and Jenny is on my lap getting love and taking a nap...I feel bad that Blanco will not have this kind of attention.

I know that I will spend time with Blanco each day, but it won't be the same as the dog or cat just because they are inside. There are lots of people in my area who keep their bunnies outside, and I try to remember that it is not a BAD thing....I just need to really get over the guilt and just do my best to spend as much time as possible outside with him and give him attention. It might be different than the way the dog and cat can get attention, but he will still know LOVE and a happy home. I need to keep remembering that. It is STILL better than what his fate would have been....

Wednesday through Friday were SO MUCH BETTER!

There were no more biting incidents!!

Instead, Blanco was chinning Craig's and my hand ALOT more and allowed us to pet him more and more! In rabbit-talk, chinning is apparently a rabbit's way of marking territory and saying, "That's MINE!" so we take it as a compliment! He even started chinning my FEET AND ANKLES!!!! I see that as a HUGE step forward in him trusting me. :) I started being careful of my speed of movement when coming over the baby gate - I now lower my foot VERY slowly so he can see what is happening and not get freaked out. That's helped alot.

Waiting for me to clean up his bathroom area

"Mom, hurry up!"

On Friday Craig was able to put the outdoor hutch together.

We decided on this one because it was on the larger side (7 feet long) with the upstairs area. We plan on modifying it to add more of an exercise area to it, but for now this will do. I decided on rubber flooring for the bottom (easy to clean,but hopefully he does not dig / chew it up.) We realized that this is all going to be a trial-and-error thing. We will learn as we go along as far as what works and what does not. I am VERY lucky to have an extremely understanding and handy husband who is an amazing problem solver! Any issue with housing I am sure he can figure something different to try.

On Saturday, Craig modified the hutch by adding hinges so I can open one of the roof sides for ease of cleaning. He also made a "bunny bedroom" for Blanco upstairs by creating a nesting box. Also added were some better locks for the front doors to keep any smart critters out. I have only seen squirrels in our yard, but on occasion I have spotted a raccoon and opossum walking on the top of the fence. I have also smelled skunk, so I don't want to take chances.

Added nest box area

Blocked window for better hiding / protection  in "bunny bedroom"

Added hinge to lift for easier cleaning

Better lock

Jenny is doing SO much better - she is not barking or whining by the baby gate anymore!
Instead, both she and Bela just show interest whenever the bunny is near the gate, or if they hear Blanco making noise with his food bowl in the bathroom.

Who is in there?

On Monday, June 23 Blanco was able to come home. Linda (the bunny rescue lady) came with me to the shelter to pick him up. She HAD to be the one to pull him because he had the "aggressive" label on him. I have a VERY VERY hard time at shelters, so I am thankful she was there. Just hearing dogs barking makes me super sad. I got to meet the vet that performed Blanco's neuter and he said, "You've got a fiesty one here. He bit me twice." Still, I kept in my head that Bun was probably shit scared and of course he was going to bite.

Linda checked him over when we got to her house and said he looked very healthy. She gave me some pain meds for him (shocker that the shelter did NOT?!!) and I brought him to his new home. We set up the bathroom for him as temporary housing to keep track of him post-surgery until his outdoor hutch arrived.

Temporary bathroom setup

Temporary bath setup

Cranky and stoned from surgery on way home

perking up a bit in his new home

This video is when Blanco first came out of the carrier. The music was "Best Day of My Life" by American Authors, but YouTube made me change it.

 When I got him home I tried to leave him alone as much as possible. I had a babygate blocking the bathroom area and Blanco was in the closed bathroom. Jenny (our dog) and Bela (cat) were interested in who was in there. They KNEW someone was in that bathroom. Jenny was barking and whining alot, but thankfully that stopped later in the evening when Linda came over.

So, why did Linda have to come over?

Well, let's just say I had a MAJOR freak out after being bitten on the foot. I had climbed over the baby gate and opened the door to the bathroom to feed Bun and check on him. Well, he did not like something about my foot being there so he gave it a HUGE clamp down bite! THAT was what freaked me out the most. I thought bunnies "nipped" - but this felt like a full-on "Cujo-style" ATTACK. I almost felt like I had to shake him off me, which was VERY scary. So of course, my first thoughts were, "Fuck! I have rabies!" but thankfully those fears were relived when I talked to Linda and read more online about rabbits and rabies. Phhhew, but still, All I could think of was that I made a mistake. I did not want an animal that I was AFRAID of....and that is exactly where I was. I was honestly terrified to open that door, fearing he'd attack me!

Plus, Jenny was barking and whining WAY TOO MUCH and all I could think of was her doing that EVERY time we went outside once the outdoor housing was set up - I honestly thought I made a mistake saving this bunny and that I never should have even looked at Facebook that day.

OUCH! and this is pic was taken 3 days later

I called Linda.
I am not going to lie....I wanted that Bunny out.
I was hoping that she would just take him.
But instead she EDUCATED me by coming over and showing me how to pick up and hold Bun and how to properly pet him (I didn't know a bunny has a blind spot and could get freaked out if a hand suddenly appeared!)
She had Blanco on a towel on my lap while I sat on the couch. He let me pet him and Jenny sat quietly on the floor next to me! It was seriously like Linda was the bunny and dog whisperer all in one!
When she left I felt MUCH better.

The best advice she gave was, "You WILL get bitten again" and "You WILL have another freak out and I will be here for you."

She was right.

The next day I VERY slowly lowered my leg over the baby gate...then the other leg. For some reason he did NOT like that so he started to circle my legs and then he bit me again! This time on the ankle. OUCH those bunny bites hurt!

But, this time I did NOT freak out.

I remembered what Linda said...and instead of blaming Blanco I thought to myself, "What did *I* do wrong to scare Blanco into thinking he needed to bite me?"

I remembered that he JUST had surgery and was probably in pain and cranky. I remembered that he JUST was put into a new environment YET AGAIN after being dumped at the shelter. He didn't trust me...and who knows about his past? Maybe he never had a reason to trust anyone? Maybe he was kicked in the past and that's why he is fearful of my feet and ankles....who knows? My job was to help him learn how to trust....and to learn that not all humans are going to hurt him...some will actually LOVE him.

Good boy taking meds

Quick holding area for while I cleaned the bathroom area

Carrots to him are like a Kong toy for a dog. I won't be feeding many carrots in the future, but right now it is working to keep him happy and busy while I clean. Plus, maybe he will make positive associations with me and yummy carrots?

LOVE

It all started on June 18, 2014 when I saw this Facebook post by my petsitter and animal rescue hero, Lisa. She runs a rescue called Ready Set Rescue and volunteers at the shelter and posts pictures of animals who are in need of loving homes...

Craig and I had always talked about MAYBE getting a rabbit one day, but after getting Jenny our dog, we never revisited the subject. I shared this picture on my FB wall hoping someone would adopt him, but I found myself coming back to this picture.

I showed Craig the picture the next day and jokingly asked, "Can we save him?"
He immediately said, "Sure."
I thought he was kidding, but he wasn't....so the education began.

I spent the rest of that day learning as much as I could about rabbits to make sure I was making the right choice..making sure I could really do this. I always knew I wanted to help as many animals as I could in my life. We have a small house, so I can't help as much as I'd LIKE to, but I felt like this little one needed a chance. There was something special about him (other than the fact that he only has one ear!)

He was labeled as "aggressive" by the shelter, but Lisa said he was chin rubbing him when she came by the cage. My guess is that he bit the shelter worker out of fear (who wouldn't being in such a scary, new environment?!!) and that label would stick with him. There is no way people were going to adopt an "aggressive" rabbit, so his days were limited.

The next day I decided I was going to spring him, but since he had the "aggressive" label, a rescue organization could only pull him. Thankfully, Linda from Too Many Bunnies was willing to help me. She even allowed me to come over to her rescue with Jenny so see how she would react to being around rabbits. I was worried that she would bark her head off at them, but luckily she was fine. Interested, but not overly crazy for them.

Shelter website pic

On Thursday I was told that he would be neutered on Monday and be able to be brought home Monday afternoon. I began to research bunny behavior/ care even more and began buying the necessary things to welcome him. We decided to keep him in the bathroom until his hutch arrived - we figured it would be a good way to keep an eye on him post surgery.