her name is pinky and she's 8 months old.  i think she's about 8lbs.  isn't she purrrty?

i've been visiting my local shelter to pet the bun buns for a couple of months now & have had my eye on this one.  she was so comfy one time i was there that she flopped while there were 8 noisy kids about the room her plexi-enclosure was in!  when i was there today an animal care rep said she was pretty feisty (i know all about feisty with baby bun) and that she lunges at them when they scoop poops / clean her enclosure.   well who wouldn't when some one's reaching down on them?  don't get me wrong tho... this shelter does a great job caring for the buns.  the enclosures are well cleaned and attended to.

hearing this surprised me a bit tho, since i'd been petting her with each visit without seeing any aggressive behaviour.  anyways, i put my hand down in her enclosure opposite where she was sitting and she immediately ran over, ears forward, and presented her head for pets.  when i stopped she telescoped up to sniff me & tug at my sleeve.  more pets please!!!  i picked her up but was very awkward with her.  i'm used to baby bun who doesn't like to be placed against my chest with her paws, so orchestrating this maneuver was super awkward and so i was rewarded with kicky kicks and a big ole scratch down my arm .

when i came home & let baby smell me, she reacted by snuggling into me for head pets & kisses as usual.  that did it.  i officially decided to bring home another bun!  i will need the weekend to tidy my spare room and build another NIC enclosure, since i will not be trying to bond baby & pinky.  i've discussed this possibility here before & decided not to try to bond baby to another since she's an old gal so i'm quite happy to have 2 bun rooms.  of course this st-up is especially possible for me since i work from home & i can let them out for free roam time separately too.  not wanting to get ahead of myself, i called the shelter to ask about their adoption procedure for buns.  i told the woman my situation and she was very excited about my interest in pinky.  she told me that there has been no one else interested in her & that i could call on the weekend to put a hold on her. 

yay!!!!!!   i'm so excited

wow that is just great and to be home all the time that bun will have a very good home.

yup... those peepers are red  

does that mean she's a REW or is that term only used for specific breeds?  also, does anyone know what breed she is?  i've only ever had lops.  before i joined up here i didn't know any other breed

Oh that's so sweet! Pinky was just waiting for you to come along!  Congratulations!  She's a cutie pie. You saved a life and made room for a new one!

a new zealand white.  excellent  thanks sarita!  i wonder why buns with this coloring are often over looked?  i'd of thought since they're the quintessential easter bunny that they'd actually be more popular.   wierd.  oh well... i think she's beeeeeautiful!

Someone correct me if I am wrong but I think that part of the problem with the REW's is that they are the quintessential Easter bunny. They often get bought for children as Easter presents as little buns and then unfortunately, they get dumped when they get big and the family doesn't want to care for them anymore. I know this isn't the whole problem, but I'm pretty sure I've heard that contributes to it.

yeah i can see that happening.    unfortunately.  good thing pinky will be outta there before easter this year then  

There is also a strong association with the big, white, red eyed bunnies and medical research and testing.  As awful as that sounds, I think that is one of the reasons that people pass them by.  Based on no scientific data whatsoever, it looks to me as though black bunnies  take as long to get adopted as the REWs do.  Pairs are also difficult to adopt out, I think because people see two rabbits as a bigger commitment than one, and also many of our adoptions are for bonds with a family that has an existing bunny.  Lops go fast, as do dwarfs.  Lionheads take a long time too for some reason, it might be the need for grooming.

interesting.  i suppose it would have been a good idea to ask about this before so i could rescue the least adoptable one.  but, as luck would have it,  i think i chose that one anyways!  there are beautiful 2 rexes there and 2 that look like they could be cute dutch mixes... all are about half the size of pinky.  poor things.  i wish i could take them all home, but instead i'll go to visit them as often as i can. 

actually... speaking of visiting shelter buns... i have a question about that for all of you kind souls who are experienced with rabbit rescue.  is there benefit to the buns in visiting them when you're not taking them home?  when i'm there i don't handle them unless they seem receptive.  i tend to offer my hand for them to sniff & see if they want pets.  if they look scared then i just talk to them.  some times i wonder if they see so many people passing them by that its really no help at all and just more upsetting . 

She's beautiful!

She looks like a Florida White to me, a breed that's always white with pink eyes and often used for research. Maybe about 2 lbs. larger than their listed weight online, but I have concluded that these descriptions of breeds on line are not all that accurate where weight is concerned. (Like someone my height is supposed to be, ahem, less than I actually weigh right now.) 

I've always loved white animals. My guinea pig growing up was albino: white  with red eyes.

The only cat I had as an adult was white with one blue eye and one green eye. Very beautiful, very aggressive. He was not deaf, as the rumor about blue eyed cats goes.

Spockie bunny was a departure, since he was basically white with lots of gray spots. He had little elbow patches on his white legs, and a gray muzzle on his nose and white cheeks. Too cute. Brown eyes.

Pinky obviously adopted you, and was just keeping the others at bay until you came to take her home. Congrats!

i am so excited for you!

is there a reason you're not going to try to bond the two?  if Baby was receptive to the other's smell, it might work.  sure she's not spayed... but she's older so i don't think hormones are really a big issue now.

i think the biggest reason i'm hesitant to try to bond them is that baby has been so happy since her lumpectomy that i'd feel terrible to mess it up for her.  another concern is, since baby's 7 going on 8yrs old and pinky is not yet 1, i worry if they bonded how hard would it be for pinky when baby's gone. i would love love love to have one big happy bonded family but i don't want to get carried away with that vision & not do whats best for the buns.  i suppose tho, once pinky gets spayed, i wouldn't mind trying it out to see what they'd want.

when i got baby (3 months) i was hoping for her to be a companion for my then bunny brownie (2 yrs).  both gals were unspayed and i hadn't a clue about bonding or rabbit hormones so it turned out badly.  i'm sure you can imagine.  poor girls!  i had separate enclosures for them & let them out separately but they'd stil bite each others ears thru the cages!  i had to barracade them to avoid coming into the room to find blood trailing along the wall / floor from a nipped ear.  you can tell by baby's ears now that she got nipped a bunch of times before i figured out a system that totally prevented it.    so i guess this time i'm headed into 2 bunny family status with a totally diff perspective so i don't make life harder for the buns and also so i'm not disapponted. 

although this time i have a HUGE resource to help - thanks binky bunny & all - so trying to bond would be an adventure rather than an expectation.  i'd be interested any thoughts any of you have about bonding buns that are so far apart in age.

from http://www.rabbithaven.org/Q&A/bonding.htm

Size does not make a difference in whether the rabbits will bond or not, but age is a consideration. An older rabbit would be much happier with a companion closer in age rather than a young one that is full of energy and vice versa.

Baby has been more feisty since her surgery tho... so she might be okay with the energy.

from http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/articles/bond.shtml

Age is sometimes a factor. You are most likely to have a lasting bond if they are both adults. The young rabbits do sometimes bond easier as they are used to living in groups and having company. However, once their hormones kick in they do sometimes fight with a mate and we have had couples split up when one of the rabbits is 3-10 months old. Age is not a factor when the rabbits are older. You can bond an 8 year old rabbit with a three year old.

i wonder, and of course i know someone will correct me if i'm wrong... but i know that Baby loves the dog.  it's possible that she would be very interested in some rabbit companionship.  she is 8 yrs old... but she will (hopefully) live for quite awhile longer.  does companionship help prolong the life of animals?  studies have been done with humans and men who are married tend to live longer, healtheir lives.  it might be the same for buns.  she is healthy and vibrant now since her surgery.  i wouldn't rule out the possibility althogether.  you are prepared to house them separately regardless... so you may want to try.

interesting info... thanks beka!  i actually do think baby is a contender for a companion bun considering how she grooms the dog.  now that i discourage her jumping on top of him she has settled into grooming his head.  problem is he doesn't groom back (he's only interested in her being his personal pez dispenser ) and poor baby regularly presents her head to him without reciprocation.  i guess it'll depend on the personality of pinky once she settles in & after she's spayed.  i was thinking that i wouldn't spay her until she has settled in here... so maybe in a month?  

oh yeah... when i called my vet asking about cost the receptionist said they don't recommend spaying.  grr.  i'm now confused about this vet office.  when i went in with baby the actual vet mentioned to me that she would normally recommend spaying but that baby was a little too old (and her lumpectomy was obviously the important surgery to choose).  i hope her receptionist is the only one uninformed about this topic.  i mentioned to her that i thought it was important to reduce uterine cancer and hormonal issues and she said yes but not as much in rabbits as in cats & dogs.  *sigh*  anyways, i do trust the actual vet - who i know would do the actual spay - which is what counts but i'll def be discussing this during pinky's initial exam.  i def want her spayed.  i'd be more comfortable if the vet agreed with me on this topic since it seems like she was on point with everything else. 

I agree with Sarita. 

Regarding rabbits living longer with a companion, a higher percentage do (my local HRS has been keeping track of this from their members). They love and crave the attention of another rabbit, besides I know I am not going to get on the floor and lick my rabbits ears clean. I am not THAT bunny-whipped...yet.

i was going to respond earlier but my computer was acting up and it wouldn't let me add a reply.

is this the same vet that did Baby's surgery?  if so, i assume the vet is savvy, but the receptionist is not.  you should definitely discuss this with the vet, so if nothing else she can educate her receptionist that spaying is something that is recommended.  (besides all the business the receptionist must be turning away...)  keep us posted!