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Benjie's progress wow!

thumps_

Wise Old Thumper
Benjie's probably about 3 by now but he'll have to wait for his gottcha day for the celebration.
He's been the most nervous rabbit imaginable, spending almost all his time under the bed although having freedom to free range the house. I'd accepted that's how he was

Last night he was scampering around & jumping all night. I was so pleased he was enjoying himself at last, I couldn't be cross.:D

Today I've had a "little" black bunny shadow following me literally everywhere.:D
He's been wagging his tail in sheer delight, both up & down & side to side.:D (I haven't seen this in a bunny before but know it happens).
I've been laughing so much because when I turn round through 180 degrees, Benjie does a head binky, & small jump in the air to turn himself into the opposite direction.:D
He's started to play for the 1st time. He loves his strip of fabric & does what Jenova's Grimlock does with the washing (see her siggy) He also sticks his nose against it & hops around as fast as he can, keeping it on the end of his nose while I walk with it - rabbit blind man's buff. Finally, if I drop it to the ground very slowly he walks up it. When he reaches the end, I whisk it out, & we carry on with play.
He's been incredibly brave, staying downstairs for almost 10 mins after I'd gone upstairs = "Can't we have more play?" (His 1st. communication apart from "please stroke me").

I'm used to very fearful traumatised cats, but it's always been a case of 1 hurdle overcome & 2-3 months later another.
Benjie did a sudden improvement a few months ago, but all this in a day:shock:
I'm so happy that he's had a really good day & obviously enjoyed himself a lot.
Tomorrow? It's off to the pet shop to get a cat toy on elastic & see if he enjoys pinging it. (He'd better watch out for his ears on the rebound - they're longer than Thumper's were:lol:)

BTW he still hasn't worked out that doors open on the handle side, but doubtless that'll come!
 
That's so great!!! What a brave boy! I bet it was so fun to see him having fun and playing. You must be so pleased to see him making so much progress lately.

I just love when buns wiggle their little tails :love: It's just too cute watching them feel so happy :)
 
This is wonderful news, Judy! :)
It sounds like he had a lovely day with you today. How have you been feeling?
 
Oh that's amazing! :love::love::love:

I remember when he first came to you, you weren't sure that you could take on a new bunny friend, but I'm SO glad you did as Benjie obviously needed you with your patience and love.

Perfect match!

:love::love:
 
That's incredible news Judy, he is a very lucky bun to have found his way into your home.:love::love::love:
Did you finally get the foxes relocated out of the garden?
 
Thank you everyone especially for joining in with my delight.

Jbun I love this tail wiggling too.
Benjie nearly lost his tail :shock: I was nebulising him when he was moulting, watching the front end, & teasing out the knots at his rear. I found a really "big knot" which I couldn't tease out, thought "it's a vet job & clip to deal with that" & looked round. I was only trying to tease off his tail, & he hadn't made the slightest protest at the front.:shock::oops:

Mimzmum thank you for asking. I hibernate & sleep silly times - but that's just me.:lol: At least it fits on more with bunny rythms:lol: He gave me a lovely lift last night.:D

Thank you suzibun, tonibun, Jenova & ripminni :D:lol:

Dizzyg Wow you've a good memmory! Yes, I find that a baby bunny is like a hyperactive toddler & needs a lot of attention, & patient teaching how to be a bunny, yet free range the house without destroying it, eg. digging holes happens outside, & chewing happens on the sticks provided.:lol:
When he arrived he had obvious snuffles, but he was under my roof. I wondered if I had the stamina & emotional reserve to battle for another bun with a serious chronic illness so soon. Once in, I couldn't say no, & just send him back. He's been so anxious to please, & so affectionate, I've never regretted it, but have been concerned for him emotionally.
Yes, it's amazing. 2 bunnies in a row, totally different temperaments, & both perfect matches!:love::love::love:

aliduncan1 I can't stop a fox doing its territorial tour, but I've greatly reduced the time spent here - no more earths, & by removing the pond there's no communal drinking place.
I put in a raised bed for veges near the house. Foxy made footprints all over it at 1st, but hasn't attempted to dig & rapidly stopped doing it.
Benjie periscoped for a couple of days, & thumped x1 at night, but quickly settled down. Benjie's stopped going out again, but I'm quite relieved. I need a bit of snow to see exactly where the "fox run" is. I've a nasty suspicion it's via the side of the house, where I couldn't see in time, & Benjie couldn't smell or hear.
He seems to be OK with a territorial tour & only gets anxious if the fox hangs around.

It got even better later last night. He came downstairs with me, straight into the lounge, & pulled his piece of fabric off the table. He's learning how to show me what he wants cos I'm stupid. :lol:

I kept my communication with Thumper down to 1 word to help recognition. Benjie does much better with a whole phrase eg "shall we go upstairs now?"
My heart just welled up last night. After bedtime cuddles, I said "shall we go to bed now?" He hopped underneath it immediately, & stayed there all night, quiet as a mouse. :love::love::love::love:

Yes, I'm very happy indeed. He's always been so eager to please me. Now I can start to give him a bit of what he wants too. :D:D:D
 
He's even better now. :D He's really into play, always hopeful as he follows me downstairs. He's also into exploring.
It's really funny to watch a 4 kilo bun, with his 3rd gottcha day in 2 weeks, doing binkies & bunny 500's & generally behaving like a baby bunny.:lol:

Re snuffles he's only had minute eye discharge, & no sneezing last year but not even eye discharge for about the last 3 months.:D:D
It's now hard to believe that when he 1st. found me, the vet thought we'd be very lucky to get him through the year.
Goodness but I love the "little" fella, & he showers love on me.:love::love::love:
 
Yay hooray for Benjie, so pleased you have a happy little bunny.

Doughnut wags her tails sometimes, side to side but it's not when she's in a particular happy mood, it's when she's just done a poop and the metaclop makes it sticky so I wonder if she is making sure it doesn't stick to her tail! It is very cute though.
 
:love: This is a lovely thread. Have you any pictures of Benjie? I don't think I've ever seen him! :shock:

Regarding the sudden switch in his behaviour over just one day, I have experienced this with my buns. When I had Ellie, she was very wary of me. She never asked for nose rubs, would run away when I walked in the room, and wanted nothing to do with me. I accepted this, and just let her get along with life..she was happy with Fiver. When she got sick, one day I had her and Fiver out in the kitchen for a hop about and change of scenery. Suddenly, she hopped over to me, climbs up on my knee and rested her head on my shoulder (she was a big bunny) and sat like that for a long, long time. It was almost as if she was telling me that she was poorly, and that she knew I was trying to help. It made me cry. After that day, she loved to just come over and sit on me whilst I cradled her and kissed her head and nose. She also started greeting me when I waked in the room and actively seeked me out for nose rubs. :love: I do miss my big girl.

I had a similar experience with Xena (my current bun). She was never very fearful, but she would charge at me and bite my ankles. :shock: :lol: She would accept nose rubs, but she was prone to suddenly biting and lunging. I started feeding her strands of hay and she slowly, started trusting hands. One day, she jumped onto my bed, I gave her a nose rub, and she pestered for more without lunging or biting. She has not lunged and bitten me since, and greets me when I walk in the room, demands nose rubs and just loves getting kisses.

I think something just "clicks" with a bun. They suddenly realise that we are good to have around, and I do think they understand that we are helping them. I am hoping to have this happen Shadowfax. Since her stasis episode, she has not trusted me near her (I had to syringe feed and force meds down her) I just leave them to do this in their own time. I find it usually takes about a year or more for a bun to completely trust you. :)

I do hope Benjie continues to enjoy your company and not to be so fearful of the foxies in your area. :thumb:
 
Thank you everyone.
That's really interesting about your experiences Veganbunny, thank you. I'm fascinated by how rabbits learn, how they adapt so well to our house environment, & how they start to communicate with us.
Of course having 2 consecutive rabbits, with totally different temperaments, & finding that I love them just as much with their marked differences, surprised me.
Sadly I don't have many photos of Benjie for techincal reasons. As soon as I go into the room he runs up to my ankles - "stroke me, stroke me" position. I can't even get a photo of him eating because of this. He's a black blurr when playing.
This is a very old photo when he'd just arrived. Benjie has a left lop ear. It never goes up, but he sometimes gets it on his back.

He's still got huge back feet,with large bum & tail!
I think he's got some Beveran in him.
 
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:love: This is a lovely thread. Have you any pictures of Benjie? I don't think I've ever seen him! :shock:

Regarding the sudden switch in his behaviour over just one day, I have experienced this with my buns. When I had Ellie, she was very wary of me. She never asked for nose rubs, would run away when I walked in the room, and wanted nothing to do with me. I accepted this, and just let her get along with life..she was happy with Fiver. When she got sick, one day I had her and Fiver out in the kitchen for a hop about and change of scenery. Suddenly, she hopped over to me, climbs up on my knee and rested her head on my shoulder (she was a big bunny) and sat like that for a long, long time. It was almost as if she was telling me that she was poorly, and that she knew I was trying to help. It made me cry. After that day, she loved to just come over and sit on me whilst I cradled her and kissed her head and nose. She also started greeting me when I waked in the room and actively seeked me out for nose rubs. :love: I do miss my big girl.

I had a similar experience with Xena (my current bun). She was never very fearful, but she would charge at me and bite my ankles. :shock: :lol: She would accept nose rubs, but she was prone to suddenly biting and lunging. I started feeding her strands of hay and she slowly, started trusting hands. One day, she jumped onto my bed, I gave her a nose rub, and she pestered for more without lunging or biting. She has not lunged and bitten me since, and greets me when I walk in the room, demands nose rubs and just loves getting kisses.

I think something just "clicks" with a bun. They suddenly realise that we are good to have around, and I do think they understand that we are helping them. I am hoping to have this happen Shadowfax. Since her stasis episode, she has not trusted me near her (I had to syringe feed and force meds down her) I just leave them to do this in their own time. I find it usually takes about a year or more for a bun to completely trust you. :)

I do hope Benjie continues to enjoy your company and not to be so fearful of the foxies in your area. :thumb:

That is really interesting (and sweet, esp Ellie resting her head on your shoulder). My little bunch are only just starting to allow me to stroke them ... it is sooooo lovely.
 
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