Cuddle Bunny Visit!
I've visited something like five or six times, I've seen a few of this set of rabbits on previous visits, but there are some new faces in the bunch.
I had to get a snap of this sweet bunch before I stepped into any pens. Rex, the continental giant, and Lola, the lionhead netherland dwarf mistakenly assigned female at birth (because it can be hard to determine early in their life. One of the staff loves mentioning this fact. I think it's interesting knowledge about bunny anatomy.).
Rex and Lola are pretty seriously bonded. Rex is very, very, friendly -- especially friendly now that I've met them both about three or four times! They were either in a good mood or starting to trust me. Today, there was no one else in the building for the interaction hour. It was quiet and I think this also brought a good mood to the rabbits.
I'm really excited to tell you about these two, but I've decided to post this in chronology of my visit.
Kirby (rear) is a majour sleepyhead and delinquent who has free-roamed outside of pens during some of my previous visits. Apparently, he's quite sneaky and doesn't like staying in a pen. Kirby has scars on his ears from a rabbit who did not reciprocate his feelings. Or perhaps she did.
Waddle Dee (fore) is a new addition who was unfortunately abandoned in the alley behind the cuddle bunny. She makes a really adorable pair with Kirby. They look rather identical.
If you click the picture, it should open a new tab with a video of them both on YouTube. Waddle Dee hops out the bin and around my behind! She was looking for an escape she thought existed when I entered.
Waddle Dee is adjusting to meeting people frequently. She enjoyed the cilantro snack patrons are given. She was enthusiastic about that, and searching for more but she tended to stick to her corner and would respond to nudges by pushing my hand away from her.
Her body language was a little stiff but she was calm without me trying to pet her. She seemed comfortable in the pen at the distance and it was nice to meet her.
I hope to see her again soon. Perhaps she will warm up to me after a few visits. I have seen the bond that rabbits have with their permanent care-givers and I can't imagine it's too different. I wish I could take them all home with me! Alas.
Kirby was a little active, enjoyed the cilantro, and hopped around a bit with Waddle Dee before stopping to stretch out and relax. Waddle Dee seemed to relax a bit more at the sight of this in particular.
I really love their coats. It's such a beautiful blend of brown and grey!
Try clicking this picture to see a short clip of Kirby relaxing! His nose is so cute!! You can also find another video of me petting him on my Youtube Channel.
Next, I got to hang out with Rex & Lola again! Lola had already split once I stepped into the pen. He requires a bit more trust than Rex, who is generally very relaxed and tends to be unbothered by the presence of a stranger.
Rex's reaction to me this time gave me the impression that he remembered me! He was very calm and asked for attention, even lowering his head to receive pets.
As soon as he caught a whiff of cilantro, though, he was quick to react and have a quick snack. Lola curiously approached to sus out the herb, but he doesn't actually want to eat cilantro, it seems. However, that does mean he feels comfortable being closer to me and facing me!
Click here to check the short clip on YouTube.
After some time in the pen together, Rex was loving the affection and Lola eventually cozied up behind him! This was the longest Lola has been so close to me, which feels really precious. I think seeing his big buddy relaxed and getting petted also inspired some trust in him.
He kept about that distance alongside Rex and eventually relaxed a bit more and loafed up himself! And if you knew him like I did when I first met him, you'd be even more surprised to see that he had fallen asleep!!
Wow! What a gesture of trust from such a small creature. My past few visits, he not only would hop into the furthest corner away from me at any show of movement, but he would face away from my altogether, looking only outside the pen!!
Consider me an opportunist, but at the sight of a trustful, relaxed, snoozy Lola, I couldn't help myself but attempt to gently pet him while asleep. He'd either be too asleep to say no, which I think is also a grand gesture of trust, or he would accept or decline.
He didn't wake, so while he may have been too sleepy to decline, I didn't interrupt his slumber either. I'll take it as a gesture of trust. I hope to see them both again soon, as you might predict.
If you try clicking the sleepy Lola, it might take you to YouTube to watch a short clip of my sneaky petting. This was near the end of my time in his pen and so it felt like such a special moment.
Last, I got to meet another new addition, Cashmere! And wow, what a lively young mini rex! He was not afraid to climb my crossed legs and start munching away at cilantro. And he was so quick that I didn't get him in focus! He has such a beautiful coat and his outgoing nature is very charming.
Try clicking his picture to see a clip on YouTube of him happily wolfing down cilantro!
He has such a sweet face and was so curious about me, or maybe curious whether I had more mysteriously appearing cilantro, that he climbed all over me after I laid horizontally!
Click here to watch a clip of that on YouTube!
After clambering about hunting for yummy green herbs, he hopped into his bin of hay and started snacking for the rest of our time together.
He didn't mind me being nearby or watching, but he didn't want much attention other than that. He would gently nudge my hand away if I tried to pet his noggin and would reposition himself if I tried to pet his body.
No problem, little man -- I collected one last cute wee video of him munching away on his tasty hay before my visit was over.
You can check out the YouTube playlist I made of all the videos I took by clicking on this text! You can also visit the Cuddle Bunny yourself in Lakeview East, Chicago, Illinois for a rabbit interaction hour by making a reservation on their website! Head to https://cuddlebunnyccc.com/ for more information!
