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In these photos you can clearly see that he is changing shape and becoming a bigger boy! On the first photo you can see his longer, lighter hairs around his tummy (you should see how fluffy his belly is, that and his whiskers are just to-die-for!) and on the second photo you can see him giving my enormous bean bag a closer sniff. Verdict: although noisy, it certainly is a lot of fun to hop on!
Django is a real climber. He loves running around my studio flat, clambering onto my bed and doing bunny hops on the duvet. He still shies away from being stroked unless he is distracted by food, but is very happy to climb all over my lap when I sit on the floor or on the bed. He will venture right upto my face by clambering up my chest and will sit on my shoulder to get a better view of his territory.
The problem starts when it is time to get back into the cage. I want to leave him to roam as much as possible but am still worried about his antics when I am not there (as well as his tendency to pee on my bed spread). It is widely cited that rabbits need routine, so I have decided to let him have free range of the house in the evenings and at night, and then he has to go back into his cage during the day (he does sleep for most of the afternoon anyway). Mornings are a bit of a nightmare – having to chase him back into his cage, but hopefully he will get used to the routine and understand that me following him around with a towel means it’s time to hop back home.
I’m starting to think that he is the sort of rabbit that doesn’t particularly like being stroked, even though his fun, playful nature is very appealing when he happily hops in and out of my lap. I don’t think he is frightened, although he does scarper from sudden movements sometimes (only natural, considering he is still only 8 weeks old). I think I’ll try and get him de-sensitised to being stroked by picking him up and putting him on my lap every few days or so for treats and a stroking session. I did this yesterday and he seemed calm enough to stay and be stroked: I didn’t hold him down and prevent him from leaving. After about 5 minutes he hopped off slowly and I gave him a treat.
It has almost been a week since Django has arrived home and, in en effort to litter train him following a pee incident on my clean bedsheets (much to my disbelief), I have limited his roaming area to a corner of my studio apartment (using a flattened cardboard box and a fire-guard to form a play-pen). Inevitably, Django’s favourite activity is now “Prisonbreak”. He is wonderfully arrogant and totally convinced of his ability to jump over a metre high, although for now the wall has held.
I, too, have formed part of his rock-climbing precipice. In my efforts top win his trust I spend a lot of time sat cross-legged on the floor in his play-pen, and he seems to love running around me, jumping over my legs and putting his two front legs on my lap. He has even scrambled up my chest a few times and onto my shoulder to see whether he dares attempt a leap to freedom. He will begrudgingly allow me to prise him off my shoulder and place him back on my lap, and when he is in fully focused on his Houdini-like antics then he will allow me to stroke his back.
After 6 days, I can stroke his head and cheek when he is distracted with food and I can stroke him briefly when he is on my lap (he comes to sit on me more now and for longer periods of time). I have even been blessed with a few licks on my hands, legs and nose!
I have totally stopped trying to pick him up. I want him to dissassociate being stroked with the threat of being carried. It seems to be working and its rare that he’ll shy away from my hand if I make hand movements near him.
As you can see, Django has quickly become used to his new climbing frame: me! Today I caved and allowed him to explore the whole apartment, blocking off the bathroom and the kitchen. I will eventually allow him into the bathroom (to elongate his ‘run’) but I definitely will keep the kitchen closed off to him for safety reasons.
Django is really showing his adventurous side. Exploring under the sofa-bed and trying to scramble up the bean-bag, venturing up the cushion I leaned against the mattress so he can explore the bounce of my duvet and pillows. He has made me hold my breath once or twice as he eyes the jump over to the bean bag or – gasp – up the kitchen counter (which towers a metre above him! He gave up after a couple of attempts though).
He is perfectly happy darting about, doing binkies in the air and then hopping over me to explore some more. He also stays still for strokes and cuddles when he is grazing or foraging at the hay I’ve strewn around his ‘play palace’. He shies away if I stroke him when he has nothing distracting him although after a couple of attempts he gives in and lets me pet him a little bit (which I do for a few seconds and then withdraw). He always lets me pet him when he stands up with his paws on my leg, almost like a puppy. I know rabbits don’t really grow into their character until about 6 months but I hope he stays this fun and cuddly!
He is about the length of my hand now when he sits, although he gets a lot bigger when he stretches his nose to sniff some unexplored part of his new world. Parents are around 900gr each so he shouldn’t get much bigger. On the photos here you can see him enthusiastically devour some coriander (although I am limiting his vegetable intake to a few leaves of herbs per day only).
It’s Django’s first day at home and he seems to be settling in fine. I’m a little wary about him roaming free at the moment so have sectioned off a corner of my studio apartment for him to explore first. Although he isn’t scared of me and I can love around him without him running away, he shies away from being touched although won’t object to a solid contact (I have been putting my hand beside him in the cage and on the floor where he is playing, touching him slightly without trying to stroke him).
The difference today was huge though and he is indeed a little explorer, propping himself on his paws against my leg to ‘get a better look’ and sniffing at my hand when I offer it to him.
He definitely seems to be settled in and will run around doing binkies in the air. He is still so small! Just a cute little fluff-ball. I’ve been reading and apparently he is way too young to be taken away from his mother at 6 weeks – something I didn’t know at all. Also found out that you shouldn’t give rabbits vegetable suntil about 3 months although he had access to fruit and veg in his old home. As a compromise, I’ve been allowing him teeny portions of herbs to entice him back into his cage at night to avoid him associating being picked with ‘end of play time’.
So far, I’ve been picking him up once a day and placing him on my lap, stroking him for a few seconds and then allowing him to roam around my lap for a little while before hopping off. It’s great that he doesn’t run away as soon as he is released from my scary claws but he does kick and fuss when I pick him up: but I do want him to get used to it so I think that picking him up briefly once a day is a good way to go.
It is the day before Django is due home, and the cage, litter, hay and litter box are still hidden stashed behind my desk at work (detectable only by a slightly sweet smell that has confused a number of people who have come into my office). I wrote a list of all the things I needed, and ordered the whole lot in one delivery over the internet (which surprised me at work, rather than at home, but that’s a story for another day). I decided that I would get the basic cage accessories at first, to which I can add toys, mounts and food-time accessories once I’ve started to get the hang of things. I’m also slightly disbelieving that I am finally getting my bunny tomorrow, as I was not entirely sure how I was going to convince my boyfriend to share our 25m2 studio with a furry friend that is likely to nibble on his metal cage all night.
I am very excited to go home after work and set everything up! It was a fun, albeit slightly daunting, task ordering everything online – there are so many types of EVERYTHING to choose from! But the essential list I bought was the following:
I am planning on ordering over the next few weeks:
Next post: The Cage Set-Up
My Dwarf Bunny 