25 Years of Bunstruction

Today marks the 25th anniversary of bringing our first rabbit into our home.

29th November is a significant date in our history of houserabbits:

• Our first houserabbit, Lupin, joined us on 29th November, 1998.
• Charlie, our next bunny, died on 29th November, 2001. 
• We lost Mabel on 29th November, 2018. 

Run Rabbit Run, edited back in 2008, features the succession of bunnies who shared our home before Mabel & Dijon arrived – every clip is different, taken from 13 hours of raw footage! (song written by Noel Gay and Ralph Butler and sung by Flanagan and Allen). 

Lupin is the mostly-white lop, Charlie the lop with quite a bit of black fur, Rosie has a lionhead mane, and Neroli is the yellow Dutch. You might also spot our first baby (now 21!). We didn’t know as much about rabbit welfare back in 1998 – you’ll see the hutch, the harness, and too much fruit being fed! But they were all adored, and our world revolved around them 😊

Black rabbits

Black rabbits, like black gemstones, reflect a kaleidoscope of colours in the sunshine – in fact, one of the names suggested when we considered renaming Snoop was Obsidian, Sid for short! (we had too many name suggestions from our family of 5, so stuck with Snoop!). However, black animals are frequently overlooked in rescue centres – they are left, waiting in the shadows, whilst the more colourful animals go to their forever homes. Ruby-eyed white bunnies (REW) are also widely unpopular – people find the red eyes unnerving, yet they are known to be very affectionate rabbits!

So why don’t people want black rabbits? It’s the same reasons as for other black animals:

• Black animals are hard to photograph – they are less likely attract attention on animal rehoming websites, with people being drawn to those with more distinguishing markings or bright colours. Prospective owners want photogenic animals – they wish to show off beautiful details of their pets on social media, not upload photos of a black blob! We are guilty of saying Mabel and Dijon (Dutch rabbits) were easy to photograph compared to Ebony and Snoop. It just requires more consideration, which is good, as we take more time to observe, rather than just snapping the photo!
• Black animals are unlucky – the myth that black cats are unlucky, and associated with witchcraft or evil, has tainted other black animals. In UK folklore, black cats symbolise good luck, unless they cross in front of you… then it’s unlucky. This dates to the Middle Ages, during the Black Death, when people thought that black cats were spreading the virus. There was a cull of black cats, but the spread of the virus accelerated, so then people started believing that choosing to cull the black cats had caused bad luck. They failed to recognise that it was the rats spreading the virus, and without the cats controlling the rat population, it was escalating.
• Black animals are less friendly – there’s a common assumption that black animals are unfriendly, less playful, and even aggressive. This may simply be because people cannot read their facial expressions as easily.

In other cultures, the black rabbit has positive associations, including fertility, new beginnings, wisdom, protection, and good luck. It is viewed as a symbol of magic, mystery, and strength. See this page for more about their symbolism. Perhaps there wouldn’t be so many black rabbits in rescue centres if the western world shared these views?

Some other positive thoughts about black rabbits:

• Black is sleek and sophisticated.
• Black is versatile – black rabbits match any décor.
• Black is discreet – you won’t need a lint roller for your black suit.
• Black is associated with boldness, confidence, and power!

Although of course being black does help Ebony and Snoop get up to mischief without being too visible!

Bonding Journal – How Ebony and Snoop became friends

Our experience with rabbit bonding

Bonding Snoop with Ebony, in September 2023, was the third time we’d introduced a new rabbit to one of our houserabbits. Read about our previous experiences of rabbit companionship here. This time, 25 years on from our first houserabbit, we knew much more about the importance of companionship for rabbits, and the principles of bonding.

The decision to bond Ebony and Snoop by ourselves at home

Dijon was an elderly bunny (aged 12), so we’d prepared ourselves for the time when he would no longer be here as a companion for Ebony, and had tentatively considered the options for finding her a new partner. Rabbits grieve when they lose a partner, and sometimes they will go into deep depression, not eating or drinking. Sometimes – as with Ebony – the signs are more subtle. Ebony spent far more time in our company, when we lost Dijon – whilst this was lovely for us, it showed us that actually she was lonely. Rabbits are ready far sooner to accept a new companion than their owners feel is right. It's important to recognise this and to act quickly, for their sake, callous as it might seem to us. We had a choice: 

• Adopt from our local rescue, Foal Farm, and try bonding at home (they didn’t offer a bonding service).
• Take Ebony to be bonded at a reputable rescue centre with a bonding service, which was much further from home.

Taking her to a rescue for bonding was tempting – we suspected this feisty girl (who chased Dijon when we introduced her to his territory in 2018) was likely to be aggressive towards a new bunny in her home; but we were reluctant to put her into a setting away from her home for bonding, due to her unsettled past. 

Snoop at Foal Farm rescue centre

Our choice was made when we met Snoop at Foal Farm – it seemed he'd chosen us, coming to the front of his enclosure, and asking for cuddles from all of us. We decided to give it a try, on the understanding that he would be returned to the rescue if he and Ebony couldn’t get along.

As our application was being processed by the rescue, we updated our knowledge on rabbit bonding, selecting aspects from others’ techniques to tailor a method for Ebony and Snoop – and for us. We recognised the need to be flexible, adjusting the method as the bond progressed. Here is the diary of bonding Ebony and Snoop.

Day 1-4 – Side-by-side in utility room

Preparing the side-by-side enclosures

Our side-by-side area

• Neutral area, unknown to Ebony (deep-cleaned as a precaution, in case rabbit scents had been transferred from elsewhere – we used a 50:50 mix of white vinegar and water).
• Quiet, unused area – they could be left undisturbed but monitored (we added some Blink cameras, so we could check with minimal disturbance/distraction – this proved to be invaluable, as Snoop came racing over to us, abandoning whatever he was doing, every time we entered the room!).
• Side-by-side enclosures, created using puppy pens, ensuring they each had enough space but would always be in sight of one another (NB this was before Ebony’s accident – in future, we’d add mesh to the pens). Floor was spread with clean blankets and towels, and a thick layer of soft hay.
• Slight gap between enclosures, to prevent nipping through the bars.
• All items new or neutralised by deep cleaning.
• Pet Remedy sprayed in air and on bedding, to promote calmness.
• Litter tray and water bowl in each enclosure placed close to the barrier, and plenty of hay spread throughout. 

Collecting Snoop

Methods and observations

• Brought Snoop home from the rescue.
• Kept Snoop in carrier in the hallway whilst we picked up Ebony from the living room.
• Two people carried the two bunnies so they could be placed into their individual enclosures simultaneously (an extra precaution to avoid one of them claiming the territory by being the first to arrive in the area).
• Monitored initial reactions – positive:
• No aggression/nipping/lunging through bars.
• No extreme anxiety.
• Both exploring their individual areas.
• All food placed close to the partition, encouraging them to eat side-by-side. Added some apple tree prunings on the mesh, once we were confident that they were not being aggressive.
• Frequently swapped dirty litter, towels, hay, water bowls, and gradually added toys/enrichment items and started to swap these, to increase the sharing of scents – this aroused great interest in both rabbits, but they seemed happy with it.
• Watched carefully, whilst in the room and via the Blink cameras, to monitor their attitude and behaviour, to give us an idea of when it would be suitable to put them into a bonding pen and how they were likely to react. Positive behaviours:
• Mirroring one another’s activities
• Eating close to the partition.
• Moving progressively closer when resting.
• No growling, attempting to nip through the bars, or choosing to move to the far side of the enclosure. 

 

Day 1: Simple enclosures; food and litter trays placed close to partition.

The video below, captured on the Blink camera, shows Ebony was
surprisingly relaxed about Snoop's excitable nature!

Day 2: Enrichment items added, swapped between enclosures every few hours;

litter trays swapped.

Day 3: Relaxed and choosing to spend time close to partition;
continue to swap items to swap scents.

Day 4: Now spending most of the day as close as possible,
indicating they are probably ready to meet properly in the bonding pen.

Day 5 – Bonding pen in kitchen 

Our bonding pen

Our bonding pen:

• Neutral area (our kitchen), unknown to either rabbit (deep-cleaned as a precaution, in case rabbit scents had been transferred from elsewhere – we used a 50:50 mix of white vinegar and water).
• Kitchen was not required by us during the day, so they could be left undisturbed – we realised we would need the kitchen in the evening, which is why we chose not to do the 24/7 method of bonding.
• Small enclosure created using puppy pen, as close to circular as possible so no corners for one to claim as territory. We chose to use the area formed by seven panels of a puppy pen – we felt the bunnies had the best chance of bonding if they were able to have some distance. Floor was spread with clean blankets and towels, and a thick layer of soft hay.
• Pet Remedy sprayed in air and on bedding, to promote calmness.

Methods and observations

• Two people placed the two bunnies in the pen simultaneously, to avoid risk of one claiming territory in the brief period before other arrived.
• Two of us stood outside the enclosure, wearing thick gloves in case intervention required, and a soft-edged dustpan – to use, if necessary, to stop a fight (a dustpan is easy to place between bunnies and then hold in front of aggressive bunny’s face, to hold back/distract – our dustpan is soft, so cannot cause injury. A dangled tea towel can also work).
• Monitored initial reactions – positive:
• Ignoring each other to check the area, then sniffing one another, moving slowly, occasional stamp.
• Some chasing by Snoop, attempting to mount Ebony, small amount of pulled fur, with no chasing back from her (we did not intervene – the chases were under 30 seconds, and, although Ebony was whimpering slightly, she did not turn to chase or retaliate).
• Both nibbling hay, grooming themselves, flopping (separately), relatively at ease.
• Ended the session during positive behaviour, after an hour – bunnies were settled enough to continue, but we were unable to supervise for longer that day.
• Bunnies were returned to their separate side-by-side enclosures in utility room. 

Day 5: First day in the bonding pen but no aggression
and fairly relaxed, with lots of 'mirroring' (see video below).

Day 6 – Bonding pen in kitchen then single enclosure in utility room

Methods and observations

• Placed bunnies in the pen simultaneously.
• Two of us stood outside of enclosure, wearing thick gloves in case intervention required, and a soft-edged dustpan.
• Ebony and Snoop were extremely relaxed, with no signs of negative behaviour, and fewer chases and mounting attempts by Snoop; we were able to reduce to one person watching, then later stayed nearby, but checked frequently, once we were sure they would be safe.
• Following the first hour with no negative behaviour, we added 2 low litter trays, a large water bowl, and sprinkled forage (these items can cause a problem if added early on, as may be claimed, and defended by one rabbit). They continued to be relaxed. 

Day 6: Second day in bonding pen, very relaxed,

so we added 2 litter trays, and they remained calm.

The video below shows the longest chase they had – Ebony didn't
chase back, so we let it happen, and once he'd mounted her, he didn't
chase again.

• Following 6 hours with no aggression or other negative behaviours, we decided we didn’t wish to separate them back into their individual enclosures. However, we needed to use the kitchen, so had to move them. Therefore, we placed them (simultaneously) into an enclosure back in the utility room, using the area where their side-by-side enclosures had been, and adding the same towels and toys, plus 4 low litter trays. We monitored closely to ensure this didn’t cause problems, but their behaviour continued to be positive.
• Bunnies were kept in this joint enclosure overnight, and one person slept nearby, in case there was any aggression.

Day 6: Moved back to utility room in single enclosure, with several litter trays, food scattered.
Remained calm and relaxed together.

Day 7 – Single enclosure in utility room

Methods and observations:

• Ebony and Snoop spent the day (and following night) together in the enclosure in the utility room, and we monitored regularly – both in person and via the camera.
• Gradually added a few more enrichment items (ensuring hides/tunnels had 2 entrances, so no chance of one being cornered or claiming it), and monitored for any signs of aggression.
• Scatter-fed all food, to discourage competition.
• They were calm and happy – no nipping/chasing, no aggression over trays, food, or other items.

Day 7: They continued to show no signs of tension or aggression,
and were happy to share litter trays, food, water, and toys.

Day 8 – Returned to their permanent home – living room:

The video below, captured on the Blink camera, shows that Ebony and Snoop were completely relaxed together, and also grooming one another. We had planned to leave them in the enclosure for a few more days to ensure they continued to get along well. However, Ebony was showing signs of stasis – briefly stopped eating, most likely from the heavy moult she was going through, rather than any stress from the bonding. We decided it would be best for her if we moved them to the living room – Ebony's home, and now Snoop's new home. 

Methods and observations:

• Cleaned carpet (shampoo clean), walls, furniture – although it was impossible to neutralise a carpeted room, especially when Dijon had been quite incontinent for his last few weeks.
• Cordoned off an area, using a puppy pen as a fence, so it was of similar size to the utility room enclosure.
• Moved furniture so it was less familiar to Ebony.
• Used litter trays from utility room enclosure and added some of the used litter to a couple more trays.
• Placed bunnies in the area simultaneously and watched for any negative behaviours (introduced them to the room early in the day, so we had time to watch before leaving them together for the night).
• Continued to scatter-feed all food, to discourage competition. 

 

Several litter trays were added, food was scatter-fed,

and other enrichment items were gradually added once we were

confident there was not going to be territorial aggression.

 

Video below shows Snoop after his first race around the living room space - he was excited to explore the new area, and took full advantage of the traction provided by carpet, racing around until he had to flop!

 

 
 

 

Ebony was clearly overjoyed to be
back in her home

 

They were relaxed and happy together, and the only chases were playful ones.
To date, there has been absolutely no aggression

The bunnies were – and continue to be – happy, and enjoying their companionship. We were fortunate that we were successful in our aim to choose a bunny from the rescue who would suit Ebony, and that the bonding techniques we chose to use worked for them. We chose to take things slowly, using the side-by-side enclosures in which they could come to no harm, then a fairly large bonding pen (compared to others we've seen). Of course, just because it worked for Ebony and Snoop does not mean it would work for other rabbits. 

From the day we brought Snoop home, until at least a week after they had settled back into the living room, we had to exercise extreme willpower in ignoring Snoop’s demands for our cuddles and attention. As soon as we entered the utility room, he would abandon whatever he was doing, and stretch up asking for cuddles, often moving away from a resting position near Ebony. Ebony does not enjoy our cuddles, so we were aware that this could slow the bonding process. The Blink camera was very useful in this situation.

Dijon and Ebony adored one another, spent most of their day and night together, and Ebony didn't know what to do when he had gone. However, during their time together, she did frequently give him a daily nip and short chase, for no apparent reason, and was renowned for chewing his whiskers and eyelashes. In hindsight, perhaps they might have had a stronger relationship if we'd restrained ourselves from cuddling Dijon and intervening when she chased him during their bonding period. It's a complex process, and certainly requires dedication, energy, and patience!

Puppy Pen Accident

Ebony had an awful accident three weeks ago. She was trapped in the puppy pen, which we used to rabbit-proof the room overnight. She’d pushed her head through the 1.5-inch gap and was stuck with the bars either side of her neck. Fortunately, we found her in time, but she was traumatised, badly hurt, her eyes were red and weepy, and she fractured two front toes; she struggled to chew and swallow any food for a fortnight following the accident.

We’d heard warnings about ‘X-pens’/puppy pens, and read advice to add mesh to stop rabbits becoming trapped between the bars, but assumed it only happened to smaller rabbits, with cheaper/flimsy pens, or rabbits unfamiliar with a pen.

PLEASE NOTE:

- Ebony is a 2kg adult rabbit, with a broad head;

- The puppy pen bars are strong – significant force was required to prise them apart to release Ebony’s head;

- We’ve used puppy pens for the 5 years Ebony’s lived here (and long before that), yet she has rarely even poked her nose through.

The fact that it’s happened to Ebony shows it can happen to any rabbit. Please don’t make our mistake of assuming it won’t happen – if you use puppy pens, add a mesh or other covering to protect your rabbits.

We don’t think Ebony had been trapped for long when we discovered her, as there was only a small amount of fur on the carpet from her struggle – possibly she heard us downstairs and was excited about breakfast. Initially we weren’t sure she’d survive. We were all traumatised, but a thorough examination by our vet found no damage to her neck, head, or teeth, and she responded to pain relief. Ebony avoids being picked up, so we battled with administering meloxicam and syringe feeding. For three days, she was unable to eat even chopped, mashed, soaked, or pureed food.

We have replaced our puppy pens with plastic panels, to rabbit-proof areas of the room, and covered the night-time puppy pen fence with mesh panels. Hopefully we can make others aware of this hazard.