Marbles & Mocha

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tailof2rabbits

tailof2rabbits

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So far we have stories on the "commands your rabbits can understand (but don't necessarily follow)" and new rabbits threads (pictures, too). I'll post more pictures here tomorrow or the weekend.

Anyway, Marbles has been unbelievably, incredibly sweet and affectionate today. He always has been but even more so today. He's been lounging. I'm a little worried that it might have something to do with his diarrhea three days ago. He's okay now and slowly going back to his pellets. (The vet told me to hold the food for 24 hours even though I said he's been eating only hay. Couldn't do it. I never took out the hay. Hay always having been unlimited.) His poop's great again although I get one or two slightly damp ones.

Mocha still nippy. I have no idea what to do with her. She used to run after me and lick my feet. When I held her face-to-face before, she'd lick my chin non-stop. Now she won't even lick my fingers. She'll just bite any part of me she can. She responds to snuggling (she'll melt, sleep, and all) but when she's had enough, she'll bite. Sigh. I feel so used. Hehe. :bunnydance: I don't know how to get back to the way things were.

They were snuggling again today. I was petting them while they were munching on hay next to each other and they just melted into one big puddle of fur. It's the sweetest thing, I swear. Sometimes it overwhelms me. My heart feels like bursting.

Yesterday I was watching Uptown Girls (not my normal watching fare but it was a slow afternoon, sue me) on HBO and I was crying (that Dakota Fanning girl is precious. I want to squish her into one teeny weeny bunny.). Marbles was watching me and I think he felt that I was sad so I picked him up and snuggled him on the couch, sobbing the entire time. I'm a bad mum. I was reassuring him I'm happy and crying the entire time.


 
:bunnydance: http://photobucket.com/albums/f47/tailof2rabbits/ :bunnydance:


attached is one of my favorite pictures of them. quality's shite because i didn't have enough time to turn on the lights (i refuse to use flash that close to them) but i think it captures their relationship. mocha's dainty, serene, adorable, and cutesy. she knows it and she'll cute you to submission. she makes cute an action word, believe me. marbles is incredibly smart. he's tolerant, especially for a teenager. and he loves quietly (but that's the only thing he does quietly :jumpforjoy:) and unconditionally. i wouldn't say this except to people i know will understand the feeling but he was the first to ever show me just how much love i was capable of. he'll always, always be my baby. even when he's as big as a cat. i have to say though mocha is hardly neglected. she's incredibly loved (and spoiled). but there'll always be something about marbles that no one else can ever touch.


 
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Mocha snuggling Marbles' stuffed elephant after he refused to snuggle her. :bunnybutt:poor baby.:sad: It was the first time they were in one cage together, I think.

Thanks, Lissa. (My name's Lisa, btw.) You shouldn't encourage me though. I finally know how to post pics here! Hahaha. You people are so gonna get sick of seeing pictures of my babies.

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Marbles does this on his own sometimes. We snuggle and he purrs... pretty soon, he jumpsto flop downon his back. Jeff and I used to say he really owns the entire place, we're just animated pooper scoopers. It's become more true now that we have two baby bunnies.

 
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Marbles,back when he was 5 weeks,curiously eyeing the fiance's feet. (Baby bunny butt picture!)



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Mocha, now, curiously eyeing my books.
 
We've come to the conclusion that Mocha only tolerates us because we provide the food. She prefers Marbles company to ours, definitely. And she bites the hand that feeds her :Dwhen she feels out of it. It bothers me a little but I try to shrug it off. She used to be so affectionate, I don't really understand what happened. Ever since she had constipation, she's been a real b****. I still love and spoil her but I snuggle her less now. It hurts!It's a bit sad because Marbles was a real sweetheart to us (still is)and I was hoping she'd be the same (or at the very least, not nippy). Doesn't make her any less adorable but ugh, I want to squish her and make her mine. :cry2

Marbles is definitely more affectionate with us and seems to prefer our company to hers. (Jeff calls him half-human. I'd have to agree.)This appears to making her sad. Sometimes she'll try to stuff her little head under Marbles' chin, asking for grooming... Marbles most often ignores her and does his own thing.He runs away and she'll stay there, in a small puddle of fur on the floor.We'd have to pick him up and put him beside her, petting them both at the same time, before he settles into a bunny snuggle.

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Mocha disapproving. Disapproving me. :tears2:
 
Thanks, bunnydude. :D

This morning, Mocha did a half-binky. Closest thing to one I've seen from herin a loooong time. We got her a much bigger cage, nearly as big as Marbles'. It's nicer, actually, so I'm starting to feel bad. Maybe I should've bought two new ones and just sold Marbles' old one. :?I hate feeling like they're thinking I'm playing favorites. It's probably just me but for a minute there I could've sworn Marbles was giving me a you-don't-love-me-anymore look.

Anyhow, she's been running around her mansion and sniffing every corner. Then she peed right smack in the center. :happydance: Oh, yeah.


 
What lovely rabbits! I'm just now seeing this thread....I love the way they snuggle together. They're just so darned cute...

I'd add them to my bunnynapping list - but Tiny seems to have hidden it on me. Oh well...maybe I just need a fresh start on one?

Peg
 
your bunnys are just tooo precious! ive been thinking about gettin a play mate for my lil one, but i dunno, did you get your two at the same time?

love em!
~heather
 
Hey,Peg. Thank you! I love how they snuggle, too. About the bunny-napping bit, that's quite alright. I'm on the other side of the world so that's bound to be difficult. :bunnydance:I'd bunny nap the whole lot of yours but yeah, it's so far, just the thought is tiring me out. :run:Tiny is so delightful, with his ladies' man bit. It still amazes me how these little creatures can pack so much personality in them.

Hi, Heather. Thanks! :) I got Marbles December 14, 2005. He was binkying all over the place till mid-January when he progressively got more depressed every time Jeff and I would leave the house so we thought it was time to get him a playmate. I'm sure you know this already but it shouldn't hurt to say: make it amale-female or female-female pairing.

Some rabbits really don't get along so if you're adopting and your little one doesn't object to the trip too much, bring him along and make him pick. I got my little girl January 20, 2006 after two hours' deliberation. We went to the shop undecided, saw her, and that was it. We had to get her, so we just kept our fingers crossed that it'd be love at first sight. It wasn't, but at least neither bunny was hostile.

Marbles was feeling threatened by another bunny's presence though. Understandable because withjust the three of us before, he's beenloved, adored, spoiled, and showered with affection. Was probably afraid it'd change. It did a littlebut I'll alwayslove him more, even though I'll never tell.He bullies her sometimes, but mostly during feeding (when I ditz out and forget to separate them before showing food). He nudges her off his water bottle. Mostly just small territorial stuff. :D Also, when we pay more attention to Mocha sometimes (especially when she was constipated), he'd snort. :growl:We don't regret bringing her in because she did a world of good for Marbles. She's accepted him as her superior (although something tells me she's just biding her time till she gets big enough to assert herself over him) so all's well and good, really. Let me know how it works out for you. :)
 
This is Marbles. :rabbithop

How funny. Really looks like him



ANYWAY. Rabbit politics. :gun:That's what this post is all about. Mocha stopped biting me yesterday after I scolded her. Then she did it again earlier. No amount of "NO!" works with her, I swear. So I did what ever other rabbit would do. I pressed her head down to the ground (my heart was breaking while I was doing this)till shestopped fighting it andsat still.I read somewhere thatthis is the way to establish who's top rabbit.

It's something I've never felt was a necessity with Marbles. He was a wonderful baby bunny. Smart. Adorable. Loving. Slightly mischievous.He understood right away that he gets most everything he wants and needs as long asthere's respect between us, even when he breaks rules every now and then. Mocha is an entirely different story. Since Marbles is top bunny (over her), and I'm top bunny (over Marbles)... maybe she thinks it's killing two birds with one stone once she establishes she's my superior.

I feel like a huge humanjerk (which is probably what she thinks of me anyway) but she can'tkeep bitingme for the rest of her life. She'll either stay in her cage forever or I'll have to give her away, and I'm not particularly keen on either idea. Anyway, she seems to be okay again. She stopped biting me. Hopefully, I can maintain this till it's written in stone.
 
tailof2rabbits wrote:
ANYWAY. Rabbit politics. :gun:That's what this post is all about. Mocha stopped biting me yesterday after I scolded her. Then she did it again earlier. No amount of "NO!" works with her, I swear. So I did what ever other rabbit would do. I pressed her head down to the ground (my heart was breaking while I was doing this)till shestopped fighting it andsat still.I read somewhere thatthis is the way to establish who's top rabbit.
Click to expand...
What gorgeous babies!

I've used this technique too. I learned about it from Buck Jones, a member who really knew his stuff. Sometimes Loki likes to test me by repeatedly breaking a rule right in front of me. He'll stop every time I say "No!", but will soon go back to pulling carpet, chewing the woodwork, etc. When he does this, I place my hand on his head/neck. He hates it, but he recognizes the sign so he puts his head down.

It's nothing to feel bad about, just make sure you're not using any pressure- all I use is the weight of my hand. If she tries escaping, it's probably a bad idea to hold her there. I have found that saying "Eeek" or "Ouch" loudly teaches a rabbit not to bite. Often they are only nipping, and it wouldn't hurt through fur... but humans don't have fur. So they learn that they are hurting you and that you make a big noise, so they stop.
 
Thanks, Lissa and naturestee. She doesn't respond to "Eek!" or "Ouch!" either. She just does it one more time to show she meant it the first time around. She's a spiteful little thing. :( Jeff suggested dropping a tin can everytime she bites but Marbles is almost always in the same room and he's jumpy. I don't like spraying them with water. One time, water got in Marbles' eyes and he was squinty for a couple of hours, the poor baby. I don't want to stress him out needlessly. At least she doesn't attack us. She just does it when she's had enough snuggling, which is really bad because there's no transition. She'll purr and lap the love up but at some point she'll get sick of it and just nip.:tantrum:

She likes only three things: my shoes, food, and Marbles.

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She heard the rustling of plastic bags while Jeff was getting hay. At least we're sure her hearing's excellent.

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Snugglebutts! :laugh:


Speaking of butts, Mocha's having slight diarrhea problems. Happens in intervals. I think it may be the stress of our power play that's affecting her digestion. I need a new vet. One of my two vets didn't respond to my emergency text message regarding Mocha's distended colon two weeks ago. I would've paid him for a house call but he earns enough from his clients with dogs and cats, apparently. The other is dismissive... I just don't think he cares enough. I keep worrying that the diarrhea (they keep having it on and off) is a symptom of a bigger digestive problem but he doesn't seem to think so. I've never really minded living in a third world country till I got these bunnies. It's not even a matter of being able to afford good vets. I'm not first world rich, definitely, but I can afford good vets. There just aren't any who are very knowledgeable about rabbits and caring at the same time, and that frustrates the hell out of me. I hate having my rabbits bunched into the category that includes hamsters and guinea pigs. Those two aren't expected to live very long. That's not very comforting.
 
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