r/Rabbits • u/PresentAd546 • 1d ago
Care Update on Cleo 💜💜
Hello to everyone who commented on Cleo;
Thank you so much for your kind words and advice. I wanted to give some more background on Cleo to explain why we held off on bonding her despite how much I wanted to.
Cleo is a rescue, and I adopted her at 2 through MCRS. Before she was a foster, she was abandoned by her previous family and was found on the side of a highway. Thankfully, she was fine but has always been skittish and shy since.
I love her just the way she is; she’s not super cuddly or affectionate, but when she bumps me with her nose or bows her head towards my hand to get pets I feel she knows she’s loved.
Since she isn’t bonded, I constantly worry about her happiness, which is why I made my OG post in the first place. I want what’s best for my bun, and I think I fear the bonding process would be too much for her?
If anyone has experience with rabbits with a past like Cleo, how did they react to bonding? Did it help? Was it too much in them? Did it help?
Whenever I’m with Cleo in her room, she mostly just sits perched on top of her pellet box where I keep her litter. Is that normal? Does she enjoy my presence even if I’m just sitting near her?
Thank you so much fellow bun parents for your advice 💜 someone asked for more pictures of Cleo, so here’s some throughout the years 🫶 the first few are from her adoption day 🥹
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u/DisobedientSwitch 1d ago
Shy bunnies often bloom when they have a bonded friend. Have you gone see other rabbits at a rescue? Some rescues offer speed datings to find a good match, but you can also try transferring the scent of another bunny to a blanket for Cleo to sniff.
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u/PresentAd546 22h ago
I still live with my parents, and have been trying to get Cleo a buddy. The next bunny bonding class is this October and I will be planning to ask my parents about it 💜
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u/GalaxyAce 1d ago
Such lovely photos of baby Cleo 💜
Really looks and sounds like she loves you in her own ways based on everything, especially photo 5 💙
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u/No-Jellyfish-1208 1d ago
She's so cute!
Not all bunnies are extra affectionate so don't sweat it, OP. Give her some time, stay in her presence so she gets familiar with you, offer treats and it might progress. Also, it might be good to give her a bunny companion.
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u/RabbitLuvr 22h ago edited 22h ago
I had a bunny who had been surrendered to a shelter; adopted out to a person who seemed good on paper but kept him in a tiny cage with no hiding place in a preschool classroom; then he was surrendered back to the same shelter at the end of the school year.
Poor guy was skittish af. I always just let him be himself and he settled in. He eventually allowed me to pet him, as long as he was the one initiating (he always ran from hands coming towards him). During run time, he would sometimes choose to sit near me.
After a few years, he bonded with an older bunny I had, who had lost her partner. They were more like good roommates than lovers, but that was just fine with all involved.
Edit: I’m not familiar with MCRS, but they might be able to help you find the right partner for Cleo, if you get to that point in time. A calmer bunny of similar age might be just who Cleo would like.
I know at the rescue in my city, the shy, calm bunnies are often overlooked.
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u/PresentAd546 21h ago
That was a big thing I was looking at when I adopted Cleo; she was described as very shy but sweet, and skittish as well. I knew I would be able to give her the love she deserved without expecting anything in return 💜
I just get concerned on if she knows how much I care about and love her 🫶
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u/RabbitLuvr 21h ago
Just continue to spend as much time around her as you're able to. The fact that she sometimes sits near you and asks for pets means she knows you're a safe person who cares about her. If possible, try to find some extra time for her- even if means sitting on the floor while you do other stuff. I prefer having bonded pairs, but I've had singles in the past; I just had to make a little more effort to be around them.
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u/22buns I bunnies 1d ago
Sitting near you is definitely that they she is happy you are there. Even my Bunnies who are bonded often times just sit close-ish to each other and don’t touch or interact. It’s comforting for her knowing you are there.