Scarlett

Scarlet the bunny joined us yesterday.  We had a tragic and unexpected loss a few weeks ago, when Francesca the rabbit--Ferrero the one-eared-rabbit's soulmate--died.  It was a shocking and horrible experience for all of us, but especially for Ferrero.  They loved each other deeply and were constantly snuggled up together.

Ferrero has had a rough time with partners.  We adopted him years ago as a partner for our Fiona rabbit.  She was an older girl and very sweet and they were very close, so it was tough when we lost her.  After several dates, he selected Freesia as his next partner.  Freesia's whole family was in foster care, and most of the siblings had strange health issues.  At a fairly young age (around 3 years old) Freesia started losing the use of her back limbs.  It didn't take long for full rear paralysis to set in.  One or two of her siblings had similar issues.  Paralyzed rabbits are not unusual, and maintenance can be a challenge.   It takes quite a bit of work to express their urine, keep them clean and free from urine burns, and dry.  I was able to keep her comfortable and fairly happy. She needed to be repositioned every couple of hours and cleaned up.  They can't be left wet, so we spent lots and lots of time blow drying her fur after a thorough cleaning.  She was my second paraplegic rabbit, so I knew what to expect.  When she passed away, it was really hard on Ferrero and me.  She and I had bonded so much in the last few months of her life.  Ferrero was depressed, even with his guinea pigs friends to comfort him, he is a guy who really likes having a partner.  Ferrero stayed by her and cared for her up until the end. 

We scheduled more dates for Ferrero, and we went back to Freesia's sisters who were still in foster care.  Big white rabbits with red eyes are the least adopted, so they tend to languish in shelters and foster care.  He matched well with Freesia's sister, who we adopted and named Francesca.  I knew that we were tempting fate by going back to a litter with extensive genetic issues, but I was hoping we'd get luckier this time.  Unfortunately for Ferrero, we were not lucky.  Our sweet Francesca was absolutely fine at night--behaving normally, eating well, etc., and I found her dead in the morning.  We were heartbroken at the loss.  He was so happy with her.

We were planning to go back to the same litter and try for another sister, but fate had different plans.  We have gotten to know many of the neighbors along our normal dog walk route, and one of the families had a small rabbit who's been living in an outdoor hutch.  Every time we walked by there, it broke my heart.  She was alone outside, very hot, very cold--didn't matter, in a wire cage with a wire bottom all day, every day.  From time to time, the little girl who adopted her and her four siblings took the rabbit out to play with, and it didn't appear to be very gentle.  No animal should be confined to a cage.  What a horrible existence!  Worse than that--a wire bottomed cage.  Imagine spending your entire existence barefoot, standing on thin wires.  It causes all manner of discomfort and foot diseases/wounds/infections.  After Francesca died, I told them that if they were ever open to it, I would love to adopt their rabbit.  They've dumped several animals already, so I thought it was worth a shot.

Friday afternoon, they told us that they were ready to get rid of Scarlett, so I could have her.  I was thrilled!  We picked her up Sunday.  She's never been to the vet, so we will take her tomorrow and get a clean bill of health.  Until we get vet sign off, I'm keeping them separate.  She's in the room with Ferrero (and the guinea pigs and birds) but she's in an enclosure.  As much as I hate having her locked up, it's A LOT bigger than what she lived in before with a soft fleece floor for her little feet.  She has very thin silky fur and very little body fat, so she was especially unsuited to be out in the cold all winter.  I'm so glad she's warm and comfy.  I feel a little bad about taking a visually desirable rabbit rather than a big white one, but it seems like the universe wanted her here.  I've always focused on adopted the ugly/special needs/less desirable animals, leaving the "cute" more adoptable ones for people who care about things like that.

Once we get a clean bill of health, I can start trying to introduce them and hope for the best.  Rabbits can be very particular about their partners.  I've always done bunny dates and been confident that we had a love match before bringing anyone home.  In this case, I have not done that and am desperately hoping for the best.  Ferrero is a very laid back, non-aggressive bunny.  He was attacked a couple of times by the females when he was dating and never fought back.  All three of his previous partners were bossy and spunky, and he was happy to go along with whatever they wanted.  He's a big sweetie.  Scarlett is tiny and very sweet and non-aggressive with me, so I hope that bodes well for their relationship.  I'm feeling cautiously confident that we can make it work.  In the absolute worst case, if they hate each other and can't safely be alone together, I will have to put up a barrier and split their room in half.  It's not ideal, but it will work.  I'm really hoping, though, that this is his fourth and last beloved.

In other news, my husband turned 50.  I'm older than him, so it's always nice when he finally crosses into the same decade as me, so I don't have to listen to him say he's still in his 40's, while his wife is in her 50's. :D  He's such a goof.  Before Covid, I had planned to throw a surprise 50th party for him.  He likes things like that (I do not!).  Obviously Covid took that off the table, so he observed his usual birthday tradition of drinking beer while binging on Game of Thrones (GAG!) all day.  I made him shepherd's pie (his favorite) and a variety of peanut-butter-focused desserts (also his favorite).