Lots to talk about on the bunny speed dating front. First of all, after several attempts we had to end the effort to bond Marlie with Butterscotch, as there became little doubt that both rabbits just wouldn’t play nice together, ever – Marlie because as a female she thought Butterscotch (also a female) was somehow in her bunny mind and DNA (excuse me if I play bunny psychologist for a moment, I’m only speculating) encroaching on her ability to attract males for herself; Butterscotch because she feared Marlie’s assertiveness and aggression.

The funny thing is that, while Butterscotch is very skittish to begin with, she really is a sweet rabbit who just wants a friend. In Marlie’s case, she’s beyond sweet – in fact, she’s probably the most people-loving rabbit we’ve ever had – but when it comes to other rabbits she obviously has very strong opinions! We knew going in that bonding two females together was far more difficult than bonding a male with a female, but since Marlie supposedly had had another female as a mate we thought it was worth a try.

We’re now convinced we know why Marlie lost her previous mate: she probably killed her. 🙂

So now – in fact, in the room right next to where I’m typing this – we now have none other than the Beastie Boys, Cookie and Sherman, lodged in the cage area next to Marlie. Butterscotch is back in her old cage area in the office where Cosmo and Peanut live, and judging from her body language and overall demanor, she’s damned glad to be there.

As for Marlie, I wish there was a bunny psychologist around to document her bunny body language difference now that she has boys next to her. When Butterscotch was there, Marlie was always hyper – eyes wide open, constantly digging at her flooring and creating tunnels out of the bed ruffle, always on edge. Now, she stretches out her whole body out against the fence where Cookie and Sherman are, eyes half closed, her whole demeanor designed to show the boys just how open she is to their attention and affections. For now, the Boys are smart: they’re more concerned with getting comfy in their own new surroundings, but already the cocoa puffs are starting to accumulate (on both sides of the fence), a telling sign that mutual interest is there. What happens when we put all three together will be interesting to see.

And there’s still hope for Butterscotch – today I held in my arms a young male rabbit rescued from the wild by the folks at Bunny Basics. He’s a cute little guy, a brown short-haired Rex who looks something like this that might make a wonderful compainion for Butterscotch once he’s neutered and integrated into a bunny community.

The next couple of weeks ought to be fascinating, stay tuned!