# Frankfort and Lunalovely :)



## PwnzorsNTittylwinks (Jan 19, 2013)

so today was date day for my boy Frank  we brought him over to the Columbus House Rabbit Society foster home to meet some lovely ladies and he got to meet three of them. the first was Luna, then Jordyn, and then Mira. 

this is how the meetings went. 
:bouquet:Luna: they kind of just ignored eachother, when Frank did get the courage to go up to her he would sniff her, bump noses and then run away and kind of half binky. it was very cute. Luna just watched from afar. she did hop around a little bit but mostly just sat and let frank do the 'work'. after a bit of that we decided to move on but definitely chalked it up as a win.

anic:Jordyn: jordyn was newly spayed and pretty young so of course she was kind of all over the place. we knew it would be a bit difficult since it had only been 2 weeks since her spay but decided to still try it out. frank seemed a bit more interested in the hormones then anything else and with her being hyper and MUCH larger he seemed a little overwhelmed. other than the hormones and the initial shock of size though it was a nice little meeting. so we moved on to the next and put her as a maybe.

:devilMira: mira was a very very very dominant bunny and a tad aggressive. im sure she would be the perfect match for a very submissive bun but frank isnt the one. as cute as she was she was just a bit too much of the head of the house for our man. during her visit he was actually more interested in trying to sniff where luna had been instead of paying attention to mira. which lead to a few-almost fights (so scary btw. so happy that the CHRS co-founder was there because I wasnt going to be too emotionally stable if the fur started flying. especially since i dont think frank would of won against her. 


after the three "dates" we decided to put luna back in and they seemed a lot more interested in eachother and frank was definitely excited. 
in the end we decided on taking luna home!  

right now they are both in their cages (luna's temporary) near eachother so they can watch eachother but not touch eachother just yet. theyll do this and go back and forth from being out and about til we start our at-home "dates" in 2 weeks. 
I have a very good feeling about these two  
luna is an absolutel doll and im so happy we decided to take her home.  
YAY!: )















stay tuned for more love boat stories between frankfort and lunalovely pictures coming too*:camera**:mrsthumper:


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## LakeCondo (Jan 20, 2013)

It sounds like the start of a wonderful relationship.


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## Loopsy (Jan 20, 2013)

How exciting.  Hope everything goes well.


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## Ilovemyrabbit (Jan 20, 2013)

Great! I can't wait to here how it turns out!


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## Chrisdoc (Jan 20, 2013)

I´m so glad that Frank´s found a ladyfriend, I always think they are happier with company, can´t wait to see pics of them both...


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## agnesthelion (Jan 20, 2013)

How exciting! When I was reading the dating stories right away I thought Luna sounded like a great match. As I told you I'm a sucker for a bunny love story and bonding my two was such a joy I always root for the next couple-to-be  
I'll be watching for more and ca t wait to see pics. Congrats on your new bun!


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## PwnzorsNTittylwinks (Jan 20, 2013)

day one with luna  

we bought her lots of toys today and a new girly water bowl. 
also, today we let her roam the apartment for a bit so she can explore her new home!  frank is in his cage while she is out with a see through (plexi glass) gaurd between his cage and the room so that they can see eachother but they cant touch noses or anything while she is out in "his territory" 
she has found her area to lounge in by the front of her cage (first time she has really relaxed since bringing her home, and shes has been binking all over the place in the living room. shes such a sweetheart. 


one thing i am a little worried about though is that they seem very very into eachother, and i cant tell if its good that they show so much interest in eachother or if its bad and could cause something to happen. earlier while feeding the both of them frank was out while luna was in her cage and i looked away long enough that they were sniffing and bumping noses. franks movements where very fast and so were hers but i couldnt tell if it was out of excitement or aggression. their ears werent back and they didnt seem like "lunge" movements. just fast and darting. 
has anyone else seen this? im not going to start putting them into bonding dates (in our closet) until 2 weeks (so feb 3rd) does that sound right? or should i try sooner if they are so interested in eachother? 


either way i cant wait to see how they are together!  
luna seems very comfortable with the space, i just need to work with her bonding with us, she still looks a little jumpy around us.


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## PwnzorsNTittylwinks (Jan 20, 2013)

forgot to include pictures of the new girl! her in her new lounge spot and her exploring the bottom shelf of a book shelf in the living room. her first spot she chose to jump into, (and franks first spot when we first got him too)


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## agnesthelion (Jan 20, 2013)

She is a real beauty and what a great sign that she is lounging already!

As far as the darting and fast movements without seeing it for sure no way to say for certain that it wasn't aggression but it sounds to me like just excitement. I let my two have alternate free run time too when I first brought Archie home and I remember initially they did act really "excited" about each other when one was out but that stopped after they got used to each other. I wouldn't worry about it yet since she is still so new.

Refresh my memory are you waiting 2 weeks because of a recent neuter or spay to allow hormones to dissipate? If so, then yes waiting can be a good idea. If NOT, then you *might not* need to wait two weeks. I waited 5 days.....basically followed my gut and watched how they acted towards each other and made sure my new guy was settled. But for my actual bunny dating I went pretty slow. My first couple dates were probably 5 or 10 minutes, always ending on a positive note.

Sounds like she is settling in and I will definitely follow your updates. Wishing you the best! Let me know if I can help in any other way


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## Chrisdoc (Jan 20, 2013)

Oh I love her, she´s just like my Snowy, my little cuddlebun. Sounds to me like they´re excited and if there´s no sign of outward agression, maybe start sooner if they seems comfortable with each other. Lovely to see her lounging, that´s a great sign even though she may be a bit jumpy with you. 

Can´t wait to hear if they hit it off, I´m sure they will and it will lovely to see pics of them together. I´m a sucker for a happy ending :bunny24


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## PwnzorsNTittylwinks (Jan 20, 2013)

agnesthelion said:


> Refresh my memory are you waiting 2 weeks because of a recent neuter or spay to allow hormones to dissipate? If so, then yes waiting can be a good idea. If NOT, then you *might not* need to wait two weeks. I waited 5 days.....basically followed my gut and watched how they acted towards each other and made sure my new guy was settled. But for my actual bunny dating I went pretty slow. My first couple dates were probably 5 or 10 minutes, always ending on a positive note.



im waiting two weeks because thats what the shelter had suggested, i guess its not written in stone though, they both have had enough time between their spay/neuters that they should be okay in that department. how often did you do there dates? daily/every other day orrr?


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## ldoerr (Jan 20, 2013)

She is cute  Can we get a picture of him please? Good luck with the dating


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## agnesthelion (Jan 20, 2013)

I did one date a day to start and moved up to two dates a day towards the end. It took about 30 days to bond my two.
Follow your gut as best you can. Don't rush it by any means. If 2 weeks feels best then do that however if things are going okay I don't see why you can't try a date sooner than that. But, I should add that i do think *some* sort of introduction/settling in time is needed for the new bun and just exactly what that number is will vary from bun to bun.


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## PwnzorsNTittylwinks (Jan 21, 2013)

this is Frank, the fellow of the two and our original bun. he is definitely king of the house and gets spoiled so im sure luna is excited to get in on the spoiled action  

i think we are going to wait the full two weeks before the first date just because luna seems a bit more on the anxious side and i want her to feel safe before putting her into another new situation. 
last night we let her run around the house more and she seemed to still not be totally sure that her cage her is her space, and was going potty everywhere even though while in the cage she does well at keeping it in the litter box. so we are deciding to do a little grace period of her being mainly in the cage for two days. and going to introduce her to the space little by little. then after we think shes doing okay with that we will start the dates. it took about two weeks for frank to grasp the "this cage is where i go potty. outside of the cage is where i play" idea so we are hoping its about the same for her. 

she is very sweet though, she sat on my lap last night for about 10 minutes while i brushed her since she is shedding a lot  even frank doesnt like sitting that long lol. 

wednesday i take frank to get his nails trimmed. but other then that we dont have much "bunny events" going on this week.  

p.s i think franks picture makes him look like squidward. hes such a cute little guy.


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## Chrisdoc (Jan 21, 2013)

That is such a great photo of him, he´s got such great markings, he a handsome little lad so no wonder Luna is excited. 

Better to wait than to rush things. Now I can´t wait to see them together, they´ll make such a handsome couple. 

Í am so excited to see if it all goes for that....can´t wait for the next episode :bunnieskiss


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## PwnzorsNTittylwinks (Jan 21, 2013)

breaking news alert* my boyfriend and I found frank laying down (was flopped over but when he saw me he sat up into lounging) up against the seethrough barrier to lunas cage, he never sleeps in that area usually (his normal spot is infront of the bookshelf by our TV). 
so this must be a good sign right? do you think he is laying there because its close to her or is it just a coincidence for him to be laying next to her cage? he has also started sleeping and sitting on the wall that their cages share, and he still likes to go over to her and then binky away when she acknowledges him. I am starting to feel like he may have a bit of a crush on little miss luna. :happybunny::bunnydance::blushan:


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## JBun (Jan 21, 2013)

Awwww!!! Looks like a bunny in love :hearts


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## agnesthelion (Jan 21, 2013)

Seems like a great sign to me! My two did that very thing when their cages were next to each other!


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## ldoerr (Jan 21, 2013)

Seems like good news  He is in the perfect bunny loaf position in that picture. It looks like he is smaller than her. Is that correct?


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## PwnzorsNTittylwinks (Jan 22, 2013)

ldoerr said:


> Seems like good news  He is in the perfect bunny loaf position in that picture. It looks like he is smaller than her. Is that correct?




yes he is smaller not by too much though. i dont know what her breed is though so i cant really say to give you an idea of it. he is a little guy (Himalayan but his colors arent too dark yet) 

today we cleaned out their litterboxes, and she doesnt seem to be a big fan of us still. she was rescued from a hoarding situation so i just wonder if she has some issues with people in general. hopefully we can help her out with that though  
:litterempty:


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## PwnzorsNTittylwinks (Jan 23, 2013)

frank and luna both have blankies in their cages that they dig and throw and lay under/on. someone had suggested that before the dates start to maybe switch the blankets to put their scents with eachother, does anyone think that this is a good idea or would it stress them out too much? 
just wondering


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## agnesthelion (Jan 23, 2013)

Definitely a good idea to switch toys, blankies, food bowls and litterboxes. Do it gradually but they need to get used to each others scents eventually and it's a good first step before initial dating.


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## Chrisdoc (Jan 23, 2013)

Sounds like a good idea to me as well to gets things started and them used to each others smell.


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## ldoerr (Jan 23, 2013)

Seems like a good idea to me as well.


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## PwnzorsNTittylwinks (Jan 25, 2013)

okay i would love some opinions on my idea for this dating idea. 
they have started going to eachother for comfort through the cage. we were vaccuming the floors (something frank hates and turns out luna does too) and they ran to the shared wall and huddles "against" eachother until we were done. they also spend their nights and days sleeping or sitting next to the others cage wall when the other one is on their side. 

so my idea is that since tomorrow is one week of luna being here that i would switch their blankies for 3 days. and then start the dates instead of waiting the two weeks. does that seem to be okay? i just feel like if they are going to eachother for comfort and being calm with the other (except the moments when they find slivers of free space and touch noses and then binky excitedly) then those are signs that dating time is soon, right?


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## agnesthelion (Jan 25, 2013)

PwnzorsNTittylwinks said:


> so my idea is that since tomorrow is one week of luna being here that i would switch their blankies for 3 days. and then start the dates instead of waiting the two weeks. does that seem to be okay? i just feel like if they are going to eachother for comfort and being calm with the other (except the moments when they find slivers of free space and touch noses and then binky excitedly) then those are signs that dating time is soon, right?



I for sure think those are good signs. And I think your process you talked about with switching blankies for 3 days and then start dating seems VERY reasonable. Like I mentioned, I started dating with my two earlier than I originally planned too because of similar signs you mentioned yours doing. My male had just been fixed and I had initially wanted to wait longer than 5 days (how long he was here) to let hormones dissipate but they were showing such positive interest in each other I jumpstarted the whole process and things went fabulous. Never a scuffle, never a fight. They are happily married today 

Now with that being said, what I didn't rush was the dating itself. Even though things were always so positive I kept dates short and always ended on a positive note. I never wanted a fight to set us back. So I would give you that advice. Things seems to be looking SO great for your two, it might be tempting to rush things but til this day I credit the slow and steady approach with our success.

So excited for you. I'll still be watching for the progress!!!


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## PwnzorsNTittylwinks (Jan 25, 2013)

thankyou!! 
also as a quick side note* she still is very uneasy around people. but she does seem to be warming up to my boyfriend, so even if its not me yet we have Perry in her corner! yay!


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## PwnzorsNTittylwinks (Jan 27, 2013)

a little update. luna is starting to warm up a lot more  im hoping to do the first date tomorrow night ( a little earlier then what they suggested but with how they interact through the bars (with the see through plexi glass keeping them from touching) i just dont see why they couldnt have a date. and if its goes bad or something is wrong then we will wait longer. 


anywayyyy, here is an adorable video my boyfriend took of her while she was out (she got 6hours out today!- frank is out right now. he is the one you see in the larger cage.) 
she is such a binkier. she does it for hours while she is out. 

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dm-ywVieiSM[/ame]


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## agnesthelion (Jan 27, 2013)

Aww her binkys are GREAT! She really looks like she is a happy bun settling in very well. And Frank really seems not bothered by her frolicking which is another great sign.

I just have to offer this advice, for the very first date keep it short and end it when things are going good. It's so tempting, if you see them really hitting it off, to just keep the date going but you want to avoid stretching it too far at first so you keep things positive and not let it get to a negative point.

I have a great feeling about your two  so exciting! Let us know how the date goes!


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## Chrisdoc (Jan 28, 2013)

Awww, she looks so happy and I just love seeing them race around like that, it just makes me smile so much. 

And Frank doesn´t seem to take the slightest bit of notice, he´s busy with his things which is a great sign. 

I really hope this goes well as I ´m expecting to see these two together quite soon...fingers crossed


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## ldoerr (Jan 28, 2013)

WOW that is a lot of binkies!!!


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## PwnzorsNTittylwinks (Jan 29, 2013)

Yes she LOVES being out of the cage. she is constantly binkying and racing around when she gets out. 

on another topic though, i went to the petshop to get pellets for them. right now they were eating LM brand (i was planning on changing it down the road) but they were out. so i picked up Kaytee Timothy Complete. i got the kind that had no seeds, no flowers, no hay pieces, its just pure pellet. i looked on the back and it said 13-14% protein and 1% fat. so i assumed that that was a good percentage? 

i still have a decent amount of their old pellets. so i was planning to mix the two with small amounts of kaytee (increasing the kaytee every night) until they are on kaytee totally. 
does that sound okay? i had seen some things saying that the kaytee brand wasnt good because of the seeds nd hay pieces but the kind i picked up had JUST pellets. and they seem darker and smell better then the ones they are on now.


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## PwnzorsNTittylwinks (Jan 29, 2013)

so. tonight we did a bonding session (Second time. last night we one too. 5 min each). 
and luna has been very aggresive and attacked frank both times.. 
the first time we almost instantly. and we got them apart (very quickly. no injuries) and had them near eachother for a minute or two after to try to end it on a relatively calm note. frank was a shooken up but not very.
tonight though we started the session. she was pretty mad looking but wasnt moving at him or anything. he wasnt paying attention to her at all. just running around exploring since it was in a new room they hadnt been in. (same room as last night though). well as SOON as he went over to her she lunged for him. i grabbed him and my boyfriend grabbed her. she tried her best to get to him still but perry had a good grip. she calmed down and frank started to freak out. breathing fast, eyes as wide as could be, huddled tightly under my arm..i decided to separate them and end the session (i know it was not on a good note but i just couldnt see frank calming down enough and it was worrying me). he took a bit to relax again. i was petting him on the floor by his cage for a bit til he finally relaxed and started acting normal. and she was put in the cage and instantly relaxed and layed down in her litter box.
what is going on with her? she just instantly goes into attack mode..


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## PwnzorsNTittylwinks (Feb 4, 2013)

since we are taking a break in bonding frank and luna right now (going to try again in 2 days. which is aweek from the last bonding that failed) i figured id give an update on the two seperately. 

luna- she is...difficult. she does NOT come out of her cage unless you TAKE her out. otherwise she just sits in the corner the whole time the door is open. (for about 4-5 hours a day.). so we have recently started picking her up and placing her outside of her cage when its her time out. then she kind of gets the hint that its her time out and she runs around. she still hates us coming towards her. and if frank is in site she goes into aggressive bunny mode. the same as if hes out and shes in the cage. she isnt a fan of him being near her. /: not sure how the bonding will go wenesday. a little nervous i might just be setting up another fight. /:
but other then all that she is eating and drinking well and pottying well. she has finally grasped the idea of a litterbox outside her cage instead of peeing on the carpet. so with the exception of a few stray poo's she does well in the litter box area. 
she really is a very sweet bunny. im just still unsure if she is the right bunny.. /: 

frank- 
he has had a few downs lately. he went to the vet for eye boogers that they originally thought was a prolapsed eyelid (it had gone away for the first initial visit but i brought a photo in.) then it came back a few days later so i took him right away that day and they realized it was actually soemthing IN his eye. she got it out and she thought it looked like stuffing or cotton but wasnt sure what it was. tonight he got one again so I took it out myself (he stayed very still in his daddys arms while i worked it out and got a treat for being so good after) and i think it might be his fur. his second level is fleece and it can get very sheddy on days i forget or dont have the time to lint roll it. so i think that when he flops over on the top level he gets fur in his eye /: so ill be keeping ontop of the second level. its his favorite spot to sleep. 
i was also really suprised he didnt hate me after messing with his eye. he took his treat and let me cuddle and pet all over him after then binkied off. he is such a good sport. now if only hed let clip his nails instead of taking him to the vet. -.- 

in non-bunny news. my leopard gecko laid a weird non fertile egg the other day. i thought she was done laying but apparently i was wrong. she is eating though so i think she will be okay. I wish she had the ability to lay a fertile egg though. im just glad she is happy. 
right now she is trampling through her food dish. i swear she plays with her food more then eats it. poor worms are being tortured. 

hope everybunny is having a good day


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## agnesthelion (Feb 5, 2013)

Okay. So I actually reread things and here's what I think now  I think Luna needs more time. Like, I think she still needs to find her own with you guys and you need to bond with her first. That may not always be the case with every but I feel like your description of things she hasnt had the chance (not by fault of your own, just her own unique personality) to get her own bearings. 
It's funny because I do think rabbits do understand the difference between a human bond and rabbit bond but the more I read/research things I do think when bringing a new bun home, he or she needs to really feel secure before attempting a bond. And I think that's what's happening with yours.....Luna still for some reason feels threatened and nervous and it's not going well with trying to bond with Frank.
Maybe slow things back a bit and really attempt to form a relationship with her and go fro there.....


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## PwnzorsNTittylwinks (Feb 19, 2013)

realized i hadnt updated this in a while. I am pretty upset to say that because of more fighting and one ALMOST BIGGG fight if i hadnt come in when i did we will be bringing luna back to the rescue. She is a VERY VERY VERY Sweet little girl but I just dont think that she is the match for frank. I sincerely hope that she gets placed in a forever home because she is adorable. and if we had the room to house two separate buns i wouldnt be bringing her back but sadly we just dont have that right now.. we are going to be putting off finding him a bondmate for a bit til we are in our next place so for right now our adoption fee will be moved to a donation instead of taking a refund. 

thanks to everyone who read and replied. hope you have a great day!


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## holtzchick (Feb 19, 2013)

I'm really sorry to hear that. Sometimes it just takes time. I've been in tears because of how bad the bonding with my two was going and I've had my second bun for two months now. He will just tolerate her through the bars after 2 months. I wasn't the biggest fan of him at first but now I've gotten so attached that I am determined to make this bond work no matter what it takes. 

Some bonds can take up to a year but whatever you decide In the end I wish you luck!


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## Chrisdoc (Feb 20, 2013)

It is such a shame and I can understand why you feel that way. I´ve had my ups and downs but I´m perservering and I know that things will work out in the end. It´s true what Michelle says that sometimes we have to go at their pace and not ours and it can be a really long process. 

She looked such a lovely little girl, reminded me of my Snowy but if you´ve made up your mind you need to do what´s best for both you and her.


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