By Corrie Whittemore, Adoption Coordinator
In May of 2020, Animal Friends welcomed over 20 rabbits into our care. Their owner had purchased what they thought to be two male rabbits, but they quickly learned otherwise! As you can imagine, two unaltered rabbits soon became many, many more. But, our dedicated team welcomed these rabbits with open arms as each of them was given the care they needed, complete with a medical exam, behavioral evaluation and, of course, a new name. Shortly after they arrived, we found that several of them were pregnant and within just days, began to give birth.
Al Bundy was one of the bunnies who was born in a loving foster home. He has a larger-than-life personality and an endless supply of energy, which made him a staff and volunteer favorite, but we knew he would need an experienced family who could continue working with him on his manners. It is always a struggle to see an animal from a larger group wait longer than their siblings to find a home, but we believe that every animal has their perfect match and it is our job to be patient and give each animal the best possible quality of life while they wait at the shelter, no matter how long that may be.
Al’s big day finally arrived a few months ago when a potential adopter reached out to our Adoption team wanting to meet him and introduce him to their current rabbit. Bonding rabbits can be a lengthy and, sometimes, challenging process. If an adopter is interested in bonding their rabbit to another, we ask them to bring their rabbit to a meet-and-greet at Animal Friends to see how they get along. Bonding can be instant, but oftentimes can take months, even years. Our number one priority is to ensure the safety of both rabbits and their overall fit.
Bunnies are social animals and each one has the ability to find a friend in another rabbit. Some positive behavioral cues we look for when two rabbits first meet are loose body language, softened almond-shaped eyes and even ignoring one another. A few signs that let us know the meeting may not be going well are pinned back ears, extreme focus on the other rabbit or belly-to-belly kicking.
Al and his new sibling, Matthew, were instantly connected and he went home that day! Unfortunately, only a few weeks after the adoption, Mathew passed away. Al’s adopters told us that having him in their home after their loss was so comforting that they wanted to find Al another sibling. Tabitha and Al were another perfect match, and Mochi the dog was thrilled, too! We couldn’t be happier for the whole family.