We are so thankful to have had the expertise of the Rabbit Haven volunteers in our recent adoption of Sadie. FedEx, our first rabbit, was very lonely, especially when we were away from home. The volunteers at The Rabbit Haven arranged speed dating for FedEx at one of their adoption shows so that he would get to pick who would be his new partner. The volunteers were great at teaching us how to read the rabbits' body language and that was instrumental in finding a rabbit that would fit into our lives quicker and with less effort. When FedEx and Sadie met, it was obvious they were both very interested in each other and the volunteer showed us how to redirect their behavior when they were trying to be too dominant with one another. This was especially important because FedEx, the small brown mini rex, is under 4 pounds and Sadie, the long black rabbit, is about 9 pounds. We never thought about having a larger rabbit, but FedEx knew that is exactly what we needed. Sadie is very calm and is much easier to hold and pick up than FedEx is.
We had an original vision of a pair of similar sized rabbits, but fortunately, we listened to our matchmaker, who saw how well they got along despite the occasional dominant behavior. We needed some guidance along the way since we had very little rabbit experience, but the Rabbit Haven volunteers really gave us great advice and support. It took a bit of time, but it was well worth it.
The wonderful things about FedEx as a single rabbit are still true now that he has Sadie. He is still very people oriented and runs to the side of the pen to greet us. He still wants to be rubbed and likes to sit by us. Just like the volunteers had told us, having a partner has only enhanced his personality. FedEx is now more calm when our dog barks and he is more easily picked up and held. Both rabbits are incredibly sweet and fun rabbits on their own, but to watch them interact makes us realize what a great thing we did for all of us. Adding Sadie didn't create much more work, but we now get to see how they interact by grooming, snuggling, and following each other. On busy days when we don't have much spare time, we feel better because we know that FedEx isn't lonely and desperate for us sit with him. We are all very happy that Sadie joined our family.