RIP SAMANTHA JANE

My big Diva Samantha Jane Passed Away Last night.

Post I made somewhere else but have to share.

Hey my big DIVA it's 5am and I have been up an hour. I can't believe your gone. I always said I wouldn't have chosen you myself but that God sent you to me for a reason. Trying to find a way to help you made me see what amazing creatures rabbits our.

It brought to light what delicate creatures you were. Thanks to you I help others. I learned patience ok so not much but I did learn some. I learned to fight for those who have no voice. Not just to sit back and talk while others fight. I learned that every life is worth fighting for.

Daddy is so sad. He loved you so much. I don't know how he will take this but maybe he can draw comfort that you are now with his bunny Thumper who he lost years ago. Do me a favor ask Thumper how he felt about that name. Tell Thumper that Daddy still misses him and we wait for the day we all meet again.

Also say hi to Chaka and tell her grandma and JayR miss her.

I am also worried about Kashi I know she was a dog and but you two were the best of friends. You trusted her long before you trusted any of us. She would sleep by your pen and eat veggies with you. She is going to miss you.

So much more to say but how do I say it? How do I accept you are gone? I love you my big DIVA. We will meet again at the Rainbow Bridge and you will nip me and ask for crasins. When hear thunder I will think of your stomping.

Desi Coming Out Of His Shell

Desi was my third foster he came to the rescue from a shelter, he had been dumped their after two years of being kept in a cage and never let out. Two years with a family that had adopted him from the same shelter.

The first day we let him run around...he didn't run around. Desi went into the kitchen and hid in a small kitchen shelf. My husband held him and whispered to him that it was ok. After we put him in his pen. We talked it over and decided that we would give him a day or two to settle in. So other than food and water we didn't bother him.

After a few days I expanded the pen. At first Desi was alittle scared but a few hours later he was exploring it. Two days passed and I opened the door and just laid there. Desi would come close and than dart away.

Few days of that before I was able to pet Desi from that we moved on to playing! I would stand toilet paper rolls, and he picked them up lossing them.Eventually I was able to let him out and he became a binky king. He would explore all over, it was like a switch went off in his head letting him know it was ok to be free.
By the time Desi was adopted he was a bouncy demanding rabbit. If you didn't pay attention to him when he wanted he would start thumping his feet and tossing his stuff.
Desi is now in a wonderful home were he is loved very much and considered one of the family.

What can you do when you have an aggressive rabbit?

When you think of rabbits you picture this cute little thing. Something you can hug, kiss, and just love on to your hearts content. That isn't exactly true.

For starters rabbits are prey animals. So there is your first strike. Then add previous owners. Did they treat the animal right? Did they give them everything they need? Were they handled correctly or even at all?

As my then fiancee and I planned our future the topic of animals came up. I wanted a dog and he wanted a rabbit. Well July 8th, 2005 I had the day off, feeling a down because my attempts at finding a dog were unsuccessful. I figured why not call the pet store. Yes, they had a few rabbits. So when my fiancee came to pick me up, I said we should look. Not like we had to get one. Of course he held one and that was it. It was a little ball of white with black fur.

The next day we are surprised with a flemish giant. We knew our friends meant well, so we would give it a chance. That first day we put the rabbits together. We named the flemish giant Samantha Jane, the little one we called Ringo. The first few minutes were ok. Suddenly Samantha started to chase Ringo. We were shocked but quickly caged her.

At that time I was only at the apartment on weekends. The following weekend I went to change her litter pan and she nipped me so hard I screamed. It left a bruise. I figured I scarred her, so I let it go.

I should add that I knew nothing about rabbits, and had no regular internet.

On one hand we had Ringo. A ball of energy who was the sweetest thing on this earth. Always exploring. On the other hand we had her, who nipped me a few times drawing blood. She nipped Ringo a few times. One time making him bleed. We started to talk about sending her back. It was hard we had Ringo who was the sweetest thing, still is. Then we had her, who truly scared me. I would not go near her or her cage. If he let her out I was in the other room with Ringo. I was scared of a rabbit!

When I found out she was from a shelter I said one way or another I would keep her. I kept thinking in a few months I would be living there. We would see then.

We were married October 1st, 2005. By that time we had them three months. As soon as I moved in I started to do research online and found some helpful groups who were more than willing to give me all sorts of tips on how to work with her.

I started by leaving her cage open with treats just out of her reach so she had to come out. Each time leaving them a little farther. I would lay down near by hoping she would come to me. I would read, letting her hear my voice. I eventually was able to pet her. Each time the petting lasted a little longer. One day while I was sitting on the floor she came over begging for treats. Thirteen pounds of bunny crawling over me for treats. She now crawls all over me for fun. She will go to sleep as I pet her. All this has gradually happened over the last year.

Thanks to Ringo and Sam, we have four other rabbits. Connor Grayson a dwarf mix, Teresa Mekare a netherland dwarf, Dallas Jinx Jones a holland lop, and Elvis Aaron a dwarf mix. Samantha tollerates the other rabbits but gets along with my dog.

I would say to anyone who is having problems just give it time. Don't give it up. It's not easy gaining the trust of an aggresive rabbit. Even if they don't come all the way around it is amazing to be a part of their life. Rememberthat sometimes it is hard to trust another person. Now step into that rabbit's paws and see how hard it is to trust someone who controls your life. Although it seems more like the rabbits control our life.