Hello Oliver!

After Lulu lost her bonded bunny hubby Smokey, we didn't want her to be lonely and bored. Luckily for us the lady at the rescue centre where we originally got them from, Animal Lifeline, had quite a few suitable male rabbits available and she was even willing to bond them for us for a voluntary contribution of £30.

The first bonding with an "Otter" rabbit didn't work out because he was too full on and was constantly seeking attention from her. The lady at the rescue centre felt that eventually Lulu would end up fighting with the Otter rabbit so she tried her out with a slightly more placid male called Oliver who is a mini lop.

Happily, this bonding seems to be going well. They have been together and getting along nicely for 4 days so we collected Oliver and Lulu today.

He was terrified on the car journey home, quivering in the pet carrier but once he was out in the rabbit play area he was soon exploring the tunnels and sniffing everything thoroughly. He even nibbled on some fresh hay from the manger which is a good sign!

We have put them away in the hutch together now and I am periodically going out with the torch to check on them. We have to keep an eye on them at first because Lulu may take against Oliver once she is back in her familiar territory that she shared with Smokey. Last time I looked they were sat, cuddled up to each other :-)

We've all had mixed feelings today, happiness and excitement of having a new member of the family that will keep Lulu from being lonely but also sad when we think about the loss of Smokey.

So far, it's hard to tell much about Oliver's personality, although he was not shy at all about exploring his new home. 

He's neutered and approximately ten months old, so about 7 months younger than Lulu.

Lulu is an English Spot rabbit and, we have been told by the lady at the rescue centre, she is overweight AND bossy :-|

I have been trying to find out what kind of lop breed he is. I've done some Google image searches and I think he is a Sooty Fawn Mini Lop. He's almost a ginger colour with a grey "skirt" and grey on his face and ears. Underneath he is a pale fawn colour. I'd love to hear from you if you think I'm right or wrong or if you have any other ideas!