We totally missed an opportunity for amusement with this. A week or so ago we could have put up a Facebook post along the lines of "In a while we'll be introducing the two newest members of our family... twin boys on the way!" Oh the hilarity that would have ensued as people tried to work out if we were really crazy enough to get pregnant again. But it's too late for that now, because they're HERE! Twin boy BUNNIES!
We've been planning to get two more rabbits for a loooooong time. Honey died when Miss O was just a tiny baby, and it wasn't the right time to introduce more animals to our family. So we have bided our time. We thought maybe the summer of 2017 would be a good time. So it was that mid-June, we finally ordered a welfare sized rabbit hutch and sent off an email to SESAW to enquire about adopting a bonded pair of rabbits.
Then we waited. And, as it turned out, waited quite a long time. It was until mid-October that we FINALLY received confirmation that our hutch was ready to be dispatched. It's a good hutch, no question. All made of solid wood and very solidly constructed. It took David, Rachel and I several hours to screw up all the screws, because screwing into actual wood, as opposed to chipboard or plyboard is HARD.
And it is definitely a good size. Plenty of space for our boys to run, jump, hop and do proper rabbity business.
Probably big enough for our children to camp out in quite comfortably! With perspex window inserts to keep them dry and cosy in cold or wet weather. Very handy. Certainly tidier than flapping a sheet of carpet over the mesh windows.
Once it was built and constructed, and I'd weather proofed the outside (in a show of uncharacteristic restraint, with a clear varnish rather than colourful spots or stripes!), it was time to fill said hutch with all things lovely.
Bowls and toys...
Straw, hay and nibbles...
A lovely spacious space, just waiting for rabbits to fill it.
It was time to collect our boys! Meet Lenny (on the left) and Leo (on the right). They are different only in that Lenny has a tiny white spot on his nose, and a white flaw on his left eye.
We'd met them the previous week and the children had been looking forward to bringing them home. Possibly not as much as me though!
I don't know though, this boy looks quite excited! And Miss O introduced herself once she was sitting the other side of them "Hello, I'm O--. I'm two!"
We let them chill out in their hutch for a couple of hours, before we brought them in for a run around. Miss O was SUPER thrilled to see them.
Very, very excited.
Lenny and Leo, for their part, enjoyed romping around the lounge. They discovered many interesting places to explore and hide. Under the sofa is fun, as is under the IKEA chair.
Spot the rabbit!
They've had four runs in the house so far, and they're gaining in confidence. Exploring further and further, gaining speed and even starting to do little joyful hops and shoulder shudders (it's a rabbit thing - sign of happiness).
Master R and Miss O have enjoyed some short cuddles. We've even brushed their lovely lion manes.
They're settling in nicely. When we know each other a bit better, and when I've protected my favourite plants with chicken wire, we'll let them have their first run in the garden.
Welcome to the family, bunny boys.