Welcome back friends! I had yet another eventful week! I made a friend. Mom was really nervous about me making friends; I think it was because she’s afraid that I’ll leave her… But I would never.
Mom had gone back and forth for weeks on whether or not and when she was going to let me meet Dozer… Dozer was my moms childhood pet. He is an eight year old black Labrador. He weights about 90 lbs. He is a big boy. Mom was very nervous, and so was I at first…
So for those of you who want a little advice on how to introduce your rabbit to your other pets, I am going to tell you how my mom did it, and give you a few pointers from a rabbits perspective.
So like I already mentioned, my mom spent weeks preparing and weighing whether it was a good decision or not. This should always be step one. Is your pet mellow and gentle enough that it won’t startle your rabbit to death? That’s where you need to start. Now, if the answer to that is yes, then you need to start planning out the details…
My mom made sure that I was completely comfortable around her and in my environment before introducing me to Dozer. Being comfortable is important. Rabbits are one of those animals that can literally be scared to death. Meeting another animal is always going to be uncomfortable to your rabbit, so making sure that they are comfortable with everything else is extremely important.
Mom made sure that my crate, which is like my safety blanket, was in close reach the entire time so that I could get away if I need to. Mom went in with Dozer first to get that initial pent up energy greeting out of the way. You want the other pet to also be as calm and comfortable as possible. Once Dozer had wound down a bit, Mom got me and brought me inside…
Mom had Dozer lay down next to us and slowly brought me a little closer to Dozer. Not going to lie, I was pretty scared right here, but I knew that mom wouldn’t let anyone hurt me. Dozer just sniffed me: my bum, my ears, my belly. He smelt all over and then gave me kisses. He was curious at first, but once he had smelt and licked me he was not nearly as interested, which was key.
After that I was able to hop around and he would just lay there. Occasionally he would bark at something, and that was a little scary; however, other than that he was pretty calm. Sometimes when mom takes me outside to play, Dozer will just follow me around the yard almost like a protective older brother.
The biggest thing to remember is that consistency is key. Letting your pets spend small amounts of supervised time together every day will allow them to grow more comfortable with each other.
Well that’s all I’ve got for you this week. I hope to see you all back here next Friday to hear more about the incredible life I’m living. Have a great weekend!
