Welcome Back, Angelina!

Although we never like to have return adoptions, the most recent return adoption has had us all melting. Last year, in a big rescue effort, we rescued our adoptable Flemish Giant Hug-a-Bunny named Blossom and her 10 babies right after they had been born in a shelter. After all of the abuse, neglect, and time in the wild, Blossom was not equipped to raise her babies. Sadly, one of them died at birth. We knew that we needed to step in if her babies were going to survive. Luckily, we found a nice woman who devoted her time to hand-raising and bottle feeding Blossom's babies. While many of them did not survive over the first few weeks (baby rabbits often cannot survive without their mother nursing them), 5 of Blossom's babies did wonderfully! The babies were hand-nursed with a special formula for 8 weeks, the babies were ready to be on their own. After being with us for 8-12 weeks, all of Blossom's babies- Nicholas, Gingerbread Boy, Maurice, Holly, and Angelina- found homes! While we couldn't physically watch them grow into huge Flemish Giants, we were happy to adopt them out to families who would care for them like we would.

Angelina right before adoption, 11 weeks old

Sadly, after almost a year in her home, Angelina was returned to us. The home she was adopted to had another male neutered Flemish Giant who was very docile. Angelina's new mom said she would hopefully bond to after she grew and was spayed, but that the adoption was forever. The home guaranteed us that this was a "forever home" for Angelina despite the fact that she may not bond to their other Flemish Giant. We made it VERY clear that for us, bonding is an added bonus and that we adopt out our rabbits only to loving, forever homes. Well, many months later and after being spayed, Angelina and the male Flemish still didn't get along and were not a compatible match for bonding, which is not unlikely. Unlike what they had told us in the beginning, we now got an email saying that Angelina was being returned since they didn't not have the capabilities to keep the rabbits separate and give them the time and space they deserve. While it was devastating to hear that Blossom's daughter was being returned just shy of her first birthday, we couldn't wait to see her when she got here! We knew that this time we would do the right thing for Angelina and look for the perfect "forever home."

Angelina now, 11 months old

Angelina certainly grew over the last year! She is quite the Flemish Giant, weighing in at around 11 pounds, just 4 pounds shy of her mother. Aside from being slightly smaller than Blossom (any by slightly, I really mean slightly), Angelina is a carbon copy! She is HUGE! Every detail, even down the shape of her extremely large ears, the white shading of her underside and tail, and the shape of her head are all exactly identical to her mother's. The only major difference is that instead of the silver coloring, Angelina's coloring (like all of the siblings except Maurice, who is white) is brown. Even the way she breathes is the same as Blossom's! When she's angry or stressed, she has the same breathing pattern and her big ears warm up....just like Blossom's! The similarities astound us!!! The last time we saw Angelina, she was 12 weeks old and was only about 4 pounds! Now, she was about triple that size and had grown into quite the lady.

Beautiful Angelina relaxing on the bed

In addition to the looks, Angelina's personality is identical to her mother's. She craves human attention and will literally follow you around looking for affection. She loves to know what's going on around her and will explore for a while before flopping out her body in exhaustion. Just like Blossom, she is very trusting and doesn't mind any part of her body being touched. She loves to eat and will come when her name is called, especially if there's a small treat involved! Angelina (like Blossom) is more like a dog than a rabbit! She's perfect with her litterbox and would be an amazing free roam rabbit. Angelina (or Angie as we've been calling her) has a spirit like no other. She loves to run and hop, and will binky (a rabbit happy jump, see picture below) non-stop when she's happy! Just like Blossom, she does NOT like to be held, which is likely due to her large size. She has an incredible spirit and will make a wonderful companion to a loving person. Angelina's new foster mom, Judy, marvels at how she comes when she is called and climbs up "doggy steps" by the bed! She truly loves to be around people.

Angelina doing her incredible binkies...the happiest rabbit around!

While we are so happy to have Angie back and will keep her for as long as is needed, we would love to get her settled in her "forever home" as soon as possible. At about a year old (she will have her birthday party on November 19th), Angelina is still a young lady and has tons of spunk. She's gone through a lot and is ready for a place to call home forever. We're looking for a situation where Angelina can be free roam, possibly with an exercise pen for when her family isn't home. We are only considering serious inquiries, since we want Angelina to be at her final home where she never has to move again. After the last bonding debacle, we're not concerned with finding a potential bondmate. We're more interested in finding Angelina a home where people can give her large amount of attention, room, and love...and a place to live for the rest of her life!

THE END