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January for me is hard. I have a few weeks of just straight-struggle! Trying to find motivation after the energy from holiday orders, travel, and social events has me wiped out. And for Small Business Owners like myself, the first few weeks of the New Year is arguably the most important time to be motivated and energized. It's in the first few weeks of January where I plan goals, projects, and strategies that will guide and grow the business for the next 12 months.
What I depend on annually to get me back into the groove is an insider view on how Chez Lapin's contributions benefitted rabbits in the year prior. Boy, it worked like a charm this year! Reading the stories and seeing pictures of the rabbits gave me the inspiration that I desperately needed to get the year started!
Check out how the following buns benefitted from your 2020 purchases. From fresh food and enriching toys, to life changing surgeries and medications; you contribute to the livelihood of these rabbits that benefit from this fantastic, foster-network of Rabbit Wranglers. We chose to highlight two stories in particular; misunderstood Imogene and pregnant Elowen!
Imogene
Rabbit Wranglers is often asked to assist with misunderstood rabbits. At the shelter, these rabbits may be labeled “biters” or “aggressive”, but RW believes that they deserve a chance to shine. Imogene has been moved around quite a bit and is looking for a home where her human companions are willing to listen to her. She found her way to Rabbit Wranglers after things did not work out in her first two homes. Once in foster care, her foster family began working to understand what had Imogene so frustrated. One of the clear stressors was food related. This is not an uncommon concern for rabbits, and Imogene just needed someone to listen to her side of the story. Imogene occasionally backs up and grunts when her foster family reaches in to pick her up, but has been all bark and no bite if you listen to her needs. She is easily bribed when it truly is necessary to pick her up (for grooming for example), and quickly relaxes once she is being held. Although she is on a controlled portion of pellets (and unlimited hay, of course), her bowl is never empty. When we do find that it needs to be filled, we have developed a routine that Imogene gladly participates in, and will definitely share these tips with her furever family. Any time someone passes her space, Imogene now runs over to greet them and to request a head rub. She is a silly, snuggly rabbit who is looking for a family that will appreciate how intelligent she truly is, and Rabbit Wranglers is committed to finding her that perfect match.
Elowen
On December 13th, Gretchen (Rabbit Wrangler extraordinaire!) received a phone call about two domestic rabbits that were spotted in an overgrown field. In the 35 minutes it took for her to get to the field, the number increased from two to six rabbits spotted...and that number continued to increase as they flushed domestic rabbits out of the brush. It was getting dark quickly but the one thing Gretchen had going in her favor was that most of the rabbits were not even a little bit afraid of humans. She was able to walk right over to the rabbits, kneel down and talk to them, and scoop them right up. That night, they caught a total of nine rabbits, and came back and caught the three remaining on the 14th. Gretchen took five rabbits home with her to quarantine. Because of the dangers of RHVD (a highly contagious disease that affects rabbits), quarantine for rabbits that have been outside must be handled very carefully. Gretchen took home four juvenile rabbits to quarantine and the only surviving adult- Elowen. A week into quarantining, Elowen gave birth to a litter of five kits.
Alyssa, co-founder of Rabbit Wranglers, was able to find foster homes for the four juvenile buns; Ilana, Aspen, Elswyth, and Linden. The other six rabbits rescued between the 13-14th are also currently in foster homes. The mama rabbit (Elowen) that gave birth a week after rescue, and her five kits (Juniper, Joshua, Magnolia, Olive, and Fig) are all doing well in foster care. The kits turned 1 month old on January 22, 2021.
Chances are good that Elowen has found her forever home with Gretchen. She was such a scamp to catch but a joy to have as Gretchen's guest. Elowen's babies will remain with her until they are at least eight weeks old, and will receive wellness exams at three months. As with all of RW's Wrangled Rabbits, Elowen and her kits will all be spayed/neutered prior to adoption, and will enjoy an indoor-only life from here on out.