(no subject)
This was my surprise. While on routine check our our three bunnies, I noticed that Cowslip was injured and being bullied by the other two bunnies, Conner and Dandy. I watched as Cowslip was denied access to food and kept secluded in a small box within the bunny pen. At one point, as I was filling the food bin, Cowslip ran full speed from his box at the far end of the pen to between my legs. I reached down and stroked his back when he looked up at me and I realized that he was missing an eye. He ran back to his box.
I decided then to separate the bunnies, Cowslip would get the largest half of the pen which included his box and the burrow dug this fall; Conner and Dandy would get the hutch at the front of the pen. To provide access to both pens, I divided them beginning at the gate. With the primary wall erected, I moved away to determine its effectiveness at keeping them separated. Conner bounded over the lowest part of the wall.
I went in and trapped Conner (whom had chased Cowslip back into his box) and put him in the front half of the pen. Dry wall screws and some scrap wood and I had another opportunity to observe the cleverness of my construction. As I leaned on the fence, I could see Cowslip in the rear of the pen and Conner, Dandy, and Conner eating a carrot in the front of the pen. The problem was that we only have one Conner. I called to the boy, who immediately came to my side, but my double vision was gone and Conner and Dandy munched the carrot alone. I decided to open the hutch and instructed the boy to watch carefully for anything unusual (I hadn't told him of my double vision). When I opened the hutch it became clear that Conner and Dandy were not alone. A third bunny, half the size of Conner began zipping around the pen. The boy couldn't stop laughing and I think I was too.
We called C next door. She is Conner's guardian and mentor. We also called J out from the house and we ran them through the same routine that I had done for the boy (watch for anything unusual). They were so surprised! This time I set the roof of the hutch down and picked up our newest addition. The funny thing is that he is about the same size as the other bunnies when we brought them home. Which means that this bunny is about 4 to 6 weeks old already! While marveling over our new addition, I looked down and saw this---->
There are 5 or 6 smaller bunnies still in the hutch! These are only 1-3 weeks old (I think closer to one than three, if numbers are to be believed, this bunny has been pregnant constantly and had these litters back to back).
Mom (Dandy) is the dark brown bunny on the left top of the picture, Dad (Conner) is the white and tan bunny top right. Bunny Baby 1 has mom's color but dad's white patches (at about 11:30 in the bunch above) Others have dad's markings but are clearly gray in color (1:30). Still deeper in the pile is a completely gray bunny.
Facts: Cowslip is a male gray bunny.
Dandy is a brown female bunny.
Conner is a tan and white bunny.
Question: How do two brown/tan bunnies produce gray offspring? (note the gray fur lining the nest)
Question: Given that two male bunnies may father different offspring of the same litter. Why do the babies that share Conner's distinct coloring pattern repeat it in gray, not tan?
Question: How can three people go more than a month without seeing (or becoming aware) of a third bunny?
Just to settle your minds; we are out there daily; we provide fresh vegetables as well as pelletized food; we also provide hay and fresh water; our neighbor has opened the hutch to retrieve her bunny on numerous occasions, the last being about two weeks ago.
So start building your hutches people, we have baby bunnies to place in good homes, just like yours.