Baby Bun Growth and Development - Week Six

What happens when your Bun turns six weeks old? This is the week that we typically list the babies and begin to match them, so there are lots of things going on from the rabbitry perspective, but not as much is happening in terms of visible growth and development.

Other than physically growing larger, and making bigger messes, there isn't a lot going on outwardly. Most of their development seems to be internal. We often find the more active bunnies sitting quietly, with a meditative air, although it may only last for a few moments. We can't tell if they are plotting their next escapade, or if they are beginning to ponder the bigger things of life. The shyer bunnies seem to become a bit braver. This seems to be their playing "dress-up" phase, where they try new things and hold on to the traits they enjoy most. They learn a lot about themselves and what kind of bunny they want to be when they grow up during this week. It's a more serious, introspective week.

This sudden shift to introspection is challenging to handle when we write of their temperament descriptions for their listing pages. We know what they were like only a few days prior, but suddenly, they seem to change. It's as if their brains need a week to re-set and catch up to the growth of their bodies. Once that happens, nine times out of ten, they are right back to being the bunny they were before, but that other 10% introduces another facet of their personalities which needs to be discovered and explored. We often update and add notes after their listings have been posted so we can confirm any true personality changes from those that were a simple "blip" during their emotional re-set week.

The end of Week Six often marks the beginning of the ganglier, more awkward stage of growth for false dwarf rabbits (those who do not inherit a copy of the dwarf gene from one of their parents.). The ears, feet, and bodies grow longer, and they are looking more like adolescent teens, when their feet are growing embarrassingly quickly, and their bodies and extremities don't seem to belong to each other. This stage does not last long, and these bunnies will soon grow to be beautiful adult rabbits whose pieces and parts will balance each other once again.

Week Six is the time we emotionally begin to let go of the babies, as each one is matched with his/her new family. They are no longer "our" babies, but belong to their new people, so we have to withdraw a bit to protect our hearts. Our clients always ask us how we can bear to part with the babies, and this is the first step. We still interact and love on the babies just as much as ever, but we begin referring to them by their new names, tell them what their new families are like, and try to envision what their new homes and lives will be like. We've gotten to be pretty good at this over the past eight years, but it's never easy.

Stay tuned for the changes Week Seven bring!