How does one become a rabbit bonder? Well, how does an entrepreneur begin a business? These questions usually begin with an idea, typically born from the love of a personal hobby. Sometimes a persons natural talents start in one direction, but then something within evolves and destiny takes them down an entirely new path. Without skipping a beat, jewelry creator Heather Annette did just that! With her passion for rabbits, she developed a unique technique for bonding them.
Recently I wrote an article about rabbit bonding in which I had a Q & A with Heather. Here, in her own words, she expands on her adventure becoming an expert rabbit bonder. I hope you read, take it to heart, invest in her expertise and spread word of her bonding business!
October’s Featured Business
Heather Annette: Rabbit Bonder & Wellness Coach
Are you ready for a rabbit bonder?
“Beyond individual bunny cuteness which everyone agrees tops the charts, is the
blurry notion of bonding. In this idealistic bun-i-verse, bunnies meet, accept one another, and binky with delight over their newly formed friendship. While this instant chemistry can happen, bonds usually take time and the often lengthy process is far from bun-der-fully blissful. The trillion dollar question is how do you leave pandemonium and buy your ticket to bun-der-land? Just like spun gold, I have your all-access tickets in my bond vault.
“ Bunny Bonding “…if that phrase sends shivers throughout your body, you are
either a bunny parent who has gone through it, considering going through it, or are in the midst of it. Who knew adorable little bunny beings parading around in fur coats with fluffy scuts, pink heart-shaped noses, big ears, and expressive eyes could cause such ruckus when being partnered? Don’t let their cute nickname fool you. Although bunnies have a predilection toward being social, getting them to accept one another requires bun-ovation… innovation for bunnies.
” When bonding tips and tricks sourced from every corner of the web, friends, rescue groups, breeders, and vets don’t work, and when it becomes evident that bunny smarts outrank human intellect, when literally every bonding ingredient goes into the recipe and it still fails, a change of perspective is necessary. Most bonding approaches want you to think of bunnies as pint sized people, hopping around on all fours and eating hay. But, they are not human. They are bunnies. They have their own bond-width in the bunny bond-i-verse. House rabbits face a monumental disadvantage to bonding that wild rabbits do not: humans.
“The distinction between species is key to unlocking the mystery of bonding. At this
point, you may be mentally listing differences between rabbits and people and have a
substantial amount of contrasts. Bonding deals mostly with behavioral issues, so, setting
the obvious physical variances aside, consider how rabbits act around other rabbits,
separate from how they act around people. Knowing they like companionship helps
reinforce my commitment to bonding. How did I become a bond-wiz? I had several
difficult bonds with my own bunnies; bonds that required the assistance of anyone and
anything I could solicit.
“Years of searching for ways, trying new things, even risking the safety of my bunnies, all taught me what NOT to do. Although I worked with several professionals, dove into copious amounts of research, read everything I could, and even considered boarding my bunnies with bonders, I began to seriously doubt it could happen. Was it true same gender bonds could not take? What about young with old? What about bunnies who had previously fought to the point of inflicting injury which required emergency surgical intervention?
“My journey was so horrifically stressful that it imprinted on me one emphatic fact: I
never wanted anyone else or their bunnies to go through what I had. Most bonding
methods do not have the bunny’s best interest in mind. Once I had a loving solidly
bonded pair, I had a vast basis of comparison. Fortunately, I had taken daily
observational notes, pictures, and videos during all bonds. After working closely with
advisors, I accumulated their insights and mine searching out patterns of reoccurring
behavior.
“Years of volunteer experiences with rabbit rescue groups, research on wild
hares and European rabbits, and interviews with top ranking exotic veterinary teams including the Small Animal Exotic Department and Integrative Medicine Department at
the University of California at Davis (the United States number one veterinary school
known for their essential contributions to the scientific body of veterinary medicine,
ground-breaking medical advancements, and leading edge technologies) gave me a useful foundation of applicable rabbit knowledge. I have read many veterinary medical journal findings with quantitative published studies.
“Driven to spare other bunny lovers from suffering as I had led to the development of a
bonding approach that is distinct, completely unique, and utterly different from other
suggested techniques you read\watch\hear about. After successfully sourcing the heart of non-bonds (people attempting to use approaches other than my own they found online), I found ways to encourage bonds to form and stick Why is my method so different, you ask? The answer is simple: since bonding bunnies is about bunnies, I replicate their perspective.
“To bond humans to bunnies, I recommend synchronizing a person’s thoughts
to the bunny’s through the integration of observations and taught material. This success
sculpting eliminates forced stress elements and supports wellness for both parties, human and lagomorph. No being thrives under conditions that brew anxiety instead of vitality. To begin bonding, my clients provide answers to questions about their bunnies covering topics of diet and nutrition, health, ages, temperament, personalities, and backgrounds.
“Next, a lengthy phone chat to gain a deeper understanding of failed bonding attempts leads to owners admitting things they did accidentally which caused issues between the bunnies. Guilt is a powerful emotion that retards forward movement. Discussing past crimes before beginning bonding helps us to capture a fresh outlook. Once I have enough information to analyze, I chart a growth grid to health and harmony. Each situation is given a custom plan with flexibility that is kind and anxiety-free for both bunnies and owners.
“A nutritive-based model suggests foods which provide optimal benefit and help
reduce fear and anxiety. I grow rabbit-specific plants in an organic garden which I dry
and sell for use during pre-bonding and bonding stages. There are several varieties
offered as dried grass-based foraging mixes, hay toppers, and litterbox attractants to help with potty training. Best sellers are ‘Calm’, a weed and floral blend known to have sedating qualities, ‘Immune”, an herbal, root, and floral blend known for strengthening respiratory, digestive, and urogenital systems, and ‘Enjoy’, an herbal, petal, and plant blend known to engage even the pickiest of eaters to consume hay.
Forage mixes by rabbit bonder Heather Annette
“I also offer chewables such as safe-to-consume branches, wreaths, and bundles, handmade hay feeder bags made of attractive couture bunny print fabrics, and sensory play stations called Boujee Bundles made of natural fibers and textures with hidden places for edibles, encouraging bunnies to work as team to unearth hidden bits from pockets, tunnels, and containers. They can dig, toss, fling, chew, root, and sniff the activity mats for hours, keeping boredom at bay.
“A bond-boost program helps owners learn more about their bunnies, empowering them to interpret behavior, anticipate issues, and encourage paw-s-itive partnerships. Working remotely with videos, pictures, and chats with owners, I identify reactionary triggers and success surges on a bunny barometer, of my own design, until bunnies become beyond bonded to hubs of hugs and puddles of cuddles.
“I consider my bonding ability to be a gift: I am blessed to bring bunnies into lasting friendships without scare or stress tactics, replacing dread and distrust with delight. The process can be daunting for even the most savvy rabbit owner but my vision vanguard has been to use virtual ventures, my compiled ethological data, sound nutrition, partner-building exercises, and gentle behavior modification for bunnies and people to bonded and beyond.
“Many people have sent me messages of concern about their bunny’s behavior patterns,
food intake, poor health episodes, inactivity and boredom, situational stressors, and more. Freely dispensing advice, I discovered a strong link between bonding and those other issues and slid into the role of bonding mentor for many. Each bond can take hundreds of hours. Time after time, people commented on how useful my unique recommendations were. After donating countless hours of time bonding others’ bunnies, it became necessary to limit my pro bono yearly work and ask nominal fees which assist in funding ongoing rescue and volunteer endeavors.”
Gallery of Success
Testimonial of an Expert Rabbit Bonder!
These two found love with rabbit bonder Heather Annette
“When I began working with Heather Annette, I was so impressed at her not only her knowledge of bonding, but the overall health and welfare of rabbits. Heather’s approach is gentle, and she takes in consideration not only the well being of the bunnies, but the humans doing the bonding. I had a complex situation bonding a widower bun, who has dietary and sensory issues, to a young lady bun. I also had some grief issues coming onto bonding, to which Heather was sensitive.
“Prior to working with Heather, I watched many You Tube videos and read every online article, and was quite frustrated. Nothing was working and the advice was all the same. She explained to me that my special needs bun would be seen as an outcast in a wild, European warren, and special considerations needed to be taken to bond him with the young bunny I recently adopted. She suggested a variety of calming herbs, housing configurations, and bonding settings that I never read about elsewhere. We never used stress bonding and that was important to me. Medical history and various tests were also discussed, something I had not realized the importance of until this bond.
“Heather guided each day with new tips and techniques and made appropriate adjustments as behaviors changed. What is special about working with Heather, is that she is multifaceted in her approach to bonding, including coaching on topics like nutrition, cleaning, litter boxes configurations, indoor housing set up, product recommendations, mental enrichment, and even exercise for bunnies. While this may seem unrelated to bonding at first glance, it became clear to me that an integrative approach to bonding is best for their long-term health and wellness.
“Heather is committed to her clients and most importantly, a really kind person that genuinely cares about people and animals. She wants the very best for both companions. I highly recommend you inquire about her services; her knowledge and passion are one in a million.” Suzanne, bunnyisabelle1 & bunmom.boutique
Final Thoughts…
Rabbits, like humans, crave intimacy and camaraderie. Even if you are giving your rabbit your undivided attention, he or she would benefit from a friend to groom and sleep with. Providing and encouraging companionship for you rabbit does not have to be a stressful situation when using a professional rabbit bonder like Heather Annette. The joy you will see when your two, three or four rabbits groom, play and snuggle up to each other is well worth the investment.
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