When Penny Met Winston

Winston (brown with white nose) had previously lived with his brother rabbit but they did not always get along (a common occurrence between male rabbits who have not been neutered.). It was best to adopt them out separately, even after they were neutered. While Winston didn’t miss his brother, he did seem to want to get to know a new bunny companion.

Penny (white with gray spots and gray ears) had always been an only rabbit. She, in particular, was cranky about being at AWS, and she wasn’t endearing herself to any of our staff or volunteers with her standoffishness. Winston, on the other hand, was social and outgoing with those who visited him. He was in the enclosure right next to Penny, separated by fencing and blankets.

We started noticing that they would come together on either side of the fence, enjoying the proximity to each other. Then, very soon, they started pushing their blankets aside, giving them visual and physical access. After they met, it became a regular occurrence and they even took it a step further. They began to touch noses through the fence. An unusual behavior to say the least, but it was adorable.

Then…. one fateful night they staged their own meet cute! When our animal care staff members checked on them in the evening, the two rabbits were in their respective enclosure. When we stopped by in the morning, we were surprised to see both rabbits snuggling together in Penny’s enclosure!!! Winston had literally hopped into Penny’s life that night!