Bunnies are Comedians

Bello often has me laughing till my sides hurt. This photo was taken Bello's first day home. He was getting acquainted with his surroundings when he heard our dog Toby bark. Bello’s immediate instinct was to hide. The only thing close by was a rug. So Bello quickly dove out of sight to hide. Well at least he considered himself hidden.

Rabbits are quite funny when it comes to hiding. They really think they are secure as long as their eyes are covered. Little do they realize their whole back end is still exposed.

My bunny Baxter was also famous for this. She loved to run behind the curtains of the patio window. She would duck in between the window and the curtain to hide. Only problem was they were vertical blinds. So when she stopped moving the last panel of the blind would fall behind her but. She still believed she was hidden. Meanwhile her white and grey spotted backside stuck out like a sore thumb. Baxter would eventually come out to see what I was laughing at, but never really understood what was happening.

Laughter also has a way of bringing out the comedic personalities of my rabbits. All of them would react to my laughter the same way. They would take a quick leap followed by a sharp pop in the air. Next to follow would be a 360 jump that I like to refer to as the helicopter. That usually excites them and they hop away twitching their tail from side to side.

I have come to learn the twitching of tail means they have done something they are proud of. I have also found it to be an impish thing they do when they are playfully talking back. They have quite the attitude.
All this jumping, hopping and popping they do reminds me of a well choreographed ballet dance.

So laugh with your bunny. After all, laughter is contagious even to a rabbit.

Bello's 8 month baby picture (first day home)

You can tell by his ears how little he is.

Unusual Friends

Can a dog and rabbit be friends? As unusual as it sounds, yes, it is possible.
Take Bello and Toby for example.

Bello was just 8 months old when we adopted him from a local Humane Society. His owner had to move and claimed they could not take him to their new home. Sadly Bello is not the only one. Rabbits are rapidly becoming one of the most abandon animals in our shelters today.

Personally I could not imagine life without the love of a rabbit. My husband saw how bad I was hurting after the loss of our third rabbit, Marcell. Although he knew no one could ever take the place of Marcell, he wanted to see me smile again, and suggested we try to adopt another bunny when I was ready. It took me several weeks. But I had noticed that our dog Toby would whine and look at Marcell’s bed much like he did when my first rabbit, Baxter, passed away. After losing Baxter, Toby searched the house frantically looking for her. It broke my heart to watch.

I had no idea Toby had even bonded with either of my rabbits. My female Baxter wanted nothing to do with Toby. In fact if I would let her near Toby she would box his nose.

By the way, Toby is our 7 year old lab Sheppard mix, that was rescued from a kennel that was choosing to shoot their puppies in the head instead of euthanizing them. Toby is a very sweet natured dog who is very protective of his family members.

I knew Toby was curious about Marcell. Toby and Marcel would often touch noses on their own. They were never out together, partly due to the fact that I was nervous from my past experience with Baxter and Toby.

Toby is a very sensitive dog and picks up on emotions and situations easily. If I am down or sick he is right there. Believe it or not he will wake me up at night if I am having an asthma attack. He is an amazing dog. I do think he understood that Marcell was very sick before he passed away. Marcell had developed a tumor in his right front paw. In his last days we would sleep in the same room with Marcell and Toby because Marcell would fall over at night and not be able to reach food or water.

The remarkable part was if Marcell fell over and I did not wake up, Toby would whine to alarm me that something was wrong. Like I said he is a very intuitive dog. I had no idea he was so in tune to the rabbits and what was happening with them till Marcell had gotten so sick.

So when we adopted Bello, I made sure Toby would finally get to be friends with his new brother. I totally knew he would be gentle. He definitely proved that. Bello had the perfect docile personality for this unusual friendship. He is a huge cuddly red rabbit that really does not have a care in the world as long as he can interact with you. He took well to Toby.

I started by just holding Bello while Toby was next to me. Then every time I would take Bello out for a run I would let Toby smell and lick him. Bello took this well. He just shuts his eyes and stays really still. He is usually pretty soaked after Toby gets done giving his brother kisses. That is really all Toby wants, to great Bello and then go on with his own doggy business.

I started letting both of them be out in the same space and they did really well. Toby still does not understand Bello’s excited jumps, pops and helicopters. All that action seems to be a little alarming to Toby. But he will patiently lie down and wait in one spot till Bello hops up to him.

Toby doesn’t quite understand that he can’t roll over on top of the bunny to play. Toby’s first instinct when he is in a playful mood is to turn over on his back and kick his legs in the air. I think this is his way of being on Bello’s level…plus it could be a submissive sign to Bello that he means no harm and wants to play. Toby does the same thing to me if I am lying on the floor trying to do sit ups. It is really a funny site to see.

So for Christmas this year, I decided to really push the limits of the new friendship between Toby and Bello. I normally do Christmas cards of the bunnies each year. As a designer I love to take photos and make my own cards for Christmas. It has become a tradition for me. Baxter, Toby and Marcell have been my subjects for many years. So this year, I decided Bello and Toby both had to be in it together. Only problem was if Bello was on the floor he would not sit still he would tear off hopping and jumping. So I opted to put them in Toby’s bed. I don’t think Toby was too fond of that. But he tolerated it. I definitely have one special dog and a rabbit that is not intimidated by size.

Think these too will be buddies for a long time.

Diet Recommendations for Your Bunny

What are the basics of a good house rabbit diet?

A rabbit's diet should be made up of good quality timothy hay pellets, fresh timothy hay, water and fresh vegetables. Water should be changed daily. Anything beyond the listed above is a "treat" and should be given with caution and in low quanities, keep in mind it could also be hazardous to the rabbit

What makes a good pellet?

Pellets should be fresh, Timothy hay pellets is what I personally use and recommend. Do not purchase more than 6 weeks worth of feed at a time, as it will become spoiled. Pellets should make up less of a rabbit's diet as he or she grows older, and hay should be available 24 hours a day. Veggies should be a good portion of a rabbits diet.

Rabbit droppings why do they eat them?

Night droppings contain important nutrients for a rabbit. You will notice them by two or three droppings together that look moist. This is different than diarrhea.

What kinds of veggies should I feed my rabbit?

Select at least three kinds of vegetables daily. A variety is necessary in order to obtain the necessary nutrients, with one each day that contains Vitamin A, indicated by an *. Add one vegetable to the diet at a time. Eliminate if it causes soft stools or diarrhea.

• Bok choy
• Broccoli (mostly leaves/stems)*
• Brussels sprouts
• Carrot & carrot tops*
• CeleryCollard greens*
• Endive*
• Kale (!)*
• Mustard greens*
• Parsley*
• Pea pods (the flat edible kind)*
• Romaine lettuce (no iceberg or light colored leaf)*
• Spinach (!)

*(!)=Use sparingly. High in either oxalates or goitrogens and may be toxic in accumulated quantities over a period of time

****Some of the above information is from the House Rabbit Society Website

Litter Training Your Rabbit

Having trouble litter training your Rabbit?

Here is a trick that may work for you. Add newspaper to the bottom of the litter pan and add hay. Rabbits love to eat while they go to the bathroom. It also associates it with a pleasurable thing…EATING!!!

Start with small area that the rabbit is confined to. Not too small. Doesn’t need to be a cage. Can be a fenced off area.

Something else that might help is repetitiveness. It helps to repeat the same routine over and over. Every time you take your bunny out for a run around the house, put them in the litter pan first.

I recommend Yesterday’s News. It’s safe and best odor control litter I have used.

Stomach blockages

How to avoid:

Feed a good mixture of Greens and hay regularly and keep the rabbit’s cage cleaned regularly. Be sure to keep things like towels, toys, rugs, and carpet away from your rabbit when unattended. Most commonly a blockage can be from hair. However I have had young rabbits that love to chew on everything. So even though I wanted to make the bed area of the cage soft with a towel or carpet sample, those fibers when eaten can be deadly and cause a stomach blockage. Mats made of hay are a much better option. Make sure your rabbit’s cage is free from anything they might chew on that is not editable.

What to look for:

If you find your rabbit is curled up in the corner like a ball and is sluggish, non responsive to food, and it’s pressing its tummy to the floor, (looks like a cat arching its back only in reverse) Act quickly. When rabbit’s tummy’s become blocked they stop eating.

Try to lean your rabbit’s disposition, moods, and eating habits. If your rabbit normally devours a carrot or veggies you offer them, but this time they refuse or do not move toward the veggies, it very possibly is having tummy troubles.

What to do:

First choice is to get them to a vet. Second choice is a home remedy you can do you yourself. Just need a blender and the right mix of veggies.

I had the most amazing vet that shared the following mixture with me that I force fed to my rabbit via a feeding syringe. If I caught the blockage early and fed the right mixture of greens to my rabbit, I could almost immediately reverse the blockage and snap my poor bunny out of her discomfort. Sometimes it would take an hour or two for her to react depending on how many hours had gone by before I noticed my bunny was having problems. Of course there are no guarantees. But it is definitely worth a try if you cannot get to a vet.
What you will need:

Collard GreensMustard GreensKaleEndiveBok ChoyLeekparsleyGreen beansCarrot with the Greens left onAppleBlenderFeeding Syringe (can find in pet stores look near the formula for young puppies, or near the bird section, these are also used to hand feed baby birds)

Next set aside equal amounts of the greens :

• Collard Greens (approximately two leaves)
• Mustard Greens (approximately two leaves)
• Kale (approximately two leaves)
• Endive (approximately two leaves)
• Bok Choy (approximately two leaves)
• Leek (approximately two leaves)
• parsley (approximately five to seven strands) (be careful not to feed too many of these it will cause a very loose stool in rabbits)

Next set aside the following:

• Green beans (5)
• Carrot with the Greens left on (put in whole green leaf section of the carrot, and half of the carrot itself)
• Apple (Use and 8 section apple cutter or cut the apple into eight parts. Use only one section of that eight and remove the skin) Apples contain sugar, it is important not to feed these on a regular basis to your rabbit. However they are great enticers if your rabbit is not eating. They might refuse greens or a carrot but they rarely refuse a sweet apple.

Next put everything you have set aside in a blender. Add a half cup of water. Blend slowly. Mix as well as you can. Add more water if needed. You will get a lot of moisture from the veggies themselves. Be sure not to dilute mixture with too much water.

Final step is to fill the syringe and get your bunny, and have a towel ready.
I have found the best way to syringe feed my bunny is to hold them securely with one hand around the jaw area while they are on my lap and pressed or cradled against my chest. The more secure they feel the better.
I place the syringe by the back of the mouth or side of the mouth and gently squeeze mixture in their mouth. My rabbits immediately start to lick and swallow when they feel it in their mouth. I try to get a good syringe in them and then give them a break. I wait for about 15-30 min. and then try again with another syringe. I don’t recommend trying to force feed more than 2 syringe full. You will usually see a difference after the second feeding.

While the bunny is relaxing between feedings I make sure that the above mixture is available near them, especially one small section of apple. This way if they feel like eating on their own they can. Most times before or after the second syringe they end up perking up and eating on their own. I think they realize they need to eat or I will keep forcing them to eat. Usually what happens is you will notice them balling up some…sort of looks like us when we have gas pains. Then they will finally have a bowel movement and produce a pellet or two. This usually causes a chain reaction which says to them that is now ok to start eating.

Please be sure to follow up with your vet in case there happens to be something else happening with your bunny.

Learn how to avoid Stomach blockages in Rabbits, and what you can do to avoid them. In a serious emergency when you cannot get to a vet, this home remedy is very helpful and may work on your bunny. Be sure to check it out it was given to me by my vet and has worked remarkably well. My bunnies have all lived to be 12yrs old. It does the trick.