Tag Archives: cottontail

Best Toy Choices

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Tigger & chewed cardboard

Did I do that?

Yesterday I wrote about our Great Wall of Cardboard which got me thinking a lot about cardboard and just how much the bunnies love cardboard.  Hands down, the things that have kept our bunnies the most occupied over the years were made of cardboard or paper.

If you want to keep a bunny occupied, they are a lot like small children, much more interested in the box than what came in the box.  Remember that before you go investing in expensive bunny toys that you think are cute but the bunnies ignore.  When you use up the paper towels, save the rolls for the rabbits.  When that new phone book comes, give the old one to the rabbits.  If you have an office paper shredder, you might want to take those old newspapers and shred them up.  Then fill a big cardboard box with them to let the bunnies dig it out or tunnel through it. 

If you want to invest in purchased bunny toys, a great place to start is cardboard tunnels.  You can get them online or at pet stores.  Or you can just go to the home improvement store and get the cardboard rounds that are used for pouring and molding concrete.

Online stores that cater to rabbits are carrying boxes, cottages and tunnels made out of cardboard that have been designed with how rabbits play in mind.  Since I know how much our rabbits love cardboard, I would see those as a good investment in something they would spend their time playing with.  One key thing in finding things rabbits like to play with is that it reduces the amount of time they might be playing with (chewing on) things you would like to keep bunny free.

Bunnyproofing – The Great Wall of Cardboard

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Wall of Cardboard with Shadow & Tigger
Wall of Cardboard with Shadow

Well, I had some technical issues today getting the scanner to play nice with me over these photos.  Going forward I am trying to find a better way to get the old 35mm film shots of Tigger and Shadow converted to digital.

When we first got Tigger and Shadow, we were living in an apartment.  Right off the bat, we realized that their fearsome tendency to chew everything they could was going to put our pet and regular security deposit in huge jeopardy if we didn’t do something major to keep bunny teeth away from baseboards, doors and plaster walls.

So we ended up creating the Great Wall of Cardboard.  You can see it running around the rooms in these pictures.  We used either pieces of cardboard or cardboard mailing envelopes and hooked them together with ACCO binder clips at the top and bottom or large 3″ metal paper clips.  We liked the cardboard mailing envelopes because they were not only a uniform size, but there were two thicknesses for the rabbits to have to chew through before they could get to baseboards, doors or plaster.

The clips holding the cardboard together allowed it to be taken down and put up easily if we wanted to completely disassemble it for company coming.  It was also easy to replace pieces of the cardboard wall as they became too chewed.  The wall was a foot tall, so we could easily open a door and step over it into another room.  Unless a bunny was right there and ready to leap, it stopped them from zooming through.

The Great Wall of Cardboard served us well and when we moved out, we did get our security deposit back.

Treasury Tuesday – Little Red Rabbit in the Hood

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Click on image above to go to Etsy Treasury

It has been an on and off again gray day here, so I created a really bright red hot treasury of items created by members of the Etsy Rabbits team. I got the inspiration for the title from UsagiRabbit’s Punk Bunny.

Shadow Shares A Secret

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ShadowEarlier this month I wondered if their was some body language or very quiet secretive  rabbit to rabbit communication going on between Tigger and Shadow. It has always confused us over the past ten years how they will suddenly go from lovey dovey snuggling together to jumping up and outright fussing with each other or humping heads and chasing.  We are always left scratching our heads wondering what started that change in behavior.

This weekend, Shadow shared a secret with me. I was flat on my stomach on the floor petting Tigger when Shadow hopped up beside me and stuck his nose in my ear.  It was horrendously ticklish with all those whiskers, like having a Daddy Long Legs suddenly walk in.  I was about to jump away when I realized I was hearing an extremely soft squeaking type of sound.  It wasn’t excited or scared, just a very soft, very low vocalization.  I ignored the tickling and stilled myself to listen to Shadow just squeaking a little message to me.

Shadow was clearly talking to me and so softly that if he hadn’t had his nose right in my ear, I would not have heard it at all.  I was amazed and wondered if this is the type of communication that they regularly have with each other that would be way too quiet for our human ears to hear. 

In the past, I have read of rabbit squeaks and they were always associated with a scared or terrified rabbit.  Tigger has a mewing cry at times when she is ill or we are holding her to medicate her.  That clearly is a fear based sound.

This was an entirely different type of squeak, more musical, one I would describe as just Shadow trying to say something to me and making sure I heard it by putting his nose right up in my ear.  Tigger and Shadow often stick their noses in each other’s ears and usually grooming is involved.  I always assumed it was just grooming, now I wonder if they are also squeaking out little messages to each other too.

I feel like Shadow let me in on another piece of the rabbit puzzle.

New at Rabbittude !!!

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Bun Appetit
Bun Appetit stoneware rabbit food bowls in small and large size

Today we are announcing a new set of products available in our CafePress shop with our new Bun Appetit design!  Bunnies can go on a feeding frenzy with their own Bun Network star chefs.  We also have our new Shops page loaded here on the blog to show you some previews of what you can buy in our shops.

Bunnyproofing a Digger

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Bunnyproofing for diggers

Yes, there is a bunny in the back left corner hiding under the shredded paper

We thought when we brought Shadow home two months after Tigger that we had done all the bunnyproofing necessary and were fully prepared for the new bunny. He proved us wrong really fast. Shadow was quick to catch on to using the litter pan, but added a new twist to it.

He would hop in, use the litter pan and then dig it out. His excavation skills were exceptional. We would find ourselves with a huge pile of litter on the floor everyday. We would scoop it back in and he would dig it back out.

We went out and got some litter boxes with tops and found ourselves with a whole new set of bunnyproofing needs. Tigger and Shadow were still just a few months old and pretty small at under four pounds each. We had to buy plastic stools for children so they could hop in and out of the boxes. Then we had to put carpeting on top of the boxes when they started to hop on top so that they wouldn’t go sliding right off the slippery plastic. At one point we solved that problem by buying covered litter boxes that had round domed tops. They couldn’t hop on those.

Shadow continued to dig, but the small size of the door kept down the level of the mess. We thought we had our excavator under control. When they got to full adult size, we were able to get rid of the stools.

Things went well for a number of years, then a few years ago, we noticed that they were sometimes not hopping into the boxes but going beside them.  We realized that as they aged perhaps hopping up and in was getting harder. So we invested in some litter pans designed for puppies that have a lowered edge on one side. Tigger and Shadow seemed to really appreciate the ease of getting into and out of these. Shadow really appreciated the ease of digging out these new pans and went back to excavating full force.

I headed back to the stores to try to figure out a work around. I discovered some large flat boot trays that turned out to be just the right size to put one on each side of the litter pans and one in front of them. Now Shadow digs out into the boot tray and we can dump it easily back into the litter pan. However, we do have to watch to make sure that the little stinker doesn’t try to dig out the boot tray too before we can dump it back in.

Our biggest regret is that we haven’t ever had a place to put a sandbox. Our little digger would probably think he was in bunny heaven if we could give him a real digging outlet. We do make him very happy when we give him a pile of shredded paper to go burrowing in and he does love to dig underneath the hay pile in the hay bin. He comes up covered in paper or hay and if he takes off running, the mess goes with him.

Dig on little buddy!

Treasury Tuesday – We Saw the Merbunny!

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Merbunny Etsy Treasury

Click image to go to full treasury on Etsy

 

For anyone who would like that summertime feel with bunnies included, here is an Etsy treasury I created today.

Mystery & Rabbits

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Mysterious rabbitI saw an article in a magazine that talked about what a person’s choice for a pet revealed about their personality. It said that rabbits are a favorite for people who like mysteries, because rabbits are unpredictable. You never know what a bunny will do next.

This is both the fun and exasperation factor of having a rabbit. Watching a rabbit is wonderful entertainment, but can also be nail biting suspense when you realize your rabbit is doing something bunnyproofing never anticipated.

From the very first time that Tigger and Shadow set paws in our home, they have been determined to stretch all the boundaries of known bunny activities. They have thrilled us, made us laugh, and had us holding our breath hoping their stupidest stunts would work out okay. We’ve never been able to reach them fast enough when they have appeared to lose their little bunny minds and go for the all out stunts and acrobatics.

Shadow must think that he is part flying squirrel. He launched himself off the back of the sofa with his legs spread out like wings. Fortunately, he was only winded from the four-foot drop to the floor. However, it was obviously a thrill for him. We keep catching him up there looking out, obviously thinking about trying it again. One night he was on the floor and sat up on his hind legs as if he was begging and then launched himself straight up into the air about three feet and came forward into a binky and landed four or five feet from where he started and raced off top speed.

Tigger loves to do the bunny commando crawl. She has wiggled her way under almost everything in the house and seems to be attempting to rescue all the dust bunnies, since she brings so many of them back from her adventures. She didn’t limit the commando crawl to just the floor either. When she was just a two-pound baby, she decided to scale the wall behind the privacy screen of a desk. I walked into the room to see the tips of her ears peeking above the back of the desk and one tiny paw hanging below the privacy panel. The inevitable fall to the floor that occurred before I could reach her took my breath away.  Fortunately, it was a well padded carpeted floor. She just took off running to her next adventure.

After ten years with Tigger and Shadow we have learned one thing for certain.  We have no idea what they might try next. We have become bunnyproofing experts over the years trying to protect our little death-defying stunt rabbits. One vet told us that their willingness to do so much is an indication that we have created an environment for them where they feel completely safe and free to explore. 

We intend to enjoy every moment of the rabbit mysteries that they still have ahead for us!

Follow Friday – LOL Rabbits Video

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I found this funny rabbit video on You Tube.  You can check out making your own funny captioned pictures at I Can Has Cheez Burger.

Here is the link to the video on You Tube if it isn’t working properly here: http://youtu.be/ARM_CqUkrvY.

Rabbits As House Pets

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Cute Trio of Baby Rabbits
There are more and more places where people are seeing baby rabbits available to bring home as a pet.  Babies can be irresistably cute. If you haven’t had a rabbit as a house pet before, is it a good choice for you?

It depends on how much you know about rabbits.  Unfortunately, many baby bunnies are taken home during Easter season and are given up just a few months later because new owner’s weren’t prepared for what they got.

Size Does Matter.  There are dozens of recognized rabbit breeds.  Of course there are innumerable combinations if breeds mix and well bunnies do mix and mingle and multiply freely when allowed to. The size of a full-grown rabbit can range from 2 or 3 pounds to over 20 pounds.  You could get a lot more bunny than you bargained for if the baby rabbit turns out to be one of the giant breeds! 

Whoa, They Live How Long?  Many think a bunny will be like guinea pigs or hamsters and live just a couple of years.  Well cared for house rabbits can live for ten years or more.  Bringing home a bunny is a long-term committment. 

The Importance Of Being Altered:  Like cats and dogs, rabbits make the best house pets when they have been spayed or neutered.  Rabbits become “teenagers” at four to six months of age and have raging hormones making them harder to handle.  Since rabbits are social animals, it is good to get pairs, but if those pairs turn out to be boy and girl, you could end up with way more bunnies than planned.  Baby bunnies can easily hide their true gender even from experienced vets.      

To be successful with a pet rabbit, you need to be aware of the importance of a good diet and just how well a bunny can hide being ill.  It is good to have knowledge of common rabbit diseases and illnesses and the early signs that say bunny needs a rabbit savvy vet. Vets for rabbits are usually exotic veterinarians and their fees can run higher than those for cats and dogs.

For good health, rabbits need a minimum of 30 hours of free runtime a week.  If they are in the mood they will run top speed around rooms, up and down stairs, and bounce on and off furniture.  They hit speeds up to 25 miles an hour.  Bunny lovers call it the Bunny 500 and just sit back and enjoy the show. 

Where Is The Bunny And What Is He Doing?  For your sanity and the rabbit’s safety, you need to learn how to bunnyproof your home.  Rabbits can wiggle into unbelievably small places and like to chew everything in sight.  They are very curious and sometimes very stubborn. 

Okay, We Are Rabbit Crazy:  Once people learn these things about rabbits, they can’t understand why we actually have multiple rabbits.  It’s because rabbits are unbelievably fun as a pet.  See yesterday’s post for all the playful things they like to do. They can be litter box trained and can learn their names and understand many words and commands.  However like cats, whether they respond to a command depends a great deal on whether they are in the mood.  

To Mystery:  We read an article once that said rabbits are the pet of choice for people who love mysteries, because you just don’t know what they will do next.  We have always been well entertained by them.  It is hard to stay in a bad mood when a bunny decides to play the clown or hops up beside you on the sofa and flops down to be petted.

Surfing Time:  Rabbits are not for everyone.  If you are thinking of one as a pet, do some Internet surfing to get a good handle on whether a bunny is your pet of choice.  A good site to start with is the House Rabbit Society.  They have loads of information and also local chapters in many areas where you can check into adopting a rescue bunny.

Bunnies Just Want to Have Fun!

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Shadow loves slinkies

You should have seen him when he took off running with it!

Had a delay here today while storms rolled through causing the power to flicker.  That is always the signal to power down and take a break.  Sunshine is back and here I am to share some bunny fun!

Previously, I posted about ways to protect your space and your bunny with bunnyproofing. Now its time for fun! A bored bunny is a destructive bunny. Helping a bunny have fun will aid your bunnyproofing. Find things they enjoy doing and they will leave other things alone.

What each bunny likes is different. There are jumpers, chewers, diggers, throwers, and a few do like to play chase. Do some trial and error to find out what your bunny likes best.

TOYS

You can find toys at pet stores, baby stores, or online sites.  Don’t limit yourself to just rabbit toys.  Look for untreated wood chews or wood toys. There are cardboard chews, cardboard tunnels and rabbit “bungalows or cottages” available.

Hard plastic toys are great:  Here are some ideas and the sections we found them in: keys on a ring (infant/baby), linked chains (bird), balls with bells inside (cat / ferret), bounce back treat dispensers (small animal), rattles (infant/baby), and Slinkies (kid) are all possibilities.

If you have a problem area where your rabbit likes to misbehave, try “mining” the area with belled toys. When you hear the bells, you know it is time to check and see if your bunny has taken advantage of the toys or needs to be escorted out of the forbidden zone.

DIGGING & TUNNELING

If you have a safe space for it, you can try a sandbox for a digger bunny.  If not, try filling a box with shredded paper and watch your bunny go burrowing through.

We remembered the fun of childhood sheet forts and created a sheet tunnel. We took two cardboard boxes with cutouts at each end and on one side, placed them five feet apart, and stretched a sheet over. The bunnies love to run through, burrow in and out under the sheet, and sometimes just nap. We play peek-a-bunny by lifting the sheet up and down at the side peering in on them.

Tigger Loves to Throw

Tigger flings this like a shot putter does. She will grab it with her teeth and whirl around to get it airborne and throw it.

GAMES

Some bunnies like to play chase. Our Shadow will start to run and look back to see if we’re following. He will run back and start again until someone chases him. His happy binkies tell us we have the right idea. Be careful to know your bunny well with this one, since most bunnies fear being chased.

Our rabbits love to hop up with us while we read magazines and try to chew them. We take the pull out ad cards and hold them sticking out a bit at the edge of the magazine. They grab the edge of the card, yank it away from us, and run off with it. Shadow and Tigger like the game so much that if we want to continue reading, we usually have to gather the cards back up and keep letting them “steal” them away.

We take cardboard tubes from paper towels and load them into a small lightweight plastic wastebasket which we set upright in the play area. Tigger and Shadow love to overturn the basket and unload the tubes.  We also put a boatload of cardboard tubes under one bookshelf Tigger liked to commando crawl under.  It would take her awhile to pull enough tubes out to try to get under.  That would give us an opportunity to stop the secret carpet chewing that would occur if we didn’t catch her in time.

The more time you spend with your rabbit learning about their play style, the more you will learn about just how playful and fun a rabbit can be.  Just be careful to stay back a bit until you learn whether your bunny is a thrower like our Tigger. 

Tigger likes to pitch and bat.  She will pitch her weighted bounce back bunny as in the picture, or small wire or plastic belled toys.  She will take cardboard tubes from paper towel rolls and use them like a bat to hit things.  I had one vet visit where I brought one along to keep her distracted while we were waiting, not realizing how she would use it.  She was smacking everything she could with it so loudly that even with a closed-door, the vet techs kept coming in every few minutes to make sure everything was okay.  Silly me thinking I could get her to be playful and forget where she was.

Let the games begin!