Rabbittude News Flash – Update

Daily News Extra! Extra!An upgrade to our Rabbittude website to bring the website and blog together has been in planning for quite some time.  We finally had the opportunity to do the behind the scenes work needed to make it a reality.  We are in the process of bringing it live right now.  Rabbittude.com won’t be available until the file uploading process is complete.

So the next post on our “Calico” bunny will be on Wednesday.  However, we will be moving things to a different web server during the next 24 hours.  That can sometimes cause browsers to have difficulty locating sites for 24 to 48 hours after the move.  Have no fear if Rabbittude.com or the blog disappear, they will show back up again once all the browsers update for the new location.

After the move, you will be able to find the blog on Rabbittude.com or if you have bookmarked blog.rabbittude.com as a favorite, that web address will be programmed to go to the new blog location.  We know we will have some sorting out issues for a short time to and hope to keep those to a minimum.

We have completed moving everything over and combining our website and blog together.  We are still working through a few wrinkles.  It does not look like we have the ability to import current subscribers or followers.  If you were previously subscribed to receive new posts via email, you will need to use the subscribe link on the right to subscribe here.  So sorry all for the inconvenience of having to re subscribe /  re follow!

There’s a Tigger in Our Kitchen!

Initially, we put Tigger’s cage in the bedroom that we had set up as a combination office / guest bedroom.  We didn’t have the room bunnyproofed at first and Tigger wasn’t litter box trained.  So, when it was time for runtime, we would take her to the kitchen.  The kitchen was both easy to secure by blocking off the only entry into it and easy to clean with linoleum flooring.  Only the spaces around the refrigerator needed blocking. Everything else was cabinets to the floor with no way for a Tigger to disappear or escape.  We blocked one side of the refrigerator by wedging it with a roll of paper towels that she could also chew on while we wedged an upended planter box in to the space on the other side.

We put our regular throw rugs away during Tigger training and purchased some small kitchen rugs that we could easily put in the washer and scattered those on the kitchen floor.  We brought in a litter box filled with paper pellet litter.  We put some cardboard over the only baseboard to prevent her chewing that.  We now had an apartment pet security deposit to protect! We had a washable kitty bed for her to rest on and her carrier with the door off as a hiding box.  She had a water bowl and food bowl on a plant tray to keep those tidy.  The unexpected side benefit of the tray is she liked to flop on it.  The sides supported her and it became bunny furniture.  Tigger also had every bunny loving toy we could think of for her to chew, rattle or throw: empty paper towel rolls, jute / wood small animal chews, cat belled balls, a phone book.

Tigger actually learned to run really well on the linoleum and would go sailing / skating across the floor at unbelievable speed.  Blaine and I would take turns sitting on the floor playing with her and getting her used to both of us.  Here are some of the pictures of those times …

Tigger with toys

What do I want to do first?

Tigger at food bowls

Would you care to explain these weird pellies in with my usual?

Tigger grooming

Okay, what did I hop in? Maybe you should clean the floor more often?

Tigger in litter box

Would it be asking too much for some privacy here please!

Tigger stretched out

Ahhh ... the bunny yoga stretches are so relaxing ...

Coming next week, the Calico bunny rabbit.

Tigger Visits The Vet

Tigger on phone book

So Tigger, are you looking for your vet?

Since I hadn’t planned on bringing a bunny home, I wasn’t sure how easy it would be to find a good vet.  It actually turned out that a rabbit savvy vet was close to where we lived.  I set up an appointment.  Then I had to find another larger pet store to get a proper carrier for Tigger to travel in.  The original pet store had not had one and we had to bring her home in a cardboard pet box which was no way for a bunny to travel, dark and scary and easy to chew through if a rabbit got motivated enough.

I picked out a small kitty carrier where the top could be separated from the bottom allowing for easier storage and cleaning.  The top and front had metal grille doors allowing for putting Tigger in through either opening and checking on her from the top to help prevent really easy escapes out an opened front door.

After making the appointment, we put the carrier in Tigger’s running space in the kitchen to get her used to it, so that it wasn’t completely unfamiliar when she had to go into it for the trip.  Right away, as little as she was, she hopped up on top of it.  That was an early sign of things to come with Tigger.  First she sat up and looked at something and then she jumped on top of it.

Tigger on carrierOn the day of the appointment, I put Tigger into the carrier and put it on the passenger seat next to me with the door facing me so that we could see each other on the trip.  I used the seatbelt and shoulder harness to strap in the carrier to keep it in place should any sudden stops be needed which unfortunately occur a lot in busy metro Atlanta traffic.  I drapped a small towel over the carrier top so that the sun wouldn’t shine in her eyes, but made sure the side vents were clear for enough air circulation.  Then we were off.

There wasn’t a whole lot of Tigger for the vet to examine.  I don’t remember her exact weight, but it was somewhere between 2 1/2 and 3 pounds.  She was just a handful of bunny.  The vet checked her over giving his opinion that it did indeed look like we had a little girl.  The best news was that she was an otherwise healthy bunny who was malnourished due to a bad diet.  He gave me a brochure for the Oxbow Company and suggested that I order some Alfalfa hay and pellets to fatten up our baby.  Then we would add greens in upcoming months and switch to Timothy hay and pellets later on when she was full-grown.  We discussed spaying her in about four months when she would be about six months old.

Tigger and I both left happy, she to be leaving the poking and prodding behind and I with fears of larger health problems relieved.  I ordered her Alfalfa hay and pellets right away.  When they arrived a few days later and I opened the package, it was like receiving a box full of meadow.  The smell was wonderful.  If I was a rabbit, I would have been all over that food.  So, great new hay and pellets on board, bunny is about to be fattened up shortly.

That is when we started to get the drift that Tigger had a very stubborn little bunny mind and did not want to change from what she was used to which was the awful guinea pig pellets.  I followed suggestions from rabbit sources online to mix the old pellets with the new.  Tigger would pick out all the bad stuff and leave her good rabbit pellets behind.  It took weeks and we were down to the very last spoonful of the guinea pig pellets before she decided that she liked her new Alfalfa pellets and switched over to eating them.  Fortunately while she was arguing the pellets, she was liking the new Alfalfa hay.  Slowly our bunny baby started losing some of her very bony feel.

Coming next, there’s a Tigger in the kitchen!

A Tigger Bunny’s Tale Begins

Baby Tigger bunny rabbitEleven years ago we were shopping in the local mall just before Easter.  As we passed the pet store, I saw they had baby bunnies.  I have always been dubious of the health of pet shop animals and whether they had enough human interaction to be good pets, but I couldn’t ever resist petting little bunny heads if I saw they had some. 

Our family had one house rabbit as a pet and Thumper had been my favorite pet.  Blaine and I wanted to get a pet or two now that we were living somewhere that we could.  Blaine had suggested a rabbit since he knew that would be my first choice.  I knew Thumper was going to be a tough act to follow though.  He was a rare snuggle bunny.  Another rabbit was going to lose in the comparison unless they really wanted to get to know me and interact with me.  I wasn’t sure how to go about finding a rabbit that would choose me. 

Anyway, back to the baby bunnies close at hand that day in the mall.  The store had a good-sized pen and rabbits of all different colors and breeds.  Some were flopped, some eating, some were bouncing around.  None of them wanted to do anything with us except get away.  We petted a few heads and as we turned to leave, a store employee walked up.  He was carrying the most beautiful and unusually colored rabbit we had ever seen.  He told us the tiger-striped bunny was his favorite.  We talked with him for a few minutes and then left and headed home.

A couple of weeks later in early May, I was back in the mall on my own.  As I walked towards the pet store, I saw they had a pedestal with a glass enclosure on top that they had pushed about a dozen feet outside the store’s doorway.  From a distance I could see one bunny.  I felt bad because I didn’t think the rabbit had good chances now of finding a home after Easter.  As I walked closer, I was surprised to see the tiger-striped bunny.  Being a staff favorite and having such beautiful coloring, I had expected this bunny to easily find a home.

As I stopped in front of the pedestal, I put my hand on the outside of the glass.  The rabbit raced over, sat up on hind legs and placed both front paws exactly where my hand was.  I was toast, the bunny rabbit wanted to interact with me.  I picked the bunny up and got a real shock.  I had expected to feel a chubby baby bunny body, instead the rabbit was skin and sharp bones. 

The rabbit had a lot of energy, clear eyes and did not appear ill, but something was clearly wrong since the bunny was so thin.  I realized I could put the bunny back down and walk away.  I didn’t really want to buy a pet shop animal.  However, I knew in my heart if I walked away, the rabbit would likely die soon.  There was so much life and energy in this bunny who was wiggling all over and looking me in the eyes as I was checking all systems out head to tail.  I knew I had to take a chance and give this beautiful rabbit a chance to live.

I called up Blaine who worked nearby and asked if he could take his lunch break and help me take our new bunny home.  He said sure.  While I waited for him to arrive, I began making arrangements for our new bunny.  That is when I started to get some idea why the rabbit might be so thin.  The store didn’t have anymore rabbit food and had been using guinea pig pellets.  They had also been putting some vitamins in the water bowl which turned it neon yellow.  I could only imagine what it might taste like.  I picked out the cage and accessories, got a couple of litter boxes and pellet litter.  They had some hay, so I got that too and some chew toys.  The store gave me a bag of the guinea pig pellets to maintain the current diet.  A vet visit and finding someone who had good rabbit food was on my short list for the immediate future.

Blaine arrived and asked about a name for our new little friend.  He suggested Tiger.  The name was right for the coloring but in our brief acquaintance, there was something very delicate about my new friend.  I knew that it could take 3 or 4 months to really ID a boy bunny as male.  This bunny looked like a girl, but I knew not to trust that yet.  However, I really felt we had a little girl on our hands and wanted a softer name than Tiger.  I had always loved Tigger in Winnie the Pooh.  Tigger talked about all the other Tiggers, so there were obviously male and female Tiggers.  Pooh’s Tigger was also quite bouncy.  I thought whether boy or girl, Tigger would be a name that would fit a bouncy bunny rabbit.  So I suggested Tigger, we agreed and took our new little Tigger bunny rabbit home.

Coming next, a little Tigger gets her first visit with the vet.

Memories …

Black and white of Shadow & TiggerOur Tigger and Shadow passed away yesterday morning. Tigger had reached eleven years old at the beginning of March. Shadow just turned eleven near the end of April.

The vet had told us months ago that they were considered to be in hospice care.  The plan was to work together to treat them with care to keep them as comfortable, pain-free and happy as possible. I have not been talking about the process over the past few months.  I thought I could, but then found I could not because emotions can be raw some days watching the obvious evidence that death is approaching and claiming them by degrees.

They turned a corner where we realized that we could allow them to linger on in pain and fear, struggling badly trying to keep doing all the things they were used to doing and still wanted to do.  With all our love and help, we could not give them what they wanted most which was a return to running, jumping and playing with abandon.  Even while growing deathly ill, they would use every bit of adrenaline they could muster to get up and run even with stumbling sideways steps or bumping in to things.  Tigger grew very fearful of all but Shadow.  We made the hard choice to assist them one last time to a place where they would be free of the struggles, pain and fear.  When we took them in to the vet for the final time, she said we had gone much longer being able to assist them than she had expected.

They passed away within minutes of each other snuggled together as Blaine and I petted them and told them how much we loved them.  I have always loved the saying, “When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure.”  We have the most beautiful memories of the more than ten years we spent with them.

We are so sad right now, but there is a new beginning from this passage.  While they were living, we took all the time we could to enjoy hopping along on their journey.  There were so many stories I wanted to share and write, but never enough time. 

Four little rabbits came into my life, each was a joy, but each had a unique personality.  Many don’t realize just how personable and fun a rabbit can be to interact with on a day-to-day basis.  I want to share their stories to preserve them well in our memories but also for others to learn what a joy it can be to have a rabbit as a companion animal.

  • We brought Tigger home in May eleven years ago.  I will write her tales in May and June
  • Shadow came to us in July, so I will write his stories in July and August
  • Portia came to us in September, so I will share about her  in September and October
  • Then there is one more bunny, Thumper, the first house rabbit I ever came to know oh so long ago now.  I will write about him in November and December

Along the way there will be pictures and artwork to celebrate them all.  There are so many things I have always wanted to create from having come to know them, but not enough time to do it while they were with us.  I also hope to put together some things that will assist others in having a long and lovely relationship with a house rabbit (rabbits – it is hard to have just one!).

Blaine and I will a take a bit of time by ourselves this week.  Then I will reach out again starting next week with the story of how a Tigger came to join our family.

A Picture Instead of 1000 Words

Tigger Kicked BackThroughout the month of September we were dealing with on and off stomach issues with Tigger. She would be on and off her diet and need gas meds, pain meds, and force feedings of Oxbow Critical Care at times and syringed water. On the 24th, we wrote that she seemed to have turned the corner. Since then she has continued to improve and the picture shows that improvement.

With bunnies, we have learned that subtle behavior changes can signal their health issues more clearly if you watch them closely. When Shadow spends a lot of time cleaning his ears or has one ear up, one ear down, we know it is time to have the vet take a look at his ears for an inner or outer ear problem.

With Tigger, a clear signal that her tummy is fine can be seen in this photo. She is kicked back with her back legs stretched out and is lying full-out on her stomach out in the open. When she starts pulling her legs underneath her and looking like a bunny hen all the time, she is starting to have some issues and doesn’t want to lay on her stomach.  Especially if she does that in places where it isn’t easy to reach her, we know she needs some help.

Our key to keeping our bunnies going throughout their ten and half years is keeping a close eye on their behavior, knowing quite well what is and is not normal for them.  We have learned to recognize the small changes in their daily activity that can be signals of changes in their health.  Since both bunnies are elderly now, we keep a closer watch on them now than we did when they were younger and act more quickly if it seems something isn’t right. 

Being able to have more pictures like this makes life so sweet.

Would You Like to Take a Survey?

Rabbit Survey TakerI would like to ask a favor today. If you have just a minute or so, could you pop on over to the Etsy Rabbits team blog and take the poll on the left.  We are looking to increase readers for the blog and have just five items and want to know if those items are of interest to people who might read or follow the blog.  You can pick all the items, some of the items or none of  the items. 

If you have the time and want to leave a longer comment, we would be happy to hear suggestions:
http://etsyrabbits.blogspot.com/2011/09/blog-planning-what-interests-you.html

Thank you!

Needing to Force Feed Your Bunny? Try This First …

Acorn flopped out

I'm Acorn and not feeling so good ...

We have known Acorn and his mom all of his ten years. He has been a very healthy bunny, but is now sick and needing a number of medications and some extra feedings of Oxbow Critical Care. His mom called today for some advice on how to do the syringe feedings to get more of the food into Acorn.

After talking with Acorn’s mom and emailing her a link, I realized this would be something good to let more people know about.  The first thing you may want to try if you need to force feed your rabbit is to see if you can take the force out of the equation. It is always better if the bunny feeds themself. I came across these recipes, http://rabbit.org/care/recipes.html, on the House Rabbit Society website.

They feature pellets ground in a coffee grinder which works if you don’t have access to Oxbow’s Critical Care.  If you have the Critical Care for a sick rabbit, use that in place of the ground pellets.  The Critical Care is specially formulated to have lots of good stuff to assist rabbits nutritionally who are ill.

I suggested trying the Banana Pellet Balls first to see if Acorn would voluntarily consume his Critical Care which would make things less stressful for everyone.  Either the Pellet Balls or the pumpkin mix in a bowl can be offered first to a bunny to see if they will eat without having to be force-fed by syringe.  Shadow will sometimes eat a Critical Care mixture on his own but our Princess Tigger never volunteers for anything, ever. 

Hoping this helps! 

Day One of International Rabbit Day Weekend – A Personal Celebration

Tigger and Shadow in the table leg thicket
I would call this photo, Tigger gives thanks, for all of us.  Over this past month when I have seen the postings for International Rabbit Day for either today or tomorrow, I was wondering if we would reach this weekend and still have two rabbits.  Shadow’s allergies moved into a more serious case of Snuffles right before Labor Day.  Since both bunnies tend to pass infections back and forth, both were started on the antibiotic Baytril. 

After just a few days on Baytril, Tigger’s stomach problems returned and we needed to take her off the Baytril.  Shadow finished out his two weeks continuing to improve.  Starting earlier this week he has been a bouncier, happier, hungrier bunny than he has been in months.  Tigger however throughout this month has continued to have stomach issues.  She has been on again off again for appetite and on again off again for us giving her gas meds, pain meds and force feedings of Oxbow’s Critical Care and syringed water. 

It has been very frustrating trying different combinations of hay, pellets and greens and having her at times even refuse her favorite treats of banana or dried fruits.  It has been exhausting and heartbreaking at times wondering if she was going to pull out of this.  She was overweight and we had been trying before this month to adjust her diet to help her to lose the excess weight.  Now in one month with her stomach issues, she has dropped about a pound. 

There were some bad moments this week when she really seemed hungry, but lacking appetite and exhausted all at the same time.  Then we noticed a trend to her eating Kale and having a really bad spell.  So even though Tigger loves Kale, we eliminated it on Thursday.  Today, it is like we have a new and improved Tigger back.  She is bouncing around, getting into everything and eating as if to make up for a month-long starvation diet.

I just hope she doesn’t overdo it all!  However, it is a wonderful day and weekend to celebrate that we have two lovely companion rabbits who though elderly are still with us.

Follow Friday – The Etsy Rabbits Team

Etsy Rabbits Team Blog

Click the image to see all the International Rabbit Day Treasuries by team members

Team members of the Etsy Rabbits team have been working to let everyone on Etsy know about International Rabbit Day.  Since celebrations of the day have been listed for either the fourth Saturday / Sunday of September, the team has chosen to make the most of the different dates and we will celebrate on both the 24th and 25th, making it a rabbit day weekend.

Throughout the month of September and especially this coming weekend, team members have been creating wonderful treasuries. These feature the work of team members and many other Etsy shops.  They have been finding some fabulous handcrafted bunny rabbits and lovely vintage items too!

Check out the Etsy Rabbits team blog to see mini shots of the treasuries. You can click on those treasury minis to go to the full treasuries and view items of interest.  It is a wonderful time to shop and buy gifts for rabbit lovers, splurge on yourself, or even get something for your rabbit.  Many team members currently have house rabbits, some are involved in rabbit rescue work and designate a portion or all of sales to be donated to rescue groups.  There are shops that have items for rabbits and other pets too.

The blog will be updated with new treasuries as they are posted throughout the weekend, so check back for new finds!  If you like a treasury, you can favorite it or Tweet it or like it on Facebook to share with others.  Leaving comments, clicking on items in treasuries, and favoriting them can increase the visibility for them.  We would love to really up the visibility of rabbits this weekend by having them be really very visible on a huge website like Etsy that has millions of viewers worldwide. 

Getting ready to bunny hop big time!