Sunday, September 30, 2018

Rabbit Q&A with my younger siblings

So I have my siblings with me today and they wanted to "help" with my blog. So I'm going to ask them some questions about rabbits and see what their answers are! Enjoy.

1. How old are Izzy and rose?
Right answer: Izzy is 1 and Rose is 8 months.
Their answer: Rose is 1 and Izzy is between 2 and 14.

2. What do rabbits eat?
Right answer: Grass, vegetables, hay, bunny nuggets, varied herbs, some fruits.
Their answer: Grass, vegetables, hay, bunny nuggets, and do they eat tuna and mice?

3. What do rabbits play with?
Right answer: Toilet rolls, rabbit toys from the shops, other bunnies, sticks, plant pots, old clothes and anything else they can chuck about. Make sure anything your bunny can reach is bunny proof to keep them safe.
Their answer: Toilet rolls, rabbit toys from the shops, other bunnies, their poop, their owner.

4. Where do the bunnies live?
Right answer: During the summer and spring months whilst it's warm they live outside in the garden, during the winter they live in the garage. If they feel ill or its a special occasion they come into the kitchen.
Their answer: In a hutch, in the garage, somewhere, in the garden and in a cage.

5. Are rabbits smart?
Right answer: Yes, rabbits can be trained to follow simple commands such as spin or stand, these are already part of a rabbit's natural behavior. They can be trained to use a litter box and can even be trained to go through a bunny sized obstacle course! And of course, Rabbits can learn to respond to their name.
Their answer: No- because they aren't. Their heads are too small to have a big brain. Yes- because if they didn't have a brain they couldn't walk or eat.

End comments from the kids: "They are so cute fluffy!" "I love them because they are cute and fluffy!" 

So I hope you enjoyed this, and that it answers some of your own questions about rabbits. If you do have a question, leave a comment and I will do my best to answer. Until next time!

Saturday, September 29, 2018

The bonding experience

One of the most challenging things about owning a rabbit is trying to bond two strange rabbits together. Sometimes it works immediately, other times it takes a while. When we got Rose, we weren't sure on how Izzy would react and so that's why we took it slow and steady.

Some rabbits are happy to live as single pringles but others crave company, it's all about finding the right rabbit. It's important to remember that male and female pairs work best, be sure to neuter and spay both rabbits and that they have their vaccinations. 

So let's jump ahead, you've found a friend for your bun, what do you do now? First off, keep the rabbits seperated but make sure they can see and smell each other. You don't want them to start fighting within the first few moments of them meeting each other or they might never get along. We kept Rose and Izzy seperated for two weeks, letting them sniff each other. The second step is to place both rabbits in new territory for the both of them, this could be your bathroom or any other room neither rabbit has been in and claimed. You could put some food down and some toys to encourage the buns to play and eat together. 
The rabbits will most likely spend the first few moments checking out the new environment, don't pressure them or push them together. They'll check each other out in their own time, expect some territorial behaviour like chinning areas and surfaces. 
Your rabbits may circle one another, this is an attempt to be dominant. Do not sepetrate your rabbits unless they start fighting. Interfering will only prolong the bonding process, let your rabbits befriend each other in their own time!

When you are introducing two rabbits for the first time, do it in short moments that slowly extend. For example, the first meeting could be 10-15 minutes long and the second could be 20-25 minutes long. Keep extending the time until your rabbits are no longer circling and they are showing signs of fluffy lurve, like grooming and laying together. It might take a while, but be patient! Rushing will only stress both your rabbits out.

It's not just two rabbits that have to bond, you'll have to bond with your new fluffball too. Have you ever owned a rabbit and wondered why it doesn't seem like your bun loves you? If the answer is no, then that means you probably have a strong bond with your rabbits. If it's yes then here are a few tips to help bond you and your bun.

 1. Don't approach your rabbit and try to force your love on them. Sit down close by and let them approach you, they'll start out by giving you a sniff and may climb all over you. Just let it happen.
 2. Put some leafy vegetables close by where your sat, when they feel comfortable enough they'll start eating. Talk to your rabbit, this helps your bun get accustomed to your voice. If your rabbit seems calm (calm breathing, relaxed posture) then extend your hand. They may sniff you and go back to eating, slowly stroke them on their head. If your rabbit becomes still and stiff stop stroking them, but continue talking.
 3. Put an old jumper in their hutch or sleeping area so that they can get used to your scent.

The most important rule when bonding with your bunny is to give them constant love and attention. There are people out there who put their rabbits in a hutch at the bottom of the garden and only ever interact with them during feeding times. Bunnies need just as much love as we do, so if you do have a bunny, after reading this, go give them plenty of head scritches! In fact, I'm off to do just that. Until next time! 

Tuesday, September 25, 2018

My Rabbit story

Two blogs in one day! Wow!

But seriously, I just wanted to bring some light onto my rabbit story just because I don't want people to get the wrong idea on how I raise my buns.

So a year and a half ago I moved from Pathway to Weston Super Mare with my boyfriend, it was my first time moving so far from my family and friends and I was very nervous
 I have anxiety, so I don't really do well in new situations and I wanted a pet that I could throw my spare time into. At the time, I had a 2 hour cleaning job lined up so I had lots of spare time. I went through so many options of pet, and I decided on rabbit because I'd had a rabbit before so I thought I knew what I was doing.

I brought Izzy from a lady online, and I was shocked at how he was living. He was in this tiny cage with his mum and sibling, there was a child that wanted to constantly pick him up and it just seemed so stressful to the poor buns. I am not skating the owner here, she did explain that it was an accidental litter and from what I could gather, she wasn't 100% confident on raising baby buns. So I brought Izzy home and it seemed perfect. He was a very destructive rabbit and refused to use his litter box, even after getting "done". This meant I spent a lot of time sweeping and mopping, but I loved every second of it. I spent so much time with Izzy that we formed the most amazing bond.

Fast forward a few months, one of my friends called and said he had a litter of baby bunnies ready to go to new homes and asked if I wanted to go see them. Obviously, I did. By this point I had done so much bunny research, I was dreaming about rabbits and every thought seemed to be rabbit related. So I arrived at my friend's house, and went into the back garden. And looked into the hutch to see this adorable baby mini lop staring back at me. She was gorgeous, all big, brown eyes and fluff. But she was the only one, and my friend had said there was more than one. I asked where the others were, and he told me that he'd let them go. As in, go wild.

I was so upset and angry.

So I asked, why didn't she go too? And he replied that she was going to the next evening. Now this might not have been true, it probably wasn't. But I knew I couldn't just walk away, so I put my foot down and said that I would take her and find her a new home. The next evening my boyfriend and I picked her up.

It honestly was my full intention to re-home her, we took her to the vet and got her spayed, kept her on a healthy diet and gave her lots of love. And she ended up staying and bonding with Izzy. We called her Mimi. We now had two house rabbits and two adults living in a very cramped flat, so we made plans to look elsewhere to live on e we'd saved some money. I had just started a new job with more hours now that Izzy had a companion. But then we got the notice through our door, saying that our 6 month tenancy would soon be up and we would have to leave.

My boyfriend chose our current flat, it's a huge improvement over the last. The only problem is that I'm technically not allowed pets. If you are an animal lover and you rent, and your rent agreement says you're not allowed animals, DO NOT GET AN ANIMAL! This is important for you and your pet, if you get kicked out, so do they! Luckily, our landlord agreed we could keep the rabbits but they would have to live outside. No indoor rabbits allowed.

I was heartbroken, all I could think about was the cold rain and wind of the winter months. Surely I couldn't put my rabbits in that position? The deadline was looming closer each day, and it felt like a huge, heavy shadow leaning over my shoulders constantly. I briefly considered rehoming, but what if the home my rabbits were put into were exactly what I feared? How could I put that trust into a complete stranger?

I couldn't.

So I looked at the property again, it had a garden, but it also had a garage. A lightbulb went 'ding!' inside my head. The next day, I went to my vets to ask their opinion. I put my idea forward, and they agreed it was the next best thing.

Now my rabbits free roam in the garage during those cold, winter months.

If you are considering getting  a rabbit, I would defy recommend letting them live inside with you. Rabbits are amazing, beautiful creatures who deserve all the love you can give.

And someone has to be wondering, in your other posts you keep referring to Rose as Izzy's wife bun?

That is because Mimi passed away, and that is not a story I want to tell right now.

Please follow the link to my garage video on YouTube, so I can show you how I house my rabbits.https://youtu.be/AFNtTjSL_t4

It's cold outside!

It's been so long! So, I couldn't upload the video. It is coming, I promise! Just be patient with me, but I'm not feeling the pressure cause I've not had a lot of readers. I'm not complaining either, it's nice to take this blog slowly.
So I woke this morning with a chesty cough and a runny nose. Wanna know why? Because it is cold season! So make sure you wrap up warm with your scarves and jumpers and thermal underwear. Unless you're the type of person who doesn't feel the cold unless there is a blizzard outside.
Remember, if you can feel the cold, so can your bunny. True, rabbits are covered with fur. But when the ground is starting to glisten with frost, maybe it's time to move your bunny from the garden. I don't like to judge bunny owners, some people keep their rabbits indoors and some keep them outdoors. As long as the bunnies are loved, it doesn't matter to me. But when it starts to get cold, I always recommend moving your bunny to a sheltered area, somewhere you can keep heated.
Now if your bunny is an indoor bunny, you don't need to worry about the cold. But if your bunny lives outside, here are a few tips to help keep your buns warm and cosy!

                                    Heated Pads
These things are great! Bung them in the microwave for a few minutes then put them under a cushion or a blanket and watch your bunny doze off to sleep feeling warm and safe. The reason I like these is that they stay warm for so long, even outside. I often use mine when the rabbits are having outside play time during the winter, so they have a warm spot to lie down on.

                                    Shed and garage
If you have a shed or a garage, you have a space for your rabbits in the winter. I know, you think I'm crazy. Here's a quick story; when I moved to my current location I brought Izzy from a private seller. This was before I was aware that rabbit rescues were even a thing, so when I brought Izzy home I had no idea what I was doing with a House rabbit, so I did loads of research. By loads, I mean I dedicated at least 10 hours a day just researching the best food, the best toys, the best hay and the best enclosure. I loved the idea of a free roaming bunny, so that is what Izzy became. It didn't go great, because rabbits can be destructive. Long story short, we ended up having to move, the landlord never said it was because of the rabbits, but I couldn't help to feel like it was. So I put my boyfriend in charge, let him pick the next place. Before I knew it, the deposit was down. I had seen pictures, it's a beautiful flat. A bunny proof garden, a garage, a parking space and quaint interior. One problem: no pets allowed! Well, we begged and begged and finally they agreed to let us take the buns, but they couldn't live inside. So I booked an appointment with my vet, I wanted to be sure we were making the right decision. Fast forward again, and now my rabbits live in the garage during the cold months. I'll pin a link to a video explaining exactly what it is like.

                                    Old sheets, jumpers,       blankets and pillows.

This one might seem obvious, but just giving your rabbits these items will ensure that they have more resources to build a nice warm bed. My rabbits have so much of my old fabrics that they could start their own clothing line.

                                 Warm water, not cold

It sounds gross and nasty, but cold water can only get colder and when your rabbit drinks it, it lowers their body temperature. Warm water cools a lot slower and won't freeze your bunny from the inside out. When I say warm, I don't mean hot, I mean room temperature.

So that's it, keep an eye out for the video, which will be going up before I make some toys. That is also coming, but it might be a little later, maybe December so that I can add some nice Christmas toys.
Come back soon!

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Homemade bunny toys!

So it's been a while and I planned to post this with pictures. Instead I will post a video on YouTube and link in.
So if you own a bunny, you probably own bunny toys and you also know how expensive bunny toys can be. And let's not forget how frustrating it is when your furry friend ignores the toy altogether. If you are one of the few owners who don't have toys for your rabbit, then you should get some. Rabbits are very curious animals, and the love to chew and nibble. So getting chew toys or even a good box can help reduce destructive behaviour. And rabbit's teeth never stop growing, so they need to chew to help keep them ground down to a healthy length.
But like I said before, toys can often be expensive or unsafe so a good alternative is to make toys. This can be simple and fun, and I have a few faves from my own buns.

                            Grass pots
These are literally just plant pots filled with grass or hay. My rabbits love plant pots, so I filled a few with grass and put them around the garden. You can even put in some nuggets or veg in there with the grass to encourage foraging.

                            Grass tubes
These are similar to grass pots, but instead of plant pots you can use toilet tissue rolls. Fill them with grass or hay and place dotted about the graden.

                            Newspaper shapes
My rabbit Rose loves newspaper, she loves to rip it and chuck it about. But just putting down sheets is kinda boring, and the wind whips them away quite easily. So I decided to make shapes out of them. I rolled some into balls, twisted others so they looked like Christmas crackers and I even plaited a few. The rabbits loved tearing into these, although they did leave a bit of a mess to clear up it was worth it to see their joy.

                            Digging bed.
I brought a large dog bed and filled it with cushions and blankets so my rabbits had somewhere cosy to lie down. They didn't use it once, often taking out the cushions and moving them. So I decided to line the inside of the dog bed with cardboard and fill it with soil. Then I buried some tasty herbs and vegetables, and let my rabbits at it! They love getting their paws dirty and digging for all the tasty treats, even if there are no treats they still like having a place to dig. But again, this one can turn messy so if your bunny lives inside, put something down like an old bed sheet to protect your floors!

                             Tunnel
Now I know what you're thinking, and no, I'm not the first person to give their rabbit a tunnel. However, I'm sure you've noticed the price of tunnels can be a bit ridiculous! So what we do is buy large plastic tubes from DIY stores, these are just as fun and a great deal cheaper!

Of course, there are loads of toys you can make yourself at home, these are just a few suggestions. Remember that you should always do your research and ensure you know what is and isn't safe for your rabbit.

Until next time, I will post the link to the video ASAP. Have a bunnerific day!

Monday, September 17, 2018

Welcome!

Welcome!

It's Monday and Monday always seems like a good day to try out a new thing, right? So I have decided to start a bunny blog, about all things rabbity!

My name is Roxie, and I am the proud owner of two gorgeous rabbits, Izzy and Rose. I know what you're thinking, and no I have not paired two girls. Izzy is a beautiful, bouncing boy.

Before I owned a rabbot, I would have said that dogs are the best pets around, now I don't hate dogs, but my rabbits are pretty awesome!

That's pretty much it for this post, but stick around! I'll be posting how I make toys, treats and homes for my rabbits!

Bereaving bunnies

If you have more than one bunny, there is a chance that one may pass away and leave the other(s) feeling lonely. When this happened to me, I...