A Rabbit for Easter? Make Mine Chocolate

Easter is fast approaching and I know there are people out there who are thinking of making a gift of a rabbit to a loved one. If you haven't decided on one yet, please consider making that rabbit a chocolate one in honor of the Make Mine Chocolate campaign.

Don't get me wrong, I am completely okay with gifting a pet *IF* it is done right. Everything that comes into play with adopting a rabbit or a cat or a dog still comes into play when giving one as a gift. You need to know what you are getting into. You need to know that the animal is wanted and will be cared for its entire life.

I know that rabbits appear to be 'easy' pets because they are sold in a cage. People wrongly assume that if it is in a cage it is easy to take care of. You give it food the store provides, you clean out the bedding once a week, you make sure it has clean water. Sadly, this is a misnomer that often leads to bad pet experiences and it leads to a lot of misinformation and shortened lives for the animals.

Rabbits need room to run around. The cages that are generally provided for rabbits are not big enough for proper exercise. It is recommended that you create a play area for your rabbit so it is safely contained and it has some room to run and jump around. The reason the rabbit should be 'safely contained' is because they like to chew on everything. Rabbit's teeth never stop growing, so they need to constantly chew on things to wear them down. There is nothing that is safe from a bunny: electrical cords, baseboards, books, magazines, photo albums, table legs, just to name a few.

Proper nutrition is also a bit more than putting down a bowl of pellets. Rabbits need to continually eat to maintain proper gut mobility. Providing them with fresh hay is vital to their health, and some would argue that pellets are completely unnecessary. Fresh veg is good for a bunny, but only certain ones. Some fruit is also good, but not all fruit. Understanding what your bun can and can't eat is important.

I loved my rabbits and miss owning one quite keenly. If you honestly want a rabbit, Easter can be an adorable time to bring home a rabbit. If you decide to do it, please keep the rabbit's well-being in mind. If you have a lot of obligations on Easter and your house will be chaos, you might want to consider waiting and adopting one later. There will be a flood of rabbits to shelters in the coming weeks. Take the opportunity to discuss with the entire family the obligations of owning a rabbit, the complications and the needs of the rabbit. Buy a book on rabbit care, spend a few nights reading it and making a plan. Look up plans for rabbit enclosures so you can pick which one works for you and your family before you go shopping.

Tobin with Eli     and     Bri with Skippy

Bunnies are wonderful pets, but they are far from an 'easy' pet.

Read some of my other posts for Make Mine Chocolate a mission of the Columbus House Rabbit Society - here  or individual posts:

• 2016
• 2015
• 2014 (a repost of 2013)
• 2013
• 2012
• 2011
• 2003

Make Mine Chocolate - Rabbits at Easter

This is the fifth anniversary of my joining in and blogging about this very important cause.

I was a rabbit owner for almost fifteen years. I would still be a rabbit owner if I were still a suitable home for one. My last rabbit Bri adored my kitty Skippy; unfortunately Skippy has a recurring case of URI and he gave it to Bri. She passed away with in 12 hours of my noticing that something was wrong. Rabbits are pretty frail animals and need specialized care. They should not be given as a cute gift simply because there is a holiday.

I know we all adore the idea of giving animals, but most of us accept the reality that it can be very very hard on the animal, so giving a pet as a gift should only be done with a lot of thought and care and concern for the animal. I do believe it can be done right, but I do believe it is a lot more work than most people want to put in during a special occasion event.

If you do want a rabbit for the holiday, there are a few things you should know. Rabbits can live for 10-12 years. They are also prey animals so they are much more skittish than a cat or a dog would be. They are not 'starter' pets as they do need a lot more than just food and water. Rabbits need as much room as a cat in order to get proper exercise. They need a constant diet of fresh hay because they need to keep their digestive track moving at all times. They also need fresh greens and vegetables and some people like to treat their bunny with fruits as well. They have a very limited need for pellets, generally only when they are young, but some people continue to feed them over their life time but they need to be cautious of not overfeeding them.

Since rabbits are constantly eating, they are also constantly pooping. Fortunately rabbit pellets are very dry, if they aren't then your bunny is ill and needs a trip to the vet, and are easy to take care of. Rabbits also like to use a litter box if you provide one, which makes cleaning fairly easy. Other forms of maintenance for your bun would be trimming of the claws and making sure their teeth are constantly worn down by chewing on various chew toys because their teeth constantly grow and if are not maintained properly can cause serious problems.

Baby Bunny

If you look at the photo above, you can see the poop pellets next to the bun, and the litter box with hay in it to encourage them to sit there and eat and pee. There is also an enrichment toy of a cardboard container for them to chew on and nose around. Buns need stimulation. A lot of bun owners provide hard teething toys for buns to explore and nose around. Some like belled balls. Untreated wicker baskets are good for jumping in, for exploring, for digging and for chewing. Old phone books are also good for buns to play with.

Rabbits are wonderful pets, but they are work. They are also funny, and adorable, and sweet, and my second favorite pet in the world. So if you are not up for it, this Easter, go for the chocolate ones instead.

Make mine chocolate

Easter is fast approaching. The Make Mine Chocolate movement is strong, and once again I want to add my voice to it.

Over the years, I have owned two rabbits. Tobin was a birthday gift to myself eons ago. He was so tiny he lived in a 10-gallon aquarium for a while. He lived 11 years before dying of cancer. Bri came along a few years after Tobin. I waited for the right rabbit and she was a sweetie, but she ended up bonding with my cats and not me. That is OK, she was still a lot of fun, and a joy, and I loved having her in the house.

Owning a rabbit is slightly different than most other animals of their size. They have more in common with hamsters and gerbils being rodents and prey animals.; They can be very loving and sweet and a lot of fun, and I would never want to discourage anyone from owning a rabbit, but you should know that they do entail some work.

Rabbits can and prefer to be litter trained. Providing a box big enough for them to sit in near a source of hay will pretty much litter train them. Their stool is round and very dry - often referred to as "pellets" From my experience, they do not seem to control when they come out, but since they are very dry and leave no marks, sweeping them up is easy and do not lead to problems.

Rabbits need to chew. There are multiple reasons behind this. They chew hay and food and need a constant and steady stream of it all day in order to maintain proper digestive health. Rabbits should always have good quality hay and it should make up the bulk of their diet. They are designed to be foragers and to eat all day. Rabbit Pellets - the commercial food you can buy for rabbits - are a good way to make sure the rabbit's nutrition is balanced, but it should not make up the bulk of a rabbit's diet - doing so will most likely cause the rabbit to become overweight. Think of them as a good multivitamin and feed accordingly. Vegetables and fruits are also integral to a healthy rabbit diet, the former more so than the latter, but fruits are a great treat and most rabbits enjoy them. Grains, nuts, and seeds are not. Some rabbits like them, and if you think of them as rare treats they can bring enjoyment to your bunny. I knew one woman who loved to give her bunny toast. Bri liked Melba Toast bits. Tobin hated carrots..

Rabbits also chew for mental and physical reasons. Physically, their teeth do not stop growing. If a rabbit doesn't wear down their teeth with chewing and gnawing, they will become overgrown and impair the rabbit's ability to eat. Normally their teeth line up and the act of chewing wear them down naturally. If a rabbit's teeth do not line up properly, regularly scheduled trips to the vet to get them trimmed will be necessary (or you can learn to do it yourself but it is not for the faint of heart and you will need help). Since the rabbit was designed to chew, they find a lot of comfort in this. They also find a lot of comfort in foraging and digging. Providing toys and stimulation for them in these activities is important to a happy bunny. hiding fruit treats in boxes of hay will be a lot of fun.

There are a lot of commercial products out there for rabbits. You need to be aware that not all of them have the rabbit's best interest at heart.; Cages with wire floors are nice for humans because pellets fall out and are easier to collect, but are hard on soft delicate bunny feet. Food with seeds and nuts and puffed colored pieces look appealing to us with our varied pallet, but most are not healthful to a bunny. Toys with soft pieces or pieces easily removed can become hazards. A lot of good products for bunnies aren't even manufactured with bunnies in mind. NIC cubes (make it yourself cube shelving) can make amazing rabbit homes.  (I had to laugh, one of the images is of kittens, and I said, why kittens?? when I looked at it, it was one of my kittens from my blog, apparently I talked about NIC cubes for rabbits before). Toys made for human babies can make great interactive toys for rabbits such as rattles and rings of keys. You can find some great toys in the oddest of places.

Rabbits are very delicate. There is not a great deal of vet care out there for them because of this. I know that sounds counter-intuitive, but when a rabbit gets sick it is quite often fatal.; If you are going to own rabbits, it would be a good idea to find a vet trained in rabbits and has experience with them. Most will tell you they are trained.. and most are. Diarrhea in a rabbit can be fatal. So is a head cold. If you have a rabbit that won't eat, immediately take it to a vet. period. Do not wait, do not see if they'll eat later. Go.

Just such a thing happened to Bri.

I believe now Skippy has remitting bordatella. He has bouts where he coughs and sneezes and then he seems fine.. I thought nothing of it. He and Bri were best friends and would often be seen hanging out together. If ever I wondered where Skippy was, most of the time he was in Bri's room.

One day Bri stopped eating her pellets. Well, she ate some of them, but not much, and I was concerned, when I gave her some water she drank that. Since she wouldn't eat pellets if she didn't have water I thought that was all it was. But the next day she was covered in urine and wouldn't eat her favorite treat. I was hoping it was nothing but I ended up bringing her to the emergency clinic - where she blew a snot bubble. It was the first sign I had that she had URI.. The vet prescribed antibiotics and a few other things but by the time I got home from the hospital and filled the prescription, she was dead. As much as I would LOVE another rabbit, I won't bring one into the house while Skippy sneezes.

Anyway.. this was supposed to be about rabbits in general. Great pets. They are not cats nor dogs and need you to follow a different learning curve.; They are not disposable and they do not do well if you just 'let them outside" once you are bored or sick of taking care of them. House rabbits are not wild rabbits. They will chew your wires if you do not prevent it by removing access to them. They will chew your baseboards. They will lick your toes, do bunny flips when happy, and beg for their favorite treats in an endearing, charming, almost too cute for words sort of way.

Happy Easter - a little early

I thought about making a post for "Make mine Chocolate" on Easter, but then I thought "wouldn't that be too late?"

a baby bunny at the shelter

I really doubt anyone reading this blog would irresponsibly bring a rabbit home, but as someone who previously owned rabbits, I thought I'd share my experiences.

I have owned two rabbits and fostered a mom and her babies once. This by no means makes me an expert - I fully admit that. Tobin lived for 11 years, Bri for only a few (I believe her best friend Skippy has recurring bordatella and infected her)

Rabbits are not easy.They look easy, they read as easy. You feed hay, veggies and some pellets. You change out the litter.. sounds easy right?

But there are a lot of other things, like they chew. They chew a LOT. I have baseboards that are gnawed, I have books that are missing part of their covers, photos that have pieces missing, letters that have holes in them, and photo albums that are going in the recycling because she chewed the covers. All wires are fair game to a rabbit. All wood. Anything that will fit into their mouth is basically a chew toy - well with the exception of the items you often give them to chew. Rabbit teeth never stop growing, so they need to keep them active to wear them down. You also should check their teeth regularly to make sure they are growing straight and are not overgrown. This is NOT easy, as a rabbit is not a fan of your fingers near your mouth. Often you will get nipped.

Same with rabbit claws. Rabbits in the wild dig burrows, and the claws are very handy for that. In a home, there is little use for them. So they need to be trimmed often. Being a prey animal, they are not fans of being held in one place with out an escape, so nail trims are NOT easy. They also have long quicks, and bleed excessively when you hit one.Nail trims can be done by owners, but you need to be careful.

Because rabbits do NOT like to be restrictively held. They will kick with their strong back feet, which can be painful if you get hit. Not only that but they are so powerful that if you do not hold them properly, they can actually break their own backs.

Kit handing with foster bunnies

Rabbits and other animals can co-exist. My cats loved my rabbits (well some of my cats were a little scared of my rabbits) and enjoyed hanging out with both Tobin and Bri. I know of someone who had free roaming rabbits and dogs. They got along wonderfully for years until one day it appeared the play got a little rough, and they came home to ... well, it wasn't pretty. I also had a friend who had a free roaming (in the home) rabbit. She was well socialized, but there were issues with power cords and bunny poops.

Rabbits need to have a mobile gut. They need to have constant access to food and thus they have constant output. Fortunately, rabbit poops are small and round and hard and can be swept right up. A rabbit with gut issues is a very sick rabbit so if you find soft pellets, it needs to go to a vet. One thing though, rabbits make cecum, which comes out of the gut, but it is soft. Rabbits eat this to boost their nutritional input. Cecum is soft, but if you are seeing it, your bunny needs to go to the vet.

URI is deadly to rabbits.  Bri did not eat all of her dinner and was not excited to eat her breakfast.  I took her to the vet that day, noticed a little discharge by her nose, and she was dead within hours.  Bunnies are incredibly fragile in regards to health, and ANY sign that a rabbit is not 'right' means a trip to the vet.  Not eating, not pooping, lethargy sneezing, eye discharge, etc.  In larger animals, you can wait it out and see what happens, not so with rabbits.

Bunnies all have different personalities, like kitties, but as prey animals, they are a little harder to get to know.  My first rabbit Tobin hated carrots. He used them as hockey pucks and pushed them around his pen until I would throw them out.  Bri loved them, but she loved the greens more (Thumper's mom would be proud)  Bri used to "yell" at me if I was late getting her breakfast.  Tobin was very sensitive to getting too many pellets and fecal matter would collect on his behind. Their idea of giving love is not like those of cats and dogs, so you have to be accepting of their version of their joy to be with you.  Bunny binkys (running around and doing a kick so their body flips a little)

Rabbits also molt twice a year.  They blow their coat. and look pretty silly while it happens.  If you happen to be sensitive to rabbit fur (which is easy when it is everywhere, up your nose, in your eyes) it is not much fun.

Rabbit skin is also very thin.  Watching a few rabbit spays and talking to the vet who did them, I learned that they are very delicate, and it is more difficult to spay them than other animals.  Rabbits who are intact have to deal with raging hormones and are generally less acceptable pets.  Males become aggressive,   females get protective, and they both can become cage aggressive.

They are adorable and fun, and it is rare that I would say that someone should not get one, but you should know what you are getting into.  Not to mention in a few weeks there is going to be a TON of them on Craigslist, petfinder and at your local shelters.

There is a cute interactive bunny at Make mine Chocolate  to see if bunnies are right for you.

Tobin

Muffin and Eli meeting Tobin

Bri and Skippy

Bri with attitude

Bird toy hanging behind Bri would allow her to make noise to call attention to her

Rainbows

On Thursday, I got an email to let me know that Bri's ashes were back.  On the way home it started raining and I got to see a spectacular double rainbow.  I pulled over and took a few photos, and had to laugh as when I was finished several other people had too.

It seemed to get brighter after I started driving home, and I caught this next photo.  I almost didn't stop because I live where there aren't trees so I could have gotten a better shot, but I feared that it would be gone by the time I got there, which unfortunately it was.  It was just a really nice moment for me.

(cue weird double rainbow YouTube guy)

I picked her up on Friday, and her ashes are here at the house. Unlike Twee when Em's ashes came home, Skippy hasn't seem to notice.  But he has been extra cuddly this past week, which I am not complaining about one little bit.

Final goodbyes

It's been a week since Bri died, and I finally got it in me to clean and dismantle the room.  not an easy thing either emotionally or physically since I'm allergic to my bunny and now I'm congested up the wazoo.  Fortunately DH will take care of the cleaning up of the debris for me and get rid of the carpets.  We are going to have to do something about the baseboards, as Bri really enjoyed chewing on those when she was a pup.  Skippy stopped by to sniff things out.  Saying goodbye too? or looking for his snuggle bunny??  Skippy is still uber snuggly since he hasn't been able to hang out with her.

I also called the e-clinic and asked for the cost of bringing in a rabbit on a Sunday, and was told $89, so it looks like I was over charged.  Not sure why.  I'll be writing a letter later today or tomorrow.

Anyway, here are a few more photos.  I couldn't help but take some of Skippy as I was cleaning.

Bri & Skippy

I'm going to try to not dwell on what happened. It is tragic what happened to Bri, but I'm not sure that even if I had done every "what if" I come up with that I could have saved her.  I know full well there really wasn't anything short of super human powers that could have saved her, but grief still has a way of playing the "what if" game.  What if I had taken her to the vet when she first stopped eating (but she occasionally didn't eat her full meal, it wasn't unreasonable to not worry at that point) or when she didn't eat her beloved yogurt treat (ok, that one I can't really qualify, she never ignored those before, but there is a first time for everything) or if I had taken her right away in the AM when I noticed she still hadn't eaten the rest of her meal from yesterday or her yogurt treat (I probably should have, but would that have made that much of a difference?  Rabbits are notorious for going down hill fast and not turning around)   About an hour before I brought her in, I noticed she had some eye and nasal discharge.  Nothing drastic, just a little bit, which is when I knew I needed to bring her in, but I had to wait for my husband to come home.

But what gets me is when I showed up at the eclinic, that I was put off for so long.  Because rabbits are so fragile, I would think anything short of a blood spurting trauma (and no, I don't have proof there weren't a few of those that caused the delay) should have had to wait until she was seen.  I got to the clinic at around 1:30, and it was 3pm before I finally made a stink about not being seen.  The receptionist wanted to know if I wanted to check out for goodness sake.  finally the tech took the rabbit back so the doctor could "squeeze it in between seeing others"  I know rabbits are a bit more of a disposable pet vs dogs and cats, but my fee is just as high as theirs, and I should be afforded the proper respect for that. 

She was given fluids, and sent home with medication... which was another 30-40 minutes that she was with out help.  The least they should have done was give her the first dose.  Would it have made a difference? probably not, but it might have.

and what really gets me is that script they gave me for another medication that was spelled wrong and made out to the wrong last name.  Which is just two more reasons why I don't feel I was treated right.

I have to believe that it wouldn't have made a difference.  I have to.  But I don't have to allow them to go on thinking I was happy with the visit.  I will be sending them a letter when I can do it with out being overly emotional.

When I left with Bri I shut the door to her room.  I couldn't bare to come home and see it.  I opened it this morning because I knew Skippy would want to go in and visit with Bri (cause I don't think he knows)  I found him in there this morning as I was leaving for work, looking at me like "where's Bri?"  Broke my heart.

I can't believe it was just Friday that she licked my toes..

Rest in Peace Bri

hours before she died

Well Bri has died.  I ran out to the store to fill the prescription they gave me at the eclinic (They had misspelled it and putting the wrong last name on the script) and when I got home I thought I should probably try to force feed her the food they gave me for her.  I checked on her, and had to put my hand on her chest to see if she was breathing as she was in her box.  I left, mixed the food, put my own dinner in the microwave (I left before I had eaten lunch and it was now past 5)   I was reluctant to stress her out any more, but I know full well how important food is for a rabbit, and it had been too long since she ate.  She had still been passing pellets up at the vets so I wasn't in panic mode yet, but I was coming upon it.  I was trying to decide if I should force her now or wait a few hours and let her calm down after the trip to the vet, when I realized she wasn't moving.  Not yet concerned, I reached into her box and rested my hand on her chest.  no movement.  I thought she was just breathing shallowly, and touched her foot, and it felt.. well lets just say I was able to confirm she died.

I pulled her out of the box, and there was no denying it.

I didn't know what to do with her.  I ended up calling the shelter manager to see what she might suggest, but she was at work at the shelter and offered to stay there as I drove in.

So she's at the shelter waiting to be cremated.  I feel bad because Skippy didn't get a chance to see her since I brought her to the hospital.  I hope he doesn't miss her terribly

Bri's trip to the emergency clinic

shortly after that post, I checked on Bri again. She was starting to sound congested, and so I took her up to the e-clinic.  Not amused, but long story shortened she has URI, and they believe diarrhea.  I really hadn't see the diarrhea up till then.  She had well formed pellets that looked like they were coated in urine because she really wasn't mobile.

the vet suggested x-rays, then after I agreed to do them talked me out of it and sent me home with meds after giving her fluids. I just attempted to give her the medication, and I don't think she swallowed any of it.  She didn't really respond to my putting her in the cage, and is just laying there very lethargic.

I have a feeling I've lost her already.  I hope not, but I'm preparing myself for the worst

Bri is not feeling well

last night I noticed my rabbit hadn't eaten all her pellets, so I went to check on her, and she was out of water.  I refilled it and she went to drink, so I thought all was good (she stops eating when she runs out of water)

An hour or so later, I noticed she still had pellets.  Not totally unreasonable... but I went in any way and offered her a half of a yogurt drop (i give them very sparingly, she loves them, but they make her stools soft) and she didn't eat it.  That was unusual, and I got a little concerned, but she looked good otherwise - maybe a little bit on the quiet side as she let me pick her up easily.

This morning the yogurt treat is still there untouched.  The water hasn't really decreased, and there were still pellets.  I picked her up again, and she has urine all over her back end.  She produced a nice looking pellet while I held her, which is good, but she did sound a smidge congested.  This is so not good.  I went to the store and got her some   fresh pineapple.  Not sure it is going to help her, but it is something.  I'm going to try to get some food in her a little later if she isn't perked up by this afternoon.  Since she is still producing pellets, I don't think this is an emergency, but I can see it going down that road if she isn't eating

cutest thing eva

Ok, maybe not ever, but certainly of this morning.  Bri my rabbit licked my toes.   It was utterly adorable.

DH said to me "you are lucky she didn't bite them" - which is all too true.

Ollie & Skippy and Bri

Here again is King Ollie, sitting on his new throne.  Just this morning he went to put a stop to a fight with Skippy and Fleurp, it was rather cute. My dad came over yesterday, and once again he didn't run.  In fact he not only didn't run, he wandered around the house and interacted with the other cats.  Everyone showed up but Muffin.  Dad came to look at my car and my microwave.  It was nice to see him.

As for Skippy and Bri, I woke up the other morning to see them actually snuggled up together.  It was so unbelievably cute, but by the time I got my camera, I had obviously distracted him and they weren't as close.  I sat around for a while, and while they were interactive, they wouldn't snuggle.  I did get this shot though.  They are so darn cute

What is it with Skippy and the Rabbit??

He has just loved hanging out with her from day one..

I have to say I really like this camera.  I took this shot at 11pm with all the lights out.  Pretty impressive job if you ask me.

How do you get a Skippy to eat his greens?

You give them to the rabbit!!

HEY!  That's MINE!!

Bri says she'll share

Ollie thinks Skippy is Loony!!

GFS (Gratuitous Fleurp Shot)

 Jack & Muffin

The Crew

So I got a coupon for some free digital prints, and I have some cute photo frames I want to fill up with photos of the crew, so this morning I took my camera (yes, the stupid Kodak one who will NOT focus on the cats no matter how hard I try) and took about 100 photographs of the kids. These were the only ones who came out half decent (and one that isn't half decent but is too cute anyway)
Click on any photo to view the larger format:

So first I took photos of Ollie. Sitting on the fridge I figured I had a half decent chance of getting a good photo


Then Fleurp decided she wanted in on the action


Then I took a few of Jack that did not come out at all (the rug he was on was clearer than he - the item in the CENTER OF THE PHOTO) and Fleurp was not amused she wasn't the center of attention


So then Muffin came around, and I got one of her on the chair. Unfortunately that was all blurry too, and the first one of Muf and Kit was bad, but this one was cute.


seriously, you would think this kitten never gets any attention!!



Tweedle walked by, and the first few of her were all blurry, but I got this one


Eli's first photo was horrid, the second was good, and he was out of there, because he knew I was going to want to clean his face


More Fleurp.. I swear...


So then Muffin jumped up on the cat tree and proceeded to pose for me in the MOST DIFFICULT POSITION POSSIBLE. I love her.. really I do, and she totally makes me work for it


so I got her to turn around with a few well placed complements and some begging



but then she decided she needed to wash up.


and because that picture was just so priceless, a few close ups



Then I thought I'd go get a photo of Brianna, the Bunny. and guess who showed up


Tried to get one with out Fleup. Tried...