Make Mine Chocolate 2019

For many years now I have participated in the Make Mine Chocolate campaign. I was a rabbit owner for almost two decades and absolutely adore rabbits as pets and I think everyone should own one. However, I do know full well that not everyone should own a rabbit. They are not low maintenance "starter pets" that so many people think they are.

For the past couple of years, I have not been a rabbit owner because my last rabbit, Bri, died of a URI and with two cats who have chronic URI symptoms I can not face the idea of bringing a rabbit into my home only to expose it to a fatal disease. In my current home, I do have the ability to foster a rabbit since there are areas of my home that my cats are not allowed to go (IKR??) but I would not feel comfortable owning a pet and keeping it isolated out of my living area.

Because I haven't been a recent rabbit owner my MMC posts have been a bit repetitive. I reached out to Speedy The Cheeky House Bunny and asked them to help me out this year. Rachel sent me this wonderful post to share with you.

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Meet Speedy My Bunny. He's a happy Fellow and an adventurer who brings me much joy but he is also hard work and costs a lot of money to keep

Every morning He has to have his pens and litter trays cleaned. He has a salad 3 times a day.then he has his litter trays cleaned again for the evening. He has to be played with and needs a lot of company because rabbits like to be in groups or have one companion at all times. We are constantly doing little things for him throughout the day

Speedy's food bill alone costs me a fortune around £60 a month which is about $80....that is $20 every week! This covers his pellets, greens(salad)and his hay and treats, it would cost me more if I had to buy all his hay from a retailer lucky for me I have a couple of farmer friends who let me have a bale of hay cheap a couple times a year.

Then there is the cost of Housing and Bedding and litter trays which could set you back another £60 or $80, then there are toys and chews to keep him busy every couple of months. Bunnies chew and destroy everything from their toys to doors and baseboards...oh and cables, Rabbits love cables!

Then there are the vet bills. Some rabbits suffer with tooth problems all their lives and need regular checks and dentals. They have delicate tummies and the slightest thing can upset them and they stop eating which means emergency vet care. They need health checks with a rabbit savvy vet a couple of times a year and they need worming up to 4 times a year. Speedy has also had eye removal surgery which today would cost £300 to £400 / $400 to $500 dollars he also had a lump removed last year and an ear infection which left a bill of the same £400/$500.Then there is the cost of a spay or neuter which I know in the US for rabbit costs a fortune in the UK it can cost up to £90 or £100 pounds depending on your vet. Vet bills in the UK are Cheaper than the US so you can add a couple hundred dollars to those prices easily. Rabbits aren't a cheap pet They can cost as much as a dog or a cat....sometimes more.

Rabbits are prey animals, they don't like being picked up. They will bite, kick, and claw, wriggle and jump to get away from you and your children....causing possible injury to you, your children and the rabbit. Rabbits aren't a very good pet for young children as they can frighten and injure a rabbit without realizing.

A Rabbit is a 10 year plus commitment. Sadly many Rabbits get neglected after a couple of months or handed into shelters or even released to fend for themselves in the wild...Domestic Rabbits don't know how to survive in the wild and die very quickly.

Speedy Says if you can't Deal with the commitment and the cost that comes with having a rabbit as a pet Please don't buy a real Rabbit this Easter.... He Says Buy a Chocolate one or a toy one for your children instead This Easter

©Easter Stock Photos

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

• 2018
• 2017
• 2016
• 2015
• 2014 (a repost of 2013)
• 2013
• 2012
• 2011
• 2003

A Donation for the Shelter Bunnies #chewyinfluencer

This month's Chewy.com Influencer "free product for an honest review" Program's list also had a nice bag of Oxbow Essential's Adult Rabbit Food. It has been a while since I made a donation to the shelter for the bunnies, something I like to do from time to time so I asked if they would be okay with my asking for that product and donating it. Chewy was fine with the idea.

Rabbits should eat mostly hay and dark leafy green veggies but adding in a bit of rabbit food each day makes sure you hit all of their nutritional needs. I found it quite interesting that I saw this particular brand being sold at my vet's office when I was just recently in there, so you know it has my vet's approval.

Rabbits also need to chew constantly to help wear down their teeth.I thought using the Chewy Box to make some chewy toys would be a great idea.  I bought a bag of Timothy Hay to make the toys more interesting.

I checked out Pinterest to find some ideas for DIY cardboard rabbit toys.  There were some really amazing projects but I wanted to keep it simple. I used this pin and this pin for inspiration.

Since I had just acquired myself an empty roll of toilet paper, I thought I'd make the simplest of rabbit chewies first. Shove timothy hay in the tube.

Done! Wasn't that simple? The bunny that gets this can eat the hay and chew the cardboard to reveal more. They can also "nose" the roll around the cage for something to do.

Creating cardboard Xs is another simple toy for rabbits. They can chew them, pick them up and toss them around and dig at them with their feet.  I cut the short sides of the Chewy.com Box off and cut them in half.

For the longer sides, I had wanted to create more stuffed chew toys like the toilet paper roll one, but I could not place my hands on my natural twine.  If I had found it, it would have looked a lot like the one below with the pink ribbon.  I probably would have put two or three ties on it to give the bunny something to investigate and chew on as well. I made sure all of the tape was off the box first.

But alas, no twine, so I decided to shove hay through holes in "cards" of cardboard. Jack thought he needed to help me at this point and his distraction led me to not get any photos of the final project. I cut both long ends into four squares and then cut holes in the middle.  For several of them, I kept the simple approach and just shoved a tuft of hay in one card. For others, I used two or three cards to make the toy a little more 'challenging"

I piled everything up in the base of the Chewy.com box. I decided to not deconstruct it and make more toys for two reasons, one it made an awesome carrying case and for another, it might be a nice for the shelter to have the box to give to a rabbit to chew on.

I then called the shelter and spoke to Peter (no, the coincidence did not escape me) and asked him what they might like for some goodies for the rabbits. Shelters will often get large donations of greens so I wanted to make sure I wasn't buying anything they didn't need. He asked for some apples, some dark leafy greens and some cilantro because it helps them wake up from surgery (which I had never heard of before). I stopped at the grocery store on my way to the shelter, and thought a few boxes of popciles for the staff would be nice because it was such a warm day.

All told, the donation cost me just under $20 and it was very much appreciated.

Peter let me feed some craisins to the rabbits and I had to be mighty careful that this little girl (above) didn't try to nibble on my fingertips which still smelled like them. You can almost hear her asking "Hey, Lady, you got any more of them craisins??"

The small animal area consists of two rooms and in the 'office' area they leg the rabbits run around for some exercise. Here is another cool cardboard box craft. The two bunnies in the box really love the green tube and seemed to prefer to use that enterence.

Peter and I talked bunnies for a few minutes and he let me pet a few of them. Sometimes it still really hurts that I feel can't have a rabbit right now due to what happened with Bri (she came down with a URI which I believe she caught from Skippy) Rabbits do make wonderful pets if you are prepared to deal with their unique needs.

Thank you to Oxbow and Chewy.com for being the inspiration for this donation. I hope it leads to other people thinking about supporting nontraditional shelter animals.

Oxbow is currently having a giveaway until August 31st. Nominate your favorite shelter to win $5,000

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

Image courtesy of Ruben the Rex

As someone who used to own rabbits, I have lent my voice and my platform for six years to the "Make Mine Chocolate" campaign which hopes to put an end to impulse purchases of rabbits and chicks as easter gifts. One of this year's memes says "You wouldn't buy a reindeer for your chid at Christmas, so why would you buy a rabbit for your child at Easter"

This is so very true. Rabbits and chicks - in fact, any animal - should never be purchased without a good deal of consideration as to what that animal needs to live and if you are ready or not to provide that.

A lot of people think that rabbits are wild creatures so they can buy them for the holiday and simply release them into the wild when they are 'done' with them. This is completely inaccurate as the rabbits you are able to purchase are domesticated and have about as much chance of surviving in the wild as your child does. To simply put them outside is abandonment - a form of animal abuse.

So many posts about rabbits at this time of year can really turn you off of owning a rabbit, and that makes me sad. Rabbits make wonderful pets and I would have one now if I wasn't quite sure that my youngest cat is a carrier of an upper respiratory disease that is fatal to rabbits. They are adorable, and fun, and they can make you laugh.

However, rabbits are prey animals and as such they aren't as snuggly as cats or dogs. It isn't that they aren't snuggly, but in a different way. They are also fragile and you need to be very careful how you handle them or you risk them breaking their back attempting to get away. Rabbits need to eat continually and have a fairly specific diet of hay and greens and as a result, they poop continually. Lastly, for this article anyway, rabbits chew on everything including baseboards, books, photo albums and electrical cords. They have to because their teeth never stop growing.

If you want a rabbit for Easter, or at any time, please do your research on reputable websites like Hopperhome.com or the House Rabbit Society. Know that you are going to need to provide them a cage/hutch for a home base, a litter box, and lots and lots of hay. Understand that rabbits need to have a vet who understands rabbits and how fragile they really are and they should be neutered. My last rabbit Bri died about 12 hours after I noticed the first symptom of her illness despite my taking her to the emergency vet. My first Rabbit Tobin lived until he was 11.

And if you aren't ready for that kind of commitment, join your voice with ours and say

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

Having been a rabbit owner for almost 15 years (would have been longer - Bri died way too young) "Make Mine Chocolate" is a cause dear to my heart.

Easter is a wonderful time; full of thoughts of Spring, and chicks and rabbits and candy and fun.  It is also a time of renewal and reflection and reverence.  Easter is the celebration of the rise of Jesus after the crucifixion, but like Christmas, it has been "watered down" with pagan symbols to make it more palatable to non-Christians in hopes that it would make converting them easier... hence the eggs, the chicks, and the bunnies.

Sometimes people think this would be a great time to introduce a rabbit into the household.  They aren't completely wrong. It can be done if done right, especially if it is a life lesson for those involved and everyone wants the animal.

But all too often it is done without considering the lifetime commitment a pet rabbit needs.  Pet store rabbits are NOT wild rabbits, and should not be just let free once the novelty of owning a rabbit has worn off, doing so pretty much ensures that it dies a horrible death.

Rabbits are not 'easy' pets.  They do need room to roam and hop around.  They have a fairly specific diet that includes lots of hay, minimal pellets and a good variety of greens.  They need to chew constantly to help keep their teeth worn down so they can continue to eat, and they need to dig in order to wear down their claws.  Even when given appropriate toys to chew on, they will often go for inappropriate items such as electrical cords and baseboards.  If teeth and claws are not worn down naturally, they will need to be trimmed - which is not easy because bunnies are prey animals and as such have a fear of being held down, let alone having a paw held to trim claws.  They also need to eat constantly to stay healthy, so they need hay all of the time.  As a result of eating constantly, they poop continually.  Fortunately, their stool is very dry and 'pellet' formed so they are easy to clean up but they will be everywhere.  Rabbits can be trained to urinate in a litter box which is nice, but their urine is quite strong smelling and without constant maintenance, your rabbit's home can quickly smell pretty badly.

I do believe rabbits are wonderful pets, but they are also very fragile.  My Brianna passed away quite suddenly from a simple respiratory issue that is easily treatable in my cats.  It was measured in hours from the time she was healthy until she was gone.  They can easily break their own back trying to get away (they have very powerful back legs) and you should not only read up on the subject but talk to a bun owner to see if owning a bunny is really for you.  What a wonderful project to take on with your kids and have them make the decision - there is even an online quiz to get you started.



Previous posts on the subject:
2012: "Make Mine Chocolate"
2011: Rabbits and Easter

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

Well, I blew it

The shelter got in a four-month-old baby flemish giant rabbit. Ever since I had Tobin, and realized that he was antisocial, I have wanted a larger rabbit, one that would interact with me. And there he was. He was beautiful. He nipped at my arm when I picked him up, but it was just a gentle nip. I didn't spend a whole heck of a lot of time with him, so we weren't horribly bonded. I am not quite in a place to provide a great rabbit home. I have a great home, don't get me wrong, and he would have been loved greatly, but it wouldn't have been ideal. I hemmed and hawed about it, and today came to the decision I was going to spend time with him on Monday and if he was social, I was going to take him home. Well, someone else adopted him today. Yay for them, and yay for the bunny finding a good home, but booo for me for not having him. It is probably for the best, flemish rabbits can get up to 20 lbs, which is actually bigger than Emmy, my eldest and fatest cat at 16.5 lbs.

Sigh.

I miss having a bunny around.