Bunnys for the 50+ Crowd

Sent this post to a colleague in the blogosphere but it kept getting rejected, so I took that as a sign it belongs here...

Why House Rabbits are Great Companions for the 50+ Crowd

Rabbits Are Excellent Companions!

People, especially those 50 years old and more, who share their homes with the various domestic breed of House Rabbitgss quickly discover the value and potential of these charming animals as dear friends, cherished companions and beings who encourage and reinforce our intellectual and social engagement.

There are many reasons why you might consider sharing your home with a rabbit. First, rabbits are extremely intelligent. They quickly catch onto household routines and interact well with humans, dogs, cats, guinea pigs, and birds. They respond to their names and to other human language. Once a rabbit settles into his or her new home, they’ll come running for a pet, a kiss, or a treat. Most House Rabbits savor being stroked, brushed, and talked to, and some rabbits even enjoy being held. Each domestic breed (or mix) like dogs and other and other domesticated species have unique traits. For example the New Zealand enjoys and seeks handling and affection while the Rex is more aloof and a good companion for those of us who respect independence and intelligence.

Rabbits are clean and do not need bathing. They groom themselves thoroughly and constantly, instinctively wanting to keep themselves immaculate and scent-free. Though even litterbox-trained rabbits may drop a pellet here or there on occasion, rabbit poop does not have an offensive smell, and it sweeps up easily. Recycled newspaper makes an environmentally friendly and inexpensive litter. Add a layer of timothy hay and you have a human/rabbi win-win solution to bunny excrement. Not to mention great fodder for comost! Some buns enjoy privilege of sleeping in the beds of their humans due to their extreme cleanliness!

Finally, rabbits are entertaining, keeping their humans amused with bunny dances (also known as binkies), sprints through rooms and hallways, purposeful 'flops' onto the floor for a nap or to signal happiness, and long, luxurious stretches and yawns upon awakening. Rabbits enjoy playing with toys that they can toss, roll, and flip, and they immerse themselves in time-consuming projects such as carving doors and windows into cardboard boxes. Bonded pairs of rabbits interact constantly with each other as they cuddle side by side or indulge in games of chase and tag.

Since rabbits do best in a quiet home with no small children, perhaps you might investigate why so many others have chosen to adopt shelter rabbits as companions. There are also social connections for house rabbit folk, including blogs like www.everythingbunny.blogspotl.com that keep you stay connected, and remind you that the most important part of responsible bunny companionship is finding a bunny experienced vet.

I’d encourage anyone interested to adopt through House Rabbit Society or local rescue group and HRS has wonderful articles available for the first time and experienced bunny human!

Bunny Molt

Bunny molt and shedding is often a concern of new and seasoned domestic rabbit families.
Lately our Rex has been in a major shed. We were surprised. Her last shed/molt was back in February which was in synch with the molt of our dear Clover who passed on at the end of February.

I learned from posts on ravelry.com, that great fiber site, that a number of other rabbit families were experiencing May molt.

What we've learned includes: 1- get the 'furminator' recommended by our bunny vet Dr. Hess (see previous entries) and 2- if all else fails coincide the regular bunny check up with molt and ask the bunny vet to shave if necessary.

Rabbit Rescue

We've had our first hand experience with bunny rescue and adoption. Last week a neighbor found a bun, a baby, most likely an Easter dump- in a parking garage. Since she knew I already lived with a bun she thought we'd take the new bun.

Of course. But getting our bun and dog to accept a new bun, as well as the challenge finding good bunny/dog sitters for necessary out of town trips was a challenge. In addition this new bun was quite stressed and frail.

So the good news is a new forever home was found in no time. Educating the human who'd be a newbie bunny companion reminded me to post a few pointers here.

1. Patience- a bun needs time, and quite time to get comfortable in new surroundings.
2. Practice your 'bunny voice', a quiet, deep tone just reassuring bunny he/she is safe is a good thing for the first few days (as of course quiet radio).
3. Be prepared! Have food, housing and the name and contact of a good 'bunny' vet before you bring the bunny home.
4. Use the House Rabbit Society pages to read and learn all about bun behavior, feeding, health etc.
4. Use the internet to find online communities of bunny folk to talk with. For example, ravelry.com has a bunny rabbit lovers group and yahoo.com has several groups NYC bunny group, Etherbun etc.

Bunny Adoption

Okay so if you've been following the blog and reading other bunny sites you know the only way to go is bunny adoption. Some pointers with bunny adoption include, especially for first time bunny folk:

• adopt a bunny who is spayed/neutered
• adopt a bunny who is litterbox trained
• don't worry if bunny is shy when you reach into cage; some shelter buns live in small cages and become territorial as that's their security setting, once you get your bunny home and provide ample out of cage time it's been my experience that soon even the most cage protective rabbit soon adapts.
• ask shelter/rescue to provide you with a list of bun's usual diet (so you can introduce any new foods gradually) and if possible a medical history.
• before you pick your bun see if you need to bring a carrier-- some shelters have carriers for transports, others do not.
• try 'really hard' not to look at the other buns and over-extend yourself. Only adopt the bun(s) you can adequately care for.
• be sure you have identified a rabbit savvy vet, don't rely on the shelter referral, especially if not a bun rescue group. there are lists of these vets on the internet and there are bunny groups from yahoo to ravelry where bun lovers will help you find the best vet.

Stay tuned while we put together some links to shelters/rescue groups who would welcome your interest in adopting a bunny.

Bunny Sitters

Bunny sitters are hard to find. From reading blogs and online groups, it seems that lack of bunnysitters is a major deterrent for people who’d otherwise consider house rabbits for their companions as well as a reason some give up their bunnies.
I’m one of the lucky ones. I have two exceptional ‘critter sitters’, who take good care of both the bunny and the hound when I am away. However, neither started out as accomplished sitters. I took a lot of time educating each on the needs of both of these delicate creatures. Both have spent a lot of time on the House Rabbit Society education pages and each time I am away I leave a folder with detailed instructions and printouts of important information articles, especially those that educate people about noticing the signs that could mean your bunny is sick. I also leave a basket filled with the things bunny will need both basket and items are labeled for reinforcement—eg brush (every evening) etc.
Not only is the bunny vet contact information available, including driving directions, but also information about the 24-hour emergency facility and instructions to tell them to contact the bun’s regular bunny vet. I also leave the information packet from Bond Animal Hospital where we see Dr. Laurie Hess.

If your primary bunny facility does not have a similar package with instructions for feeding, behavior, and what to do in an emergency, etc., I’d encourage you to ask them to put one together.

I’ve also noted on some of the chat sites that people are sending out SOS for a bunny sitter days before they need one. I suggest you start early, find at least 2 people who are good candidates and begin their education 8-10 weeks in advance. Send them to web sites, download and print important information and make sure they are familiar with the unique needs or your bun. I recently read a plea that said the bun had free roaming of the apartment including bedroom- would that be a problem? In the same way human sitters need time to be trained so do the buns. For example, when I am away I know neither sitter is going to make the usual breakfast time. So for at least a week or longer I slowly reschedule feeding time so the bun is not only used to later breakfast, but gets used to a bit of unpredictability yet remains confident food is coming.

Herbal Remedies for Rabbit

I learned from a fellow fiber person on ravelry.com some herbal remedies for sick bunnies. I know about herbal remedies for human healing, but did not know good for bunnies also.
Knitterbunny provides a disclaimer as follows.."a compilation of remedies that were put together by several rabbit breeders and added to by myself. Please use caution ...

Unless otherwise indicated, herbal remedies should be used in the amount of one-two leaves once a day per rabbit.
Blackberry- Use leaves and fruit; this is soothing to the rabbit and can help to cool the animal by increasing circulation, it is good for pregnant does, especially on hot summer days, and can also help to stimulate appetite while Borage- increases milk flow and is slightly laxative
Chamomile- flower has cleansing and calming properties, it helps to relieve pain used as an infusion (tea) calms nervous animals, the tea is also helpful as a wash for weepy eye
Clover- great roughage fresh or dried, somewhat sedative, both the leaf and the flower can be fed, should not be given to young rabbits, and should be fed sparingly to prevent acidosis
Comfre- the active ingredient is cholin, a very powerful healing agent, you can feed the root or foliage (though I use only the foliage), will stimulate appetite, and is generally good as a treat, a compress can also be applied to bruised or sprained areas, use a partial leaf of this as the leaves are very large and Dandelion- use as an appetite stimulant or treat, also helpful to prevent wool block and ease wool block, roots or leaves can be used (though I only use leaves), be sure that the leaves are free of pesticides and from a dog free area, wash well, use up to three leaves at a time. Dill- increases milk production, increases appetite, increases intestinal health, leaves work, but seeds are stronger, use a sprinkling of seeds (side effect, bunnies have “pickle” breath for a short while). Garlic- protects against most disease as well as preventing shock, highly antiseptic, but rabbits don’t like the taste

Mint- dried or fresh mint will increase intestinal health and decrease milk flow (perfect for does that have lost their litter to dry off the milk)- We just tried mint tonight for our bun with undiagnosed bouts of stasis. So far, so good.

Nasturtium- Highly antiseptic, both leaves and flowers are edible and use up to four leaves
Oats- low in starch, high in mineral content (especially K, P, Mg, and Ca), feed very sparingly in summer and do not feed to young animals. Parsley- rich in iron and copper, contains apiol which is useful in the treatment of urinary problems, seeds, leaves, and roots may be used, roots are used for constipation and intestinal obstruction. Raspberry- treats retained afterbirth by encouraging bloodflow to the organs, inproves does condition during pregnancy, ensures a speedy strong birth, and increases intestinal health and Rosemary- flea killer (very good flea killer, if you an get them to eat it), also prevents flea infestation. Sorrel- soothing and cooling, increases blood flow.

Strawberry- antiseptic properties as well as cooling to the rabbit by increasing blood flow, use leaves, roots, and berries, specifically the leaves are rich in iron and supposed to prevent miscarriage, may be ued externally for inflammation, sore eyes, and rashes. Thistles- great to stimulate the appetite, when used with saltines thistles can bring a rabbit back from the brink of death related to intestinal inflammation. Willow- bark contains salicin which cures intestinal inflammation, a branch may be given to weanling babies every day to prevent diarrhea (I have not tried this one myself, no willow trees nearby)

Some additional all natural remedies, not necessarily herbal.

Apple Cider Vinegar- two tablespoons to a gallon of water, fill bowl as necesary, this increases the appetite, and stimulates weight gain. Baking Soda- use as a paste by mixing with a little water to relieve the pain of a nail cut too short, a scratch, or sore hocks (sore hocks should also be treated with an antiseptic, steps should be taken to prevent the exacerbation of the sore hocks by giving the rabbit a piece of drywall or plywood to sit on or moving them to a wooden floored cage)Banana- due to the vitamin B12 and potassium, it encourages weight gain and stimulates appetite, use the peel and banana, both dried chips and thin slices an be used (I freeze them in the summer as an extra treat!) Papaya- stimulates appetite and encourages a healthy coat, (this is fantastic stuff, I use it dried as a treat too)

Bunny Health & Wellness 2

Rabbit health and wellness also requires exercise and socialization. A house rabbit needs at least 4 preferably 6 hours of out of cage time. Once out in the world it is important to be sure the extended area is rabbit-proof-- no wires or other dangerous items for you bun to get into or treasured items for him/her to destroy.

House rabbits also need social time and for the one-rabbit family that is with humans. Petting, fussing, playing games is very important for rabbit health and wellness. In our other post when our bun had a bout of ileus, one of the remedies Dr. Hess recommended was exercise.

When your rabbit is ill, one of the most important treatments is to keep your rabbit company (even if it means sleeping on the kitchen floor) and fussing! Fussing includes telling your bun how important he/she is to you, and a crooned lullaby doesn't hurt either.

For our buns part of the health and wellness routine has included 24X7 NPR (National Public Radio) adio on the background.

Bunny Health & Wellness

Rabbit health and wellness is important. You must know when your bunny is sick. Because they are prey animals, house rabbits often do not show outward signs of distress, a sensitive human will notice symptoms like hiding in an unusual place, sitting in a hunched position or refusing food or favorite treat. These changes in rabbit behavior can signal that something is or will soon be seriously wrong. A list of rabbit savvy vets can be found at the House Rabbit Society and other rabbit rescue groups. There is also a list or rabbit veterinarians at the vet page of Bun Space

Although it can be difficult to determine when your rabbit needs an emergency visit to the bunny vet, some important steps include: offering your bun a favorite treat, at least twice- if he/she refuses then it is time to check temperature. Ask your rabbit veterinarian to teach you.

Next is to listen to your bunny’s intestinal sounds. Total silence could mean gastrointestinal stasis Ileus), a potentially life threatening emergency while loud gurgling could mean gas. The gas pains could push the bunny into ileus, so gas should not be taken lightly.

This past week we’ve gotten through both kinds of rabbit health and wellnessexperiences. The first was clearly the bunny emergency and in addition to the subtle behavioral signs we found a small trail of tiny, hard cecals that she’d passed during the night. The cecals for us meant don’t walk, run to the bunny vet. Last night HRH was suffering from gas, and the recommended bunny massage along with sympathetic attention and lots of fussing got us through the night. By about 2 a.m. she nibbled some timothy hay- of course holding out for the long green stalks, and by noon today she was eating again and passing cecals.

Rabbit Cost, What to Expect

So Yes a Joy even though rabbits are perhaps expensive. Although you can bring a bun into your home for a nominal fee to a rescue organization or shelter, you should consider the costs for a suitable cage, food, toys etc. It is possible to cut costs and get optimum products if you use the internet. You'll find that you will not buy everything your rabbit needs at one store.

I've seen some great pictures and videos on the internet of creative bunny digs using a wide variety of products including cubes. We use a combination of a large portable dog crate (the door is always open) in a protected area of the kitchen and an interesting placement of x-pen fencing reminiscent of the Great Wall.

We've also learned from Dr. Hess that fresh veggies trump pellets. So our 'big girl' Rex is a bit less than 1/4 cup of Oxbow Timothy pellets in the morning and evening. And of course lots of hay. Spring, summer and fall the bun gets treats from the garden including local grass snippings. Her fresh veggies and occasional fruit treats are affordable as the bun benefits from the wide variety and competitive prices of NYC produce vendors. We estimate bun food at about $20 month for fresh and hmm $10-12 for the pellets and hay.

We also shop the sales at the online stores including Drs. Foster- Rabbitstop, etc.

Bunnny Vets

So for me and many other bunny folk finding a good bunny vet is certainly on the joy list.

This week we had our first vet emergency with HRHEP. I do believe things happen because they are supposed to (notice not necessary for 'a reason'). So the supposed to on Thursday morning was I overslept. Resigned I'd be late for work I did not overly rush the morning and engaged the usual routine. Feed the hound, feed the bun, brush the hound and do daily hygeine, spend time with the bun.

Like most other human companions to buns, I'm sensitive to anything just not right and both bun and hound are creatures of habit and routine. So there was an intuitive sense something was amiss but then there was telltale sign! itty bitty small hard cecals in the corner.

Of course panic set in- after all this was the first anniversary of the passing of beloved Clover. But Dr. Laurie Hess and the team at Bond Animal Hospital saved the day and the bun!

For me the elements of a good bunny vet--
- the practice answers the telephone in a competent and kind manner (kudos Bond)
- the vet is in or if not the practice knows where he/she is available to see your bun-- and the alternate site is close by
- the practice understands potential bun crisis and is willing to fit in new clients
-the vet is a bunny specialist ( as well as other small animal and exotic but grounded in bun care)
- the vet and/or the techs educate you and help you with bun aftercare
-the bun vet has a back up plan for emergencies, letting you know the best place to take your bun when he/she cannot be reached; and has an established professional relationship so the emergency group will contact the bunny vet.
-the vet and/or tech is available for follow up guidance telephone calls.

Bunny Bereavement

Some might find it surprising to list bunny bereavement as joy #3.

Today is the first anniversary of the passing of our beloved Clover. Why is this bereavement a joy? Well among the many things humans learn living with buns one of the joys is the mark they leave on your life, family, home and other 'critters'. Typical human behavior is to be sad when a beloved passes on but a bun leaves a legacy and when the first shock of passing subsides the human is left with a joyful energy, joyful memories and the ability to live and love another bun.

I think the bun's agree to this beforetime- a kind of collective bonding. I do not find it unusual that our current bun was placed in a shelter at the same time our Clover passed. It took awhile but eventually we 'got it' and checked out House Rabbit Society adoption pages and serendipitously Petfinders.com and not only did we find HRHEP but learned about shelter buns who don't make it into foster care or bunny rescue housing.

So it is a joy, to love and live with a bun again and now to learn we can take small and big steps to embrace many more buns. So thank you Clover- living with you has been and continues to be a joy.

Why a Rabbit?

If you are planning to bring a rabbit into your home it is important to know that without boundaries and good human smarts, they are destructive creatures.

Rabbits love to chew, and don’t distinguish between the cute little chew toy you bought for them and your wooden furniture. Power cords for many buns are a delicacy! (which is not only annoying, but hazardous), and they enjoy carpeting, clothes, shoes, paper… anything their bunny teeth can wrap around. Then, of course, there’s the digging most rabbits like to do. All can add up to a human’s ruined home.

Yes for me these traits are joyful—the buns keep me balanced, reminding me what is important in this incarnation and I’m fortunate that my rabbits have not been that destructive. Polka ate the vacuum hose, but hey it was not plugged in and now we keep them out of her way. Both Polka and Clover have liked to dig (as has a 40 year history of bloodhounds) so we’ve come up with strategies that neither dog nor bunny can totally destroy the home—and at this time the dog slobber trumps bunny nibbles.

So another joy is knowing my extra effort at vigilance has provided a safe haven for bunny and hound.

Here's another adoption link: HugABunny Rabbit Rescue

The Bunny Joy List

First on my list of the joy of living with a house rabbit is our bun is a wonderful knitting companion.

For winter I'd moved a wood adirondack chair into the kitchen so 'The Polkster' oops Her Royal Highness the Empress Polka- (HRHEP) and I could bond comfortably. As cold weather settled into this draughty room of the house, the chair was piled with cushions and old woolen sweaters to provide a comfortable nest. And there we'd bond and knit.

Little did I know savvy human that I am that when thinking humans are not looking HRHEP uses the chair as a jumping off point to explore the top of her crate, the kitchen counters and most recently the angle of the chair back for a precipitous self-propelled toboggan ride.

Although joy #1 for the human is knitting companionship and joy #1 for the rabbit is gymnastics; I've been concerned the bun will injure herself. So enter the trusty x-pen! There a several makes and models of x-pens out there appropriate for rabbits and in a range of prices. We ordered ours (actually two) from RabbitStop.com Checking the website today I noted the xpen (playpen) is on sale- perhaps joy #1 for the person thinking of getting a rabbit-- for us the joy has passed.

So what's your joy #1?

Thinking of Getting a Rabbit?

Easter '08 is right around the corner. That’s the time when bunnies are bought by the hundreds, well thousands, by perhaps well meaning humans who wish add to the Easter Bunny myth and keep the magic alive for children. By summer the vast majority of these rabbits are discarded and most in inhumane ways. House rabbits are high maintenance companions; and although the rewards are great, there’s a lot of work and sometimes expense involved to provide optimum care.
Right now we have one lovely house rabbit, rescued from a shelter. Our previous bun who came to us through the House Rabbit Society adoption network still lives with us in spirit. These buns have truly benefited, as have we, from all we’ve learned about living with these marvelous creatures.
So if you are thinking of getting a rabbit step #1—visit and study the House Rabbit Society website and step #2 adopt a rabbit from a reputable rescue organization or shelter.

Bunny's Rule!

And to rule safely and happily the need human subjects who are willing to devote the time, attention and yes, money, needed to support the bunny's realm