Adopting a Bun

Adopting a house rabbit is an important decision for both the bun and the human. I've seen a lot of questions on several house rabbit groups and they seem to cluster around three care areas: diet, 'pooping' aka litter box training and play. There are also questions about bonding but I'll save for another post.

Diet: hay, hay, hay! The best all around hay is western Timothy, in our family it's Oxbow. Treat hay can be oat, botanical and other grasses. Since our bun is full grown alfalfa is rare to none. Next comes the veggies. Green leafy lettuce (not iceberg because there's not enough bun nutrients). Our bun prefers Romaine even when droughts and storms raise the price to $2.49 :( Parsley and Cilantro are the treats added to the lettuce and in the morning it is lettuce and carrot tops with about 1/3 actual carrot. Contrary to popular belief carrots are not the main meal. Suppertime her greens get about a quarter to half dollar size slice apple.
And Polka weighs about 3.5 pounds so her pellets (Bunny Basics T- again Oxbow)are about 1/4 cup in the morning and again at night. Water like hay is to be available at all times.

Litter box training: Actually I refer you to the pages of the House Rabbit Society- they are experts. Our bun experience since each bun has been a shelter rescue and neutered/spayed is that they are already good with the litter box. Our current bun though does make a point of keeping her boundaries well marked with a 'poopy trail' around the pan and her sleeping area. Everytime I sweep up she puts up another fence. But they are dry, don't smell and apparently a stray poop is important to her. She rarely if every soils when out playing around the downstairs and when the urge ensues she heads back to her pan.

For the litter in the pan- we use old newspaper, line the pan and then shred into strips, pile in the timothy hay- humans like to read and poop; buns like to eat hay and poop- go figure! We get the newspapers donated by neighbors and a local store who would otherwise have to pay to have their unsold papers returned- a great saving over those pet store products.

Play: Buns are very social, even the grumpy ones. It is important for your bun to learn house manners (well humans learn how to keep a bun save in the house) and have time out supervised with family. The most important is to protect wires, and there's a variety of tubes one can get in the housegoods store- and unplug what you don't need while bun is out.Toys are individual preferances. Our lady scoffs at any toy, she'll toss a papertowel tube every now and then and scoot my clogs across the room, but her best toy is the hound--- another story, another post. I swear given the opportunity she'd be a worthy chess oponent. Keep in mind bunny's do get bored so some colorful play items, which can even be as simple as tied rags, are important; and the savvy human changes the toybox every now and then for variety.

These are the basics and for 2010 I will be more attentive to posting and we can explore living with buns in more detail.

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

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