1. Forgetting to put them in
2. Remembering if you fed them pellets or not
3. Whether you were supposed to clip their nails last month or not
4. Remembering to give super specific instructions to people who don’t know much about rabbits
5.  Remembering that not everyone knows the facts that you do
6.  Underestimating how much they eat
7. Underestimating the amount of fur they shed
8. Wearing black when you rabbits are shedding
9. Walking around by your rabbits with socks that attract hay and fur
10. Picking up your rabbit so much that they don’t like you anymore

 

Once again, thank you for coming back. I would encourage you to go back through my other posts if you haven’t already and I will talk to you next time, bye.

Today is gong to be a very very short passage on what you should do if you happen to run out of hay without the time to get any from your farm (as example).

• Contact your farmer to tell them you need hay and tell them the day that you will be picking it up, how much you want, the type, etc. Once you contact the farmer, then go find a different provider for the time being. Some examples may be…
• A pet store, Binky Bunny, Drs. Foster and Smith, or other websites (If you aren’t completely out)
• In case you are completely out and will be getting your hay soon, make an alternative. If it happens to be a season that you can go outside and forage for some fresh, not treated, non-accessed by gas, grass, that would work amazing for the time being.
• Any other possibility would work if it seems realistic.  If anything, I would rely on driving to the pet store for a mini bale until I can get a true bale.

Thank you for coming back for another post. Please come back every other day for a new post and I will talk to you soon, bye.

Hey, today I will be discussing the reasoning behind why in my posts I always encourage you to keep away from picking up your rabbit unless you need to. Below are the reasons why:

Your rabbit is a prey animal

Rabbits are by nature prey animals, which can never be excused when you are a rabbit owner. As a prey animal, rabbits will think that when they are lifted off the ground that you are a predator that wants to kill and eat them. Like in the wild, your rabbit will most likely panic and not allow you to pick them up or less you find a way around it, which could also cause problems.

It can ruin your bond

Most rabbits will loose some of their bond with their owner when your rabbit isn’t used to you picking them up. Rabbits won’t want to be near you afterwords because of what I have said, they will think you are predator. If you need a perspective, think of it as if your getting chased and caught by someone dangerous. That is most likely what your rabbit would think or less your rabbit is bonded with you enough to allow you to pick them up.

Your rabbit’s trust will decrease

Many rabbits will not trust their owner after they are picked up. I find that many rabbits will either run away if their owner gets close, avoid their hands, act shy, or all of these possibilities.

Some rabbits will become defensive

There is a small possibility that your rabbit could become defensive. If this is your case, you may find that your rabbit will threaten you by nipping, foot flicking, biting, and avoiding you at every last cost. If things were to get to this point, do not go by your rabbit. Sit somewhere away from them in their play area and let them come to you, this way, they can decide.

Thank you for coming back again. Make sure to check out my others posts and that you will come back every other day for a new post, bye.

Today will just be a very small explanation of the good and bad parts of owning rabbits overall. Obviously, since I’m a rabbit owner, I will be leaning toward the more positive side, but will be bringing up the negatives.

Pros

1. They keep themselves clean. Rabbits are known to be very clean by nature.
2.  Rabbits are so adorable. Their dumb and cute actions will win you over so easily.
3.  They are better at cheering you up than ever before. My rabbits are what I rely on to keep me happy. One day, I had a bad softball tournament, so my mother told me to go cheer myself up by the bunnies, it worked.
4.  There are so many breeds, colors, personalities, and traits that can be found in a rabbit. Finding the rabbit just for you can really change your life.
5.  They don’t care about who you are. If you are down on yourself, you don’t like something about yourself, or you don’t feel worth it, your rabbit won’t mind. They can be your therapist. Rabbits are known to be emotional support animals, which I think it great.
6. Snuggling. Obviously, every bunny is different, but I feel that every rabbit has a snuggling side to them. Personally, my rabbit Oliver is very relaxed and snuggly. Every time I go down to the bunny room to hang out or feed them, Oliver is always snuggled up by Luna, sleeping, waiting for me to scratch his ears, nose, cheeks, and head.
7.   Their overall cleanliness. Rabbits are so good at being clean. They can easily keep themselves clean, but they also use litter boxes and tend to be good about keeping their bedding clean(ish).
8. Everything about them. Rabbits are considered exotic pets for a reason. Sure, they may not be the most popular pet, but their personality and gentleness is what will really win you over. To me, it doesn’t matter how nice their pattern is, it’s their personality that will determine whether they should be your rabbit.

Cons

1. The hay. Hay is so messy, but your rabbit can’t help it or less they like to throw their hay around and make a mess. Some rabbits like to waste and make a mess of hay.
2. The bedding. Rabbits re so good about using bedding properly and using their litter box to keep their bedding clean, but overall, bedding is a lot of work. Bedding can be annoying to find for some rabbits that may be picky, others, not so much.
3. Most bunnies HATE being held. The thing is, most people want to get a rabbit to be able to hold and snuggle them, which some enjoy, but rabbits will usually HATE being held. Because of their prey instincts, whenever the are lifted off the ground, they think that they are being carried away by a bird to be killed, not what you want. For me, Oliver enjoys being held once he is situated and settled.
4. Expenses. Rabbits are not cheap pets. Like hamsters, so many people think that rabbits are cheap and easy pets that don’t need much attention, but they really need a lot. Rabbits need so many expensive materials to live a long, healthy life. Overall, the main reason I find that people won’t get rabbits is because of the cost for proper care.

 

As you can see, it is so great having a rabbit. There are too many great reasons beyond these of why rabbit are so great, but you just can’t put it into words. As always, come back every other day for a new post and I will talk to you next time, bye!

Free roaming a rabbit is a very beneficial way of making sure your rabbit gets love and exercise. There are so many great parts to free roaming, but you want to make sure that you are prepared for anything to come, along with a lot of remodeling.

What is Free Roaming?

Free roaming is when you give your rabbit your whole house to explore and live in, instead of blocking them off in a room or small area. Free roaming is very popular in bigger cities where most people live in apartments. Since apartments are so small, it works great to have a rabbit live throughout it without having to worry about finding a place to put your rabbit’s area.

What are the Pros of Free Roaming?

• Your rabbit will always have the availability to run and play
• Great amount of exercise
• Bonding with your rabbit it very easy
• You can sleep with you bunny
• You don’t have to spend as much
• Your rabbit’s possibility to getting sore hocks will go down very quick

What are the Cons of Free Roaming?

• With having very active rabbits, they can be loud
• Your rabbit may be destructive
• You will always be full of fur
• You will have to clean your entire house more (hay will be everywhere)
• Rabbits are great at getting themselves in trouble

How Do I Free Roam My Rabbit?

1. Figure out if your family and pets will allow it. If you live in an apartment, this step will be easily skipped if you happen to live by yourself. If you live in a house, the same goes if you live by yourself, if not, check what others think.
2. Once your family and pets cooperate with your decision, start preparing what you will do for bunny proofing if you haven’t already.
3. Once you have your plan, make it into reality. Don’t forget to include protecting your trim.
4. By the time you are done bunny proofing, you will probably find something you will have to fix for your situation, such as wood your rabbit may be enticed to chew. I would recommend watching Lennonthebunny on YouTube for Lorelei’s tutorial on how to make a non-toxic spray to keep your rabbit from chewing wood.
5. Find flooring and furniture that will work with your rabbit. If your rabbit likes to dig, look more into fleecy carpets, but always use a stiff sewn carpet no matter what to keep your rabbit from snagging a nail.
6. Bring your dream to reality. Set everything up and see how your rabbit likes it. When you do set up, make sure you include an area just for your rabbit. This would include a hidey house, toys, their litter box, food area, etc.

Make sure to check out the YouTube channel, Lennonthebunny and their video on free roaming. Look into their other videos such as bunny proofing as well.

Possible Changes to be Made

• Flooring- If you have mainly hardwood floors, make sure that your rabbit will have a large area for traction somewhere.
• Setup- You may have to change a small setup in your house. For example, say you have to change how you set up your living room so that your bunny can’t get up by cords or something. These types of things have to be considered.
• Cord placement- Along with the last one, you will have to keep in mind where you have your cords. Most rabbit owners will keep their cords in a place that their rabbit can’t reach them, such as in a box made by them to keep their rabbit out. In my bunny proofing post, I talk a lot about ways to protect your belongs as well as your rabbit, so make sure to look into that as well.

Some Things to Take Into Consideration…

Most rabbits won’t be free roamed because of safety, time, and arrangement. If you would be able to, I would definitely look into free roaming any rabbit at any cost or less you aren’t able to. In my case, I wouldn’t be able to because of my dog, Daisy, a jack russell terrier known for killing chipmunks, squirrels, and rabbits. Makes sense why we don’t free roam our rabbits. If you have any animal that may be enticed to injure or kill your rabbit, I wouldn’t recommend even trying to free roam because of the potential risks you are putting your rabbit in.

Thank you for once again coming back. If you would, look through my other posts I have in case you missed any. I will be going back to my usual every other day posting schedule again, so I will be talk to you again in two days, bye.

 

 

Today is just going to be a small part of what rabbit’s tear ducts are, what they do, and any changes that may need attention.

What are Tear Ducts?

Tear ducts are the ducts in your eyes that will go to use when your eyes need to add more moisture. You rabbit’s tear ducts can be very sensitive to certain substances that will be surrounding them on a daily basis, which will be explained later.

What do they do?

Tear ducts are there to keep your rabbit’s eyes from drying out. If rabbit’s tear ducts are too irritated, things could really become a different situation. Tear ducts are very important, and if you find your rabbit has very dry or wet eyes, check in with your vet to check out what is going on.

An Important Note…

Many rabbit’s eyes will become irritated by hay dust getting stuck. In this situation, their tear ducts could become irritated, causing their eyes to become watery and drippy. There are also other possibilities such as dust, fur, and dirt that could cause your rabbit’s eyes to become inflamed, irritated, or infected.

What Should I Look Out For?

• Watery eyes- Often caused by hay, hay dust, dust, dirt, and fur getting into your rabbit’s eyes and becoming stuck.
• Dry eyes- Will often be caused by genetic or physical problems. Make sure to consult with your vet to keep your rabbit’s eyes healthy.
• Watery substances dripping from eye- This is when our rabbit’s tear duct is clogged and irritated, causing it to start to overuse and make your rabbit’s eyes drip. You also have to realize the difference between this problem and if your rabbit’s eyes are just a little watery for a bit. Determine this by examination throughout the day.
• Red irritation- If the outline of your rabbit’s eyes are red, they probably have dry and inflamed eyes and tear ducts. Make sure that you go to your vet to get the treatment needed for your rabbit’s case.
• Crusty eyes- Crusty eyes are very common in rabbits when they wake up, but if they seem to have way too many crusts, make sure that you consult with your vet for guidance.
• Inflammation- Inflammation is a key factor to your rabbit’s eyes becoming irritated and their tear ducts overusing. Make sure you keep dust under control to make sure your rabbit’s eyes don’t become irritated.

How are Infections Caused?

If you haven’t caught on, infections relating with tear ducts will often start off with your rabbit’s eyes drying out from some sort of material poking at the eye. From there, the situation will just become worse up until the point that the rim around your rabbit’s eyes will become red and irritated, or, your rabbit’s eyes will become unusually dripping and wet. Remember that whenever you are in doubt, check with your vet to make sure your rabbit isn’t in risk for any potential problems.

 

Thank you for coming back once again for another post. Please come back tomorrow for more and share this blog with your friends and family to get proper rabbit care out!

Today will be a brief section containing how you can use NIC grids, what they are, why rabbit owners use them, and where to find them. If you haven’t already, go ahead and read through my other posts to keep up with everything.

What are NIC Grids?

NIC grids are small wire squares that are connected as grids. They are usually sold to be used in organizers for rooms. NIC grids are a very simple concept, so go ahead and look at them online in case you don’t know what they look like.

Why do Rabbit Owners Use Them?

Rabbit owners will use NIC grids for construction purposes, bunny proofing (check out my post on that), etc.

Ways to Use NIC Grids

• Making cages- NIC grids are popular for anyone who would like to make a homemade rabbit cage. NIC grids are usually the main material when making a DIY cage, simply by connecting them with zip ties and holding together the structure with wood.
• Blocking off areas- Many rabbit owners will take advantage of using NIC grids to block off small areas such as under beds, under a hutch, etc.
• Making Hidey houses- 101rabbits, a rabbit YouTuber, has made a hidey house out of NIC grids and uses it all of the time. (Her rabbits love it.)
• Making a hay rack- Simply bend the wire to make an easy and affordable rack.
• Experiment- Feel free to experiment with what you can get out of it. If you can find new ways to use NIC grids, make sure to let others know.

Where to Find Them?

You can find NIC grids in many places, below is a list of retailers known by rabbit owners that do sell NIC grids:

• Bed Bath & Beyond
• Amazon
• Kmart
• Target
• Walmart
• Hardware Stores, etc.

You can find them pretty much anywhere in a shelving aisle.

 

Thank you for coming back for another post. I will be posting again tomorrow so I will talk to you then, bye.

This is simply based off of my post that was published a couple of days ago about getting things ready for bunnysitters. Make sure to check that out so that you know what I’m referring to.

Day 1

Morning…

• Veggies
• Water
• Hay
• Let the bunnies out

(This is where you would add in any notes such as check-ups, medications, etc. for this specific day)

Afternoon…

• Pellets
• Water
• Hay
• Let bunnies in

 

Day 2

Morning…

• Veggies
• Water
• Hay
• Let bunnies out

Afternoon…

• Pellets
• Water
• Hay
• Litter boxes
• Let bunnies in

Day 3

…

Day 4

…

This would be the general area of the schedule where you would add any other notes such as dose amounts for medicine, veggie amounts, cleaning suggestions, etc.

 

I know this was a very short post, but I felt it would help you out so that when you prepare yours, that you have a general idea of how it may look. I will be posting every day now until Friday, then I will go back to the usual every other day schedule. Make sure to come back for my new posts and go back for the ones you might have missed.

A while back I talked about finding a bunnysitter, and decided it would be a good idea to wait until you would decide who your bunnysitter will be. Now that you have (hopefully) decided, I will be talking about preparing your rabbit’s belongings for your bunnysitter.

What Should I Prepare?

1. Schedule
2. Food (Pellets)
3. Litter & Litter boxes
4. Cleaning supplies
5. Directions

How Should I Set These Things Up?

• Schedule/Directions- I would recommend writing your schedule and directions down on the same piece of paper. This way, it is simple to get access to all of the things you would need to follow if you were to be a bunnysitter. When creating a schedule with directions, you want to make it as simple as possible, which will be explained in a bit.
• Food– When it comes to preparing food, you will want to make sure that you put the pellets in small plastic bags for each day. Many rabbit owners will prepare their veggies. I don’t recommend doing this because the longer the veggie is detached from the heart of the food, the more and more it will wilt and loose nutrition, which could cause your rabbit to get a little sick, easily fixed by giving better nutrition.
• Litter and litter boxes– I personally use the same two litter boxes every week, but some may not. On the directions, I would recommend writing down what you do to clean the boxes up and how much litter you would like them to use. Along with what days to clean them and empty them.
• Cleaning Supplies– On the directions, feel free to write down how to use some of the cleaning supplies if needed, if not, set them out in an easy to reach area for their use. Make sure that you have the cleaning supplies labeled and organized to keep things straight.

How to Set Up a Schedule that is Simple For Others

When setting up a schedule, you want to remember to add every little detail that will be needed within this time span that your bunnysitter will be taking care of your rabbit. Below are 3 steps to setting up you schedule.

1. Plan out and write down everything that they will need to do in the morning and in the afternoon. In my case, I would write down for morning that they should fill the hay, give veggies, refill/clean water, and let them out until they come back later, remembering to tidy up as needed. In the afternoon, I would write down to feed the pellets as measured in the bags, hay, water, and to let the bunnies in. Within a couple of days, you will want to note when the should bring out the litter boxes.
2. Add in any medications or grooming that may need to be done throughout this time. Before you ask them to do the medication, make sure that you have shown them how to do it, and still leave the directions in doing so.
3. Write the directions to any unknown, unfamiliar, or complicated things you may want your bunnysitter to know and follow as directed.

Why is it Important to Prepare?

It is so important to prepare as much as you can for your bunnysitter because they are coming to take care of something that is valuable to you and your family. You would want to make sure that everything would go as hoped while you’re away, which isn’t easy to achieve or less you set everything out, write a plan, and explain.

A Couple Fun Things to do for Your Bunnysitter

When you are preparing things for your bunnysitter, to make them appreciate what they are also doing for you, feel free to set out an extra tip, give them a snack, or some candy that they can choose from. It may seem a little odd to set out candy or food for a person you know to come to your house, but that way they know what they are allowed to access besides your rabbit(s). If you would like to go above and beyond, ask them if they would like to do a photo shoot with your rabbit(s). By doing this, they will be able to have memories of your rabbits, and you will have a memory of them.

Other Things to Remind Them

• If your rabbit is shy or cranky. Some rabbits will be very shy, which needs to be taken for precaution in case someone they may not trust is near them. They may feel threatened and will become anxious. Same goes for cranky bunnies.
• To check up on insitions. If your rabbit had a recent surgery, always make sure that they are getting their insitions checked on so that you can be positive that they aren’t causing any trouble with that.
• Ask them to give updates. If you are very overprotective like me, you will want to have updates on how your rabbit(s) is/are doing. I recommend asking them in advance to give updates if wanted.

Thank you for coming back for yet another post. If you would be willing to come back everyday for the next three days, that would be great because I will be posting everyday for those days to make up for the posts I missed. As always, I will talk to you again next time, bye.

Today will be a very brief overview of at home health checks for your rabbit. Health checks will contain many components such as hocks, ears, stools, etc. This will most likely will be posted late, only because of my busy schedule.

What to Check

1. Ears- Your rabbit’s ears should be what would be a healthy pink, not too dark, not too light. If you don’t know how they should be, feel free to look into pictures.
2. Eyes- Make sure that your rabbit’s ears are clear, clean, and don’t look dry or overly wet. If your rabbit’s eyes look red, foggy, wet dry, etc. check the situation with your vet.
3. Hocks- Check for sore hocks or any sort of stools that may be stuck. If the stools are stuck, make sure that your rabbit isn’t having any problems with that. Some rabbits will have long fur around their butt, so make sure that they aren’t getting stools in that fur.
4. Nose- Make sure that your rabbit’s nose is clear and isn’t runny.
5. Fur- This can be due to old age or shedding, but make sure that hair/fur loss isn’t too major. Check for any choppiness in their fur.
6. Digestion/stools- If you notice any stools on your rabbit’s bottom, fur, or hocks, make sure that they aren’t in any lack of fiber, because believe it or not, fiber can help your rabbit’s stools to become sturdier.
7. Respiratory- Listen closely to your rabbit’s breathing. By instinct, you will be able to tell if they are breathing heavy, or they are breathing raspy.
8. Scent Glands- (Optional in some cases, due to the vets and owner) If you want to check your rabbit’s scent glands to clean them, go ahead, yet many will avoid this step since it is on opinion if you will clean them. If they aren’t cleaned, ask your vet about their opinion and see if they will clean them if desired.

In other cases…

1. Stomach- If your rabbit is commonly found with GI stasis, you may want to regularly listen to their stomach’s sounds to determine whether they are healthy or not. You will easily be able to tell the difference between a healthy and upset stomach.
2. Stitches- If your bunny had a recent procedure, you will want to look at their incisions regularly to make sure they aren’t pulling, scratching, or biting at them.
3. Recent problems- If your rabbit has been any issues lately at all make sure to look into how they are doing under that category.

When it comes to actually checking your rabbit over, you may want to pick them up and place them in a non-territorial area if you would like to keep them under control easier.

How Should You do it?

• Ears- You can look at their ears at any time, but up close is best.
• Eyes- It is easiest to look closely when they are moved somewhere, but can be observed from afar. Make sure that their eyes aren’t runny, otherwise they may have a problem with their tear duct. (I will explain soon in another post)
• Hocks- Simply pick up your rabbit to look at their hocks. It will work best to pull away their fur.
• Nose- Look closely to make sure that it isn’t stuffed or runny.
• Fur- You can easily tell from afar, but you may want to look closely for small details that you may not have realized before.
• Digestion/stools- As for digestion, I would look at their stools in their litter boxes first to make sure that they are normal from there, then when you pick them up to look at their hocks, make sure to check for stools.
• Respiratory- You will need to listen close, easily done by laying next to your rabbit. Determine whether their breathing is good, heavy, or raspy.
• Scent Glands- You will need to pick up your rabbit (I made a post recently on this topic).
• Stomach- You will as mentioned before, need to listen close, possibly by laying nearby.
• Stitches- It will depend on your rabbit’s situation. If your rabbit was recently spayed/neutered, the stitches will be in a different area than if they had leg surgery.
• Others- It will depend on any situation, but lets say your rabbit had ticks, you would want to follow up to make sure that they actually went away.

 

Thank you for coming back for yet again another post. Check out my past posts to get more info. on all of these topics. I have not been posting as often as I’ve been wanting to, so the plan for the next couple of days is to post everyday for a bit to make up for it, otherwise, I will talk to you then, bye.