My (Honey) Bunny Rabbits

A NEWBIE!!!

2007-04-27T13:34:00.000-07:00

Since my last post, there has been a new addition to our little family! Meet Mini-B, another baby cottontail rabbit that Taffy brought me. Mini-B is about 8 days old in this photo:

i decided on Mini-B as a name after i took this photo:

Mini-B is much smaller than Babuh was, at the same age, but you can sure see how Babuh has grown! When i took this pic, i had just given Babuh a couple of wedges of apple for a treat and totally forgot about it. It was SO CUTE to see Mini-B trying to chew on it ~ he would pick it up and move it all around, and it's almost as big as HIM! lol

On a not-so-funny note, that was a BIG mistake on my part. i'm afraid that whatever he did get from it (juice and maybe some small pieces of the apple) gave him an upset stomach, so i spent a LOT of time giving him tummy massages until he was back to normal. For a baby as young as he is, common gas is a life-threatening condition because it could very easily lead to Stasis.

Now that his eyes are open, i am introducing some different hays (Orchard Grass, Meadow Mix and Coastal), along with an alfalfa cube and some pellets. He also needs access to water, now, so we've hung a bottle on his cage door. Although his little poops were pretty liquidy while i fed him only Pet milk with a drop of Karo Corn Syrup in it, now that he's eating solid food, his poops are becoming formed and solid, and look like little pieces of ground pepper.

More in a day or two ~

Treats For the Bunnys

2007-03-02T07:56:00.000-08:00

On one of the forums i visit, the subject of treats for our rabbits came up. i did a post about Yogies vs. SunMaid Yogurt Raisins ~ which, by the way, were less 'artificial' than the Yogies. Imagine my horror to learn that the new treat i was giving my buns, and that they seemed to LOVE, was something you shouldn't feed them! Evidently, raisins are bad for the rabbits kidneys. And i'm truly ashamed to have to admit that i've GOT links to several sites that list the different foods to encourage and which to avoid, but i had seen somewhere that someone else was doing it and assUmed (always a big mistake) that it would be okay...

Anyway, it just gets back to doing the research and trying to wade through all the (for want of a better word) 'middlemen.' i noticed, when i was doing research about the lifespan question, that a LOT of the links from the search engines were back to the same site/page/addy, so you need to invest the time to find those really good sites that provide you with trustworthy information. For the rabbits, i generally use the House Rabbit Society, which is organized by state.

Okay, so now i'm off to print the lists and will begin feeding my babies only GOOD stuff!

Research ~ Lifespans

2007-02-20T12:51:00.000-08:00

Talk about a shock ~ I've been researching different things about Baby Bunny Boy, and found out some very interesting facts about the lifespans of the two different rabbits i have.

As a wild cottontail rabbit, Baby Bunny Boy could live from 8 to 10 years; however, the average lifespan for his peers is an unbelievable 4 to 6 MONTHS! i read that of any given year's 'crop' of cottontails, 80% will perish before the next year. i suppose i'll have the oldest little cottontail in these-here parts pretty quick like.

Amazingly enough, Retread's, lifespan is less than BBB's ~ a Mini Rex's lifespan could be 8 years, but the average is 6 years. That surprises me because, as far as i know, the Rex is and has been a domesticated breed since about 1924, so most of the data is based upon life in captivity, which, to me, should lengthen it substantially.

Anyway, until next time ~

It Has Occurred To Me...

2007-02-19T09:52:00.000-08:00

that y'all have seen scads of pics of Baby Bunny Boy, and he's still growing and thriving! i guess he's hit the teenage years (he's like 5 months old now) as evidenced by the little "Nyah, nyah" tongue-sticking-out episode we caught him at!

Anyway, you've met and seen him, but i don't think i've posted any pics of Retread, the little Mini Rex rabbit i got for Christmas as a sort of replacement for my precious, beautiful little Bernie Bunny, who died in a freak accident just before Christmas. (Rest in peace, little angel.)

She is SO SOFT!!! Petting her is like rubbing your hand through 1 inch thick velvet, made of satin threads! At first, she just tolerated us, but as time goes by, she's getting more and more affectionate and playful. So playful, in fact, that i've had to start researching about toys. It would appear that willow trees are good for an assortment of different goodies ~ twigs, leaves, tender buds ~ but i need to do some more reading. i did find a site that looks very promising ~ the ASPCA has a site dedicated to ANIMAL Poison Control. If i'm not back real soon, it's because i'm learning underwater WILLOW basket weaving, online! ROFL!!!

2007-02-10T12:50:00.001-08:00

Howdy! It's a gloomy old day around these parts (south Texas) today, so i guess this is as good a time as any to post about Bernie, the little mini rex rabbit we got to be a companion for Baby Bunny Boy. We found her at a pet store in Victoria and fell in love with her! It was Dear's idea to name her Bernie because he'd already changed Baby Bunny Boy's name to Crash, so ~ get it? ~ Crash and Bernie!

Unfortunately, the two didn't have enough time to bond, nor even to get to know each other very well, since Bernie died in a freak accident. She was in a cage outside, and the dog that originally brought us Baby Bunny Boy went over to have a look at her, but Taffy startled Bernie, and Bernie ran across the cage, jumped into the wire on the side, and broke her little neck. Like i said, a freak accident.

Bernie was such a lovely, and loving, little rabbit. A mini rex rabbit feels like velvet made of inch-long satin threads ~ unimaginably soft and luxurious. Because she actually LIKED being petted, i got to rub and touch her all the time. i sure do miss her!

Rest in peace, little Bernie Rabbit ~ i know the angels love you as much as we did!

Wow ~ It's Been A While...

2007-02-03T10:50:00.000-08:00

i'm so sorry about the down time, but we were having some problems with our satellite internet connection, and you KNOW how infuriating it can be to compose some nice long post and then lose it when the connection goes out. Anyway, i just wanted to apologize to y'all, and let you know that i'm back in the saddle, again, and will be trying to catch y'all up with the goings-on!

Rather Than Me Copying All of My Posts...

2007-01-12T07:29:00.000-08:00

and the replies of the news about the baby cottontail rabbit, Baby Bunny Boy, i'll just refer you to the PetsHub Rabbit Forum, where you can click on my name in any of my posts to see all the posts i've done over there.

Whew! THAT was a LOT easier than all this copying stuff! lol

i released Baby Bunny Boy ~ sort of...

2007-01-12T07:19:00.000-08:00

After talking to the folks over one the PetsHub Rabbit Forum, i had pretty much decided to release Baby Bunny Boy. If you'd like to read the whole story ~ me deciding to keep him, then deciding to release him ~ you can scope out all the posts in that forum.

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You will NEVER believe this:

i finally started thinking about Crash's wild side, and decided to release him. The two vets around these parts refuse to neuter him, and he is SO active that i started thinking that perhaps the rabbit rehabilitators i had spoken with were right ~ once he reaches 'puberty,' he will revert to his 'wild' ways.

i released him in back of the house, into a big clump of grass and Dear and i stood around until we couldn't see him anymore. We walked away, about 25 feet, waited a couple of minutes, then walked back and i called to him. He ignored me, which i thought was good. Dear and i returned to the house ~ Dear to take a shower before work, me to monkey around on the computer. i kept an eye out on the clump of grass, and after a while, noticed one of my folk's black cats sitting next to it, in a predatory pose. i boiled out of the trailer, and was running toward the cat, which alerted the dog that first brought me Baby Bunny Boy, and when the cat pounced, scaring Crash out of his cover, i began screaming at the top of my lungs at the cat, "NO!!!" The dog, Taffy, took off after BOTH of 'em, which effectively scared off the cat, but THEN she continued to chase Crash. Oh! It was SO PITIFUL to hear him crying/screaming ~ it sort of sounded like a goat, bleating ~ as the dog ran him down. i was sick, but still in hot pursuit, and was AMAZED when the dog caught Baby Bunny Boy, and just HELD him, in her mouth, on the ground until i got to them. Taffy released him as soon as i put my hands around him, allowing me to scoop him up and bring him back in to his cage.

When i examined him, he had a small injury on his left side ( a bit of blood there), but after he cleaned himself, i can't hardly tell where it is. He has no broken bones, nor any other injuries ~ Thank You, Lord!

Okay, so now, folks, i HAVE tried to release him, but he TRULY is too used to all these other animal folks to know about survival.

ORIGINAL POST DATE = about 12-12-06

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i took a little flack over this, and you can see the entire posting 'conversation' at http://www.petshub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=68876

Okay, That Wraps Up the Blogger Posts

2007-01-12T06:35:00.000-08:00

All of the previous posts are from another blog that my hubby and i post to, Pet-News-Now.

Now, for the forum posts...

News About Crash

2007-01-12T06:33:00.000-08:00

i've been posting to the PetsHub Rabbit forum, and discussing the release/non-release of Crash with them. This is my latest post there, and i think it is pretty self-explanatory:

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In answer to to your posts, BeetleBunny and prettybea:

My folks have a little 40 acre ranch, on which live: wild water fowl; tame water fowl; scads of wild birds; 2 dogs; 6 cats; a monkey; wild hogs; cattle; skunks; raccoons; rabbits; a mountain lion; deer; opossums; well, you get the idea. We live in an EXTREMELY rural setting ~ we are 2 miles, down a dirt county road, from the "main highway" of TX 119, and 4 miles down another dirt county road from the other "main highway" of TX 80. The nearest town with a WalMart is about 30 miles away. Our best grocery store is 25 miles away, although we can drive 17 miles to
the "bad" one. We live in the middle of nowhere ~ literally.

Anyway, about 5 weeks ago, my folk's dog came up with something in it's mouth ~ that
something was an approximately 3-day-old baby cottontail rabbit. The dog, who we THINK is part retiever, hadn't harmed a hair on the little bunny's body! My Mom recommended Pet milk, with a little drop of Karo in it, as a formula, and i began feeding it with an eyedropper.

i've got to tell you, we didn't hold out much hope of it surviving. i've rescued wild things before and i know that the mortality rate is high, especially if another animal has mauled the creature. After getting on line, i read about feeding it, and all the dire warnings, etc. (There was no choice about putting it back, once i found one of it's siblings that the other pets had gotten to.) He's now 5 weeks old, and seems to be doing great.

Okay, now about the 'cage' he'll live in ~

Like i said, we live on a ranch, so we could build a nice, large cage ~ we already have 6' x 12' x 6' dog run that a wire floor could easily be added to, along with adding a "loft" area that would make it 2 levels along one side. Until then, we have a small 2' x 4' x 2' cage that i have been putting him outside in, as well as a 4' x 4' x 4' cage. And, no, it's not being free, but it's the closest thing i can do.

This is ugly of me, but can you please explain to me how keeping him, in safety and some semblance of luxury (steady food, clean water, fresh veggies, a female "friend" ;) ) and having him "slip away" is somehow WORSE than some sort of horrendous, violent death?

And that's what it comes down to ~ i'd rather see him die from kindness.

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i've thought and thought about it, and that's what i finally decided to do ~ keep him in the manner to which he has become accustomed.

ORIGINAL POST DATE = 11-30-06

WWWAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!

2007-01-12T06:32:00.000-08:00

*sniffle* i've been over in the PetsHub forums ~ an EXCELLENT site, and the advice/information is top notch ~ asking and reading about what to do about Babby Bunny Boy. It would appear that i must turn him loose... Wild animals NEED to be wild and whenever we start monkeying around with the natural order of things, we really aren't doing ourselves or the object of our concern any favors. Sad, but true. We can help, but only to a certain extent; when the time comes, we have to be willing to let go. *sigh*

But you know me ~ i'll have my handy-dandy camera ready for big release! lol

ORIGINAL POST DATE =

Bummer

2007-01-12T06:12:00.000-08:00

You know, i think we missed a perfect opportunity to litter train Baby Bunny Boy (who Kev now calls Crash because of his many mishaps of skidding into the sink, etc). i had been offering Rabbit Pellets (PetSmart has a house brand that is good AND reasonably priced ~ Nutriphase) to supplement Baby Bunny Boy's Pet milk formula, and to give him something to chew on. He did gnaw at them, but i don't think he realized that they were food. Anyway, he would sit in his little dish of them, and i would find a glurcky mess in it, meaning that he was probably sitting there, taking care of his business. i didn't snap to it in time, but i could have used some of that pelleted-cotton litter to potty train him, since rabbits only like to urinate in certain places, and usually only ONE certain place, whether it's in their cage or out and about. Cats are so easy to litter train ~ you put them in the box and show them they can dig, and they're trained! With rabbits, i think you have to let them decide exactly where they want to go, then it's up to us to keep those areas clean. Now, because a couple a days ago, i made some curried rice with an applesauce gravy and decided to use the little applesauce tubs as (pellet) food bowls, Baby Bunny Boy has been actually eating the pellets, so i'm afraid i've missed my chance. *sigh*

Hope everyone's dinner is settling ~> i'm off for another round!

ORIGINAL POST DATE = 11-24-06

Almost a Month Old, and Still Kicking

2007-01-12T06:09:00.000-08:00

Baby Bunny Boy is going to be a month old on the 25th, and he's not such a baby anymore. He's grown so much! Check out the difference in the pics. That Pet milk is 'da bomb!' lol

We've been working on an outdoor cage for him ~ not such an easy task when you consider that we have to make sure that not only can nothing (Baby Bunny Boy) get OUT, but also that nothing (the 6 cats, 2 dogs, various assorted birds of prey) can get IN. Seems like our best bet is to dig up the yard where we want the cage to a certain depth (like 6 inches), lay the rabbit wire for the bottom of the cage, put the turf back on top of the wire, then tie the bottom to the above-ground part of the cage. *sigh* Sounds like a lot of work. Thankfully, it's all outside doings, and you know what that means, right? MEN'S WORK!!! rofl i suppose i'll have to supervise, but i can do that from an adirondack chair, in the shade, sipping a nice glass of Irish Cream!

Until next time ~

ORIGINAL POST DATE = 11-23-06

Baby Cottontail Rabbit's First Foray into the World

2007-01-12T00:20:00.000-08:00

Baby Bunny Boy went outside!!! i put him in an old cage that doesn't have a bottom so that he could forage on the grass and he seemed to like it. i did pick a day that was guaranteed to be a little spooky to him, though ~ the winds were blowing like no tomorrow. i figured that he'd still be able to enjoy the outing, but he wouldn't be just SUPER anxious to get back out. (i know ~ i'm a mean mama. Oh, well.)

i pulled up a chair, then realized that i wanted the camera, too, and ran in to get it. When i came back out, i got frantic ~ he wasn't in the cage, anymore! i looked all around and almost fell over when he moved ~ in the cage! i was looking right AT him and couldn't see him! Here's a "Find Baby Bunny Boy" picture/game for y'all:

i promise you, he's in this picture, and in plain sight ~ unfortunately, you won't be able to see him move, so, well, um, good luck finding him! lol

Until next time ~

ORIGINAL POST DATE = 11-16-06

YIKES!

2007-01-12T00:18:00.000-08:00

He's so bright-eyed! (And a bushy tail, too ~ even if it IS just a little cotton ball of a tail! lol) He's discovered carrots, thanks to my Mom sending some baby carrots home with us, and he LOVES 'em!

You know, i've sat, watching him, and i don't think he blinks his eyes! That would be a very valuable trait out in the wild for a baby bunny rabbit, but it's sort of disconcerting to me.

Today, he either heard something (which i'm leaning toward) or saw something that has made him super hyper-active. When i was walking home with him, i heard some coyotes baying in the distance, and that may be what's gotten him all riled up. i let him out on the table, which is a disaster zone right now, and he had a grand old time hippity-hopping around through all the cool stuff, but when it came time to go to bed, he wasn't down with that, and is STILL rustling around in his cage. i wish our place was rabbit-proof, but with 2 cats and a dog, not to speak of a million live electrical wires that appear to have some sort of magical magnetic pull on rabbits, we don't dare just cut him loose here in the house. We're going to have to figure out an outside pen / cage for him, so that he can just be a bunny and do bunny things for certain periods of the day.

More later ~

ORIGINAL POST DATE = 11-13-06

2007-01-12T00:16:00.000-08:00

Howdy Folks

Well it is time for another update in the trials and tribulations of the Baby Rabbit.

We are really starting to think the little guy just might make it. Well that will leave us with another dilemma, what to do with the baby rabbit. Should we try and keep him as a pet, or release him back to his "Normal environment"

Around here his "Normal environment" will consist of six or more "Country Cats" and another two (or more) "Country Dogs" all who think that rabbit for breakfast sounds great. Oh did I mention the Coyotes, snakes, Owls, Hawks, and ? That would also love a little rabbit for dinner.

What do you think?

~ Kevin

ORIGINAL POST DATE = 11-10-06

Baby Bunny Boy

2007-01-12T00:13:00.000-08:00

He's growing by ~ dare i say it??? ~ leaps and bounds! lol Speaking of leaps, the baby bunny is learning to hop, so now we have to be extra careful of where we set him down. i've had him on the twin-sized bed / couch, and he's a riot! i guess what i find SO amazing about the baby bunny is that he actually WANTS to be around us. When we had the other rabbit, she was like some sort of alien life form that just wanted to be left alone, with one small exception ~ she would allow us to wait on her, hand and (lucky rabbit's) foot. Baby Bunny Boy seems to love being held and petted, and appears to be growing up to think he's a people, much like the cat (Hattie) that we got when she was only about 4 weeks old.

And speaking of the other rabbit and the cat, i've decided to use Frontline Plus on Baby Bunny Boy for flea and tick control. i've read that it also repels ear mites, but i usually doctor everyone's ears with ear mite medicine. The Frontline Plus worked on Rini, the huge Californian rabbit, with absolutely no bad side effects, but Baby Bunny Boy is a little cottontail rabbit, so i might have to use less ~ like 1/2 of the treatment. He really isn't old enough for ANY kind of parasite treatments, so this is something i'll be doing in the future, it's just that i treated the cats and the dog the other day, and it made me think about Baby Bunny Boy.

Oh! And here's another picture ~ sorry to drive you crazy, but it IS sort of like being new parents! lol

ORIGINAL POST DATE = 11-10-06

Baby Cottontail Rabbit RULES!

2007-01-12T00:10:00.000-08:00

Baby Rabbit Rules

Well we really are starting to let ourselves grow attached to the Baby Rabbit. When Taffy first brought him home he was only a couple of days old, and frankly, I didn't think he would make it. Now we guesstimate that he is 2 weeks old, he is eating good, and he even gets lonely and wants to be around us (even if we are some pretty ugly looking parents for the baby rabbit).

Kevin

ORIGINAL POST DATE = 11-6-06

Protecting the Baby Cottontail Rabbit from the REST of the Zoo!

2007-01-12T00:08:00.000-08:00

You know, we had a rabbit a couple of years ago ~ her name was Rini, and she was a huge Californian Rabbit, marked like a Siamese cat. She was still young enough to think that our 1/2 Siamese cat was 'family,' which Hattie (the cat) just freaked out about. Anyway, we did end up having a problem with protecting Rini from the other animals ~ TWO cats and a little rat terrier dog that went ballistic at the sight of her. i'm searching for places that rescue baby rabbits, to see how they house their adoptees ~ i need some better ideas than the one i keep dreading, which is that you can't have a baby rabbit AND have any other pets. In fact, that's why we had to give Rini up, but at the time, we were living in an apartment, not on 40 acres of ranch! i'll keep y'all posted.

OH! And Kevin? Very funny ~ NOT! lol

ORIGINAL POST DATE = 11-6-06

More Baby Cottontail Rabbit Pictures

2007-01-12T00:04:00.000-08:00

As promised here is another Baby Rabbit Picture.

It is amazing how small he really is when you compare him to the normal sized hand that is also in the Baby Rabbit Picture.

Now that he has opened his eyes he is getting a little more curious about his surroundings. I bet it was a real shock to him when he finally found out what an Ugly Rabbit his mother was.

More Pictures to come.

Kevin

ORIGINAL POST DATE = 11-5-06

The Baby Cottontail Rabbit Opened It's Eyes!

2007-01-12T00:02:00.000-08:00

Amazing! Went to bed last night, the baby rabbit's eyes were sort of glued shut; got up this morning and it can see us!!! And it still likes us!!! lol

So, if a baby rabbit opens it's eyes at approximately 10 days, and we've had it for 7 days, it was only 3 days old when Taffy found it's nest. It's really too bad we couldn't just put it back in the nest, but we know that the dogs had found that one, and the cats wouldn't be far behind, so we had to actually rescue the baby rabbit.

i keep calling it "The Baby," but it's becoming rather obvious that we need a name for it, since it does seem to respond to us talking to it. Any suggestions would be most appreciated. Oh! And we think it's a boy because it's privates all seemed to be on the outside of the baby rabbit's body.

i've been to several sites, looking for a formula that we could feed a baby rabbit, and i've got to give my 76-year-old Mom credit for knowing exactly what to use: Pet milk with a drop of Karo syrup in it. Since i had nothing else, that's what we fed it, at first. Then, because of what i'd read, we got some of the Cat Milk Replacement stuff, but that sort of gave him the runs. So, back to the tried and true formula.

His ears are starting to stand up and he's looking more like a rabbit and less like a rat by the hour, it seems! lol

Stay tuned for more baby rabbit pictures and postings in this continuing saga.

ORIGINAL POST DATE = 11-4-06

Baby Cottontail Rabbit Picture

2007-01-11T23:59:00.000-08:00

The Baby Rabbit Story Continues

Well as promised here is one of the many pictures we have of the newest addition to the family. I'm sure there will be more!

~ Kevin

ORIGINAL POST DATE = 11-4-06

A Little Early Christmas Gift from Taffy

2007-01-11T23:57:00.000-08:00

Holy Mackerel! While slogging through a major storage facility overhaul (a bunch of the stuff we own is currently stored in a school bus), i looked up to see my folks Heinz 57 / Retriever / Hound dog with something moving in her mouth. (This is the same dog that chases down the cats, grabs them by the scruff of their necks and wags them around the yard. The smallest and the most timid cats have drawn the line at being bitch-drug around, and it's nothing to be out working in the yard, see the cat run past with the dog hot on it's heels, then, in a minute or two, see the REVERSE ~ the dog hauling heinie with the cat in hot pursuit!) Anyway, back to the story of the moment ~ So, i'm looking at the dog, and her mouth, thinking "What in the world? Is it a mouse? Naw, too big. A teenaged squirrel? Naw, no tail." The whatever-it-is squirms, and i rush out of the bus to find a teeny, tiny baby rabbit in Taffy's mouth, not a HAIR of the little darling out of place!

TO BE CONTINUED... WITH PICTURES!!!

(i hope!)

ORIGINAL POST DATE = 11-1-06