Love lessons

How does your bunny love you? Let us count the ways. Or rather, let us show you! Our rabbits aren’t ones to hide their emotions, but bunny affection can take some unusual forms. If you pay careful attention, you just might hear the “I love you” message they’re sending.

Have you ever felt something poke your ankle, then looked down to see a fuzzy little furball hopping away? That’s a bunny nose bonk. Think of it as a pat-on-the-back kind of greeting, just a casual checking in. Or you might look down to see him rubbing his chin on your shoe. Congratulations, you’ve just been marked as his property!

That gentle chattering you hear whenever you pet your bun? Cats aren’t the only animals who purr when they’re content. Consider that sound a verbal hug. If you’re really lucky, you’ll get a few kisses too. When your rabbit feels bonded to you, he may groom you with his tongue. If you’ve just eaten something sweet, he’ll probably lay one right on your lips!

If your bunny is young, he may perplex you by running around and around you in an endless circle. Here’s a hint: if he’s still “intact”, this is your cue to make that vet appointment, STAT. He’s letting you know that it’s time for him to choose a mate, and you’re looking like an awfully good candidate.

Sometimes rabbits choose a rather questionable way to express affection. Gnawing and chewing aren’t reserved just for the baseboards. Socks, pant legs, shoelaces, and any other item of clothing at bunny level is fair game. So is bare skin! It can be tough for him to remember that we humans are a bit more sensitive than his bunny buddies.

You’ll know you’ve reached the top of his love list the first time you witness your rabbit stop dead in his tracks and flop over onto his side, motionless. Despite what your eyes will tell you, this is not an occasion to freak out and rush him to the ER! What you’ve just seen is the ultimate expression of bunny bliss, the bunny flop. It just doesn’t get any better than that.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Love is in the air

It has a reputation for being cold and dismal, possibly the most hated month of the year. But let’s send  some love February’s way! Look a little closer, and February might just be the warmest and fuzziest month of the year!

Valentine’s Day gets all the press, but there’s much more to celebrate. February, after all, is “National Mend a Broken Heart Month”, and “Relationship Wellness Month”. Do you sense a theme? We don’t think it’s a coincidence that February was also chosen to represent “Adopt a Rescued Rabbit Month”.

So your girlfriend dumped you? Husband only interested in watching the big game? Have you resigned yourself to sharing your evenings with Netflix and a tub of Ben and Jerry’s? Put down that spoon! We can offer you a loving companion with unsurpassed loyalty (and stunning good looks!) who will always keep you smiling. You don’t need to look further than our sanctuary.

Those of us who live with rabbits know what delightful and entertaining housemates they are. Rabbits will keep you sharp by challenging your bunny proofing skills, and impress you with amazing acrobatics. A rabbit will always listen when you talk. And they’ll talk back! Your rabbit will teach you an entirely unique language, made up of nose bonks and ear twitches and gentle purring.

You don’t need experience to make a great bunny parent. Some of our happiest human/rabbit matches have been with first time owners. If you have patience, flexibility, and the willingness to learn what your rabbit wants and needs (along with a somewhat relaxed philosophy on housekeeping!), you’ve already got what it takes.

Check out our adoptable bunnies on Petfinder, then contact our Adoption Coordinator (adoptions@rabbitsanctuary.org) and arrange for a tour to meet your favorites. We can answer all your questions and help you decide if a rabbit is the right choice for you. Bring home the love!

Hay hay hay

We humans love an all-you-can-eat buffet, and our bunny friends are no different! So it’s a good thing that when it comes to hay, there’s no such thing as too much.

Many new rabbit owners are surprised to hear that rabbits eat hay at all! Pet stores might have you believe that a scoop of pellets is all your bunny needs to stay healthy, but that’s far from the truth. Fresh hay is a vital part of your rabbit’s daily diet.

Hay is loaded with fiber, which, just as in humans, is essential for a healthy digestive tract. It’s naturally chock-full of vitamins, minerals, and protein. And hay is good for your bunny’s teeth. Good quality hay is coarse enough to keep your bun’s molars in tip-top shape.

Hay provides great entertainment value! An empty toilet paper roll or paper sack stuffed with hay will keep your bunny occupied for hours. Hay can be a helpful tool when it comes to litter training your bunny, too. Many buns like to “do their business” while they eat, so placing a rack of hay near or in their litter box can guide them in the right direction.

The most common (and highly recommended) type of hay is western Timothy. This should comprise the majority of your rabbit’s diet. But experiment with different tastes and textures. Oat hay is thick and crunchy, with fat seed heads. Orchard grass, by contrast, is a soft, sweet, almost “dessert” type hay. Mix two or three types together to give your rabbit an interesting variety.

One caveat: steer clear of alfalfa hay, unless your rabbit is very young, or in poor health. Alfalfa is the bunny equivalent of fettucine alfredo, delicious but fattening!

You can find hay at any pet store, but not all brands are created equal and small bags can be expensive. Many bunny owners find it more economical to buy their hay in bulk. Drs. Foster and Smith offers a variety of hay types, in various sizes, so you can choose the combination that works best for you.

Bunny on a budget

Let us guess! Was “save more, spend less” near the top of your list of New Year’s resolutions? Maybe you’re going to swap your Starbucks Caramel Brûlée cappuccino for McDonald’s black, drop those premium cable channels, or squeeze an extra year out of the family van.

When scouring last year’s budget to find trimmable areas, those of us who have rabbits may be in for a bit of sticker shock! How can a creature so small and seemingly innocuous steer us toward bankruptcy? This might be a slight exaggeration, but if you’ve ever had to rush your bunny to the vet in the middle of the night, you’ve felt the pinch.

There’s no doubt about it, veterinary care is expensive. But there are ways to spare your wallet without sacrificing Hopper’s health. To paraphrase Ben Franklin: An ounce of prevention is worth a few hundred bucks! Investing a little at the outset will head off a lot of woe later.

Is your rabbit spayed or neutered? This is absolutely essential! Many clinics host Spay Days, where they offer reduced rates. How’s her weight? Obesity isn’t any better for our buns than for, well, OUR buns. A few ounces can make a huge difference on a five pound rabbit. Limit pellets, pile on the hay, and watch out for sneak attacks. If you’ve ever seen your rabbit skidding across your coffee table to get to the bowl of mixed nuts, you know what we’re talking about!

Unless you have a particularly uncooperative rabbit, there’s no need to pay someone else to handle routine grooming. At your annual wellness visit (Been a while? Schedule one today!), your vet can show you how to trim nails, clean anal glands, inspect eyes and ears, and keep your rabbit’s fur and skin clean.

No bunny parent should ever be without a good reference book. Marinell Harriman’s House Rabbit Handbook lists which common rabbit ailments can be handled at home, and which require a vet visit. A good vet will go over all possible treatment options, and can help you find budget-friendly solutions. The highest priced treatment is not always the best choice.

If your rabbit needs a compounded or temperature-sensitive medication (most antibiotics), it’s worth the extra cost to buy it from the vet. But long-term stable drugs like Metacam can be ordered for much less from an online pharmacy. Only deal with reputable companies that dispense American- or Canadian-manufactured meds. And as with most things, the larger the package, the lower the per-dose price. It pays to order as much as you think you’ll use before the expiration date.

 

Twenty questions

Rabbits are mysterious creatures. Even the most attentive, educated bunny parent is going to come up against behaviors and symptoms that they can’t figure out. And unless we have a trust fund from Grandma, we can’t afford to skip work and run Junior to the clinic every other day. In case of emergency or obvious illness, of course, we head straight to the vet or after-hours ER. But what about the less urgent situations we’ll encounter?

Maybe Hopper caught a nail on the carpet. The bleeding stopped, and he doesn’t seem to be in pain. But should you worry about infection? Is it okay to put antibiotic cream on it? A bandage?

Or Skippy’s turned out to be a fussy eater. So far her poops are normal and her weight’s stable, but you’re worried about the long term. You’ve heard that some people use yogurt drops or fruit to pique their rabbit’s interest in food. But is that safe?

Maybe that bald spot on Hairyette’s back is getting bigger, and you wonder if you need to take her in or if there’s something you can do at home. Or Fluffy’s been prescribed an unfamiliar medication, and you want a second opinion. Or, with an older rabbit, how do you know when medical science has run its course and it’s time to let go?

Ask Dr. Bill Guerrera, the medical director for Colorado the House Rabbit Society. He’s a veterinarian with specialized training in exotic animals. From zoo lions to wild sea turtles to domestic rabbit family members, Dr. Guerrera has seen it all, and is willing to share. Check out his new website, Bunny Hopline (www.bunnyhopline.com).

Your subscription to the Hopline entitles you to 20 questions per year on any rabbit health-related topic. Dr. G guarantees an answer within 24 hours. You’re even encouraged to send photos of Hairyette’s back or Hopper’s paw, so you can be confident he knows what you’re talking about!

A yearly subscription is $49, well below a visit to most brick-and-mortar vets. $25 of each subscription goes directly to support the HRS, which makes this an even better value. (Are you wondering if you’ll ever have that many questions about your bun? Trust us, you will!)

Sunny bunnies

Michigan weather. It’s cold, it’s rainy, it’s dismal…kind of makes a road trip to someplace warm and sunny sound appealing, doesn’t it? Maybe you had fantasies of traveling to California and staking out the red carpet at the Golden Globes. But not all celebrities hang out in Los Angeles. At least not the four footed kind…

Georgia is a great place to get away from it all, and it happens to be the home of one of America’s most legendary lagomorphs. If you’re over a certain age, you’ve heard of him—Bre’r Rabbit! Head into the tiny town of Eatonton, smack dab in the center of the state, to pay homage to this fuzzy folk hero.

Choose from the newer, shinier statue in front of the county courthouse, or venture off the beaten path a bit to see the original version on the grounds of the Uncle Remus Museum. Old Bre’r was the victim of a brazen kidnapping last year. A band of hoodlums dragged the 300 pound rabbit off into the night. After a furious three week bunhunt, authorities found Bre’r, a little worse for wear, stashed deep in the woods. (Surprisingly, Bre’r Fox has not been named as a suspect.)

Have a few more vacation days? Take a trip to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and visit a decidedly senior Peter Rabbit. His garden-hopping days behind him, Peter now spends his retirement greeting students at the University of Alabama’s Child Development Center. His blue jacket’s been replaced with a bronze cane, but he’s very amenable to being hugged or even climbed on, depending on your size!

No sense rushing home quite yet, not without detouring to Colorado to marvel at the consummate rusher, White Rabbit of Alice in Wonderland fame. You’ll have to stretch to greet him eye to eye, as he’s close to six feet tall! Wander through the Greenwood Village park and you’ll soon discover Alice and the Cheshire Cat, and a bit further, the March Hare and Mad Hatter. (It’s best to turn back here, lest you run straight into the Queen of Hearts, who’s not nearly as charming.)

The fluffy and the furious

We’ve all heard of the deer hunter who was attacked by a raging buck. Or the trapper who found himself cornered by a growling grizzly. Or the deep sea fisherman who nearly turned into shark bait himself. Sure, you may say, of course those animals are dangerous. They’re big! They’re powerful! They’re a force to be reckoned with!

But all those smaller woodland creatures? They’re sitting ducks. Or are they…? Here’s a bit of European history that we’re betting you never covered in any of your college classes. And it’s all true!

The year was 1807, and over in France, Napoleon was feeling pretty pleased with himself. He’d just brokered the Treaties of Tilsit, ending the war with Russia. Napoleon decided that the best way to celebrate the signing of this pact of non-violence against his fellow man was to go kill something else instead. He tasked his hapless assistant to set up a rabbit hunt.

It was going to be an A-list event. All the military brass were there, a veritable Who’s Who of tactical might. Napoleon led them deep into the forest, to a broad clearing lined with caged rabbits. At his signal, the servants were to open the cages and release the animals into the field. Napoleon hoisted his weapon and stepped forward proudly. Hundreds of cages creaked open, hundreds of rabbits poured out into the clearing.

And then, the carnage! Just not the kind of carnage this hunting party had in mind. Every single rabbit charged as one right at Napoleon! His companions thought this was hilarious, until the rabbits set on them too. Rabbits were climbing up the mens’ legs, jumping onto their shoulders, tripping them, knocking them over…it was bedlam.

A good leader knows when to retreat, so Napoleon hot-footed it to his royal coach. Have you ever tried to outrun a rabbit? The rabbits surrounded him, some even leaping into the carriage to get at him. Good thing for Napoleon that horses are faster than lagomorphs, so eventually the emperor made it out intact.

But what on earth triggered this torrent of terror? Blame (or credit!) the assistant. In an effort to save time, he’d skipped the process of snaring wild hares, and instead bought all of the domestic meat rabbits from the local farmers…rabbits who were used to being fed around that very time of day. Those rabbits didn’t see Napoleon as a threat, they saw him as a food trough!

And that is the absolutely true story of how one of history’s most fearsome warriors was brought to his knees, literally, by a bunch of fuzzy bunnies. Be warned!

Happy new ‘ear!

The more, the merrier! Is that your holiday party philosophy? What could be better than ringing in 2017 surrounded by friends and family? A rousing New Year’s Eve celebration is just what many of us need after a long stressful year. But as you’re planning your end-of-year festivities, remember your four-footed family too.

Inviting the grandkids, nieces and nephews? There’s nothing more inviting than the pitter patter of little feet, unless you’re a rabbit! Children are naturally drawn like a magnet to anything soft and fluffy. Fuel those kids with sugar cookies and adrenaline, and even the most well-behaved can let their enthusiasm run away with them.

The same can be said about adults as well! Do you remember being six years old and having to endure an endless line of cheek pinches and bosom hugs from overly perfumed relatives you’d only met twice in your life? Then you can sympathize with how your rabbit feels when a houseful of strangers wants to pet and cuddle her.

How many times have you accidentally come this close to stepping on a rabbit that appears out of nowhere while you’re busy with something else? And you’re used to having her around! Nothing sets the mood better than music, and once the champagne starts flowing things can get a bit raucous. Most people aren’t going to be looking at the floor while they mingle and dance.

It’s a rare rabbit that enjoys a lot of commotion and hubbub, so make the occasion comfortable for her too. You may want to set her up in a quiet room, away from your guests. A burrow box or bed to hide under, some fresh food and water, and a special “brave bunny” treat or two will go far to soothe her nerves.

Don’t forget to visit her throughout the evening. When the guests have departed, check your floors for any stray nibble-friendly confetti, streamers, or cocktail wieners before letting your rabbit come out to explore. Take some time to sit back and watch her investigate the new smells and evidence of strange goings-on. Now that’s a rabbit’s idea of a party!

 

Bunny, it’s cold outside!

Christmas is supposed to be a season of warmth and light…but if you’ve set foot outside recently, you’ll see that Mother Nature is definitely not in the holiday spirit! This deep freeze is hard on just about everything—our car batteries, our heating bills, our frosty fingers and feet. It’s also no picnic for our rabbits!

Sure, your rabbit may have a fur coat, but she’s also got a lot less body fat than you or I. She’s lower to the ground, and we all know heat rises. Rabbits can handle temperatures down to 50 degrees, but so could we–if we had no choice! There’s a reason we turn the heat up, wear socks, keep the doors shut. Nobody wants to spend their time indoors shivering.

It doesn’t take much to winter-proof your bunny’s living space. First, get down on her level and feel the floor and walls. If they’re cold to the touch, she’s probably not comfortable lying on/next to them. Cardboard is a great insulator, and it’s easy to get. A layer of cut-down boxes along the sides and floor of her pen will block a lot of the chill. Check for drafts around windows and doors too.

An old blanket or towel will give her something to snuggle into, and is fun to play with! Older or arthritic rabbits will appreciate a self-heating thermal mat, which is designed to reflect their own body heat back toward them. For those who need extra warmth, try a Snugglesafe. Simply pop it in the microwave for up to ten hours of continuous heat. Both are chew resistant and cord free.

Don’t forget to keep your rabbit cozy while traveling to the vet or Grandma’s house! She’ll appreciate it if you warm up the car before taking her out to it. And most pet carriers are designed with a lot of ventilation holes. A gust of wind is going to make that crate feel like a refrigerator! You can invest in a custom made carrier cover, or simply cut a handle hole in an old sheet or fleece blanket and drape it over the top.

                    A cozy Christmas to all!

Safety furst

There’s no place like home for the holidays! Those of us who have decorated our houses look around and see a festive, twinkling haven. But our rabbits look around and see a couple hundred new ways to wreak havoc! We don’t want to banish our bunnies to the bathroom for the season, but we’re not willing to give up our holiday ambience either. How to compromise?

Think tall! Anyone who’s cared for a toddler knows the three foot rule. You wouldn’t hang Grandma’s cut crystal ornament on the bottom bough, nor would you set up that manger scene on the lowest shelf. That’s just begging for disaster. Same goes for bunnies. Unless you want one of the wise men to become Hopper’s new chew toy, keep it well out of his reach.

Don’t be lulled into thinking that plate of pfefferneuse is safe just because it’s up on the coffee table. And even though we know that gingerbread house is for display only, our rabbits aren’t quite as discriminating. Those beautiful amaryllis and poinsettia we all show off this time of year?  Those tasty, tempting leaves and blooms all but guarantee a call to Poison Control for the hapless bun who samples them.

Those light strings are irresistible munchies, and so are shiny strands of tinsel and that beaded tree skirt. You won’t want your rabbit to sample the water in the tree stand, or nibble on synthetic pine needles. You might find it safest to protect your tree, and your buns, by blocking off that area of the room. A strategically placed X-pen can save you a ton of grief.

When it comes to potential hazards, even the most delightful kind, keep ‘em out of reach and out of sight. And always make sure your bunny has plenty of acceptable alternatives to keep him busy. Hoppy Holidays!