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THE SNUFFLES!!!!! they also did an ear culture because not only has Bitsy not been cleaning his ears as much, he also has white discharge / nasties in there. they gave me enough anti-biotics for a month and they won't go bad until 2011 so hopefully I WILL NEVER HAVE TO DEAL WITH THIS AGAIN. my poor muffin 
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Oct 27, 2009 19:49
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Hi guys, do any of you really experienced bunny people have tips to help a house rabbit trust you more? We got Finn in March and he was feral when turned into our local Humane Society. He looked like poo poo and was constantly terrified of us for the first two months. He is doing much better now but is generally indignant at being touched (we only handle him when necessary and otherwise just herd him around to avoid invading his space). If we hold or touch him, he will run away and flick his feet at us, sometimes thumping. We only hold him for grooming. He hates it so I do a quick run over with the cat Zoom Groom when he is shedding. When I do his nails, I have to make him into a bunny burrito with a towel because he will not calm down while I am holding him. He comes up and readily takes food from hand and will even jump all the way onto our laps to do it, but quickly grabs his treat and runs away. He just seems generally disdainful at human touch. Is there any way to help him be a little more relaxed? He isn't terrified of us anymore and will come investigate if we are at his level (which we are for several hours a day; he gets at the very least four out of cage hours a day in our bunny proofed living room not to mention his cage being HUGE) I would love to have him just be calm for groomings and I can live with him not wanting to be petted, but it would be awesome if we could pet him, too. Any advice is appreciated!
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Oct 28, 2009 13:38
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Pardalis posted:Hi guys, do any of you really experienced bunny people have tips to help a house rabbit trust you more? We got Finn in March and he was feral when turned into our local Humane Society. He looked like poo poo and was constantly terrified of us for the first two months. He is doing much better now but is generally indignant at being touched (we only handle him when necessary and otherwise just herd him around to avoid invading his space). Honestly, Portia was a bit feral when we got her (she was found living in a park, no one knows how long she was there). I just said tough poo poo, you're dealing with it. I would pick her up when I needed to and handle her. At first she was spazzy but I taught her that if she kicked or panicked, I wouldn't let go, she could only go when she was calm. Just be careful obviously when you're holding them so they can't injure themselves. I would also get right next to her and pet her so she was between myself and a wall. She seemed to like the squished feeling and it would calm her down.
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Oct 28, 2009 18:24
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Bunway Airlines posted:I would also get right next to her and pet her so she was between myself and a wall. She seemed to like the squished feeling and it would calm her down. It's like a hug box for rabbits!
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Oct 28, 2009 19:25
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Bunway Airlines posted:Honestly, Portia was a bit feral when we got her (she was found living in a park, no one knows how long she was there). I just said tough poo poo, you're dealing with it. I would pick her up when I needed to and handle her. At first she was spazzy but I taught her that if she kicked or panicked, I wouldn't let go, she could only go when she was calm. Just be careful obviously when you're holding them so they can't injure themselves. I would also get right next to her and pet her so she was between myself and a wall. She seemed to like the squished feeling and it would calm her down. When I had a bunny this is pretty much exactly what I had to do. Just pick her up quick and hold her tight. Eventually she got better about it, but I think that was after she connected the fact that when she got picked up during the winter that meant she got to come into the house, dry off and warm up. In the summer picking her up was almost impossible, but once you held her in tight she was fine. Even though she was a domestic rabbit, she was technically wild in that she was 100% loose. She still spent most of her time around the house looking for treats or just cuddles. Probably my favorite pet of all time actually. There is something really special about a pet that wants to be with you, and has a choice in the matter. She was fascinating to follow around, she had 3 dens that we knew about in the neighborhood and begged treats off of at least 2 separate neighbors. She used to maintain escape routes all over her territory. I watched her making a path through a blackberry thicket one day. She was just neatly snipping the plants that were in her way, not eating them, just snipping them off. She ended up with this perfect bunny shaped hole right through the thicket, which I saw her later use to get away from a coyote. She could get away from any dog, hawk, coyote, or bobcat with those tunnels and dens, and she did pretty routinely. She actually lived to be 9 before an abscess killed her. One summer she was coming in from the woods somewhere just soaking wet, and we couldn't figure out why. It was bone dry out and hadn't rained in a couple weeks. Then one day my mother goes out into the back yard and figured it out. One of the deer was licking the rabbit, from head to tail, just licking her over and over, and Lester (the bun, yeah, we thought she was a boy originally) was stretched out just loving it. People tell me that bunnies make stupid pets, and it is all I can do to not yell at them.
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Oct 29, 2009 00:19
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ChlorineTrifluoride posted:People tell me that bunnies make stupid pets, and it is all I can do to not yell at them. I love my bunny. But they ARE stupid pets- just not in the way most people who haven't had bunnies would think. But with the destruction, shedding, medical bills, diet, hay dust, and probable lack of interest in human affection; rabbits are terribly stupid pets.
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Oct 29, 2009 00:46
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um. I think that something ELSE is wrong with Paterson. He didn't leave the cage at all for like, 3 hours which is hugely unusual. So I gave him his meds, Critical Care, water and baby gravol. why, Paterson. Why.
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Oct 29, 2009 02:30
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Bunway Airlines posted:Honestly, Portia was a bit feral when we got her (she was found living in a park, no one knows how long she was there). I just said tough poo poo, you're dealing with it. I would pick her up when I needed to and handle her. At first she was spazzy but I taught her that if she kicked or panicked, I wouldn't let go, she could only go when she was calm. Just be careful obviously when you're holding them so they can't injure themselves. I would also get right next to her and pet her so she was between myself and a wall. She seemed to like the squished feeling and it would calm her down. Thanks for the advice! I am going to feel like an rear end in a top hat until he calms down about being handled  He is so indignant at being touched, even just a tiny bit.I just want to pet the bunny 
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Oct 29, 2009 07:36
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If there's anything you can count on it's their innate curiosity. Try sitting on the floor reading a book for a while, not paying attention to the rabbit. He'll come up to investigate eventually. Then you could slowly hold up your hand for him to sniff or look at. If he hasn't hopped away at that point you could try rubbing your thumb over his forehead, from in between his eyes to in between his ears. If he doesn't go for that just go back to reading and ignoring him. Hopefully eventually he'll figure out that if he wants your attention there's gonna have to be some touching. Edit: some rabbits will always hate being picked up and held, mine included. That doesn't mean he can't still be really affectionate.
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Oct 29, 2009 08:15
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DS at Night posted:If there's anything you can count on it's their innate curiosity. Try sitting on the floor reading a book for a while, not paying attention to the rabbit. He'll come up to investigate eventually. Then you could slowly hold up your hand for him to sniff or look at. If he hasn't hopped away at that point you could try rubbing your thumb over his forehead, from in between his eyes to in between his ears. If he doesn't go for that just go back to reading and ignoring him. Hopefully eventually he'll figure out that if he wants your attention there's gonna have to be some touching. Yeah, I have been doing this since March. He is still not wanting to be touched at all, but he comes when called (if he thinks I have a treat, which he usually does) and will let me touch his forehead the tiniest bit, but if any pressure is applied, he runs. He won't let me touch his sides or body at all and he sassily shakes his head around a lot when I am "too close". This brings me to my next question. How do I assure that he is getting enough social interaction? Does it count that we are in the room for many hours a day and are at his level even though we are not often directly interacting with him? Again, he seems very healthy, has a huge enclosure, and is allowed into the bunny proofed living room for at least 4 hours a day. I've considered the possibility of getting him a friend to bond with (especially since we did a recent cage upgrade that tripled his space), but I am unsure if this will help him at all. I also don't think I am ready to take on a second rabbit right now. Edit in response to your edit: I know that most rabbits don't want to be picked up (prey animals), I really am just aiming for him to let me groom him and do necessary handling (putting him away into his cage on the rare occasion it needs to be shut). It would be nice if he would relax and allow me to pet him, but I am not trying to pick him up. I just want him to chill out and lay beside us on the floor or at least not act like we are trying to devour him (thus kicking the poo poo out of us when we have to hold him). He is totally curious about us and seems comfortable enough so long as it is all on his terms, but I need to know how to gently push his boundaries so that he gets a bit more tolerant. Pardalis fucked around with this message at 08:25 on Oct 29, 2009 |
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Oct 29, 2009 08:21
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Because my bunny Harper is an rear end in a top hat, I had to find a new home for my bun Shake. When we got them, they were inseparable, but all love was lost on Harper's end once puberty set in (I know, I know...). We got them neutered at 6 months but Harper was still aggressive toward Shake. Because Harper doesn't get along with ANY bunnies, we found a loving home for Mr. Shake. He and his new mom adore each other, but the biggest thing is that Shake bonded instantly to the lovely Japeda. I miss him terribly, but Harper can't get along with much of anything. He grunts, headbutts, and bites my husband, but nuzzles me. Weird. But, I love my rear end in a top hat bun :3 Before I get chewed out for what happened, I did ridiculous amounts of research in order to be the best first time bunny owner. The only reason I didn't get only one bunny was because Harper and Shake were kept together and it didn't seem right to separate them. I read so many things about what can and has happened to buns when they are separated from their bunnymate that I couldn't adopt just one. Thankfully there is a happy ending for all. Master Shake at 3 months being held by my husband:  Shake wearing a silly sweater I made him a couple of weeks before I found Japeda and her mom (we hadn't had our heat turned on yet and there was a wicked cold snap):  Click here for the full 1536x2048 image. Shake's lover, the beautiful Japeda:  My rear end in a top hat bunny, Harper, getting a bath because he REALLY needed one (he's so cute!):  Click here for the full 1536x2048 image. Harper fell asleep in my arms as he was drying off:  Click here for the full 2048x1536 image.
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Oct 29, 2009 09:18
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Paterson doesn't mind being touched anymore by me but god forbid anyone else try to touch him. He can hop backwards and sideways - which I think is totally hilarious. I try to encourage him to meet people by getting them to give him a treat or his vitamin (papaya enzyme). When I first got him I would pet him using my feet because I think that people might have been realllly grabby with him with hands. Now I can stroke his forehead until he's relaxed and then gather his ears and. this is weird but whatevs. he likes it when I gather his ears and basically give them a handjob. That's like, his 100% favourite way for me to pet him. The same motion. It's really weird but I love him so.
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Oct 29, 2009 15:36
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DS at Night posted:Edit: some rabbits will always hate being picked up and held, mine included. That doesn't mean he can't still be really affectionate. This to. They're just different creatures in terms of what they want and how to handle them. I actually think they're a lot like little horses; people always say "oh it's like a cat!" and my response is yes, in some ways but behaviorally they're more like horses. Little bitchy horses  I personally think buns are smarter than we give them credit for, but they range widely just like humans or any other animal. Portia is very smart, you can see her analyzing you and figuring out her next move. Ender is very sweet but a bit less bright. He's more concerned with love  I forgot about Dr. Grandin's box, her inventions have been very interesting. Almost all animals like pressure against them, it helps calm them down. I was surprised to learn it even works with parrots.
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Oct 29, 2009 18:28
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Pardalis posted:[...] Ah I see. Well I would say patience is the only thing left, but you've already been at this a long time, so I can't say. The running off is probably him being paranoid that you're gonna pick him up. So I guess make sure you have very different ways of approaching him when you're picking him up and when you're trying to pet him. I think most rabbits will seek out other living things if they're getting lonely. So maybe yours is just a bit of a loner?
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Oct 29, 2009 19:05
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Bunway Airlines posted:Portia is very smart, you can see her analyzing you and figuring out her next move. Ender is very sweet but a bit less bright. He's more concerned with love My bunnies are not terribly bright. Frith binkies into walls frequently. Zen cannot figure out that I need to take the food bowl out of her pen to fill it with more food, no, I am not taking the bowl away forever, I swear. I love them so much.
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Oct 29, 2009 19:32
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luscious posted:he likes it when I gather his ears and basically give them a handjob. That's like, his 100% favourite way for me to pet him. The same motion. It's really weird but I love him so. Whenever I pet my bunnies ears, it makes him go crazy licking things...usually his paws, but whatever is in front of him, until he has to stand up and groom himself. I've always wondered if this is standard rabbit behavior
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Oct 29, 2009 20:47
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Levitate posted:Whenever I pet my bunnies ears, it makes him go crazy licking things...usually his paws, but whatever is in front of him, until he has to stand up and groom himself. I've always wondered if this is standard rabbit behavior When i scratch my girl lionhead's ears this happens.
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Oct 29, 2009 23:39
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DS at Night posted:Edit: some rabbits will always hate being picked up and held, mine included. That doesn't mean he can't still be really affectionate. Cilantro hates hates HATES hates Hates Hates HATES being picked up. But she looooooooves getting pets and she'll sit real close to you to get them
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Oct 29, 2009 23:47
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I was trying to pick up one of the SPCA rabbits today to get him back in his newly cleaned cage, squatting down on the floor near him and he was having none of it - freaking out whenever I touched him. Then, suddenly, he ran up my leg and directly into my arms, where he rested quietly and happily as I stroked him. Weirdo.
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Oct 30, 2009 01:56
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maplecheese posted:I was trying to pick up one of the SPCA rabbits today to get him back in his newly cleaned cage, squatting down on the floor near him and he was having none of it - freaking out whenever I touched him. Then, suddenly, he ran up my leg and directly into my arms, where he rested quietly and happily as I stroked him. Weirdo. That sounds ridiculously adorable. DS, I think I will just keep slowly pushing his boundaries by feeding him treats (nothing bad for him, usually just Oxbow pellets one at a time) and making him let me touch him while he is eating them. I would hate to stress him out too much. Luckily, his enclosure got upgraded by adding an x-pen around his raised hutch, so he gained a ton of floor room. This means I can just herd him back into his enclosure without picking him up at all. Does anyone have an specific advice for enticing a reserved bunny to bond with you? Are there any specific exercise I should try with him?
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Oct 30, 2009 10:04
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maybe try to pet him before giving him food, and if he lets you do it for a couple of seconds, then give him food? So it's more of a reward scenario than something he just puts up with while he's busy eating?
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Oct 30, 2009 12:53
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angelicism posted:My bunnies are not terribly bright. Frith binkies into walls frequently. Zen cannot figure out that I need to take the food bowl out of her pen to fill it with more food, no, I am not taking the bowl away forever, I swear. Hahaha. I've never had a collision with the wall but my two get excited and collide with one another. I have no idea how I got the brighter ones, but maybe I'm just anthropomorphizing because I think my horses are super smart as well. People like my trainer actually back me up on that one though  As for bonding Pardalis, food and patience are your friends. I've sat on the floor for 3 hours before a shy rabbit approached me. Don't stare at them, we look like predators to them so it will freak a shy one out. I like to play the "I'm ignoring you game"; Ender and Portia will get so desperate for attention they'll come up and stare at me in the face and nudge me until I respond. I'll lie on the floor on my stomach or just sit facing away. It drives them nuts. Monty Roberts is a horse trainer who has written books on his method of braking horses. I actually recommend you read it because I know you ride as well but it works for rabbits. It takes patience and practice but essentially you ignore them (you herd horses away but chasing buns doesn't work) until you start seeing signs of submission. I would do this in a fairly empty room, with horses he recommends using a round pen so the horse can't escape or ignore you by eating. I would take away all of your buns food while you do this so he learns that all the love, food and attention comes from you. Then you wait for the approach still refusing to look at them. It helps if you can get some nice fragrant veggies and cut them up or just pretend to do something with them with your back facing the bunny. Eventually, curiosity gets the better of them and they will approach but you don't make contact until the animal fully submits to you (with horses they will stand quietly with their head on your shoulder), with buns they usually sit quietly right next to your leg. That's a very brief explanation, but you get the gist. Pick up one of Monty's books and he explains it in detail.
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Oct 30, 2009 20:34
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Hoppy Halloween! .JPG) .JPG)
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Oct 30, 2009 23:49
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Cute overload. I demand you take those down before I explode
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Oct 31, 2009 00:41
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Megalodon posted:Hoppy Halloween! Please tell me you bought those instead of made those and tell me where you got them because I will run out right this moment to get some for my buns. Who will immediately try to eat them.
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Oct 31, 2009 01:06
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Both from Petsmart. They're on clearance at 75% off, but they hardly had any left, especially in a small. I went to one in Miami though, which is handbag-dog central, so it may be easier to find them at another one.  Somehow the buns didn't even notice them, much less try to eat them.
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Oct 31, 2009 02:44
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 oh goodies
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Oct 31, 2009 03:22
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luscious posted:
This isn't a real rabbit. It is an adorable plush rabbit. You can't fool us.
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Oct 31, 2009 16:08
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Anyone ever have rabbit food pellets "go bad"? We feed our ~3 yr old bun Prissy the usual adult-oriented Oxbow pellets and he seems to have some kind of issue with his lower digestive system lately, painful/bloody urination (vet checked it out but couldn't come up with anything conclusive other than possible UTI; he's on antibiotics now) which seems to happen sometimes after he eats his morning pellets. There's some worry that us leaving his bag of pellets out, or unsealed in the fridge, once or twice may have contaminated it. Or that there's something else "bad" in there that's giving him the trouble. Any ideas? Mostly just looking for anecdotal "oh ya we left ours out once and it went bad" type stuff -- if he's not better after the antibiotics are done it's back to the vet, but we're curious whether to try and replace the pellets if they are the root cause. Obligatory pics just for kicks:  
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Nov 1, 2009 01:30
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Bagleworm posted:This isn't a real rabbit.  tee hee. check out these buns! 
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Nov 1, 2009 01:48
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My bunny refuses to be tranced and it can be quite difficult when trying to clean his bottom. Also, is there a good place to get those wire protector things for cheap? I just spend about $20 and I have about two cords covered. It's alright though, the bunny is pretty well behaved with the cords and only really chews on one behind the couch where he likes to hang out. I tried giving him a water dish but he just filled it with his bedding and poop... back to the bottle it is.
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Nov 1, 2009 18:24
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okay. So Paterson had the snuffles and we're treating it with Bactrim. They took a swab of his ear because of some white stuff inside of it. And the swab came back positive for a staph infection. I couldn't afford an x-ray and the vet said something about the infection possibly going into his lungs or something? I was really busy at work so I couldn't quite figure out what she was saying but she said something about possibly giving him a broad spectrum anti-biotic that the staph will not be resistant to. does anyone have any advice for me? mid-September: severe GI Stasis mid-October: minor GI Stasis end of October: snuffles and ear staph any ideas?? I now religiously give them papaya extract pills every day and their water gets echinacia drops. AHH
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Nov 1, 2009 23:04
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luscious posted:I now religiously give them papaya extract pills every day and their water gets echinacia drops. AHH What are those supposed to do?
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Nov 2, 2009 20:53
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Can anyone recommend a good place to buy Orchard Grass online cheaper than Oxbow?
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Nov 2, 2009 21:41
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Levitate posted:What are those supposed to do? Papaya pills are basically a sweet little pill full of enzymes. (Brosomething and papayin, the most common enzymes in marinades, actually.) When bunnies groom themselves or otherwise shed all over everything they touch, they ingest hair. Bunnies can't puke, though, so they can't hork up hair balls. You hope that they poo poo it out, but it might collect in the gut and stop things up. Giving them the papaya pill breaks the hair up (since hair is nothing but protein and enzymes dissolve proteins), thus hopefully keeping the bungut running smoother. I don't know about that other stuff, though. justFaye posted:Can anyone recommend a good place to buy Orchard Grass online cheaper than Oxbow? Is Drs. Foster and Smith cheaper? I honestly don't know, I'm asking. I have a behavior question: I have two bonded buns, Camille and Pepper. I took Camille to the vet for a nail trim because she's a huge baby that won't let me pick her up. Upon bringing her back, I put her in their cage and Pepper flipped her poo poo and attacked her. Here we sit, about a month later. They're still in seperate cages. When I let them out for the evening, Pepper will chase Camille for a bit, and then they'll lay down and groom each other and take a big lovey cuddle nap. They do this EVERY. DAY. I tried putting them in the same cage on Sunday -- Pepper groomed Camille, they took a nap together, and then Pepper chased Camille around the cage. They have a coroplast floor, so I don't want to risk any high speed chases because I don't want anyone slamming into the floor, but I'd love it if they'd chill out and be best bunfriends again. Any ideas/advice?
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Nov 2, 2009 23:53
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Bean posted:I have a behavior question: Sounds like perfectly normal bonding behavior. Chasing is a normal and necessary part of bonding. Check out this, or, there's fairly detailed bonding instructions upthread in my post history. Also, this is a good example of why it's good practice to carry both members of a bonded pair to the vet even if only one is being seen. My vets have all totally understood that Animal B is "just here for company".
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Nov 3, 2009 15:17
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alucinor posted:Also, this is a good example of why it's good practice to carry both members of a bonded pair to the vet even if only one is being seen. My vets have all totally understood that Animal B is "just here for company". Paterson and Bitsy are going to the vet tonight. I'm taking both of them. I did last time and Bitsy peed on the floor and her butt got so wet. I felt really bad. I'm going tonight to get his new meds. For his ear staph infection. Gross.
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Nov 3, 2009 15:53
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alucinor posted:Sounds like perfectly normal bonding behavior. Chasing is a normal and necessary part of bonding. Check out this, or, there's fairly detailed bonding instructions upthread in my post history. Oh yeah. Camille got to go to Pepper's eye goo exam a few days later because of this. So will the chasing stop some day, I guess? Anything I can do to speed it along? I'm assuming it's not safe to cage them together until this stops.
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Nov 4, 2009 02:27
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Paterson is getting better! the vet today said that his ear thing is clearing up on its own and that if he shows any signs of being sick I should bring him back in. I'm glad that we're all on the way to recovery. thank god.
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Nov 4, 2009 03:56
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Bean posted:Papaya pills are basically a sweet little pill full of enzymes. (Brosomething and papayin, the most common enzymes in marinades, actually.) When bunnies groom themselves or otherwise shed all over everything they touch, they ingest hair. Bunnies can't puke, though, so they can't hork up hair balls. You hope that they poo poo it out, but it might collect in the gut and stop things up. Giving them the papaya pill breaks the hair up (since hair is nothing but protein and enzymes dissolve proteins), thus hopefully keeping the bungut running smoother. I just buy fresh pineapple. It's cheaper, and then I get to eat it too
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Nov 4, 2009 09:54
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