Track bunnies...

[Bunnicula05]

I had a track meet last night and I did horrible. I stratched 3 times cuz I didn't throw the disc between the lines and when I didn't I threw 49 feet and some inches. But I did pretty good in shot, I got an 18 19 and 20 feet, I didn't want to hear my last one cuz I did really bad. But I felt really horrible, when I came home Mom didn't let the rabbits out AGAIN. So I spent the night with them AGAIN. They were my medicine last night. They would come up to me and give me bunny kisses because they knew I was sad. Grey actually laid down beside me....

[Daisylover]

Yeah, I think bunnies know when you are feeling down or ill. Pets ARE the best medicine.

I'm sorry you felt you didn't do well last night. I think just by competing you proved that you have determination, strength of character, and stick-to-it-tiveness that most people don't seem to have much of anymore. You should be proud of yourself.....it would have been so much easier to stay home or drop out and you didn't do that. I think you deserve a great big CONGRATULATIONS!
And remember, there's always next time.:D

[Logan]

Our pets do wonders for us when we're disappointed or hurting. I'm so glad your bunnies were your "medicine" last night. And good luck in your next meet! :)

[Heather Wallace]

My cats always know when I'm sad, especially Tatty, he seems to be intune with emotions.

[Bunnicula05]

Thanks again guys.....I'm sure I'll do MUCH better at another meet.

[sasvermont]

Bunnicula05 - sorry to hear you were so sad but glad to hear your bunnie cheered you up and kept you company!

I have been thinking about adopting a couple of bunnies from the shelter. They have two mostly black ones, rather small, in the same cage so I can only assume they are either the same sex or been neutered etc. Are bunnies easy to take care of? I have two cats and don't have to do much beyond play with them, feed them, and clean the litter. I have a huge screened in porch and would probably keep them confined to the porch for awhile. There are no wires out there and they would be sheltered from the rain, wind, sun etc. to a great degree.

Can you leave bunnies for a couple of days? Or do you have to feed them each day? I sometimes don't replenish my cat's dry food for a day or two.

Just curious. Thanks for the info - if and when!

SAS

[Bunnicula05]

Well, in my mind, bunnies are just like cats. You got to play with them, feed them, and of course, clean the litter box. (Yes bunnies learn to use the litter box). I think bunnies could go for a few days without their food being replenished, I would recommend a big feeder you put on the inside of their cage. You refill it from the top and the pellets comes out at the bottom and if you get a big enough one, ones that I've seen anway, say they can go up to 5 days. But that depends on how much the buns eat. They also need fresh vegetables every day. And lots of timothy hay to help their digestive tract. Only feed bunnies alfa products if they are under a year old. Older bunnies don't need as much calcium as younger bunnies. And even if one of them are nuetered or spayed, get the other one neutered or spayed because bunnies can develop uterine and testicular cancers, and plus it helps with behavior problems, such as accessive digging and chewing. Make sure you have enough toys and chew things so your bunnies don't get bored. A great site to check out is www.rabbits.org

[Heather Wallace]

Originally posted by sasvermont


Can you leave bunnies for a couple of days? Or do you have to feed them each day? I sometimes don't replenish my cat's dry food for a day or two.

If you do not have the time to feed your buns at least 2/3 times each day, don't even think about getting any. I think they are more of a commitment than cats.

Please think very carefully as they take up room and LOTS OF YOUR TIME.

Rabbits can be left for a couple of days BUT I wouldn't personally, as they wouldn't eat. A Rabbits digestive system has to be kept going so they need to be constantly feed with hay etc.

Please find out more about them first before making a decission like this.

[Daisylover]

i agree with Heather. There is NO WAY a bunny should go without fresh veggies 2 or 3 times a day. Pellets are bad for their digestive system and should be avoided or kept to 2-3 Tablespoons per 5 lbs of bunny. They need unlimited timothy hay.
If you can't devote the time to them I would say you should not get them. I work at a bunny sanctuary and while I want to say, take them, give them a good and loving home, if you don't have the time to play with them and feed them, don't do it.
Bunnies are charming and delightful companions. The more they interact with a human caregiver the cuter, more affectionate, and more comedic they become. They are definitely more work than a cat.

[tazz1227]

uh oh...I think I am messing up again !!:( :( I only feed the kids once a day. I feed them at night before I go to bed. They get a big bowl of veggies and a sccop of pellets. When I get home from work I may give them a treat of an apple, or pear, or something like that. And they do have unlimited hay in 3 litterboxes. Tell me I am not a bad mommy!! :( :( You see how "plump" my kids are. I thought they ate too much. HELP !!:confused: :confused:

[Daisylover]

I think you're fine...cuz I just looked at their most recent pics and they are plump little cherubs!!! :D

Seriously, the bunny folks I know feed fresh veggies 2 times a day and we do that at the sanctuary as well where the buns have unlimited hay, grass and dandelions. The hay, as you know, is the most important so I would say don't worry about how you are feeding them , you are obviously doing something right. I'm stumped as to why they are that "statuesque!"...they aren't getting Cherrios or bread are they? :eek:

[Daisylover]

The more I think about it, it's probably the pellets that are putting on the weight....
When my Velvet went down to 4.8 lbs from 6.1, I started him on the pellets and now he's a 6.7lb. I'm cutting the pellets back to every other day.

By the way, I taught that bunny basic class last Thursday for the sanctuary and it went very well. We had 26-30 people, all with their own bunny stories, it was GREAT!!! It went over so well we'll probably do it again in mid summer. :D

[tazz1227]

They don't eat Cheerios or bread. :) They get maybe a 1/2 cup of pellets. And most of them end up on the floor because they like to play with them more than eat them. They do get the store treats once in a while. They are just "healty". :D :D That's what the vet said when I took them to get their nails clipped. She was pleased at how "healthy" they were. I asked were they too big...weighing in at 10lbs and 8 1/2 lbs. She said no and they were still growing. They are getting lazy. They don't even try to impress me with tricks anymore...they just want what they want when they want it and will nudge your feet or nibble to get your attention. MY BABIES !! Love them dearly. Whish you were here to pet sit. I am so concerned about leaving them for 2 weeks.:( :(

[Daisylover]

Well, the fruit and the pet store treats together with the pellets might do the weight gain thing.
Are the store treats alfalfa based? Most are,so we (I) do not give any of the store treats...just a small piece (1/6-1/8th of an apple (depending on the size) for example) them the fruit once or twice a week several days apart.

That's because if mine get fruit every day, they get runny poop. :rolleyes:

They are just so darn cute I want to spoilt them and give them treats but I found it backfires (:D)
!!!

[Daisylover]

When is that trip again? I'm trying to think of other alternatives... I know how unsettling it is to go and leave the bunnies in someone else's care. No matter who it is, they never do as good a job as YOU would!!!!

If push comes to shove there's always the vet, which is very expensive I know but at least they would be getting top of the line care. Have you tried the pet supply stores...most have bulletin boards with pet sitter ads. Or do you have friends who use a pet sitter? and you could get a referral... Sometimes pet sitters will advertise in the newspapers... Is there a sanctuary who might do pet sitting in your area? Do you have a rabbit owning friend you could reciprocate bun sitting with? Actually, that would be the 2nd best way to go....

I don't know what else to suggest... I would take them in a heart beat for you. Now if we had access to a private plane...!!! (that's not so outrageous...our sanctuary got 2 dutch buns from Rhode Island who came in by private plane last month!!!!!) I'll keep thinking.....

;)

[Bunnicula05]

Maybe if your parents will pet sit for u, maybe a close relative, a sibling. Family is always the way to go too!

[tazz1227]

My trip is June 7-22. Yesterday a friend of mine that also has a bunny came over to meet the kids and I could see if they liked her and they did. She was surprised at the "good life" that my kids live in. :) She said her bunny Barkley only ate lettuce and carrotts. You know I had to educate her for her bunny's sake and my bunny's sake if I let her keep them. I am going to take the kids to her house to see if the bunnys can get along. Her bunny is a little dwarf bunny, my bunnys are going to run her bunnys CRAZY! But I hope it will work because I would love to have someone to share sitting services with.

But I will keep the private plane option on the side. :) Unfortunately I have no family here...they are all up north. :( :(

[Daisylover]

I am so relieved that you found a bunny sitter! And isn't it fun when you can "show off" your bunny knowledge???!!!! :D Hopefully Barkley will get even better nutrition that previously. Welcome to the ranks of the teaching......

I certainly don't want to rain on your parade but I would expect Barkley to not like your guys at first.... They are, afterall, invading HIS territory and he'll probably want to defend it from interlopers. ;) DON'T be discouraged! What your friend should probably do is keep your guys caged and let Barkley out...they can investigate each other through the cage sides and no one can get hurt. Then after several hours (or the next day) she should put Barkley in and let your guys out for exercise. A warning...your guys will probably poop everywhere to let Barkley know they are there. She should do this alternating until she thinks they can be together without harm...but she should be prepared for a tussel. I seriously doubt there will be love at first sight between the 3 of them....of course it helps tremendously that you have girls and she has a boy, so you are ahead of the game. And too, whenever there are 2 or more buns they will argue about which one of them is the TOP BUN. Once they settle that, the situation will most likely work out fine.

Buns have notoriously short memories so don't be surprised if the 3 make friends this time but the next time they'll fight..... At the sanctuary whenever we remove a bunny from a yard who needs medication and is confined in the bunny hospital for a week or two, it's a headache to try and reintroduce them to their same location/bun friends.

So my advice is go, have fun and don't worry about them. The buns will be well cared for and it is no hardship on them if they end up having to be confined to a cage, as long as they do get out for some exercise each day. I left Daisy at the vets when he was recovering from an illness and I had a 2 wk vac planned and he was not traumatized when I came back!!! However I did get the turned back and the silent treatment until he decided to forgive me! LOL! So funny.

[tazz1227]

That is what concerns me....the kids do not EVER stay in a cage and when they are put in a cage they tear things up. And you know Boy Boy is so much bigger than the other 2. I am still concerned. I don't want to leave my kids. I wanted to leave them at the vet but they would be alone at night and in the cage most of the time. I know I am over protective but I want people to treat my buns like I do. I love them and I am going to be so upset if they turn their back to me when i get back!!:( :(

[Daisylover]

Did you ever get them one of those portable fences I talked about? That way they would not be in a cage and would have room to exercise without being too terribly confined. They give the animal more space than you would think by looking at it. And they could still poke their noses at Barkley and Barkley could get to know them. I think it's worth the expense, especially in this scenario. As I said a couple of weeks ago, you could also use it when you go traveling with them, or want to keep them away from a particular piece of furniture or even take them outside for a while.

When buns get destructive is usually when they are bored or unhappy, so it comes down to toys - and telephone books or newspapers.

If you are still considering the vet...talk to them. Tell them your concerns. You may find that they have an animal tech who is willing to exercise them and play with them after hours. I would NOT suggest a dog kennel....dogs/cats have diseases and the buns can get in a lot of trouble.....

[tazz1227]

The portable fence I found was a metal one that they could jump over or knock down. I got BIG bunnies. Do you have a spefic one that you can recommend?

[Daisylover]

All the portable fences I've seen in the various pet stores up here have come in a variety of heights, starting at 24 inches and going up to 56 or 60. Mine is quite high...probably 48 inches (I can't bend over it to open the drawers in the chest it protects) and I know there was one higher yet.
Maybe you should call the pet stores in your area first and ask them if they have the fencing before you make the trip.
I hope this helps.

[tazz1227]

Where did you get it Daisy? Is it metal or plastic?

[Daisylover]

I got mine at Pet Supplies Plus and it's made of metal. It's really nice and sturdy. It's hooks together with ... oh... those clasp thingys.
:rolleyes:

I've seen there several other places (I always check the prices)...Petsmart, Petco and a couple of local pet stores. If I can remember mine has a metal tag on it and I'll see if I can come up with the manufacturer's name....maybe that will help.

[tazz1227]

You know as always, you are wonderful!!

[tazz1227]

Daisy, I found this site. Is this what you are talking about? Can't they knock it down? http://shop.petmarket.com/standardexpens.html

[Daisylover]

I suppose if they both pushed on it at the same time that they might be able to knock it down, but I really doubt they would even try. We've used this for years at the sanctuary with various size buns (and at the 24"height too) and never had a bun jump over or knock it down. It is very sturdy. Because it's hexigon in shape, each individual panel actually reinforces the one next to it. Also I don't think the House Rabbit Soc would recommend their use if they felt there were or could be problems with the fencing being pushed oover......but knowing YOUR two...

The price looks very reasonable to me. I think I have the 42 inch one and I think the price is less than what I paid for mine. Do they have a store where you can actually look at one? Good luck!

[tazz1227]

I'm not sure but now that I know what I am looking for I may be able to find it.

[Daisylover]

The stores usually don't have them on display since they take up a lot of room, so look for them all folded up, in a stand up display, usually in the dog section. I've seen some packaged in a cardboard box too. Best ask someone who works there and have them open it up so you can get a good idea of how it works.

:cool:

[tazz1227]

Will do....thanks again.

[Daisylover]

My portable fencing was made by Midwest and is only 36" high but that's plenty! The metal tag said they have a website www.midwesthomes4pets.com
They are located in Muncie, Indiana.

[tazz1227]

Wonderful...they had the playpen but I couldn't find how much they wanted for it. Still looking.

[cavialova]

Originally posted by Daisylover
Yeah, I think bunnies know when you are feeling down or ill. Pets ARE the best medicine.



this really interrested me, i just had to tell you guys about this!
I had a cat named Zap(female) , wich i no longer have since 1 year now and, Minou(my male cat)....We were at the supper table and eating, then minou wanted some meat so he scratched my little brother's leg and he started crying, and right away, Zap meowed looking at him and woundering whats wrong!!!! it was so cute!!! And she made him feel better :D aww i loved that cat:(