Please welcome....

[Cookiebaker]

our new 6 year old white male English Angora Bunny rabbit!!! :D:eek::D He's pretty scared right now (shaking in the corner of his cage) so we are leaving him in peace and quiet for a little while so that he can used to his new surroundings.

The lady told me that they only took him to the vet once, he's un-neutered, and that she doesn't have time to brush him the way that he needs to. His name is Fluffernutter with a peanut-butter nose :eek: and we are trying to think of something a little more....erm....something. hehe So we would like name suggestons, please!!

We have been thinking of getting a bunny for a while now, but we weren't exactly ready for this. I had planned on doing lots of research, but he hopped into our lives, and there is no going back now. So this afternoon, I am headed for the library/pet store to do lots of research. Any information will be appreciated!!!!

Pictures will be coming soon...after he calms down a little bit. He's BEAUTIFUL!!! I'm so thrilled and excited!!! :D:D:D He comes from a home with a dog and 3 cats, so hopefully getting used to Marigold & Malone won't be too much of an issue.

Anyway, I'm rambling. More details later!! :D

[Rottieluver45]

YAAAAAYYY!!! Congrats! I love Angoras they are sooooo pretty! Are you gonna get him neutered? You`re sure he`s a he right? They can be pretty tricky!!
HURRY!! PICTURES!! LOL! Please?

No name suggestions but If you need advice go to Daisy lover she`s good at giving advice! REALLY GOOD! That`s where I get most MY info and zippykat! or go to Rabbit.org...uhhhhmmm...NOT .COM!!!


Congrats...can`t wait for pics!

[bluekat]

Congrats! Your new bunny sounds wonderful, I want a bunny too! Yes, any pics? please????

[Cookiebaker]

He is absolutely LOVEABLE and keeps coming around for nose-bumpies!!! I let him out of his cage, and he explored all around the kitchen.

I can't wait to to know him better....at first, I thought something was wrong, but he was just washing his little nose. ;) And he keeps "coughing"/making this funny noise, and I'm not sure if it's something to worry about or not. :rolleyes:

Anyway, here are a couple of pictures I got before the batteries went dead:

http://www2.innevi.com/~emenay/bunny.JPG



http://www2.innevi.com/~emenay/bunny1.JPG



http://www2.innevi.com/~emenay/bunny3.JPG

[popcornbird]

OMG! He's SO adorable and FLUFFY! CONGRATULATIONS!

Now you have one of every kind of *common* pet. A dog, a cat, a bird, and a rabbit! How cool! :D

Did Malone, Marigold, and Rilla meet him yet? ;)

Ps. No 2nd birdie yet? ;);)

[Karen]

He looks like the Abominable Snow Bunny! :) Very sweet, do you have a bunny comb/brush yet? People keep Angora rabbits to spin their fur into yarn ... so keep those combfuls of bunny fuzz! :)

Adorable Angora Boy?

Basie (after Count Basie) the Snow Bunny?

Monty?

Smudge?

[Cookiebaker]

Originally posted by Karen
He looks like the Abominable Snow Bunny! :) Very sweet, do you have a bunny comb/brush yet? People keep Angora rabbits to spin their fur into yarn ... so keep those combfuls of bunny fuzz! :)

Adorable Angora Boy?

Basie (after Count Basie) the Snow Bunny?

Monty?

Smudge?

Hehehe The Abominable Snow Bunny!! :D That's a funny nickname!!

You can see the brush that she gave me in the middle picture. I'm not sure if that is a proper brush or not. He has sooo many tangles, burrs, and knots. :( Maybe there is a better tool out there?? The lady said that when that happens she would just cut the burr off. He's so wiggily though, I would be a little afraid of cutting the skin (the burrs are right next to the skin)

[Cookiebaker]

He officially has a name now!!! Willow!!

We just went to the petstore and got him some food, pellets, timothy hay, salt block, cardboard chewies etc.

I read that lettuce isn't good for rabbits. Is this true!?!?!?

[wolfsoul]

Congrats! He's such a sweetie! :D

I looked up a few names for you :)

Ceaser: Means "hairy" in Roman
Pheonix: Derived from the Greek word for "dark red."
Lucifer: Means "bringing light."
Lior: Means "my light" in Hebrew"
Clement: Derived from a Latin word meaning "gentle."
Dakota: Means "friend" in the dakota language.
Kuno: Derived from German for "brave"
Amando: From the late latin word Amandus, meaning "lovable"

If you need more names, search www.behindthename.com :) Good luck!

[wolfsoul]

whoops, never mind, you posted right before me! :o

Great name! :D

[zippy-kat]

:D :D :D

My, my, my!! He's already handsome--can't wait to see him once he has a little love smeared on him! He'll be drop dead GORGEOUS!!!


You asked for advice, so...
To me, the poor guy looks under-nourished. What is he eating? Timmy Hay and Oat Hay are best and to put on a little weight you might even try some alfalfa (but not much, alfalfa isn't good for an older bun's "main course.") I buy all my hay from www.bunnyluv.com -- a great business and proceeds go to help the Bunny Luv rescue. The oxbow hay company (sorry don't know the link offhand) is HIGHLY recommended by many bunnie people. I've never ordered from them so I don't know how they compare to Bunny Luv. Oxbow does offer a good timmy-hay based pellet.

Parsley, cilantro, endives -- most all dark greens are good for him too. Carrots, apples, etc. are good for treats but use sparingly. A good "rabbit-safe" veggie/fruit list can be found here: ABC's of Rabbit Safe Veggies/Fruits (http://www.adoptarabbit.com/articles/packet/abcvegi.html).

Because he's a long-haired breed, I'd make sure to give him papaya tablets and/or pineapple (the fruit or the juice -- make sure that sweetner is not added -- I used Dole's Canned Pineapple juice with Sophie. Piper hates it, so I use papaya tablets with him). This promotes good flora in the gut which allows things like hairballs and such to pass. W/ the pineapple jucie, I'd let Sophie drink all she wanted --once a week-- in say a 5 min. span. W/ the Papaya tablets, I give Piper two tablets per week. Another good thing to try is the pina colada yogurt (by pass the non-fat stuff, get the regular), 1-2 tbls per week. Also, Benebac (http://www.bunnyluv.com/benebacpetgel.html) is wonderful stuff for promoting good gut flora!

As for the cage, I'm not too fond of the wire bottoms...but that's strictly personal preference (I'd rather spend a few extra minutes cleaning than have a bun w/ sore hocks). If you stick with the wire bottom, just make sure he has a board that's big enough for him to sit/lay on.

The "bedding" at the bottom of the cage concerns me a bit -- cedar chips? Cedar (and a couple of other woods that i can't remember right now :rolleyes: ) isn't good for bunnies. I'd go with shredded newspaper or carefresh or something along those lines.

Ummm... just a few other questions/comments:
-- does he have a litterbox?
-- you've probably already considered this but, are you going to take him in for a check up? I'd encourage it-- the vet can give him a look-over (teeth, nails, weight, etc) and give you some great advice. Click here for a list of NH Bunny Vets (http://www.worldpath.net/~wchess/vets.html). Even if you decide not to take Willow right away, I can't STRESS the importance of finding a good bunny vet EARLY on. Better to be prepared!
-- The NH House Rabbit Society (http://www.worldpath.net/~wchess/index.html) might be of some use to you as well!
-- GREAT articles on general rabbit care (http://www.rabbit.org/care/index.html)

WHEW!! There's tons more info to give but I think that covers most of the basic stuff.... any more questions? Lemme know! :D

Give that handsome Willow boy a BIG BIG kiss and hug!

[Cookiebaker]

Wow Zippy, I appreciate all that info so much!!!! I'm printing it out to take it all in! ;) Yes, I am planning on getting a cage without the wire bottom. I figured to let him get used to his new surroundings for a few days so as to not disrupt him TOO much on the first day. Yes, I just went to check and that's Cedar shavings. I will look into getting something different tonight.

Yes, I will be looking for a vet on Monday. I'm pretty sure the vet we use is dog/cat only. More research to do on that! And no litterbox *yet*. He is newspaper trained, and I would like to gradually get him used to a litterbox.

I'm sure I'll be back with more questions! Thanks again for all the advice!!! :)

[wolfsoul]

I reccomend Aspen shavings :) That's what I'm using for the rats right now, and I really like it. I only like it in the litter box though, if it's used for the main bedding, I find that it starts to smell faster :eek: probably because I clean the litter box more often than the cage..;)

[Rottieluver45]

OMG!! HE IS SOOOOOOOOO CUTE!! I want one of those kinds of bunny! If thelmer ever gets a friend I want it to be and Angora.

BTW: I think he might replace thelmer`s popularity! :D

I love the name Willow!

[zippy-kat]

Originally posted by Cookiebaker
Yes, I am planning on getting a cage without the wire bottom. I figured to let him get used to his new surroundings for a few days so as to not disrupt him TOO much on the first day.

:D May I put a plug in for this company?

Leith Petwerks (http://www.leithpetwerks.com/)
That's where I ordered Piper's new cage from... I LOVE IT!!!

(for pics, see: http://www.petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?threadid=26627 )

[Aspen and Misty]

ADORABLE!!!!!

Congrats! I just love my Julian and am Always so happy when a responsible pet owner gets a new bunny! They are wonderful pets and such a Joy to have around. While just last night Julian had me laughing so hard I was in tears :D

Ingoy your new baby!


Ash

[*LabLoverKEB*]

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! On Your new addition, to your family!!! Willow is sooooo adorable! What a sweet looking bunny rabbit he is! Great pics!:) ;)

[CathyBogart]

He's beatuiful, and I love the name Willow, it suits him well!

[PayItForward]

He is a handsome bunny.

[Jessica12345]

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:eek: how COMPLETELY ADORIBLE! I LOVE HIM! Awwww! :eek: :D :eek:

LOL! congratulations! again, he is the sweetest and the cutest little adorible fwuffy bunny i ever did see!:D

sorry, i cant really help you on bunny info though.... lol:p

again CONGRATULATIONS!:D

and just for the record: awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!! :p lol

BTW: great name!:D

[shellonabeach]

I'm glad zippy_cat said about him looking thin as that was bothering me when I saw the pictures. With all the fluff he must actually be a lot thinner than he looks (my angora's looked like huge fluff balls - round). I would check his teeth and perhaps be on the watch incase he doesn't put weight on and it is something more serious.

With mine I had to brush them everyday - I used a dog brush with bristles one side and the plastic teeth the other side - those would get to the bottom of the coat. It is easy to brush the top and not the coat next to the skin - so the mats form.

I don't know what you mean by burs - do you mean mats? These do need to be removed as they can be very irritating and can pull the skin making it very sore. If they are bad then they may need clipping off at the vets/groomers.

Finally shavings and angora fur did not mix for me - they got stuck in the fur and caused knots. Mine lived outside (this was many years ago) and they were bedded on soft barley straw. Carefresh or paper cat litter would work inside (paper cat litter such as yesterdays news).

Good luck he is adorable and the name Willow most certainly suits him.

[primabella]

Aww Willow is a great name. And he's so fuzzy :D Congrats. :)

[RockyRoad]

Wow, congrats! Willow is soo adorable, I'm so happy for you! He's such a fluffball! :D
Once again, congrats!!:)

[Tina]

Congrats!! Willow is very adorable!!

[zippy-kat]

Originally posted by shellonabeach
Carefresh or paper cat litter would work inside.


No cat litter -- esp. not the clumping kind! The dust can cause respiratory problems.

When do we get to see more pics?:D

[wolf_Q]

Congratulations!!! Willow is adorable! :D He'll be an absolutely gorgeous bunny once he gets SPOILED like he deserves!

[Karen]

Miss Hoppy uses Carefresh - that's the recycled newspaper litter you can find at any pet store. That, covered with timothy hay, for munching and rearranging, works wonderfully.

You need a comb-type implement to deal with the undercoat - the brush she gave you is not sufficient for an Angora coat, which is why he's got mats - it's simply not thick/deep enough to reach it all, so it just smooths the surface.

You need a good bunny vet - go to http://rabbit.org - that's how we found Miss Hoppy's excellent vet, but I'm sure there's one closer to you than Wellesley, MA, where she is!

Willow is such a handsome bunny, I am glad he is in a good home now! :)

As for the wire mesh - we buy mats at Pier One (we like the maize mats) that you can buy in 1-foot squares. Those cover the floor of the cage so Miss Hoppy's feet don't get sore. Other people use carpet remnant squares, even just a sheet of cardboard to give those tender tootsies a resting place!

[Vermontcat]

Congratulations Cookiebaker on the new bunny!:D
Sorry I didn't see this thread sooner, it has been a busy week!
I still kind of like the name Karen suggested "Abominable Snow Bunny" or some kind of wintery name like Snowy or Flurry or Blizzard but Willow is a cute name too!
I remember you mentioned that you wanted to get a new bunny, I am so glad that you did! So what is the whole story on how you got Willow? Is there another thread about him? Congratulations again! I hope you can post some new photos of him soon once he is settled in and I can't wait to see what your other pets think of him!:)

[Cookiebaker]

I'm sorry if I'm boring you guys with all this, but it's so *exciting* around here!!

I've noticed several things today: Willow does *not* wish to explore anywhere but the kitchen. I don't know if the prev. owners "taught" him to stay in the kitchen, but he won't stray into the dining room even with the door wide open. Maybe it will just be a matter of time until he gets his courage up, though he doesn't seem shy about exploring every nook & cranny of the kitchen. :D

I went and got an undercoat comb, and suddenly Willow isn't too fond of my combing him! :eek: He put up a protest (peed all over me yech!) and bee-lined for the safety of his cage. I did get some trimming in as well (with safety ball pointed scissors) but he doesn't like that very much at all either. I'm thinking that when I talk to the vet tomorrow, I'll see if they will professionally groom him the first time, and show me how to do it. I'm pretty insecure afraid that I'm going to hurt him. He still looks pretty scruffy!!!

He *LOVES* it when I let him out of his cage. He does this little dance (it's sooo cute!!) and circles around and around my legs. He will nudge with his little nose to get me to move my feet apart, and then he will do figure eights. :) Silly bunny!!

Willow loves carrots but only BIG ones. I offered little baby carrots, (the already peeled kind) but he won't have anything to do with them. I have read lots of conflicting advice as to how many veggies per week you should give them. One source said only 2 carrots per week, and another said every day. One said only a few veggies a couple of times/week, and another said every day. Willow is really skinny (you can feel his backbone knobby through his skin) and I really want to get him healthy but am not sure of how much to offer without causing diarhhea. I just got some alfalfa today which I understand has lots of calories, but should be given in limited amounts because it contains lots of calcium. We also found carefresh, so no more nasty cedar!! I heard that un-neutered male bunnies smelled?? I dunno if it's just me but I don't notice a thing!! But that's a good thing, I guess! :) :rolleyes:

He peed twice on newspaper today, and twice he missed by about 3 or 4 inches. :rolleyes: But that's OK 'cause it's easy to clean up. You just got watch where yer walking in bare feet now. :p

I loved those cages that you pointed me towards Zippy, and so did Mark when I showed him. However, he wasn't too pleased with the $ (men!! :rolleyes: ) so we went ahead and got a bigger, plastic bottomed cage this afternoon at a local petstore. Mark is working on fixing it up to be two storied on both ends, so at least for now it will give Willow more room, and no grate bottom!!!

And to answer your question, Vermontcat, about the whole story behind Willow....*ahem cough cough*...I don't think many people are gonna like this. :o He was for sale at a yard sale. :mad: I felt so bad for him sitting in the sun waiting for some kind compassionate person to pick him out between all the used books and stained sweatshirts. I dunno, I just couldn't drive away and leave him there. The lady said that her primary reasons for wanting to sell him were that she wanted to travel and not have to pay someone to take care of him, :eek: and she didn't have time to properly groom him the way that he needed. I knew that she wasn't committed to him like he deserves to have someone committed to love him. So ready or not, we brought him home, and know that this is his FOREVER home. So please don't think bad of me for buying him at a yard sale...I hope you can understand that I just couldn't leave him behind.

Whoops!! I guess this is kinda long....:o

[RockyRoad]

Good for you! I wouldn't be mad at you for getting him from a yard sale, you saved him! I would have done the same thing!

I think un-neutered male bunnies smell because they spray...but I may be wrong, never had a male before. :)

Good luck!

[zippy-kat]

Originally posted by Cookiebaker
I heard that un-neutered male bunnies smelled??

I just couldn't drive away and leave him there. ... So please don't think bad of me for buying him at a yard sale...I hope you can understand that I just couldn't leave him behind.


The urine is much smellier/stronger... that's where the odor lies. Bunnies do have a bit of a "dusty" smell to them but it beats the doggie smell anyday! ( :o Sorry my Sara-pup, I still luv ya!)

Willow's new cage sounds wonderful! You'll have to post pics whenever it's all finished! :D

Think bad of you for saving that poor soul? OFCOURSE NOT!! I'm so thankful you came along and rescued him!! (I'm also amazed at his age... did she have him for that long? I hope he received more attention than she led on. :( )

Do you have AIM? I'd love to have a bunny chat w/ ya! :D

Congrats Willow on your new loving, forever home!!




OHHHHHHHHHHHH.......
Bananas!! Do you have any? Give him a lil' nibble.. ;) ;)

[Vermontcat]

Cookiebaker, you did the right thing. The way I see it you rescued him at that garage sale to give him a much, much, much better home with you!:D
(I know you are a great pet-loving person who will give him the quality life full of love and attention that he deserves!):)

[Karen]

Not surprised he suddenly changed his mind about being groomed once you started on the (much needed) undercoat! Good for you for trying. You are right - a good bunny vet can probably get all the mats out, so you'll have a fresh start - and so will he. Having mats means he's probably extra-tender-skinned there, which isn't helping matters.

No one will think badly of YOU for getting him at a yard sale - he needed a better home, and along you came!

We feed Miss Hoppy fresh veggies all the time - she doesn't eat any pellets. She lives on produce - parsley, dandelion greens (and flowers, now that they're in the yard ...) and a carrot a day. What had he been eating? The house rabbit society pages have "what to feed your bunny" guidelines, which we have always followed, since Miss Hoppy dumped out the first dish of "rabbit food" (that pellet stuff) the day we brought her home! He needs the weight, apparently, so a carrot a day would probably do him good!

Plenty of tasty sticks, by the way, are good, too. Again, http://rabbit.org has guidelines, if your bunny doesn't have a grandpa who excels at "tasty stick finding" like my dad does for Miss Hoppy!

[Cookiebaker]

Thank you so much for understanding! I guess I was feeling a tad bad/guilty because I didn't want anyone to think that this was an impulse buy. We weren't really ready....we weren't even REALLY been seriously thinking of getting a bun any time soon....we hadn't had time to think through all the possible consequences. So I wasn't exactly feeling like a responsible pet owner, but I guess sometimes life just HAPPENS!! :)

[luckies4me]

Originally posted by zippy-kat
No cat litter -- esp. not the clumping kind! The dust can cause respiratory problems.

When do we get to see more pics?:D



She said paper cat litter such as Yesterdys News is fine for bunnies. It's like Carefresh but I believe it is in pellet form. She wasn't talking about clay litter of clumping, just the recycled paper kind. :)


So yes it is safe to use, as safe as Carefresh. Although I do have to say that I have found Carefresh to be dusty, and prefer Carefresh Ultra instead. Plus it looks prettier. :D


I also think he's thin, but I am sure he will be looking good in no time flat. ;) What a sweet looking bunny he is. Have fun!

[zippy-kat]

Originally posted by luckies4me
She said paper cat litter such as Yesterdys News is fine for bunnies. It's like Carefresh but I believe it is in pellet form. She wasn't talking about clay litter of clumping, just the recycled paper kind. :)


So yes it is safe to use, as safe as Carefresh. Although I do have to say that I have found Carefresh to be dusty, ...

Yes it does say that now! :) But it didn't when I replied/quoted -- she edited her post.

One thing I don't like about the pelleted litter....
If the bunny has pellets in his/her diet -- how's he suppose to know the difference?

I haven't tried the Carefresh Ultra -- I'll have to grab a bag!

[luckies4me]

Originally posted by zippy-kat
Yes it does say that now! :) But it didn't when I replied/quoted -- she edited her post.

One thing I don't like about the pelleted litter....
If the bunny has pellets in his/her diet -- how's he suppose to know the difference?


Hrmm, never thought of that lol. :p

I haven't tried the Carefresh Ultra -- I'll have to grab a bag!


OOH I love the ultra, although it does cost a little more. It's white so it makes the cage look really cool! Plus it doesn't have the weird odor that the regular Carefresh does. :D

[shais_mom]

no advice I just wanted to say
CONGRATULATIONS and HE IS SOOOOOOOOOO CUTE!!

[shellonabeach]

At the time I did say PAPER cat litter (I edited to put in about yesterdays news - what my friend uses for her bunny - as there was some confusion). I have read that CLAY is not even very good for cats (which seems obvious if they eat it) and as a rodent owner use paper cat litter for them.

One thing is that I have found carefresh gets stuck in my long-haired guinea pigs fur so thought it would also do the same to an angora, therefore thinking that pelleted paper cat litter would be best as a litter - obviously with something softer in his sleeping spot. Mine used to have shredded paper and soft straw as it didn't act like a curler in the fur (like shavings did) and helped keep the knots down.

I don't see how there could be confusion and the rabbit eat it because it obviously smells very different, but if it is eaten it is safe.

As for getting him from a yard sale what a lucky find (for both of you). From the initial post I thought you had got him from someone whom you considered to be reputable!! Which I doubted looking at him. Angora's need a lot of care to keep the coat in good condition and the bunny happy - Willow certainly has landed on his feet after 6 years.

Finally about the grooming - the top coat looks ok but are there a lot of mats under that and next to the skin? Big mats cannot be brushed out but have to be cut/clipped out. The skin may also be sore if the mats are pulling it. Once you get the coat sorted I'm sure he won't mind grooming, at the moment I'm sure it's uncomfortable for him.

[anna_66]

Ok Anna, I'm waaay late on congratulating you but.....
CONGRATULATIONS ON GETTING WILLOW!
He is quite a beautiful bunny, and I'm sure he'll be even more beautiful once you get him all tangle free and a little weight put on him:D
I see you get him groomed next week, I can't wait to see what he's going to look like;)
Have you taken any more pictures of him yet? *HINT**HINT*!!

[Jessica12345]

oh i just cant get over how cute he is!:eek: :D lol love the new sig... when are there gonna be more pictures? ill be waiting, as i think we all will!:p again a big CONGRATULATIONS!