Remembering Ocean

On Facebook, we meet so many new friends that become a part of our lives. One bunny in particular stole the hearts of people around the world. She had captivating blue eyes, resembling the sea with a wave on the right side of her face. Her name? Ocean. Almost everyone knew that name. Ocean had so many adventures from walking in on her mom and dad in the "hoomin litter box" or finding one of them in the bath, which made her shiver, to trying to help her friends hide from Monday. There are so many things Ocean did and said that left a lasting impression. But on Tuesday, June 7th the world lost a shining star. Sweet Ocean suddenly passed away, which left her parents and the bunny community absolutely devastated. Instead of mouring her loss, we SHOULD be celebrating her life, but it's hard to find a smile when such an amazing, beautiful life was taken far too soon.

Without Ocean, quite a few Facebook pages wouldn't exist, especially the pages of my bunnies. I loved her antics and how she did so much good through her page. Ocean was stuck in a rescue for quite some time until Sue & Rob came along in 2013. With them, she found a fur-ever home full of love that she could never have imagined existed. And because of that she always helped raise money for the rescue she came from, The Littlest Rescue. She and her mom did such amazing work helping other preloved bunnies.





Facebook is not the same without this precious girl who had a heart of gold and the true attitude of a bunny. Ocean touched so many hearts during her short time on Earth. She will always be remembered by those who knew and loved her. She brought so much joy to everyone through her page.We'll miss her threats on Mr. Sofa, gathering her army, the way she threatened her parents with "retwainings",  the way Ocean would help her daddy with his "dees eyes whys" and the sweet way she always made sure to tell her friends goodnight each and every single night. And who could forget her hate for Star Wars, her feud with Baggins and all her "redecorating". Whatever she was doing, she always did it in true Ocean fashion.

Always being the kindhearted soul, Ocean made sure to give her Rainbow Bridge friends a final salute on Bunny Butt Friday. It was a sweet way to remember her friends who had left this world during the week. When Friday, June 10th approached, it was time for a salute no one thought would happen anytime soon. It was time to give Ocean her final salute.







It's difficult to describe Ocean to those who didn't know her because she was such a one of a kind bunny. She had a unique spirit that really translated well on her page. And even though she lived in the UK, she was an international celebrity. She appeared in Bunnyzine magazine (Vol. 1 Issue 5), was in a local newspaper and even appeared on television. She really took Facebook by storm and became a true celebrity.




Ocean, in every sense of the word, was a star. And as she shone here on Earth, she will shine brightly as an angel at the Rainbow Bridge. So, binky free, sweet girl. The world will absolutely not be the same without you.



Please,  if you are able to do so, donate to your favorite rescue or to Ocean's rescue, The Littlest Rescue, here through PayPal in her honor. (You will have to choose your amount in British pounds for the Littlest Rescue.) Put "In Memory of Ocean" in the Notes section if you can. Ocean's rescue also has an Amazon Wish List.

Hay, You!

Hay isn't just for horses! Bun buns are all about the hay! Well, most are but some need a little help getting the taste for it. Usually it's because of possible dental issues or maybe their past, but some bunnies just don't seem to want hay. In this post we'll be focusing on those who do love the stuff!!

Bunnies need hay and lots of it. As I mentioned briefly in a previous post (Want a Bunny? Here's What You Need to Know), hay is crucial for their digestive health and keeps their continuously growing teeth trim and healthy. Hay should be available in unlimited amounts, but if you can't do that the general rule of thumb is that a bunny should eat a ball of hay as big as he/she is daily. For Gizmo & Ebony we buy a 60 lb. box of timothy hay every few months, sometimes 2.5 months. They ALWAYS have hay available to them.

Timothy hay should be the main type of hay but there are other hays that you can mix in with it such as orchard grass, oat and Bermuda grass. Just be sure to introduce any type of new food (hay included) to your bun slowly. Their digestive systems need time to adjust to something new. Stay away from alfalfa hay UNLESS your bun is young or has a medical condition (diagnosed by your bunny savvy vet, of course). If you have a bunny younger than 6 months and doesn't need his/her mother for nutrition anymore, then feeding alfalfa hay is fine. Once your bun has reached 6 months of age then it will be time to transition him/her to timothy hay. Start mixing the two hays, just make sure you do this slowly so you don't upset bunny's digestive system. If you think your bunny may be too difficult when it comes to switching from alfalfa to timothy, then it is safe to feed young bunnies timothy instead of alfalfa, just make sure they have alfalfa based pellets.

Why shouldn't adult bunnies (6 months or older) have alfalfa? Well the answer is simple. Alfalfa is high in calcium and protein, which can lead to bladder issues as well as obesity in adult buns. Alfalfa is also lower in fiber, which is not suited for adult buns.

Always choose good quality hay. Make sure the hay is nice and green and has a good aroma. Don't choose brown hay or moldy hay.

Not only is hay good for bunnies for many reasons, but it also helps them with their litter box training. Bunnies LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to eat hay while they use the bathroom. So if you have hay near or in the litter boxes that really helps them learn where they are supposed to use the bathroom. Gizmo & Ebony have a rack of hay on each side of their corner litter boxes in the living room.

The picture above is of Gizmo's space, but Ebony always likes to hop in and share Giz's hay! But as you can see, there's a hay rack in the front and back for them. Ebony's area is set up exactly the same way. The green portion you see is the top of the litter box. Of course, neither of them are in the litter box in the above picture! They're just having a snack, not doing their business!! ;)

And the other litter box, placed in their play room, is a large pan from the bottom of an old cage. I always line the entire bottom with the litter (paper bedding) and then place hay in the front and leave the backside uncovered with hay. I'm paranoid about them eliminating themselves on the hay and then eating it, so I only do the giant litter box with half and half.

You may have noticed lots of hay in the floor in the pictures. It's impossible to keep the floor vacuumed with bunnies running around that CONSTANTLY eat hay!! But I wouldn't have it any other way! I love them so much!

I hope this post about hay has been helpful!! We're still getting the hang of things here in Blogville and hope we can post more soon!! Thanks for visiting!!