What's Up, Doc?

Today we'll be talking about bunny medical care. Not every vet is qualified to care for our little hippity hoppers. Why does it matter, you say? Well, bunnies are quite complex in their digestive systems. Bunnies, also, in general are very fragile beings. So in order for them to live their lives to the fullest, the proper vet needs to be selected. And before you even get a bunny is the time to find that vet. Emergencies can happen in the blink of an eye.

Let's talk about when Gizmo first came into my life. He had only been with me for a week, maybe not even that long, but he got stopped pooping. And when a bunny stops dropping their fecal pellets, that's a serious problem. BUT he was still eating and drinking, so I kept an eye on him just in case it was just something temporary. Unfortunately, Gizmo still didn't use the bathroom. It was time to get him to the vet. I had just moved to this city and was not comfortable driving here, but my baby needed immediate attention. Since I was too nervous to drive much here, I took Giz to a vet location that was easier to get to and had less traffic. Once I got there, the vet saw Gizmo, prescribed some Metacam (for pain), in pill form, and some liquid Reglan (gut motility) as well as some Critical Care in case he stopped eating. That vet also informed me that Gizmo was a lady bun.

Feeling better, I took my boy home, gave him his meds, which was difficult since one was a pill. The next day Gizmo had not gotten better, but I knew he wouldn't miraculously recover in an instant. But the day after that, he was worse.  I could hear him loudly grinding his teeth all the way across the room. He stayed in a hunched up position and barely moved. At this point, he had stopped eating and stopped drinking. In a panic, I called the vet and was told that he would need to be hospitalized. Being a new bunny mom, I had done a lot of bunny research and I knew that Gizmo was in Stasis and knew it could be treated. My doubts set in about the first vet.

So I went to the House Rabbit Society's website and found a vet qualified to give care to bunnies. I immediately called them and told them my baby was knocking on Death's door. They said they would see him as soon as I got him there. The vet carefully looked Gizmo over, gave me liquid form of Metacam and also gave him some Sub-Q fluids. They also took the time to show me how to do the "bunny burrito" so I could give him the Critical Care. I was informed I would need to bring him back the following day for another shot of Sub-Q fluids. And guess what?! My baby boy got better, and better, and better! It took a while for him to get back to himself, but he did finally get there.

This instance goes to show that you should have a bunny vet selected ahead of time and be ready for emergencies. To find a qualified bunny vet you can go here to the House Rabbit Society to find a great bunny savvy vet near you. Being a first time bun parent, it's easy to make a mistake, but I want to warn everyone with the scary incident with Gizmo so maybe a bun's life can be saved with this information. If I would have taken Gizmo to the proper vet in the first place, his recovery wouldn't have taken as long and he most likely would not have been in so much pain. He was still eating and drinking when I took him to the first vet, but if I would have taken him to a bunny savvy vet the first time, he would have gotten treatment before he got worse. I still feel absolutely horrible to this day because he had to experience that.

And, of course, the first vet got his weight and his gender wrong! So, beware of vets say they will see bunnies in their offices. It doesn't mean they know what they're doing!

Cotton Bottom Shop

Gizmo & Ebony now have their own store! Before we get into the details, we do have to say that all the money made from the products goes to help other animals in need. We will be adding more items as we go along, too. We so often see animals in desperate need of donations, or a rescue that needs to raise a certain amount of money to help get some of the furry residents spayed, neutered or to buy food. And we rarely can donate and we surely can't donate to them all. So we would like to help out even if it is in some small way.

The store is located on Zazzle but we have found out, thanks to some experimentation by our lovely overseas friends, that one link for the store does not work for every region. For us here in the United States, the link is www.zazzle.com/bunny_emporium so just remember to change the .com extension to your region's URL extension. Our helpful overseas friends also informed us that sometimes clicking on the .com link will re-direct to the correct website and sometimes it doesn't.

Here's just a few of the links for other regions:

Canada: www.zazzle.ca/bunny_emporium

UK: www.zazzle.co.uk/bunny_emporium

Germany:  www.zazzle.de/bunny_emporium


We love that anywhere in the world with a Zazzle shop can order from the store and not have to pay for hefty overseas shipping!

We really "hop" to see you stopping by the shop!!

Let-tuce eat!

Noms!! Most bunnies love to eat...and eat...and eat!! And that's a good thing, because if your bunny isn't eating there is a serious problem! So in this post we will be discussing all the yum yums for bunny tum tums!!

First let's discuss the DO NOT's when it comes to food for your bunny. Please skip all the brightly colored foods in the pet stores. Most have seeds, nuts and other things that bunnies just shouldn't have.  If you're buying pellets, just make sure they are pellets and ONLY pellets with 18% minimum fiber. Treats are also sold to be "catchy" to the human eye. Those colors that pop are for our visual pleasure alone and have no nutritional value for buns. Yogurt drops are a big no no. Bunnies shouldn't have any dairy products at all. When looking for treats in the pet store, Oxbow is the best bet. Just remember that treats are just that - treats, and should only be given in minimal amounts. And also remember that just because something is sold in a store, doesn't mean it's good for bunnies.

Now we can move on to the good stuff!! GREENS!! Gizmo & Ebony love salad time, Ebony more so than Gizmo but she's just "food crazy"! There are lots of greens you can feed to a bunny and there are some that just are absolutely no good. Pennyroyal mint for example is toxic, so please avoid that. I'm not sure how popular that type of mint is to be sold in stores, but just keep that in mind. Mint such as Peppermint and Spearmint is fine to feed to your bun. If you are buying greens and fruits from a store, organic is always best. If you decide to grow your own, just be sure you use no chemicals.

Instead of going over each and every little thing you can feed to a bunny, I'm going to direct you here to the House Rabbit Society so you can read a bit more about a bunny's diet and which greens are best. Some greens are higher in acid so feed those less often. Remember to introduce your bun to new food slowly so their digestive system doesn't get upset.

Now with fruit, I feed Gizmo and Ebony a bit of fruit daily, but I put it at the bottom of their salad so they have dessert with their food. Banana is usually the favorite of most bunnies (some absolutely hate it) and Gizmo & Ebony are no exception. They love banana. I cut a small slice and chop it up. I always remove the peel first because the peeling can contain things you don't want your bun to have. Everyone is different, but personally, I prefer not to give them any portion of the peeling. Keep in mind that fruit is full of natural sugar so feed very little to your cotton bottomed baby!

Here is a video I made today of preparing Gizmo & Ebony's salads. I always rinse the veggies thoroughly when making the salads. I don't do it ahead of time. And you may notice how I cut up the banana slices and tear most of the veggies into smaller pieces. That is only for Ebony's sake. When I first adopted her she would eat so fast that she almost choked on more than one occasion. She does seem to be eating slower now but she still eats pretty fast so I still choose to feed her smaller bites, just to be on the safe side. And I do the same for Gizmo, just in case Ebony steals some of his noms!! ;)
I did speed this video up to save some viewing time, so enjoy and have a bunderful day!! <3

Apologies!

Skipping blog entries is not something we had planned to do. The goal was to do at least one entry per week. But circumstances prevented us from doing so. There had been so many of Gizmo & Ebony's bunny friends passing away during a span of a week or two and it was just absolutely heartbreaking. Then I got sick, so so sick and had no concentration at all to write on the blog. But we are ready to get back to all the bunny info!! We will have a new "full" entry up soon so please stay tuned!! And again, we sincerely apologize for our absence!

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!!

Bun Fun

Binky binky binky!! I know most people associate that word with a pacifier, but in the bunny community it's a bunny's "happy dance". A bunny will jump into the air and twist his/her body. Most of the time when you see this cute dance it follows some running but sometimes they will do a binky from a still position. My sweet girl, Ebony, demonstrates her binky ability all the time. It's almost like she's the binky princess!! An example of a binky from a still position comes from this YouTube video of my Ebony.



Gizmo isn't much of a binky bun, but he does like to do them early in the morning sometimes. He is more known for his head shakes. He loves to shake his head when he THINKS he's being defiant. Gizmo will hop onto the sofa and he'll sit there and stare at my boyfriend until he gets his attention. Playfully, my boyfriend will say "You better get down!" while pointing to the floor. At this point, Giz gets excited and starts hopping a bit while shaking his head. I think that translates to "I'll do what I want"! But Gizmo loves that little game.

Bunnies love treats! And if you can make treat time a workout too then that's even BETTER!! Now I will have to admit that Gizmo & Ebony don't always play with their treat balls but they do sometimes. Ebony will more than Gizmo because she will do just about anything for some noms! Gizmo is a bit more spoiled and doesn't want to work for his food. Silly bunnies!