Bunny Blog

Category Archives: Rabbit Care

Greening Your Pet Care Book Review and Giveaway

In my article, 7 Ways Rabbits are Eco-Friendly Pets, I point out ways in which rabbits are innately eco-friendly, like their naturally vegan diet and their compostable poop. You can even ramp up your rabbit’s eco-friendliness by growing your own rabbit food and buying hay direct from a local farmer.

If these ideas appeal to you, you can delve further into the topic with a new book out now by journalist and animal advocate Darcy Matheson called Greening Your Pet Care: Reduce Your Animal’s Carbon Paw Print.

Early on in the book, Matheson provides a compelling argument about why we should consider and address our pets’ environmental impact:

The carbon footprint of our family pets is poised to grow exponentially in coming years. The number of household pets has more than doubled in the US since the 1970s, says the Humane Society, and tens of millions of North Americans now share their homes — and lives — with animals.

Covering ideas such as shopping locally, buying in bulk, and making your own household (and pet-safe) cleaners, Matheson starts off with eco-friendly actions that can be applied to any pet care situation. In subsequent chapters, she dives into specifics for dogs, cats, rabbits, small animals, mini pigs, birds, reptiles & amphibians, and fish. The rabbit chapter has expert advice from rabbit rescue founders, rabbit-savvy vets, and, if you take a gander at the gardening and composting sections, you might see a quote or two from yours truly.

Rabbit eating carrot top

Greening your pet care may seem like a difficult challenge at first. But Matheson breaks down the different steps in a very intuitive and encouraging manner. If you would like to learn more or purchase the book, see:

And now for some exciting news! Self-Counsel Press is giving away a copy of Greening Your Pet Care to one lucky My House Rabbit fan. Enter the contest using the Rafflecopter widget below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The contest ends on Sunday, May 22, 11:59pm EST and is open to residents of the continental United States and Canada only.  

We want to hear from you! What do you think about eco-friendly pet care? Is it something you would consider? Have you already taken steps to reduce your pet’s carbon paw print? Tell us in the comments below!

 

Easter Rabbits: A 10+ Year Commitment

Baby bunniesIt may be tempting when you see that adorable baby bunny for sale at the pet shop or on Craigslist. But before you buy a rabbit for Easter, consider these facts.

Rabbits are not low-maintenance pets

Although rabbits can be wonderful house pets, they aren’t for everyone. Not only do they live 10 years or longer, they have very specific requirements for care. This includes providing unlimited hay and fresh greens, bunny-proofing your house, and providing exercise space, social interaction and enrichment. Read more >

Rabbits are not good pets for young children

When you bring a pet rabbit into your home, keep in mind the primary caregiver should always be an adult. An adult must ensure the well-being and safety of the pet. Although rabbits appear cuddly, they generally do not like being picked up, held or chased. This is usually disappointing news to children. Read more >

Rabbits can be expensive pets

Perhaps you can get a great deal buying a rabbit from a breeder or pet shop (or maybe you can even get one for free), but throughout their lifetime, rabbits can certainly rack up the bills. Expenses include veterinary bills (from a rabbit-savvy, exotics vet), food and other supplies, and bunny-proofing/household repair costs. Read more >

There are many wonderful alternatives to buying a live rabbit for Easter, including plush bunnies, chocolate bunnies, bunny Peeps, and picture books about bunnies. The folks over at Make Mine Chocolate share alternative offerings and events that benefit rabbit rescue groups (who are flooded with unwanted bunnies just days after Easter every year).

If you’ve already bought a rabbit for Easter, read through our resources on properly caring for your the newest member of your family. Here are a few resources to get you started:

International Rabbit Day 2014

It’s International Rabbit Day!  This weekend is dedicated to promoting the well-being of rabbits everywhere- from pet rabbits, to wild rabbits, to lab rabbits, and more.

Rabbit under table

How can we as rabbit lovers make a difference in a rabbit’s life?  Here are a few ways:

  • Make sure you are providing a safe, healthy, enriching indoor home for your pet rabbit. Take a look at our Rabbit Care and Rabbit Behavior sections for information about proper diet, indoor housing, bunny proofing, enrichment, and more. Our article, How to Care for a Pet Rabbit, provides a basic overview. Share the article with other rabbit owners!
  • Boycott and/or peacefully protest companies and organizations whose practices exploit rabbits (from product testing, to selling rabbit meat, to fur-farming, to conducting rabbit rodeos/scrambles, etc.).
  • Support cruelty-free companies.  Look for the Leaping Bunny logo on products. You can do a product search here.

What will you do to celebrate International Rabbit Day?

Sleepy Cos

After the rabbits’ move from upstairs to downstairs, Cosette has determined that my office is her favorite room.

Sleeping rabbit

Accepting that Cos was going to be a regular in this room, we took steps to bunny proof it properly.  The flex tubing on the wooden coffee table legs, although unsightly, has been quite effective at protecting them.

Sleeping rabbit

Zzz….

Make Your Own Logic Toys for Your Rabbit

We recently published a new article called Logic Toys for Rabbits.  The article was written by Christina Chivers of the online store, Bunny Approved.

Rabbit doing logic toy

The article discusses the types of toys that challenge your rabbit’s mind and provide much-needed enrichment. Chivers also provides instructions on creating your own logic toys.  It includes photos and a video of her rabbit, Bunny, engaging in these toys. (We also included a photo of Cosette playing with one we made using her instructions.)

Of course, if you don’t feel like making the toys yourself, you can purchase them from Bunny Approved.

Learn more at: Logic Toys for Rabbits

Adventures in Bunny Proofing: Baseboard Protection

In preparation for a newcomer into our household (a baby in September!), we decided to do some rearranging of rooms. Coco and Cosette, who used to live upstairs, were moved downstairs, along with my office.  So now they primarily live in the kitchen / hallway, with supervised access to my office.

Rabbit under table

Coco in his new favorite spot under the kitchen table.

The house is an old Victorian with beautiful, intricate woodwork in the downstairs. It provides a multitude of wooden corners and edges that would be a rabbit’s dream to destroy.

Woodwork

Examples of the Victorian woodwork.

As we discussed in our Bunny Proofing article, baseboards will get destroyed if not protected. When Coco and Cosette lived upstairs, we mainly blocked off the baseboards with furniture and tunnels, and we also just let them go a bit. Periodically, we would sand them down and repaint them, as the upstairs baseboards were just 2x4s, not like the historic, intricate moldings found downstairs.

But when keeping the baseboards in tact really does matter, Mary Cotter of the House Rabbit Society and Amy Sedaris suggest tacking or nailing furring strips or 2x4s to the baseboards so the rabbits just chew those instead.  You can paint these to match your baseboards so they blend in a bit better.  (See our Bunny Proofing article for a video of Mary Cotter and Amy Sedaris.)

We liked this idea, but we were also looking for a solution that you could easily remove on a temporary basis (perhaps when having dinner guests, e.g.) and one that did not involve putting a lot of holes in the moldings.

We brainstormed a few different ideas, including using zip-tied storage cube panels that would run along the walls and would be attached by a limited number of hooks by the doorways. Furring strips zip-tied to the storage cube panels would provide a buffer between the fencing and moldings so that little rabbit mouths couldn’t reach the woodwork. This solution would allow us to remove the fencing (which would be unsightly) in a quick and easy way, and then put them back on as necessary.

But in the end, we decided on this solution:

Baseboard protectors

We used custom-sized wood panels (connected with hinges to accommodate all the different angles) attached to the moldings via Velcro strips.  The panels were stained to blend in better with the rest of the woodwork.  Because they’re held onto the baseboards with Velcro, they’re easily removable by us (but not the rabbits).

It’s been two days and Coco and Cosette have already gone to work chewing the wood panels. No surprise there. But the baseboards themselves are protected from further damage.

What solutions have you tried to protect your baseboards?

Amy Sedaris and Bunnies in Style Magazine

Amy Sedaris

Amy Sedaris with her rabbit Dusty.

Comedian, actress, and house rabbit advocate Amy Sedaris recently gave an interview in Style Magazine. She spoke about her rabbit Dusty, who recently passed away at 12 years old, Tattletale, her first rabbit, as well as general tidbits about living with house rabbits. Here are some highlights.

Regarding her friend, Stephen Colbert:

“Stephen wasn’t crazy about getting a rabbit. His kids wanted one and he didn’t want the responsibility, but he got a little black bunny, who actually just had its leg amputated. And I went over to his house and was like, ‘Stephen! You’re doing everything wrong!’ and I sent him hay and books and information. Now the rabbit is doing really well!”

On pampering her bunnies:

“One time on Strangers, we did an Indians episode. I brought the tepee back to my apartment, and Tattletale lived in that for a while.”

On rabbit behavior:

“Give them any kind of cardboard to chew on. They love it. They chew everything. My rabbits chewed my shoes and the side of my bed. They shredded my bed skirts. All of my clothes still have holes. If you really love your rabbit, you won’t care.”

Read the full article at Style.com.

Rabbit Welfare Spotlight: DisabledRabbits.com

For the owners of rabbits with special needs, there’s a new resource to help guide them. DisabledRabbits.com is a not-for-profit educational website dedicated to giving owners of disabled rabbits the resources, tools and guidance they need to provide their special needs buns with the best care possible.

DisabledRabbits.com

DisabledRabbits.com provides care tips for paralyzed rabbits, rabbits with head tilt, rabbits with splay leg, rabbits with arthritis, blind rabbits, deaf rabbits, elderly rabbits and rabbits suffering from other conditions that affect their physical health and mobility. Learn about pain management techniques, special housing setups, wheelchairs, hygiene, and more!

Visit DisabledRabbits.com >

Say No to Live Bunnies for Easter!

paperAs Easter draws near, it is important to spread the word that live rabbits should not be given as Easter gifts.  While rabbits make excellent companions for some families, they have a unique set of needs that not everyone can meet.

Here are a few:

You will need to bunny-proof your home or else your rabbit will wreak havok.
Rabbits need plenty of space to exercise. They are social, curious, and intelligent animals. But they also have an incessant urge to chew.  Everything from wooden chair legs to electrical wires to remote control buttons to mouldings are fair game to rabbits.  Rabbit owners will need to take the time to properly protect and stow away personal belongings.

Rabbits need access to fresh hay at all times.
If you have grass allergies, a rabbit probably isn’t for you.  Hay provides the primary sustenance for a rabbits to maintain digestive and dental health. You can’t just give them pellets.

Rabbits generally don’t like being held.
Although rabbits can be affectionate, they’re not as “huggable” as people imagine. Children and adults alike may be disappointed when Bunnikins won’t sit contentedly in their arms or laps. Most rabbits prefer to stay on the floor and have you sit on the floor with them (quietly).

For more information, read our article, Easter and Rabbits.

Pet Rabbit Ownership Survey

survey

If you currently or have had a rabbit and are over 18 years old, you can fill out a survey called, “Exploring the experience of owning a pet rabbit.”  The purpose of the survey is to gather information about rabbit ownership, rabbit-human relationships, and the challenges of ownership.  The results will help develop educational materials for new rabbit owners and influence future research projects.

The study is being conducted by Dr. Jason Coe, DVM, PhD and Ms. Tasha Welch from the Department of Population Medicine at the University of Guelph.

Take the survey at www.petrabbitsurvey.com.