Rabbits

The Scream in the Night

August 27, 2020 By Annette1 12 Comments

Even though I know this poem below doesn’t include the word loud, as soon as I saw the word prompt from Miss Kate it simply spilled off my fingertips. 🙂 The scream in the night, in reality, was less of a scream than call. Just a fully recognized alert sounding for someone who knows the danger hidden in this particular fur coat.

The Scream in the Night

It came suddenly
the scream in the night.
Making my heart
Leap with fright.

With wondering eyes,
to the door I fled.
Hoping in my heart,
against all my dread.

Indeed it was true,
I saw it full well.
That beast of my terrors
Outside my home it did dwell.

What should I do?
This scavenger of might!
With one who would cause
Such alarm in the night?

A trap, yes indeed
This owner would lay.
To keep safe some bunnies
This predator would slay.

Raw in egg, a trap in the other
Place, bait down
Set in place
with a frown.

Would the predator come
Allured by the egg?
Prevent it from grabbing
a young bunnies leg?

Success! Oh the bliss!
There’s no scream in the night!
No more worry
No more fright!

A long-distance journey
A new home to find.
One predator a forest
to place his behind!

Much safer and better
than urban life to live.
Less traffic, natural food
I’m happy to give.

Zonked out Rabbits

August 20, 2019 By Annette1 4 Comments

Sometimes rabbits snooze so deeply that you would swear they are dead. And if you touch one of your zonked out rabbits either you will startle them badly or they will wake up slowly with a somewhat hung over attitude.

Some folks I know over at backyard rabbits were kind enough to share images of their zonked out rabbits.

From Jennifer. Here is this cutie sleeping on his mom

Bunnies that are sleeping soundly can be found in all sorts of positions. On their sides, on their back, lying flat on their tummies, and/or wrapped over or under another bunny. They are completely dead to the world.

Zonked out Rabbits – Alive or Dead?

Some rabbits you will never catch sleeping. NEVER. It’s like they are too aware of their surroundings to be caught dead to rights. Those bunnies would make excellent feral rabbits. 🙂 But others you catch sleeping all the time.

It is horrible when you look into your rabbitry and see what you think is a sleeping bunny only to discover that actually no, this time that zonked rabbit is indeed dead.

Most of the time though, that apparently dead rabbit isn’t and often you won’t know until you touch that rabbit. A truly zonked out rabbit has slow, very quiet breathing. So you reach in to touch….do be mindful of startled rabbits though…. just saying… be careful.

More Pictures

sleeping bunny — You will often swear they are dead. says Jeff.

Katie mentioned that “No pic but I went to check rabbits one day and a doe was laying in a weird position I opened the cage and touched her and scared her so bad she bit me 😂” Mental note: NEVER scare a zonked out rabbit, it’s just not in your own best interest (other than reassuring yourself they are alive).

Katie later sent me this sleeping beauty.

Savannah of Thistle Dew Ridge says” I’ve had rabbits sleep deeply before but this was the first time I walked in to one sleeping with its eyes rolled like that lol”

Brianna told me this: ” I had some English Lops, they used to pass out so deeply, I had to physically pick them up to get them to wake up.

They were never too impressed lol! “

Jolene of The Metropolitan Homestead sent me this harlequin coloured bunny enjoying a well earned rest.

Danielle tells me this about her wee little one,” Zonked 1 1/2 week old. It was pretty warm and I though he was a dead until I poked him “

Some people shared video which I didn’t know how to share here. If you are a member of backyard rabbits you can visit that thread here.

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Letter Z Link Up

Each week we will be linking up with the hosts of Blogging Through the Alphabet. Please visit some of these other blogs to get things like book lists, vegan recipes, and wonderful places to visit, just to name the topics I can think of off the top of my head.

Yogurt Drops

August 13, 2019 By Annette1 4 Comments

You have a bunny and want to give it a treat, what should you give it? There are so many options in the pet store, whatever should you choose? Yogurt drops? Apple branches? Rainbow logs? Hay mats? What is good and what is not so good (or even bad)? So let’s talk about yogurt drops and rabbit treats!

It was funny as I was researching what was available on-line how many articles would contradict themselves. Feed brussel sprouts, but make sure you avoid anything from the cabbage family of plants. Feed carrots and beets, but avoid anything high in sugar. It was kinda like huh? Inconsistency anyone?

So just what should you avoid from the pet store? Just what is the scoop on yogurt drops and rabbit treats?

Treats to Avoid

Foods high in sugar

Yogurt Drops – yogurt is a milk product
Rabbit Treat sticks – contain honey and other sweeteners
baked pretzels – often covered with yogurt, high in sugar
Snak Shack logs/houses – made with honey

Foods that will can make your bun sick

Yogurt drops – can cause entertoxemia
mini corn cobs. – rabbits don’t digest corn well

Foods not meant for bunnies

any other small animal food. It’s just not formulated for the nutritional needs of rabbits. Good as treat, but nothing more.

Treats to Give

Treats that rabbits can use and enjoy

wooden toys. Don’t get the painted one, just plain wood is sufficient.
wicker. Be careful that your rabbit can’t get his/her head stuck inside.
Hay mats, houses, toys etc.
Apple branches, pear branches
Mixed grains – as a treat only
Dried vegetable treats – As long as they aren’t sweetened.

Treats I am not sure of

The following I am not highly familiar with but have seen them in a variety places on-line. With any treat make sure you read the ingredient list. Watch for honey, corn syrup, corn, avocado etc.

Crinkle crisps –
Farm Fresh fixins –
Little Martin’s treats –

New treats come out all the time. Always read labels and use your common sense. Rabbits are herbivores with a sensitivity to sugars, toxins and moulds. Don’t feed anything that looks or smells off. Don’t feed milk or meat products. Dyes are unnecessary. Puffy treats in feed are basically flour and oil mixed together.

Check out the ingredients lists of these treats. What do you think?

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Rabbit X-rays

August 6, 2019 By Annette1 4 Comments

I needed to think for a while on what to do for x. I thought of all the obvious x things like excellent rabbits, extra information and so forth, but nothing really set. Then I thought of a rabbit app I have on my phone which led me to wanting to chat about rabbit x-rays.

Visible Bunny

The Visible Bunny is a sanitized internal look at the inner workings of a rabbit. By sanitized I mean they don’t actually show you are real rabbit, but drawings that show most of what makes up a bunny body.

They do a pretty good job at showing the major parts of a rabbit, the heart, lungs, rib cage etc. You can see each part individually or you can layer them so you can see how they lay inside your bunny.

Not only that you can view the entire rabbit, or take a closer look at three different parts of the rabbit’s anatomy.

I have found visible bunny to be a great introduction to introducing rabbit anatomy.

Actual Rabbits

If you ever need pictures of actual real rabbit anatomy contacting rabbit breeders will garner results for you. From people who painstakingly put together rabbit skeletons.

To those who will take pictures of rabbit innards (don’t look at the next picture if it will freak you out). Rabbit folks are generally happy to help you understand the animals that you are caring for. From head shots, chest shots, specific organs or like the image below, of a particular body system. Many vets don’t understand these wonderful little animals, so we need to depend on each other to care for them well. Sharing knowledge through pictures is a huge boon!

Helpful Resources

You may find the resources below helpful as you care for your bunnies.

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Wide World of Rabbits

July 30, 2019 By Annette1 2 Comments

The domestic rabbit, as many people know, is a descendant of the European rabbit. A colony living, tunnel digging animal that establishes territory to raise their young. But did you know there is a whole wide world of rabbits? Let’s learn eh!

Classification

Rabbits are of the order Lagomorpha, commonly called lagomorphs. This order is made up of three families: Leporidae (rabbits and hares), Ochontonidae (30 species of pika) and Prolagidae (extinct branch of pika). Rabbits are Leporids of which there are 29 species across 10 genera. In all continents except for Antartica.

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Vertebrata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Lagomorpha
Family:	Leporidae

Genus:

Pentalagus – Amami Rabbit, Japanese Rabbit
Bunolagus – Riverine rabbit, Karoo Desert, South Africa
Nesolagus – striped rabbits, 2 species, Southeast Asia
Romerolagus – Volcano Rabbit, Mexico
Brachylagus – Pygmy rabbit, USA
Sylvilagus – cottontails 17 species, North and South America
Oryctolagus – European rabbit, introduced to Americas, Australia
Poelagus – Bunyoro Rabbit, Central Africa
Pronolagus – rockhares, 3 species, Africa
Caprolagus – hispid hare, India, Nepal, Bangledesh

I’m going to talk a bit about a few of these rabbits.

Amami rabbit

Living on two small Japanese islands, these rabbits are a dark-furred rabbit, the only living remnants of an ancient breed of rabbit from Asia. They are part of the Pentalagus genus. Weighing from 4.5-6.5 lbs they are protected by the Japanese government. Less than 5,000 are known to exist in the wild. The Amami rabbit is an elusive, nocturnal rabbit.

Features such as small stocky limbs with over-sized claws and physical characteristics differing from other rabbits in such ways as smaller eyes/ears and a longer pronounced snout set the Amami rabbit aside from its relatives and make it easily distinguishable. (source)

Riverine rabbit

This is the only member of the Bunolagus genus. It is native to the Karoo desert in South Africa. It is a the typical brownish-grey of many wild rabbits.

The Riverine rabbit is easily recognizable by the long brown stripes in its facial fur that run from its mouth right round to the back of its ears. Among the features that define this rabbit include big flexible ears and large lumpy hind feet, the fur of …. is mostly light brown with the exception of the belly and neck which is usually a creamy colored fur. (source)

Females only have one kit per year, which has contributed to it being on the critically endangered list. It is a nocturnal rabbit. There are only about 250 left in the wild.

Pygmy Rabbit

With adults reaching 1 lb as adults, these are the world’s smallest rabbit. Located in Washington State and Idaho. They are an endangered species that are being captive bred and then released into the wild. Learn about their steps to recovery here.

Cottontails

These rabbits are a familiar site in most towns and countrysides in North America. A quick-moving, non-domesticated animal, cottontails build their nests as a small indent in the ground, just big enough to hold a litter of kits. A camouflaging grey-brown colour these lagomorphs are a garden pest, but always bring a smile to my face. 🙂

People often find a next of bunnies and wonder what to do since momma isn’t around. This video talks about what to do if you find a nest.

Striped rabbits

Two known species, the Sumatran Short-eared and the Annamite Striped. These rabbits are named for the region they are found in. They are striped rabbits! Go figure eh! I was so surprised. The Sumatran is smaller at 3ish lbs, the Annamite 4-6 lbs. These rabbits have stripes on their back half.

I hope you have enjoyed this glimpse of some of the wide world of rabbits. It’s amazing the differences between them isn’t it?

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Vetting Your Rabbits

July 23, 2019 By Annette1 4 Comments

I am a firm believer that if you have the knowledge and ability that you need to vet your own animals. This is assuming that you know when you NEED to take them to the vet. So how do you know? What can you do on your own? Let’s talk about vetting your rabbits.

Knowing When to Ask for Help

I grew up on a farm, I was well used to seeing my dad with a bottle of penicillin or some other medication, taking care of the cattle. He took care of our goats, rabbits and ponies too. BUT when he needed help: a cow with a rough calving, a bull with a broken leg, a calf who squished it’s head, a displaced uterus, and other problems that he needed help with. The vet was always just a phone call away. They would come out and lend a hand, dad would pay the bill, and off they’d go.

A needle couldn’t help a cow who needed her uterus placed back in, or with a calf turned wrong. A vet and their skill was needed.

It’s the same with any animal. Know your own skill level and then ask for help when the situation surpasses it.

What can a rabbit owner do?

There is a lot that a rabbit owner can treat.

Sometimes the treatment is to cull. Your goal should be the quick alleviation of pain and suffering. Letting an animal suffer when there is no hope is not acceptable.

Often the treatment is the judicious use of plants.

pumpkin seeds are a natural dewormer
thistles help with gut issues
oil in the ear to get rid of ear mites
diatomaceous earth takes care of fur mites
chives help with intestinal worms
Papaya helps with wool block

Over the counter medication is the solution other times. What you can and are able to use, depends on where you live and the rules surrounding medications. Sometimes you need to use meds labeled for cattle or chickens and just change the dosage amounts. This list is not exhaustive.

penicillin for vent disease
pepto bismol for diarrhea
ivermectin for blood sucking parasites
panacur for worms

Who to ask for help?

Good, rabbit-savvy vets are few and far between. When you find one… use them well! Help them to help you. My local vet will get me meds as long as I do the research and tell them exactly what I need. Not everyone is so fortunate.

So who do you talk to if you have no vet?

Part of vetting your rabbits is talking to other rabbit breeder people. I am part of two excellent groups for rabbits. One is Rabbittalk and the other is Backyard Rabbits. Backyard Rabbits is on facebook, go look them up. 🙂 Both groups help asking owners find solutions for their problems. There is nothing new under the sun when it comes to bunnies, and someone will be able to help you through it. Admittedly sometimes arguments happen, but that’s part of being in a community, folks have different experiences with what works and what is worth treating.

Going to pet rabbit boards has people only suggesting taking your rabbit to the vet, but sometimes it’s a place to learn new techniques that vets are now employing.

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Letter U Link Up

U asked: questions about Rabbits

July 16, 2019 By Annette1 4 Comments

I was originally going to write “questions questions, let me answer your questions” a couple of weeks ago. But decided Quarantine better fit the letter q. So today for U I am undertaking the questions you have about rabbits. 🙂 Some of the questions asked could be a whole blog post in and of themselves… so watch out… I might just keep writing about rabbits when this alphabet series is done! 🙂

Where Should Rabbits Be Kept?

In a quick nutshell… rabbits should be kept in a place where

they are protected from the weather.
they can be fed and watered easily.
predators can not get at them

Indoors or outdoors it doesn’t matter as long as those criteria are met. Different temperatures and predators around the world affect how rabbits are kept. For instance, here in Ontario I don’t have to worry about fire ants. Further south, protecting rabbits from these tiny predators is highly important. Temperature, cold wind, domestic threats like dogs & cats, wild predators such as fox, coyote, weasel, ants, and snakes, along with unkind/thoughtless people, these are all things to protect rabbits from.

What breed is Easiest for Families with Children?

Doesn’t matter the breed so much as it matters about the bunny. Bunny temperament means far more than bunny breed. I’ve seen children delighted with a 20 lb flemish giant who was a gentle as a lamb, and children scared of a 2 lb netherland dwarf. Regardless of the breed rabbits can be easy going or … not. You don’t want the not.. so you need to ask the breeder what they look for in a rabbits temperament. Some breeders don’t care, others do. Asking good questions and actually LISTENING to the person you are buying from is best.

Time and again people only look at colour and rarely ask about personality. This weekend I sold two bunnies, she had a choice of four. She told me she wanted a calm. easy-going bunny, so I steered her toward the calmest, quietest, easiest handling baby. One who never got alarmed by anything. She went with my troublemaker. Troublemaker had an eye-catching colour and so went home with a girl, who let her emotions rule her purchase.

What breed is hardest for a novice?

This is a hard one to answer. So much depends on the novice. There are breeds that as a whole are easier, and breeds that as a whole tend to be more difficult. For instance I have no hesitation recommending holland lops. Great rabbits.. though I’ve owned a couple that deserved to be fed to another animal. Dutch, mini rex, polish, harlequin, most meat type buns make excellent first time bunnies as well. I used to raise Harlequin breed rabbits… sweetest rabbits EVER.

My son was really interested in Britannia Petite that he saw at a show but the breeder said NO, I don’t sell these to anyone under 16 years of age. They bite as naturally as breathing. Not the bunny for a novice. Three shows later she introduced me to ONE (out of the several she had) that didn’t nip. She said “he’s rock solid”. Lovely, lovely rabbit even if he would bounce out of her hands easily. Others that I would hesitate at would be mini satins, English spots, and Belgian hares. Overall they have less than stellar reputations, but you do find gems.

Which breeds of rabbits are best to raise for meat?

Before deciding on what breed you want for a meat rabbit you need to consider how much rabbit meat do you want?

Do you eat a lot of rabbit meat? Do you want to handle a 10-15 lb rabbit? Where more rabbits are culled for meat at around 5 lbs, their parents will be significantly larger. Are you able to handle a large rabbit? Rabbits such as New Zealand, Californian, Argente Brun, American Chinchilla, Silver fox and so forth would be breeds you would be looking for.

But perhaps you just want enough rabbit for one or two people, or you don’t want to handle a large rabbit but would rather have a smaller breed. Rabbit like dutch, mini rex, florida white, mini satin, harlequin etc would suit you better.

Meat rabbits range in size and weight from 5 – 15 lbs adult weight. What you purchase depends on how much meat you want from your rabbit and what size rabbit you are able to handle.

Either way, look for rabbits where the parents look like a half basketball set against a table. A nice smooth arch from head to tail when looking at the rabbit from the side. When looking down from the top the rabbit should be built like a brick. Avoid thin, racy, or lean rabbits. You want a nice chunky rabbit that will give you a good meal or two.

All in all though… work with what you can find and work your way up. Purchase new stock as you find better. Keep the best and eat the rest is the standard by which meat breeders live by. All rabbits will give you meat, the amount varies by the rabbit type. Rabbits built like a brick will give you more meat than rabbits that aren’t.

More ARBA recognized rabbit breeds.

What types of enrichment (toys) do bunnies like or need?

Toys, the best toys in my opinion are the ones you find for free! 🙂

Unpainted wicker baskets, golf balls, canning rings, cereal boxes, pits of dirt to dig in, cardboard box houses, and toys that make them think … picture lettuce leaves hung by clothes pins that they need to pick off.

Bunnies are odd… they might find a cat toy that is THEIR’s and they won’t share, or they could like nothing other than hopping around getting into mischief. I’ve known bunnies who have a wicker carrot they carry around, but any other wicker thing they demolish. Go figure?

Just make sure if you give them something to play with it is too small to get their head inside or so big they can get their entire body through easily.

Can you keep rabbits if you have a dander/pet allergy?

Allergies that I have run into as a breeder.

Cats… you are likely to be allergic to rabbits. THOUGH I have twice sold rabbits now to people allergic to cats/rabbits that were able to keep rabbits from my herd. Why? Haven’t a clue.
Hay. Don’t feed it. Purchase a pelleted hay (less dust) and if you want to give your rabbits another fibre source look into apple branches, black oil sunflower seeds, etc. But really… A GOOD pellet will give all the fibre your rabbit needs.
Bedding. Switch to a different cage style were you don’t need bedding, or figure out a different type of bedding. If you can’t do pine, consider paper bedding, peat moss, puppy pads, straw or hay, maybe even aspen? Some people use newspaper bedding. You’d need to do your research to discover what works best. Do not use cat litter.
Contact. It’s odd. I’ve sold three rabbits over the years to people who couldn’t touch their rabbit but enjoyed having a rabbit around. They used gloves and long sleeves to take the rabbit to groomers for nail trims or the vet for care. But otherwise managed to care for their rabbit without ever touching it.

Are there any reusable bedding options?

Not that I know of. There are several that compost easily and there are ways to limit the amount of bedding you use.

What kind of treats from your garden/fridge can you give your pet rabbit?

From your fridge: almost anything in moderation as long as it’s a vegetable. Some basics for you: No onions. Be careful with plants from the cabbage family as some rabbits will bloat. Limit carrots and other sweet vegetables. Push the dark greens, the leafy part of carrots, herbs, strawberry hulls etc. Don’t feed any nuts or fruit that comes with a nut in the centre.

Now, I have to say this.. I am not familiar with every vegetable, weed or fruit around. Do your research, there are safe rabbit food lists all around the web. There are weed identification sites for provinces and states. I’ve seen people feed things to rabbits I wouldn’t have thought of, OR been able to get my rabbits to eat, so there must be regional variations.

Rabbits

The Scream in the Night

Zonked out Rabbits – Alive or Dead?

More Pictures

Others in This Series

Letter Z Link Up

Treats to Avoid

Foods high in sugar

Foods that will can make your bun sick

Foods not meant for bunnies

Treats to Give

Treats I am not sure of

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Letter Y Link Up

Visible Bunny

Actual Rabbits

Helpful Resources

Others in This Series

Letter X Link Up

Classification

Amami rabbit

Riverine rabbit

Pygmy Rabbit

Cottontails

Striped rabbits

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Letter W Link Up

Knowing When to Ask for Help

What can a rabbit owner do?

Who to ask for help?

So who do you talk to if you have no vet?

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Letter U Link Up

Where Should Rabbits Be Kept?

What breed is Easiest for Families with Children?

What breed is hardest for a novice?

Which breeds of rabbits are best to raise for meat?

What types of enrichment (toys) do bunnies like or need?

Can you keep rabbits if you have a dander/pet allergy?

Are there any reusable bedding options?

What kind of treats from your garden/fridge can you give your pet rabbit?

Others in This Series

Letter U Link Up

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