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And Then There Was One

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November should have been a month of celebration surrounding Thanksgiving and the upcoming winter holidays, but ours was marred by the loss of our rabbit Bugs, who passed away peacefully at home. It was an unexpected loss, both shocking and sad.

While there were no visible signs of illness or distress, we never knew exactly how old he was. Being an unknown small (presumably mixed) breed, I expected him to live into the double digits; and there was every good chance that he did. In my experience with bunnies over the years, I found that smaller breeds tend to outlive larger bunnies. (Upon further recollection, Bugs was approximately 4 in 2018, so that would have made him around 10 years old when we lost him). The little buns do seem to be blessed with longevity.

I remember the day that I met him and brought him home. I was finishing a volunteering shift and was in the parking lot walking toward my car when a friend told me there was someone looking to rehome a bunny. She knew all of mine had passed, and although I wasn’t looking for another, would I be interested?

And that’s how I brought home a bunny on a Sunday afternoon. Bugs (an unoriginal name that I kept) was a small fawn colored bun with straight ears. He was even tempered throughout his life, never exhibiting the tell-tale signs of an angry bunny, grunting and thumping a back foot. He may have been one of the smartest and friendliest rabbits I ever shared my home with, other than my girl Cleo (gone but never forgotten). The phrase “dumb bunny” is a misnomer, as I’m sure any rabbit parent will agree.

Bugs arrived litterbox trained, and he kept his habitat pristine. He showed me how nice it was to have a trained bunny, with a home base far superior to the wire cages with metal trays of old. How primitive in retrospect! Miss Poppie isn’t quite as cleanly as Bugs was, and requires more extensive sweeping, but she has gotten less messy since she has been here. Bugs loved head rubs, and would stand up asking for one whenever he saw me, a little gentleman in a fur coat. He did have an odd trait that no other bunny I ever had possessed—he didn’t like yogurt drops. The vanilla drops had been my go-to occasional treat for years. Bugs turned his little nose up at them every time. He was strictly a pellet, hay, and veggie bun, but perhaps this diet served him well, as I said, he passed away peacefully, never showing any signs of ill health.

I hope he was greeted by all my previous bunnies who crossed the Bridge before him. He will have no shortage of friends to romp with! Hop free Bugs; we’ll never forget our parking lot rescue bunny.

Introducing Poppie

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I swore I was done with pocket pets. I said that before Bugs’ arrival, too, and soon he became family. Okay, he was supposed to be the final basement dweller in the house. I have nothing against smaller pets, of course. I’ve had several over the years, but now that I’m older, the cleaning of the littler creatures’ enclosures is no longer as easy as it once was.

Bugs, our resident rabbit, has been with us since before the pandemic. I’m not sure how long we’ve had him, or how old he is. He’s been king of the basement for quite some time since that part of the house is off limits to the other fur kids. Every king needs a queen, right?

Enter her majesty Poppie. She is a five-year-old bunny with a shiny black coat and lop ears. I’m not certain what breed or mix she is; I’m guessing Mini Lop or Holland Lop, but she’s a cutie no matter her parentage. I’ve had several lop-eared rabbit breeds through the years including French Lop, English Lop, and Fuzzy Lop. I think Mini Lop or Holland Lop will be a first for me.

We’re her second home. Because my basement is an unmitigated disaster, her arrival forced me to do some much-needed reorganization of the space where she now resides. She came with a roomy traditional cage, but I have upgraded her digs to an enclosure similar to Bugs’. She is now in a C&C cage (which Google tells me stands for Cubes and Coroplast, which is news to me). The entire setup sits on interlocking foam puzzle pieces on the basement floor. The cage is assembled using grid panels stacked two high. Two panels aren’t tall enough to keep curious buns from hopping out, so to prevent that, a sheet is put over top secured by clothespins. I’ve come home to a missing bun before (ahem, Bugs), and I have no desire to hunt for a hiding cottontail again.

Poppie has all new furnishings including a food dish, water bottle, hay rack, toys, and litterbox. So far, she is good about using her box, which makes cleanup of her space a breeze. I have a long-handled dustpan and brush to sweep out any debris on the floor, and I have found this to be so much easier than vacuuming, which can be scary to the buns. I top off the food, water, and hay, and change the litterbox. Done. If only I had known these setups existed years ago. They are far superior to the old-school wire cages with slide out trays lined with newspaper; the pans always unwieldy to empty. I will never go back to that style of housing again.

Poppie is a sweet girl, enjoying head rubs. She has a healthy appetite, devouring every morsel that lands in her bowl. She enjoys hopping around her enclosure, and it looks like she is settling in well. Even though we had to make room to accommodate her, I am glad that we did. She will spend the rest of her life with us, a member of the family. For some reason, I think I am destined to always have at least one bunny, and as long as I am able, that’s okay with me.

(Poppie arrived in August 2023)

New Year, New Pet?

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Happy New Year! I try to add content to this site on a consistent basis, but the second half of 2018 wasn’t kind to me and caused me to deviate from my plan. Don’t you just hate it when life sometimes gets in the way of what you want to do? Suffice it to say that I am hoping for a kinder, gentler 2019 for me and my family. We would all appreciate it!

Last year saw us welcome Bugs the bunny into our home, after I insisted that I no longer wanted anything else living in the basement. I have to admit that I missed having a rabbit, so when the opportunity arose to bring in another, I took it. If anyone asks me if I contemplate adding a new furry family member this year, I would have to say no.

I think we have reached our capacity. Of course, I’ve been known to say that and then do something else. I heard that more greyhound tracks will be closing. That means that there will be even more dogs available for adoption, and I am super tempted since I’ve always wanted to rescue a retired racing greyhound, even before we got our Italian Greyhounds.

Of course, as much as I would love one, I have to think of the other critters in the house. First and foremost are Moose and Red. Last year they celebrated their 16th and 15th birthdays respectively, and my little old men deserve to live out their golden years in peace. Introducing a new dog to the dynamic wouldn’t be fair to them, especially a much bigger, younger dog.

There’s also the cats to consider. They’ve never been around a dog that wasn’t close to their size. A couple of them are double digits in age or near it, so I doubt that they would appreciate a boisterous newcomer. In fact, I’m sure of it.

In light of all that, I think our family won’t increase in number this year, and that is fine. The current residents get along well the majority of the time, and thinking that it’s best not to rock the boat, I believe keeping the status quo works for us. I will still see new faces as I continue to volunteer for the cat rescue.

2018 was great in that we said hello to Bugs, and we didn’t have to say goodbye to anyone. (We lost Annie in 2015 and Ozzy in 2016, both on June 2). None of the fur kids developed any new ailments, and existing conditions did not worsen. We seem to have Moose’s occasional tummy trouble remedied with prescription food and a probiotic. He and Red have their yearly checkup next week, and I hope our seniors are in the best possible shape. Red continues to receive aquapuncture treatments and still responds well to it.

Do you plan to acquire a new pet this year? I wish you and yours nothing but the best in 2019 and beyond.

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Bun on the Run

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Bun on the Run (1)

Lockdown

In my last post, I talked about various rabbit habitats that I used throughout the years. Bugs still lives comfortably in the basement, but it didn’t take long before I found a shortcoming with his setup. In fact, I anticipated it.

One thing I loved, yet had concerns about, was that the wire cube construction had no top. It made the enclosure seem even larger than it was, and it was so easy for me to access Bugs to take care of him. The house is two panels high, which isn’t quite the recommended height for bunnies. However, I figured that it might be sufficient because Bugs is not a large rabbit. Also, since I am petite, I wouldn’t have been able to reach into his enclosure had I added a third panel. There is no door built into the wire walls, which would be convenient.

In the back of my mind I thought about a possible escape. Our basement is divided into three sections. The first is where Bugs is located. There are two doorways leading into the next section, where there are hazards for a loose bun. The second section is probably the worst place for Bugs to escape, because he could hide under the stairs, the defunct oil tank, or encounter the sump pump pit (which has a cover and a bucket on top just in case). Anticipating a possible hop to freedom, I put a baby gate across one doorway and a cardboard box across the other.

One day I came home from work and found an empty bunny house. How did Bugs get out, and where did he go? At first I thought he was hiding behind his igloo, but then I noticed that the igloo was turned onto its side. I read that rabbits can climb, but I believe that Bugs got on top of his hideout and jumped over the wire wall.

Frantically I searched the area where I thought he might be. No luck. How do you call a rabbit, and would he answer to his name anyway? I looked under various basement items to no avail. I ventured into the dreaded second area of the basement, but when I glanced into where I had been, out hopped Bugs from who knows where. I was so relieved to find that he was safe. Because I didn’t want this to happen again, I set him up in a spare cage where he devoured food and water, so he must have been out for quite some time. He spent the night in his temporary place until I could figure out a solution to the open top.

I had enough panels to construct a ceiling for his enclosure, but that left no easy way to interact with Bugs. I read that something on top might discourage any adventures, so the enclosure now has a sheet stretched completely across it, secured with clothespins. So far Bugs has not bothered the top and has remained where he should be. I love my bunny, but his disappearing act has given me more gray hare (pun intended).

I would also like to wish my husband and co-parent of the menagerie a very Happy Birthday!

Bun on the Run (2)

My Bugs Bunny

 

You’ve Come a Long Way, Bunny

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You've Come a Long Way, Bunny (2)

Bugs Ready for His Close Up

Bunny habitats have evolved over the years. From wood hutches to wire-constructed cages, nothing can compare to today’s rabbit castles. My current rabbit is one lucky boy.

While none of my animals were ever kept outside, I knew people who housed rabbits in wood and chicken wire hutches, and the animals did just fine. My first bunnies lived in my parents’ basement, in wire cages purchased through a catalog. They had solid metal trays that slid out beneath the wire floor, lined with newspaper to collect waste. However, wire floors could hurt bunny feet, especially the large breeds. To help prevent this, I had resting boards, which were slabs of hard plastic with holes for any messes to fall through. That seemed to be a better surface (at that time) for the bunny to sit on.

I later switched from wire cages with pans to cages with deep plastic bottoms, which could be filled with a variety of bedding material. These enclosures needed frequent changing, as the pet lived directly on the material that they would eventually soil, unless the bun was litter box trained.

It wasn’t until Bugs came home that I discovered the joys of litter box trained buns and roomy living quarters. I’m not sure how he was taught, but Bugs eliminates in a dishpan-turned-litter box filled with absorbent bedding. This makes keeping his house clean a snap. His enclosure is constructed from wire storage cubes, and has no top or bottom. The wire cubes sit on foam puzzle pieces easily found in stores or online. This gives him a cushy place to hop, instead of sitting the cage directly on the concrete basement floor.

He has a roomy, soft area to move around, filled with things to make a bunny happy. Bugs has a combination pellet/hay rack, which I only use to hold pellets now that I discovered that the divider holding the hay in place is missing. Because of this, he has a separate hay rack hanging from the wire cube, above his litter box. Bugs also has a separate dish for his salads, and right now he enjoys parsley and cilantro. He has two blankets that lay atop the foam floor. There’s a large igloo hideout when he wants to feel hidden. Bugs has two chew toys that hang from his enclosure, and he has a variety of toys to keep himself entertained. He has two balls, one that can be rolled and another that can be chewed. There are three chew sticks in his house, in addition to a lava block and bunny rattle that can be tossed.

Every morning I do some light housekeeping. I change his litter box, and sweep up any loose hay, fur, or runaway droppings. I refresh his water, hay, and pellets as needed. When he sees me come down the stairs, he hops to the front of his enclosure and stands up on his hind legs for petting. I really love this little guy. Rabbits do make wonderful additions to your family.

You've Come a Long Way, Bunny

Bugs Enjoying Floor Time

Introducing Bugs

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Our Newest Addition Bugs

I’m happy to announce that we expanded our family by one fur kid a week ago. This brings our menagerie to 2 dogs, 4 cats, 1 parakeet, and now 1 rabbit. Please welcome our newest addition Bugs.

I wasn’t planning to get another rabbit after our French Lop Rambo suddenly crossed the Rainbow Bridge. Well, the little guy needed a new home, and we decided to become his forever family.

It’s anyone’s guess what breed or breeds he might be, but he’s a cutie nonetheless. I was told that he’s four years old. Bunnies can live past 10 years, so I hope Bugs and I have several years together. I’m sure he will appear in future posts once he gets settled in.

Introducing Bugs (1)

Somebunny New to Love