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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)

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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Introducing Bugs (2)

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

 

The Original Rabbit in the Hat

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Rabbit in the Hat (2)

Grand Champion Cleopatra (French Lop) (2002)

Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate, and Happy Sunday to those who do not. Since bunnies are synonymous with the holiday, I thought today would be an appropriate time to introduce you to a rabbit dear to my heart, and the cool story of how I acquired her.

I’ve loved bunny rabbits since I was involved with 4-H many years ago. I wanted an English Lop, a bunny with extremely long ears, similar to a Basset Hound. Well, I got my breeds confused, and answered a newspaper ad for French Lop bunnies for sale. They’re also large rabbits but with much shorter lop ears. Think of them as the Beagles of bunnies.

The man selling them raised his bunnies for rabbit shows and also for his magic act. A magician! How cool is that? I brought home a doe (female) with chinchilla-colored fur, and named her Cleopatra, or Cleo for short.

She was a big, beautiful bunny with a lush gray coat and expressive brown eyes, loaded with personality. She was more dog than rabbit, nudging my hand with her large head for attention. Cleo was friendly, and loved to pluck yogurt drops from my open hand. She tolerated well the gentle brushing and nail trims, but was never a fan of ear cleanings, not that I could blame her. She was groomed often, as I was into showing rabbits at the time, and Cleo fit the breed standard for a French Lop. However, she wasn’t the greatest specimen of her kind, as the judges noted time and time again in their remarks.

Show after show we would try for a ribbon. Sometimes we had success, and other times we left empty-handed. Aside from taking home a prize, it was a good day if your entry didn’t pee on the judge or hop down the table to visit the competition.

An inconsistent winner, the magician’s bunny had a trick up her furry sleeve. She went on to become a Grand Champion, a prestigious achievement in the rabbit show world. I had other rabbits reach this title, but somehow Cleo’s award was a bit more special. I knew she was close, just one step away from the big prize, but that last needed win eluded her for a long time. Persistence paid off, and she finally won the last leg required for her grand championship.

Although I was overjoyed by her achievement, that was not my proudest bunny moment. That came when we were on the show floor when a spectator asked to take her picture. Someone else saw in her what I did, and wanted to capture my big girl on film. I can’t remember her wins specifically, but I can recall this incident with great fondness.

After Cleo became Grand Champion Cleopatra, her rabbit show days were over. She was loved and spoiled the rest of her days, passing away around eight years old of what the vet suspected was a brain tumor. Our time together may have been short, but it was magic.

Rabbit in the Hat (1)

Grand Champion Alice (English Lop) (2002)

Two Little Pigs

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As long as I am physically able to care for them, I think I will always have pocket pets. I currently have a French Lop bunny named Rambo, and in the last two weeks I have acquired two guinea pigs (also known as cavies).

Piggies make fun pets. I was first introduced to them by way of my third grade classroom pet. A brown Abyssinian pig, Whiskers was well loved by everyone. Abyssinians have rosettes all over their bodies, giving them a perpetual bad hair day. I brought him home over summer breaks until one day my teacher said I could keep him. I was thrilled. Whiskers lived to age eight, which is geriatric for a guinea pig.

An example of an Abyssinian

An example of an Abyssinian

At some point after Whiskers passed, I acquired a pig named Lucy. She was a sweet piggy, and one day I discovered another piggy mysteriously appeared in her cage. The baby was a female, so we kept her and named her Suzy.

The sad fact about guinea pigs is that they don’t live long, the average life span is around four years old. That’s why I gave up on guinea pigs and switched to rabbits. Bunnies can live upwards of 10 years, which is far less depressing.

I had two piggies recently, both passing before last Christmas. My last guinea pig Bob lived to four, and I miss him. He lived in our basement and would greet me whenever I went downstairs. Guinea pigs are cute, friendly, and entertaining. They make some interesting sounds compared to silent bunnies. My guys already know the sound of the rustling of the plastic bag containing their parsley.

Cavies are social animals who do best in pairs. Meet Bert and Ernie, our cute little brothers. They are best friends, they snuggle together and enjoy each other’s company. Welcome to our zoo, kids!

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Bert and Ernie

Rabbit in the Hat

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We lost our last bunny right before Easter this year, a Flemish Giant named Jack.  Looking to add another to our home, I incorrectly assumed that our county shelter would have a surplus of rabbits after the holiday.  Instead I reconnected with someone I had gotten a bunny from in the past, a local magician who raises French Lops for his shows.  My previous French Lop, Cleo, was one of the best rabbits I ever had the privilege to love.

On June 22 we brought home a two month old fawn Frenchie male.  His parents were huge in size, and anticipating that our little guy may grow as big, we named him Rambo.  His mother, Winnie, looked just like our Cleo, only a larger version, but the same chinchilla color.  Rambo’s father, Joe, was equally huge, with broken fawn colored fur.

Rambo is relatively small for now, but his body will eventually catch up to his large ears.  It won’t be long before he is big enough to fill a magician’s top hat.Image