Mail From Rabbit Lovers

"Best Pets on the Planet"

HI. I just wanted to say I totally agree with you on your views of rabbits as pets. I have a four year old rabbit named Joslynn who is a Holland lop. She has free run of the house, and is completely litter trained. Actually, she has never once gone to the bathroom on the floor. Joslynn has a complete personality, and a very mischievous side. She loves to wait near the kitchen, because she knows whenever I go in there, she'll get a piece of something. Joslynn has a thing for couches. It's like they are one big play pen for her. Anyways I have so many stories to tell, and I'm so glad you have a site that tells the true side of the best pet on the planet. --amy

Overgrown Teeth

Hi there Tim, what a fabulous site you have. We live in New Zealand so a fair amount of the feeding info is a bit hard to follow up, but we do have a local pet store with very good feed and advice.

Our bunny is a long-haired Holland Lop, and while being a loved and loving member of the family he prefers not to be handled much - although he is a lot more friendly in the evening, or when I am home alone.

My reason for writing is to say to any others who have had the misfortune of purchasing a bunny whose teeth overgrow - don't give up. We eventually had to have Merlin's front teeth removed completely, but he is now perfectly happy. When we give him fruit or veges we grate them coarsely first, and of course pellet food and hay present no problems even with no front teeth. Merlin was our first ever bunny, and we have learned the hard way that a pet shop is not the ideal place to go. However we all love him dearly and have managed to overcome his physical problem.

Keep up the good work with your site,

Siobhan

Store Bought Bunny Story

A few days ago I went rabbit "hunting" with a friend of mine. Anyone ever been to "Connie's Pets" before? Well, if you have, you know what I'm talking about! I had never been there, but I heard they had some buns for sale, so I went to check it out. It was a very old, small building. I was stunned to see that in the parking lot there were adorable fuzzy puppies in a round pen partly covered with a large umbrella. I knew right away that this was simply a lure. But what really surprized me was that there was no one watching them! Their wasn't even a window in the building to peer out at them from. I felt so sorry for them. When I walked into the store, I said to the woman at the desk, "Should you be leaving those puppies out there alone?" The woman replied, "I just came in to get something. I'm going back out," but the whole time I was there she stayed right there in the store not even stepping outside to look at the pups. I noticed right away that the air around me stunk, the floor was filthy with dirt, and even worse the ANIMALS smelled and didn't seem to be taken proper care of at all! They were kept in small wire cages.

The first animals I saw were 5 kittens, all crammed into the same cage. I couldn't do anything but whisper some assuring words and walk away. After birds, fish, dogs, puppies, reptiles, and even spiders I finally found the rabbits. There were only two of them, but thier cage was filthy and small. One of them was over in the corner sleeping and the other was up in front of the cage greeting me. How could I say no?! The woman told me that they were "One year old Miniature Rabbits," as she put it. (Latter I did some reasearch and found out that they were Holland Lops.)

I took both of them home and named the beautiful grey male Rocky and the handsome white & black Sable Point male Winston. I got them both neutered with a check up and shots. (They had worms. I'm surprised that's ALL they had!) I now love these two more than anything in the world. I would never give them up. They are litter box trained and have free run of the home. My guests really take to Rocky. He's such a sweety and is VERY loavable to children! Winston is still very nice and gentle, but he tends to shy away with strangers. Neither of them would ever think about biting someone. I went back to Connie's Pets and told them that I wanted to volunteer. (I just couldn't live knowing that those poor animals were living like that. I had to clean it up for myself.) They said yes, "As long as you will do it for free." So I went 4 days a week to sweep, brush, feed, play with, and overall just care for the animals. I even bring Rocky and Winston with me to play with their old friends! (They have little cat harnesses that they walk on.) Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that, well, most people say you should never buy a rabbit from a pet store that shows poor health for their animals. That IS usually the case, however sometimes it's best to go with your heart! As long as you know what you're getting into and take them to a vet right after you get them! This is probably the most important part of buying ANY rabbit....wheather it looks healthy or not. And don't forget to spay/neuter! Hope you enjoyed my story...here's a pic of Rock & Win! (As I call them.)

Regards,

Holly, Rocky, and Winston
Ps: Please put this on your mail page? I really want people to know my story and know that thier ARE things they can do to help them out there! Thanks!

Helping Wild Baby Bunnies

Hello,

Your website has been invaluable to me. There is a nest of baby bunnies in my backyard. They look pretty healthy. Thanks to your website, I now believe that the mother is somewhere, just 'invisible' at the moment. I do have a problem though. This unfortunate bunny mommy made her nest in the portion of my yard that is fenced for my dogs. So far I have been able to keep the dogs away by placing a milk crate over the nest when the dogs are out. I watch them the whole time (they don't stay out long). Then I remove the crate. That seems to be working. Any suggestions or corrections to this routine would be welcome. Now, what I believe I may have done wrong: I have no way of telling how old they are. Probably 3 weeks at the most. I put some shaved carrot out there. Then I thought that the birds might be attracted to the carrot so I put the milk crate back over the nest and carrots. After reading the information on your site, I believe I am probably keeping the mother from the babies, and that I should probably remove the carrots and the crate. I only did this this morning. It is now 1:30 pm my time. I am going to go remove the carrots and the crate momentarily. I hope I haven't effectively created abandoned babies. Do you have any comments regarding this? Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Regards,
Monique

p.s. We found them when the lawn service 'pulled the fuzz' off of their nest with the lawn mower. Thank goodness we know they are there now. They have already 're-fuzzed' the top of their nest (do you know what I mean?) overnight - I bet mom visited them in the night and did this. So I hope all is well with them.

Wild Rabbit

I have a wild bunny made domesticate. Let me explain, we found a family of abandoned wild bunnies they were 3 days old when we took them in. We are sure of they age because we watch the mother give birth. children at the camp ground despite our attempts to keep them away kept handling them. We noticed the mother was not returning even through the night. The bunnies began to show signs of dehydration so we took them in. One week later 3 of them died. The 4th we handled a lot more to keep her warm and stimulated. Since she had to be handled so much more she became very use to us. She is now 5 months old and has the run of my house. She was very quick to litter train, and has made her home under my water bed since it has three exits she has access to. She will come and sit on our laps and eat from our hands. Sharing is a must or she bites on your pant leg to get attention. The only thing she wont allow is for us to pet her, is there anything we can do to encourage this behavior? Also through reading I understand that it is important to have female bunnies fixed as they run the risk of cancer if it is not done. However with her being so difficult for us to touch I'm concerned a vet visit will really stress her. Can you help with these questions? Or can you tell me where I might find these answers.

Christmas Rabbit

I received two beautiful six week old dwarf Holland lops for Christmas and I am in love with their spirit, their affection and their enthusiasm for life. The larger, Lana, has never eliminated outside her cage and at this time, she has full run of my home office for many hours throughout the day. She has many chew "things", eats a diet of high fiber pellets, fresh vegetables and hay, and drinks well. She runs, jumps, is graceful in practicing intricate evasive moves (she would put Dionne Sanders to shame) and loves to climb in my lap. How do I discourage her from chewing on the carpet?? Davie

Answer: Pineapple Chunks Prevent Hairballs

My wife and I have two house rabbits...a 3-month-old Holland Lop doe appropriately-named "Holly" and a 7-month-old Black Dutch buck named "Snuggles". We got Holly the night before Snuggles was to be neutered, and once Snuggles's sexual energy wore off, they have been bonded bunny friends since about the 3rd day that they knew each other (I thought it would take much longer). Now we can't keep them apart.
Snuggles is a very affectionate bunny, who actually loves to be picked up, and will even give lots of kisses while being held. Holly, is a little timid, yet, but I hope that will change once she is spayed.
No matter what we do, Holly will not eat petromalt. Is there anything we can do to help her prevent hairballs? (Yes, she eats plenty of timothy hay)
Also, both of my bunnies eat lots of newspaper. That's right, they don't just shread it, they actually eat it. Is this normal? Are there any medical problems that can arise from eating too much paper?
thanks, Aaron Ploetz

Orphaned Bunny Success Story

Hello, My name is Jessica and I live on a farm in South Texas. It's a very rural area and when the coyote population is down we are blessed with tons of wild rabbits. Unfortunately during planting time the farmers in the area don't see a nest until it's been plowed up. For about 4 years now I have been the local rabbit nursery when the mothers didn't return to the nest or were killed with the tractor. I have no vet knowledge other than just trial and error and what I've read in books. This year alone I have raised over 30 cottontails and about 6 jack rabbits and were able to release them in good health. I wanted to share some with you that kitten replacer seems to work far better than puppy milk. Most of the babies I get in are anywhere from couple days to 2 weeks. And all most all of them have reduced body temps. The first thing I do is to give them rehydrating mix (10 oz. of H2O, 1 tsp sugar, 1/3 tsp of salt) . I feed them atleast 3 cc's of this luke warm. I have extremely good luck nurturning these unfortunate babies and my success rate far exceeds the death rate. I used to try to call the animal rescue here in Texas but they are so over run with animals they would just tell me to return them to the wild and let them fend for themselves because they couldn't take them in. I wanted to pass on this info to you - so maybe it would help other babies to get a chance to run free that might have otherwise just died. Thank you for your time and the great info on your page. Jessica Hardy

Another Mr Magoo Story

Hi Again! It so nice to have a kind someone that has pracical advive to offer.We have been back and forth to our cabin frequently lately and MaGoo seems to really enjoy the trip even tho' it's a 5 hour drive. And altho' he spends very little time in the travelling kennel at home he just seems to know it's a long trip and about 1/2 hr. into it he has made himself very comfy and streched right out and dozes most of the way. I truly believe that exposing animals of any species (including humans) to constant and variable situations and challenges can't help but stimulate intelligence and foster a sense of confidence in the rabbit. I have pictures of MaGoo laying full out and asleep in front of the fireplace and not even flinch as the embers popped and crackeled. He also seems to have some territorial instinct at least where the cats are concerned.He has a favorite chair with 2 cushions where he hunkers down between then very suddenly do a 180 degree flip in the air and land on his back with his ears tucked back and all four limbs akimbo. Such a personality! One time the cat attempted to settle down in his little spot and he actually went up and head butted her in her chest. He got his seat, tho. The cats are developing a certain respect for him altho' I sure they still sense that it's a very young species and are a patient and increasingly (albeit slowly demonstrated a protectiveness, not affectionate ,yet by any stretch but no outward animosity. In short, I am enyoing Little Magoo immensely and keeps me entertained for hours. Animal behaviour has aways been a passion of mine, especially of individual youngsters and the profound similarites among all young species. What ever the genus they are all spirits in different physical appearances and the youngest ones , I believe are the most vulnerable and it is up to the rest of up Homo Sapiens to do all with our power to give a helping hand when possible to give the baby spirit the opportuntiy for reaching whatever potential God has deemed approppriate. Hope to hear fro you soon...Donna;)o

Noah's Arc Trip:

Yes Sir! I do so live in Canada, Northern Alberta actually. Waaaayy up there.Beautiful up here right now but it sure can cool off in the winter. Minus 30 celcius is standard. My van actually froze to the driveway this winter, it'd start just fine but wouldn't go anywhere. We have a cabin on a lake a few hours from here and took a few days out there this past week. I was very concerned about Chiclet (aka Magoo), as it is pretty wide open. I needn't have worried.He/she just loved it, seemed to even enjoy the car ride.I also have a small dog and 2 big fat cats that come with us and everyone got along famously. The bunny seems to have forged a special bond with one of the cats and follows it everywhere. The cat's not particularly crazy about the attention but she is very patient and just finds a higher spot to roost. Both cats have helped me foster, literally dozens of orphaned babies of any number of species, even a newly hatched pigeon. They are incredibly gentle and altho' they are both getting up there in years and can be somewhat crabby at times they are protective of the rabbit and for some reason don't allow it to get near the door. They weren't taught this but seem to know that it shouldn't go outdoors unsupervised. I do tend to ramble, don't I? I had a couple of questions about behaviour. This little guy loves to climb and has adopted the back of the couch, up top, as the litter box.How can I discourage this and guide it toward a more appropriate spot? It seems adverse to doing it on anything not cloth-like. Also he has a habit of tearing around the house at top speed, pulling sudden u-turns and leaping into the air with a twist. This type of high energy I've seen in other young species like kittens and pups and kid goats, but I never realized a rabbit has the same playful joy for life. That is what it is , isn't it? It doesn't mean there's something wrong like a middle ear infection or something, does it. It seems perfectly healthy, remains very affectionate, seeking out a spot close to me to sleep. It often rolls over on it's back asleep, really looks quite comical. Last question, I promise, do they need vaccinations? Against what? Thanks again for your patience and your interest. ......................................................Donna

A Great Message:

This letter is geared toward anyone who is looking in pet stores for a new rabbit. Be wary of what breed the employees say each rabbit is. Most breeders are great and know a lot about their particular rabbits, but some are not true breeders or end up with "mutts" that they just want to get rid of. When they sell the rabbits to the pet store, the store has to go by what the breeder says. In the end the customer is the one with the problem. My sweet little Schnell was supposed to be a Netherland Dwarf. WRONG! I just thought that he had abnormally large ears for a dwarf, but he's actually part cottontail - a WILD rabbit. Now, at age 5 months, my sweet "little" Schnell is twice the size he should have been as a full grown dwarf. After quite a few complaints to the store and it's owner, we finally got a cage big enough to accomodate him - at half price. I love my precious bunny and would never abandon him, but I wanted to warn you of the possibilities out there. Some of your best bets for obtaining a rabbit, and knowing what you're getting, are HRS; the Humane Society; or find a reputable breeder. Happy wabbit hunting! :)

Katherine Bartlette

P.S. Don't always snub a rabbit with a physical deformity. The first rabbit I ever owned was bought from a breeder and he had a muscular deformity in his chest area. This caused his front legs to splay outward. This rabbit was the most well behaved, cuddly, sweet rabbit of those I've had the pleasure of owning. I miss him severely. :(

Rough Start:

I just wanted to tell you i like your page and also tell how i came to get my rabbit.it was not planned,we went to a fair 3 years ago this july 4th and they had a game in which if you won the prize was a live rabbit well cost me about $30 to win but i did.so we picked out this very tiny rabbit.the next day i took it to a pet store and they were suprised to find out where i got it from saying it was ilegal to get pets for prizes.they told me the rabbit was in bad shape ,real bad diarea,dehydreated,and was to young to be taken away from its mother they said he was about 4 weeks old.took him to a vet and they said the same thing,said he may make it if he teated & cared for the right way.after i got home made some calls and had the people i won the rabbit from turned in,shut down and fined.he is now a big healthy rabbit. our first concern about having him besides his health was that we have 2 cats and a dog,my concern was that they would give him a heart attack scareing him while he was in his cage.after a few months he got the run of the house and the cats and dog don't bother the rabbit,infact my sister has a afghan dog and she and the rabbit play together.when the cat and rabbit play the rabbit usally chases the cat away.when ever we go out we leave the rabbit have the run of the house and when we come home the rabbit is on the book shelve(he clamied that his own if the cats go near he chases them away from it)and the cat is laying on the floor.we take him out for walks without a leash and he stays with us,we take him to the park and let him run he loves people espically kids.he is not afraid of any thing we had him at the park and a guy had a dog on a leash and my rabbit ran after him and they sniffed each other.he also likes to bug you when you are eating snacks as soon as he hears a bag of chips open or something like that he comes running.he also likes to go for rides in the car &to the pet store to look around.his name is firecracker because we got him on the 4th of july.and i would never get rid of him for anything.

P.S. firecracker says hi.

A New Toy Idea:

I like the page. I have a huge bunny rescued from the SPCA. (yes I call it rescued even from there). I just wanted to let you know that I read somewhere that rabbits like to play with slinkys. No of course I didn't believe it, but Sunshine liked his so much that he now has 3!! Of course keeping the dogs and cats from playing with them is kinda hard but he's doing rather well at it.

Anyway loved the page.

P.S. Sunshine is now living in the Aviary (actually used to be the living room)I would like to add some plants that he can eat when he wants too. Any ideas on any good houseplants that he can eat? Any help would be appreciated.

THanks! Teresa

Personality Change:

Hi Tim,

you may remember that I emailed you several times in February about handling my new bunny. I thought I would give you an update. Since I last emailed you about Phoebe "she" began spraying my husband with urine. After a trip to the vet's operating table Pheebs stopped the spraying, but he also underwent a complete personality change. He still doesn't like being picked up if he is busy at the time (who would?) but will quite happily let me pick him up when he is resting. If I sit down when he is around he launches himself into my lap, climbing up to nuzzle my face and groom my hair for me. If he hears either my husband Phil or me in another room he runs through to be with us, and if I sprawl on the floor in front of the TV, he likes to curl up in the small of my back.

I think he would be happier about being held if he had been hand raised as you suggested, but I thought you would be interested to know what a difference having 'the op' made. If only I had been able to hold him long enough to find out what sex he was at the beginning of all this!

Hope your guys are doing OK.

Yours,

Liz K

Hero with Good Taste:

I love your web page. I adopted a female from the humane society who we found out 2 days later she was preg. She delivered 12 babies!!! The vet said that only 1/2 of them would make it. Well I am a nurse and took it on as a challenge. We had to syringe feed 3 of the smallest babies and had them under lights. For weeks we did nothing but feed baby rabbits. We were finally able to teach them to nurse after their piggy brothers and sisters had their fill. We ended up adopting all the bunnies out to friends(with strict instructions for care) except for the smallest male, "matty." So now mom bunny "Becky" lives with her son in our house. They have their own room. They go outside and love to eat all my herbs. I truely believe you can not understand a rabbits behavior if its caged. They need to be able to stand up, and flop and jump straight up in the air. They have such a range of emotion also. I can tell when my rabbits are mad, sad, happy bored etc. When I come in the room They greet me like puppies. "Becky" takes great joy in grooming the whole family. She will lick your face to death if you let her. It seems to be the way my rabbits express affection is by grooming each other and us. I agree with everything in the web page and hope your readers enjoy their bunnies as much we love ours. Annie (north cal.)

Mom to Five:

Hello! Three years ago I bought two bunnies to be classroom pets and quickly realized that they were much happier at my house on the weekends and utterly charming and delightful companions. I now am "mom" to five beautiful bunZ who live at my house and I would have a dozen more if I could. If only people knew how smart and funny they are! Love your page! Pamela, Einstein, Newton, Muffin, Tiny Bun and Harvey Little Ears

Raisins and Rolled Oats:

Here are a couple of different food items that I have not seen mentioned on your pages that my bunnies (we have 2 Holland Lops) really enjoy. They are raisins and rolled oats. We give them a raisin or two as treats and about a table spoons worth of oats with their pellets and they love it. Just thought I'd pass that on to try and brighten another bunnies day.

This Person Knows Quality:

Your web site is very helpful. I've had Grendel (a mini Jersey Wooley) for over two years and recently received Felice (a mini Rex) as a gift. I never thought about looking for rabbit related information on the web until I saw the House Rabbit Society's web page in the last Netguide. Have my eyes been opened. There are so many things that I could have done better had I sought out the information. (Fortunately, I found out about Pasteurella and Felice is being treated for it. I also prevented her being treated with amoxicillin and got her on an alternative medication.) I am going to be a better rabbit "mom" thanks to web sites like yours. I like your web site layout. It is simple and to the point. (Have you checked out the Exoticnet web site? It's got a lot of veterinary information with specifics too.) Great work! Elizabeth Spencer-Dawes

Rabbit Rescue:

I am sending this E-mail to thank you for the information you have on the Internet. About 8 weeks ago I rescued a baby black domesticated wild bunny from a huge cat that was trying to catch him. The bunny must have been 4 or 5 weeks old as the next day he started eating carrot tops and roots. I didn't really know very much about caring for a bunny so I researched the web and found you.

"Funny Bunny" is developing into a very nice house pet, thanks to your advise.

In appreciation, Dora Syrdal

Rabbits that love the rain. Any ideas?

Would like to commend you on a great, informative site. We have two mini Dutch rabbits (Elsie & Jackson) who have a very large hutch, and huge enclosure to which they have permanent access. However, we have found that when it rains (and it's pouring today) they like to sit out in the rain even though they have access to a warm, cozy hutch. Any advice you can give would be most appreciated :) Thanks again for a great site. Regards, Carol & Barrie Lowe

Rabbit Freedom:

Hi! I live in Scotts Valley, CA with my boyfriend who has two pet rabbits. They are pretty much indoor rabbits, and we don't keep them in a cage. You are right about them wanting access into areas that we don't let them go...for instance, we don't let them go in our bedroom, and whenever we leave the door open, they go charging towards the door to get in! We have also found that our rabbits particulary enjoy carrot leaves and broccoli leaves. Anyhow, great and informative web page - I am going to recommend it to my boyfriend to look at. - Dorian

Rabbits can be litter trained:

I have a rabbit named Simba. I've had her for 2 years now. She's chewed anything and everthing. During the summer she lives in the garage to kept cold becuase I live in New Liskeard,Ont,Canada and during the winter she lives in the house. I love your website because it help me to know more about rabbits. In your story I found that your friend said you could'nt train them but thta's just a lie. My bunny is litter trained and is pretty friendly. I think that stores should sell more objects on rabbits, don't you think so? Please write me back to talk about rabbits. Please!

Rabbits Love the Outdoors:

Thanks for your web page. Lots of info. I love my bunny of 3 years. I've found that if you treat them like a best friend, talk to them, whisper in their ear, and give them a chance, they can be trained like any other pet. About your hairball info: papaya juice works (though i've only heard so), and I give my rabbit Petromalt (fish flavored.... go figure!) and she loves it. When it gets hot here (in CA) I put a few ice cubes in her cage and she licks them and sits on them. I also let my rabbit out in to the back yard. She has all her own places, digs holes, eats anything that comes out of the ground (sometimes I wonder). There are neighborhood cats (our fence is not 8 ft.....I wish) that she has met (since we moved) but they don't hurt her. One even rubs up against her. Iv'e heard that rabbits can kick some a-- if they have to. Is this true? I would never want her to be in that situation but she has got to have her outside time. I was very careful when we first moved to this house, I did not let her outside at first but after awhile, we both got used to it. I keep her in the house at night, she has a dog kennel for a cage,its very large. She is huge herself. Anyway, can you tell I love my rabbit? I talk about her like she's my baby. Anyway, she prefers the oat hay to the timothy as well. I had to have her behind shaved once before because she was getting the runs from too many banana chips mixed in with her food. Ok, that's enough. Have a great day! Genevieve

Rabbit Jumping:

Hi there! I'm an 18 years old Swedish girl. I have nine rabbits, seven of them are Holland Lops. One of them actually came from England in September. I compete with my rabbits in rabbit show jumping. I guess you've never heard of it, but in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark, it's very common. The rabbits jump like horses do, but they also compete in highjumping (the record is 98 cm) and longjumping (the record is 235 cm). The competing rabbits have very fancy names, or wat do you say about "Laylock's Super Champion Flames of Fame"? Please, write back to me, I would really appreciate it. My English is quite bad, but I hope you understand what I mean..... Love Sara

Orphan Bunny Rescue:

Hi Tim! We used to use Puppy Milk Replacer, and had terrible luck getting babies to survive. This fall, however, I saw an entire litter of Netherland Dwarf babies (who were taken from their mother by a well meaning "rescuer") raised on Kitten Milk Replacer. I guess it's still up in the air as to which is best, and may even vary with each litter! In every case, raising orphans it tough! Sorry about the "foster mother" thing. I remember reading it in your post, and then when I wrote, it seems to have slipped my mind! I guess we deal with so many people who take babies away from perfectly good mothers, or don't know about fostering that mentioning it is automatic. So much terrible misinformation is passed around by the people with one or two rabbits who believe themselves to be experts that it is easy to worry when you read something in a bulletin board format. We get calls on a regular basis to handle problems that were caused by pet shops, hobby breeders (the folks who think that owning three rabbits & breeding them once makes them professionals) , and rescue groups giving out incorrect, and sometimes dangerous advice. As a rabbit lover, I get frustrated trying to "fix" the mistakes made because of those types! I'm sure that you can understand! Thank you for your reply. Betsy

Rabbit talk from the UK:

Congratulations on producing such an excellent rabbit page. I have been looking for a while to find a page with so much information. I have been wanting to find fellow rabbit owners to discuss my love of rabbits with. I have a 1yr old angoran dwarf lop called Lilybob, he lives in the house and is fully house trained. I would be greatful if you could send me information about magazines and clubs in the UK you may know about. I am also interested in discussing rabbits with any US rabbit lovers. Thanks. xcy36@dial.pipex.com

Corn Chip Bunny? (Don't try this at home)

Hi! I liked your rabbit page. I am a rabbit owner, too! I have two mini-lops, Clyde and Bob. Clyde is 5, I think. Bob's about 3 1/2. Clyde(Rabbs) is the father of Bob. Bonnie, Bob's mom, died of a bacterial infection last year. The rabbits live in our garage. It's been modified to keep them nice and warm and they are free to go outside whenever they want. We built an entrance/exit by installing a 6" Y piece of sewer pipe with a double entrance to the outside so transit will not be a problem between the rabbits. About that web page: I found the information on what they like to eat very informative. Rabbs eats corn chips. He also likes to eat most green vegetables. I don't know what Bob likes because he runs away from everyone. I also read about the bacterial infections rabbits easily acquire. Our family has suffered the loss of two rabbits from this nasty infection. Bonnie died last year and Louie died about a week ago. Your information on the infection helped me understand why.

13 Pound Rabbit:

Great web site! I have a 13lb 2 year old new zealand white girl rabbit that I raised from 4 days old, and a 6 lb black and tan boy from the SPCA. They are the light of my life. The girl Chewie lived in my room without a cage for her first year, but after paying too much for carpet repairs I moved her into a homemade 3' by 5' cage. She loves being inside and outside too, so they live together in a shed...but they roam the backyard everyday. They get lots of attention and vegetables. Timothy hay is the best by far. I have had a hard time finding a good vet. They had mites at one time and the vet wouldn't use ivermectin - have you heard of that? All the vet students I knew at the time said that was the best way, and I couldn't find a vet who would use it. Anyway, great web site, put in some pictures of other buns if you can!

New Bunny Settles In:

Hi Tim Well, success at last in the form of a 6 week old Orange Dwarf Netherland bunny called Poppy! I have her settled into her cage and she seems to be making herself at home! I was a little concerned at first that she was too young but in fact appears to be far braver and more inquisitive than my last bunny when I first brought him home at the age of 9 weeks. I have a question for you that none of my books seems to answer - I have her on a diet of unlimited pellets, small amounts of mixed dried food and hay. She drinks quite a lot of water, now I assume this is normal as, at the moment, she is eating no fresh foods and cannot obtain her water intake from her dried food. Is that right? My last bunny hardly drank any water at all so it's something new for me to get used to. What do you think? Hope you had a good Christmas - how are yours? Rachel PS - she's already had her first trip "out" and did really well. She's already used to using a litter tray too! So cute!

Road Rabbit, Another Rescue:

Hi There, My husband and I found an adult rabbit wandering down the road tonight. It was at the edge of a very busy street. We pulled around the corner and I went back and she came right up to me. She is very thin, but very friendly. Your page has given me some very good information on how to feed her until we can find her proper home. If we can find her proper home! Anyways, thanks for the information, especially regarding diet. I am concerned that she is so thin. Tammy

Weird Rabbit Return Story:

Well, this is another weird story. I was given a rather large rabbit a little over a year ago . At the time , I was going to do an educational traveling zoo. (project halted) anyway, i now had a rather large rabbit named Cadbunny. I let him roam the yard,but found it hard to get him back in his cage at night. I started letting him live outside and he would come to the back door and eat carrots , spinach and lettuce. he built a cool burrow under our compost pile. then he disappeared. Well, it's been about a year and this a.m. he showed up in my back yard with a friend that looks JUST like him. He won't come too close ,but will let you sorta near for food. deb taylor surfing on the texas gulf coast

Successful Apartment Rabbit:

Hey there! Great web site! I have a three year old mini-lop (who weighs 8lbs) named Alfalfa. I had a laugh when I read about all of the similarities between other peoples rabbits. Alfalfa has free roam of my apartment and goes in a kitty litter box. It only took me one day and he was litter-trained. Most people are shocked when I tell them about how I have a pet rabbit and what he is like. I did get him neutered and the vet said that since he is quite large he will probably live to about 12 years old. The vet also told me about the fresh pineapple juice (canned does not contain a certain enzyme). Alfalfa loves bananas (also a suggestion from the vet) and he will only eat granny smith apples (he turns his nose up at macintosh!) Anyways, thanks for the great info on rabbits!