Happy gotcha day, Ned and Gingee!

Today is two years exactly since Ned and Gingee’s “gotcha day”! In other words, it’s two years since we adopted them and they came home to live with us.

Dear Ned and Gingee,

It’s hard to believe, in a way, how fast these two years have gone. It feels like you’ve been part of our family forever. But it also feels like only yesterday that I felt so apprehensive as I waited for a response to find out if you’d be able to come and live with us. It’s funny how time works like that!

I can honestly say that you’ve changed our lives for the better. You made us a family, rather than just a couple.

Driving home with you in the car for the first time felt much how I imagine it will be when we bring your human sibling home in a few weeks. I knew everything had changed, but I had no comprehension of just how much. We didn’t know quite what we were doing at first, but the four (now five, soon to be six) of us have figured it out together.

Ned, you’ve caused us so much worry that it’s unbelievable. So many times we’ve thought we might lose you, but you keep on persevering, and now you’re so strong.

You are an inspiration to me, little man. How can you have gone through so much pain and discomfort and come out the other end still so happy and trusting? The last time you had your vaccinations, you were purring as the vet was putting the needle in you!

You’re an unusual little bunny. You love car rides, being brushed with a wet comb, all kinds of things that rabbits aren’t supposed to. Maybe you’re part kitten or puppy. You’ve still got an adorable little baby face, and I know that it causes problems for your health, but I think you are one of the most beautiful creatures I’ve ever seen.

You’re much tinier than you should be, but your intense personality more than makes up for it. We know you can’t hear us very well, but we also know that you know how much we love you.

I love how you climb up onto my lap when I’m feeling sad, and how you enjoy playing with our hands. You’re the tiniest, greediest little thing, and I know that’s probably my fault because I spoil you. I just love to see you so excited!

You are such a good brother to Barbara, and it’s so nice to see you take care of her.

I didn’t know it was possible to love anyone so much until you came into my life.

Gingee, you are the bravest and cleverest rabbit in the world. You know that you’re the best therapy bunny anyone could ever want, don’t you?

You keep us going when we’re feeling down, and I know you understand emotions far more than anyone could believe. It doesn’t even have to be us. I see your concern for TV characters dealing with depression. I’ve seen you try to get to them to help them. (And I think it’s a good thing we’ve cut back on your TV viewing a bit!)

You’re definitely the one in charge, despite what Barbara might think. You’re so good at trying to take care of her and Ned, and I’m so proud of you for persisting in grooming their eyes when they need it.

I can’t believe how clever you are. You’ve eaten more cables than I can count, broken out of so many cages, and understand so many words. You’ve even learnt to train Ned – although we really don’t mind if he goes on the stairs!

I know you love me, Gingee, even if your daddy is your favourite person in the whole world.

I’m so pleased that the two of you get on again. Seeing you interact is one of my favourite things in the world, because for so long I thought you’d hate each other forever. I know you didn’t enjoy us persevering and repeatedly trying to bond you, but I think you’re happy about it now, aren’t you? You love cuddling each other these days!

I can’t believe it’s been two years since your gotcha day, and I can’t wait to have many more years of adventures with you both.

Love from your human mum xxx

 

I would like a rabbit pet #barbarablogs

Hello friends. It’s me, Barbara Rabbit, here again. Catch up on my older posts here!

So, I’ve been thinking. I would like a rabbit pet. Not a pet rabbit – I’m a pet rabbit myself. I would like a pet for myself. I know I’m getting a baby human soon and that will be lovely. But I think there are lots of other animals out there that I would enjoy living with as well.

I’ve been trying to think over the advantages to each one and work out which would be best for me. Of course, I doubt my humans will let me have any kind of new animal. They can be so unreasonable at times. I mean, it would only be a bit of extra work for them.

They wouldn’t have to do any of the training. My brother Gingee has learnt to do animal training. He copies what the humans do and he’s taught Ned to keep away from the stairs by doing a little growl and then moving him. It’s very clever.

So honestly, all it would really be would be a bit more cleaning and perhaps some more food and maybe transporting them on a very occasional vet visit. Hardly anything at all, really.

Rabbit Pet Idea 1: A chick

rabbit pet idea 1: a chickThey can fly, you know. I’d be able to train it to fetch me the treats that my parents insist on keeping on high shelves that I can’t reach.

I’ve tried to get Ned and Gingee to do some sort of obstacle course run onto the top of the chest of drawers where the fenugreek cookies live, but they just keep on looking at me as though I’m mad. I can’t imagine why. As young rabbits (they’re only two), I think they should be taking plenty of exercise to keep supple and not develop arthritis like I have. Yes, there’s a bit of risk, but boys are meant to enjoy that!

Also, chicks are really fluffy, so it would be a bit like having another rabbit around. We’d take turns to groom it. And I bet the beak would be useful at times – we could train it to attack if needed!

Rabbit Pet Idea 2: A monkey

rabbit pet idea 2: monkeyOpposable thumbs. Enough said.

I’m only thinking of a small monkey. I wouldn’t want an ape or a gorilla or anything huge like that. But a tiny little monkey that I could train to open doors and food containers for me would be really useful. And I bet they’d be absolutely brilliant at grooming!

They’d probably also be quite good at giving cuddles if I needed them when my humans weren’t available. At times, I do really like cuddles.

However, I think a monkey might be rendered irrelevant by my upcoming human baby. She’ll be able to perform most of the monkey’s tasks, I think.

Rabbit Pet Idea 3: A small pony or miniature horse

rabbit pet idea 3: horseI could sit on its back and be a lot faster than my brothers when it ran.

Did you know that rabbits and horses are actually fairly similar? Yes, I know we don’t look at all alike, but our digestive systems are pretty much the same, and we could share our hay.

I’ve even heard that if you can’t find a rabbit specialist vet, you should try and make sure your parents take you to an equine vet if you need some sort of specialist treatment, as they’re more likely to know what to do on you than a cat and dog vet.

Horses and ponies even binky like us bunnies do!

Also, as someone who once lived outside, I think I’d be doing a tiny little horse a really good deed by adopting one and letting it live inside with me. I did not like being outside, so I bet my future tiny horse doesn’t either. Maybe I’ll present it to my parents as a completely altruistic act…

Rabbit Pet Idea 4: A small goat

rabbit pet idea 4: goatYes, I have Ned and he’s pretty much like a little goat.

But think about it: goats are pretty similar to us rabbits. They’re determined and feisty and furry and I hear they have a great sense of humour.

And they’re really destructive and sometimes I’d like some help in trying to dig up the carpet or tear up all the newspaper in the world. A goat could be a really good asset to me there!

The horns do scare me a bit though.

Well, those are my ideas, anyway. Does anybun else have any good suggestions?

Until next time, my long-eared friends!

Online rabbit resources – my recommendations

I admit to being pretty clueless when we adopted Ned and Gingee. I’d had a rabbit growing up, so I thought I knew what I was doing. Then it turned out Ned was pretty sick, and I started looking for online rabbit resources.

There is a lot more information out there than there used to be. Back in the 90s, when I had my first lovely bunny, everything seemed very simple. But then again, rabbits didn’t live very long back then either. Everyone was amazed that I had a bunny who was 11!

Even nowadays, a lot of “civilians” don’t know much about the proper care of a rabbit. Fortunately, I’ve found loads of online rabbit resources that have helped us bring Ned back from the brink, keep Gingee healthy, and be the best owners that Barbara needs.

I’ve divided my list into two sections: one is “static” information, and the other is helpful groups that you can join. I find it can actually be helpful to have someone to talk to, and I’m a part of a few Facebook groups.

(Do note: I have house rabbits, so my resources might be a bit biased towards them. I’m also based in England.)

Online rabbit resources

  • MediRabbit: With two special needs bunnies, I’ve spent a lot of time on here reading up on different illnesses. Obviously I’d always recommend a trip to the vet rather than just doing online research, but when the appointments were booked or it wasn’t an emergency, this has been a great resource for reading up on what could be the issue with Ned. If you’re a bunny hypochondriac like myself, though, do beware. I’d pretty much diagnosed poor Ned with syphilis at one point! (Eventual diagnosis: very flat face, malformed tear ducts, prone to infection, pasturella. Treatment: tear duct flushing under sedation as necessary, regular eye cleaning at home and trimming his face fur to stop any matting.)
  • The Rabbit Welfare Association and Fund (RWAF): The UK’s largest rabbit association. They have some brilliant information on what to do in various bunny health situations, and their rabbit-friendly vet list is one of the best you’ll find in the UK.
  • Binkybunny.com: This site has some great information on topics such as litter training, bunny-proofing, healthy diet, etc. They’re a US site so some of their information about costs isn’t quite accurate for me, but I usually find myself here if I’m curious about whether a new food is okay. There’s also a forum, which I’ve never participated in but have read fairly extensively. Over the years they’ve answered most questions I’ve had, without my even having to ask!
  • The House Rabbit Society: Lots of good resources on difference aspects of raising a house rabbit, and also plenty of lovely pictures. If you’re in the US, they also have a good list of vets who will treat rabbits.
  • Rabbit Awareness Week: You didn’t know about Rabbit Awareness Week? Dreadful! It’s in June. Their site has some good information on environment, bunny behaviour and health. I’d be wary of their guidance on which is the best food, though, as they’re sponsored by Burgess Excel, who are a food company. (And I’d always recommend feeding Science Selective if possible.)

Online rabbit communities

  • Rabbit Owners Community: This is, hands down, my favourite online rabbit resource. There are members from all over the world, which means that you get a great variety of opinions, and there are a lot of very wise rabbit owners there. If you’re doing something that could hurt your bunny or that isn’t best practice, you’ll be told. If you just want to share cute pictures of your rabbit, they’re very very welcome! They have some great resources in their downloadable files as well, some great guides to bonding, vets, etc. Definitely worth joining this one!
  • UK Rabbit Group: I’d recommend that everyone joins a local rabbit Facebook or similar group, if they can. While obviously we all like to think we’re prepared in terms of emergency vets, last-minute food questions, etc., we all know that problems crop up from time to time. And it’s nice to have the possibility of local people to ask.

I’m sure I’ve missed some really good ones – are there any others you’d recommend?

 

How to keep healthy humans #barbarablogs

Barbara Rabbit here again! Check out my previous blogs if you haven’t already – I have some good things to say!

Today I want to talk about a really important topic: how to make sure your humans keep healthy.

As we rabbits know, managing our own health is hard enough. Lots of us have been bred to have very flat faces which can give us breathing or eye problems, we are very susceptible to GI stasis, sometimes washing can be tricky and that can lead to infection… The list goes on and on. Fortunately, there are lots of great rabbit vets out there who can help our humans take care of us.

However, did you know that our humans can also get ill? And, as they take such good care of us, it’s only right that we return the favour!

I try to do little checks on my humans fairly often to encourage them to keep healthy. Here are some of my top tips:

Sleep is important if you want to keep healthy

Barbara sleeping next to her human to keep healthy
Me and my daddy

Personally, I like to sleep for at least 18 hours a day. I’m getting on in years a bit, and it’s important that I get my rest. I think that humans don’t sleep enough.

It’s not always easy to make sure that they get lots of sleep, but there are definitely ways to encourage them.

For example, my mummy is having a human baby. Pregnant rabbits should sleep a lot. So when I first realised what was going on, I made a real effort to lie on the bed with her to encourage her to sleep. I’d pretend to sleep next to her (okay, okay, sometimes I was actually sleeping!) and she’d usually drop off as well.

Barbara makes sure we keep healthy by sleeping!As a bonus, human beds are usually ridiculously comfortable – have you ever tried one? You might need to get them to lift you up there if you’re less mobile, but oh, the flopping possibilities – look how comfortable I am!

But time your sleep right!

You need a good balance of sleep time and play time, and humans don’t always understand where the boundaries lie.

This morning, I noticed my daddy was sleeping when he really should have been awake. That’s okay – it’s my responsibility to make sure he gets up. I went to peer at him first, and then made some loud noises to ensure that he was definitely awake by the time I was done. I didn’t want him to miss out! After all, it was food time.

My brother Ned sometimes takes a more extreme view on this and will hurl himself into the side of his cage or a wall to make a loud noise. His way looks more painful and I don’t think I want to try it. Thumping works just fine for me, thanks.

Make them problem solve

Humans are quite clever, like us. That’s why I think it’s really important to challenge them sometimes.

Barbara stuck in a cat treeEverybun knows the usual tests we put in place for our humans: can I crawl under the bed, is this wire tasty, can I break free of the cage, etc.? But they’re getting wise to those, so we need to think up some new ones!

I’ll share a fun one I tried a few months ago. My brother Gingee had a cat tree that he used to climb up. We were running round the room and I decided I’d try something new. I tried to squeeze between two parts of it and wedged myself in there. My daddy had to get out his tools and unscrew it completely to set me free! What a great problem-solving opportunity!

Don’t neglect their mental health!

Remember, stroking a furry friend is very important for humans. It can keep their blood pressure down and make them feel less stressed and depressed.

You are that furry friend. (Or, if you don’t like being touched, your sibling or mate can be encouraged to do their duty. You work hard enough!)

I don’t mean you have to give them free access to you at all times, obviously. I just mean that you need to keep an eye on them, and sometimes know that it’s particularly urgent that they give you a head rub. Those are the times you need to pester them. If they don’t do it of their own accord, nudge at them with your head, put your face in front of theirs, or maybe nibble at them a little bit. Even if it takes a slightly painful nip, you’re doing this for their health. It’s very important!

Barbara close up

Are you already doing any of these? If you’re not, I hope you start soon! Remember, your humans are depending on you to remind them to keep healthy!

Until next time, my furry friends.

Rabbit baby preparations #barbarablogs

Hello all, it’s Barbara Rabbit here again! Would you believe it, my mum said that as my last blog was so popular, she’s going to let me do this as a regular thing! #barbarablogs

We have some exciting news – there is going to be a baby in the house. Not a rabbit baby (we call them kittens), but a human one. It will be joining us in November.

Does this look like a rabbit baby to you?

I’m obviously not gestating it. My human mum is. If I were doing the gestating, I’d grow more than one at a time (far more efficient) and I’d have been done long ago – this non rabbit baby has been growing for months!

This is incredibly exciting news for me in particular. Both of my brothers are strongly bonded with one of the existing humans. Ned with our mum and Gingee with our dad. I like both humans, but not as much as the boys seem to. So I have decided that this new human is mine!

Ned and Gingee, being boys, don’t really know too much about how new rabbits are made, and they’ve had lots of questions for me. If you’re a fellow rabbit feeling a bit daunted about the arrival of a new human baby, I’m here to share my advice with you as well!

Rabbit baby vs human baby – some frequently asked questions

How long do humans take to grow their babies?

I’m not sure, but it seems to be taking forever! I first became aware that something was going on in about March. I could have had about five litters in that time! (If I weren’t spayed, that is, and if the humans had given me intact males to live with.)

How many human babies are born at once?

It usually seems to be just the one! I know, how inefficient! Apparently my human dad’s grandmother had a litter of two once, which is still on the small side in my mind, but it sounds like my humans are just planning on one at a time.

Why is my human mum not nesting properly?

Mine struggles. I judge her nesting skills a lot, actually. I don’t think she knows how to do this. She’s not put out any extra hay or anything. I haven’t seen her pull any of her hair out, either.

Some tips on how to encourage your human to nest properly:

  • If she’s not putting any hay out, take her some. Lay it on the floor of her bedroom or wherever you think she’ll want her nest to be. If she doesn’t use it to nest with, all rabbits know that eating hay is also really important during pregnancy. Mine wasn’t particularly appreciative of my bringing her the hay, but it was always gone by the time I went back in, so she must have been eating it.
  • Small dark spaces are good to give birth in. Does she go into any of her own free will? If not, try to lead her into some – under the bed, perhaps. Go in there and she’ll eventually have to try and follow you!
  • If it’s getting to the point that you think the baby will be born soon and she’s still not doing anything, take it up a notch. Lately, I’ve decided I have to make it clear just exactly what she should do, so I’m treating Ned as my baby. He’s small enough. I’ve started pulling some of my fur out and making it into a nest for him in his house. She’s noticed and commented on it, so I hope that encourages her to do the same!

How do I best communicate with the human baby?

Before it’s born, a human baby is much the same as a rabbit baby. You can sometimes see and feel it moving around. I try and give it a nuzzle or a headbutt at this point to encourage bonding.

I hear human babies are very loud and smell bad. Is this true?

I think so, unfortunately. Ned is the luckiest in this respect, as he’s deaf. Gingee and I will suffer more. The smell can’t be too bad though – I live with two boys, remember. I’m sure smells won’t be too much of an adjustment. (Gingee would like to say that I smell worse than he does. I disagree. Impertinent boy!)

What do human babies look like?Barbara - no longer a rabbit baby

From the pictures I’ve seen (see above), they’re black and white with no discernible features. I presume that, like rabbit babies, they grow into their features later on. I mean, we’re born hairless with our eyes shut and tiny ears. Look at me now – huge eyes, magnificent fur and my ears are just the right length.

What do human babies do?

I think they eat a lot. And sleep. And poo. This is why I think I’m going to have such a great bond with this baby – we will have so much in common!

What’s in this for me? Wouldn’t it be easier to ask for a new rabbit baby?

It’s a good question, and I have asked myself this a few times. Life will probably get a bit less nice – I won’t have as much peace and quiet, there may be odd smells around, and, rather worryingly, I may have to be left alone on Bonfire Night if that’s when human baby is born. (I need to be held comfortably in a warm, dark room with white noise to cope with fireworks. Just one of those little quirks that makes an old lady’s life a bit happier, you know!)

But it occurs to me that there are also lots of fun possibilities coming up too. Firstly, my mum is going to get a whole year off work. That’s a year where she’ll be home during the day. More playtime?

Secondly, when the baby can open its eyes and walk (that’s at a few days old, right? It would be if it were a rabbit baby!) chances are it will be a bit bigger than I am. But it might not know the rules yet! So I can probably convince it to open the food bin more regularly and hand out treats.

Similarly, opposable thumbs! Baby can use knives and cut up apples for me on demand! Open doors! And, as I don’t think they can talk at first, there’s no way I can be asked to go in for a bit or told no!

Also, I hear the number of blankets in the house will increase. I like blankets.

Human baby, you and I are going to have a lot of fun.

Until next time, my furry friends!