Treat-seeking bunnies

Bunya & Ethel seeking treats in all the hidden places (~60 sec).
They know what's coming and anxiously await until the treats are loaded and their Einstein toy is put on the floor. The actual treat enjoyment seems comparatively leisurely. When there were three bunnies, with Lucy, this activity was significantly more frenzied. Greater competition, I guess... and Lucy was VERY good at this. (For an example and a link to where we got the toy, see this video.)

Shaking up the bunny pen

Cleaning the bunny pen and took out everything to do so, even the bunny "funhouse". So, when we started to out it back together, we decided to mix it up a little. We think this keeps the bunnies more interested in their toys and hidey places. They seem to have had a fun day exploring the relocated castle (in the pen now) and funhouse (outside the pen). Even the maze haven and vacation villa, still located in the same old places, seem to be gaining renewed attention ... maybe just to verify they have not been changed.

Here's the rearranged pen now, or at least, for the moment. They love their princess bed from The Blissful Bunny so much, we had to leave that in the pen. And the wooden tunnel has already been used to gain access to the castle tower and to hop from the tower to the princess bed (and back).

Of course, you can check it out during the day on the BunCam.

Three tiers of bunnies

Bunya the Hutt is on the bunny playhouse, to the right.
Ethel the Dainty is one level down in the middle, on The Blissful Bunny's princess bed.
And Lucy the Ever Cautious You'd-Better-Not-Pick-Me-Up is on the ground floor, in her "ready to bolt" stance. Like always. Even inside her protective pen.

PLEASE - Do NOT release a domestic rabbit outside into the "wild"

Domestic pet rabbits do not have the coping skills of wild rabbits to find water or food, avoid predators and parasites, or otherwise survive in the wild. This is not re-homing or being kind to your rabbit - it is animal cruelty.

Letting a bunny go into the wild because you don't want it anymore is a most painful death sentence, except for a lucky few "survivors" with an incredible will to live - warrior rabbits. And they only survive if they are found in time by caring rabbit-savvy volunteer rescuers, like those from an HRS chapter.

Nala is one such warrior rabbit.

Read her story here and updates about her progress are here.
There are NO GRAPHIC PICTURES of Nala's injuries - UNLESS you click the well-labeled link to a third page.

The Blissful Bunny is auctioning off a bunny bed and a bunny boat through 11-07-2013 with the proceeds going to help pay for Nala's care. Go to their Facebook page for pictures, current bids and details.

And of course, you can always donate to GHRS here.

The Good Ship Bunny

The Good Ship Bunny is ready to set sail into your bunny's dock, if The Price Is Right (hey, that would be a good name for a game show). It is one of the many bunny and non-bunny items up for auction at the September 28, 2013 GHRS Wine and Dine Silent Auction.

We think the little sailor cap is adorable, but Gracie is rumored to disapprove.

What bunny wouldn't love this wonderful playground?
Constructed and donated by
The Blissful Bunny.

Bunny chew castle

Like all their toys from The Blissful Bunny, the bunnies love their castle, especially Ethel and Bunya.

Sometimes, they hang out together.

Sometimes, Ethel like to chill by herself.

By herself gives more room to stretch
to chew the tasty wood.

And so sometimes ...

... Bunya is banished
to the other tower.

Mi castle es su castle

Welcome!
Would you like to play pirates?
Or be Medieval knights?

Isn't my castle nifty!?!
Sometimes, I find cardboard tubes
and treats up here!

Got mine from the GHRS Hop Shop. They're made by The Blissful Bunny.

Commercial interruption: In addition to all the great bunny supplies and toys, purchasing your rabbit supplies from the Hop Shop helps support their rescue efforts! All profits from the Hop Shop go towards the upkeep of the shelter and care of the rescued bunnies.

P.S. Check out the Rabbit Ramblings Facebook page for extra posts, memes, current happenings and more. (You do not have to be a member to check out the page.)

One day at the bunny toy ... Three amigos chewing at Einstein

The bunnies attack their Einstein (from The Blissful Bunny) because they know as soon as they see it - if it has the tops on, there are treats inside (I tried to back away quickly). Lucy is the most adept and Ethel the least.

Lucy takes one top off herself and Bunya & Ethel kinda' bully off another together. Ethel knows if she sticks close, she can get in for a treat after the other two do (sometimes before).

This happens about 13 seconds in -
all 3 chewing together in the same pose.

After they open the first two tops, Lucy looks like she's trying to figure a way to get around Ethel and Bunya and get to the third. However, she gets discouraged and hops back into their pen for a drink of water. When Lucy is not actively seeking treats, Bunya must figure there's none to be had.

But after Bunya and Lucy leave, Ethel knows there're more treats. She just does not quite know the combination. She scratches and nudges until she gets it. Her persistence is rewarded -- she gets all the treats in that last one for herself (if you want to jump ahead, start at about 1 min 33 sec).

Bunya at-home update

As to health:
Bunya has finished his tube of Bene-bac doses but is still taking the medicine to promote gastrointestinal motility. We have abandoned the bunny burrito, against which he rebels by boxing the edge of the towel before you can fold it up over his front feet. Now, we just pick him up, give him a tiny piece of papaya and then let him take in the medicine at his own speed; afterwards, a reward papaya for all. (You can see examples of the bunny burrito here and here.)

When we were still doing the bunny burrito thing to administer medicine, he developed a new reaction. Shaking the papaya container gets everyone's attention and they normally zoom over to it for a treat. Wary of medicine administration, Bunya would zoom - and stop halfway to the treat.

You could almost see the little wheels turning in his head as he worked it out:
There is a high probability that the humans are going to burrito me and give me medicine.
~ versus ~
Maybe they are just handing out treats for free - no strings attached.

His conclusion must have been: Even if the humans give me medicine, I am still getting a papaya.
Because then he would finish zooming to the treat.

We are spotting poops with foreign material (hare hairs?) which we hope are Bunya's and hopefully mean that the blockage is continuing to break up.

He had one pooky day, which put us on high alert again, but he seems to have worked past it and be more of his usual self. Trying to keep him on a hay diet so adding lots of varieties all the time. Conclusion: Not out of the woods but seem to be steadily improving. Thanks to everyone sending him healthy vibes!

As to bonding:
Overall - good. We are finding a few Lucy and Ethel plugs of hair that we assume Bunya has pulled. When a treat is being offered, he will chase them away until he gets his first. We think this is just him reasserting his alpha bunny position. They are all grooming each other and we have seen more Bunmuda Triangles (pictures in a future post).

As to reaction to new things:
When Bunya left, there was no Einstein toy (from The Blissful Bunny). At first, he did not get why the girls were so excited by it. Then he figured it out - it's a treat dispenser, although you have to work a little to get the reward.

Bunya: It's empty - reload!
Now!

They are all so familiar with it now that if it is on the floor, the tops have to be off. When they are on, they take that as a signal there's a treat inside. We can't even "load" it when it's on the floor; we have to pick it up so we have a chance to put some treats in and get the lids on. When they spot us doing that, they get so excited and start running around, trying to figure out where we are going to put it down.

~ REMINDER ~

Please "Like" the Rabbit Ramblings Facebook page by 03-31-2013 to raise funds for the Georgia House Rabbit Society to buy the bunnies' shelter home (explained here).
Please send the Facebook link to your bunny loving friends.

Thank you!

Blissful Bunny at GHRS

The wonderfully creative couple of the Blissful Bunny loaded up their vehicle with their amazing constructs to donate to the GHRS.

BB on the way to GHRS in the ATL!

Hay boxes, hay roll toys and Einstein treat containers -
hide treats under the lids & the bunnies pick them up for the reward.
(I reserved one and then forgot mine. I mean, Bunya's.)

Litter box with loft to keep hay clean!

Castles and bridges and tunnels! Oh, my!

And, well, uh, yeah, the bunnies might have some new digs ....

or chews ....

Thinking of bunny safety, I asked about how the toys are held together. The answer is very thoughtfully:
I use non-toxic wood glue and 1-1/4 inch finishing staples from an air compressor to hold the wood together. It takes a pair of vise grips and a lot of strength to remove one. As with anything for rabbits, their things should be monitored to see if the rabbit has chewed too deep. But the finishing staples are too large to eat and the u-shaped end will start to be exposed first. I have never had a problem and have been using these in the hay boxes for years.

~ REMINDER ~

Please "Like" the Rabbit Ramblings Facebook page by 03-31-2013 to raise funds for the Georgia House Rabbit Society to buy the bunnies' shelter home (explained here).

Thank you!