Furbaby adventures: Rabbit name change, settling in, and more bunny adventures…

Well our bunny, Freya,  is no longer going by that name. The day after we ok I decided on “Freya” we went with the middle name that my daughter had given her.

So allow me to reintroduce  our rabbit “Oreo.” The name fits, since she’s black and white, just like a traditional Oreo cookie.

Bunny Behavior

Scent Marking

Bunnies have scent glands under their chin. Watch out, they’ll lay claim to many things in your house! Marking doesn’t leave a scent that you can detect. If you’re around them for any length of time, you most likely will see them rubbing their chin on various items. Oreo has marked many things within the house; including my daughter and me.

Binkying

A true sign that your bunny is happy. Oreo started binkying the day we brought her home from the Humane Society. I’d like to think that she was thanking use for rescuing her.

Bunny Flop/Roll

It’s so cute to watch bunnies do this.  When they do this take that as another compliment, since they are leaving their stomachs exposed, it means they are somewhere that makes the feel safe. Rabbits are prey animals, they normally won’t exhibit this behavior unless perfectly at ease in the wild.

What do Rabbits eat?

If you think the main thing they eat is carrots, you’d be wrong. Your rabbits diet should mainly consist of hay. The type we feed her is timothy and oat hay. In addition to hay, we give Oreo washed leafy greens daily. Currently, we aren’t giving her pellets. As an occasional treat we’ll give her some carrots or a few slices of apples.

Parasite Cleanse

One of the first things I did when we brought Oreo home was to deworm her.  Mr. B and Angel are already on a deworming program, so you know I was bringing Oreo on board too. The good news is, I did see visible parasites in some of her pellets (aka feces.) Since not all parasites are seen by the naked eye, there might have been some I didn’t see. Parasite cleanses are also important for people.

Contrary to some folks belief, internal parasites aren’t a problem that only affects people in “third world” countries or extremely poor folks. In this household we eat a lot of anti-parasitic foods; garlic, pumpkin seeds, onion, thyme, sage, etc. on a daily basis, but occasionally I kick that up a few notches. More about that in a later post.

Resources:

1. My House Rabbit: Hay for Rabbits:  What to Feed Pet Bunny Rabbits
2. My Bunny: Health Concerns for Your Rabbit
3. Alive: Health; Parasites Unwanted Guests
4. Video: Parasites Eating Us Alive