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

Earlier today, my daughter and I visited the Humane Society of Harford County! We visited the “Critter Cottage” building and loved playing with Chum in the area set aside for animals and their potential adoptive parents.

 

But it was Sparkes (a wee Netherland dwarf bunny) that pulled at our heartstrings. I saw her the moment I walked into the building and it was love at first sight.

Update #1: Checking online, I’m willing to bet that Sparkes color pattern would be described as Broken Black Otter.

The lady tending to those furbabies (in that building) said that Sparkes wasn’t handled a lot and was a bit jumpy. She mentioned that Chum was very friendly, which is why we played with him first, but as much as I loved Chum’s personality something kept pulling me back to Sparkes.

So despite the fact that Sparkes might be skittish, after a bit more playtime with Chum, I put him back in his cage and went over to Sparkes. I reached into her cage, talking softly to her the entire time, and she let me pick her up without fighting. Perhaps she knew she was going to her forever home and wanted to be on her best behavior? We told Sparkes, “We’ll see you soon! We said good bye to Chum. He’s a sweet bunny so I’m hoping he finds a forever home soon.

Processing the adoption

There was a lot of paperwork to complete for our brand-new dwarf bunny. One thing you must promise is to take your new pet in for a health/wellness exam seven days after introducing them into your home. Since next week is busy, I won’t be able to do that until Saturday, 13th.

Additionally, the Humane Society of Harford County requires that you make a deposit of $50, that is refunded back to you once you have your pet neutered or spayed.  You have six months to complete this. I’ll be setting up our fuzzbutts appointment during her health/wellness exam.

 

Pictures of Sparkes; coming soon

I’ll be sure to post a picture of “Sparkes” (we’re changing her name to something else) sometime later today. Her photo on the adoption page was removed since she was adopted today. The Humane Society also has a “recently adopted” page, but she hasn’t been added there (yet.)

Edited to add…

You can see pictures of Freya by clicking this link.

Pleasant surprise for my daughter

My daughter was thrilled and kept asking me, “Do we get to take her home and keep her for as long as she lives?” Yes, princess, she’s really coming home with us.

A few days ago, I’d told  Suituapui’s that I had a few surprises for my daughter and this was one of them. She’s loves animals and does a great job with Mr. Bentley  (Shih Tzu) and Angel (guinea pig.) I don’t have to worry how she’ll act around our new companion. I bet Suituapui’s daughter, Melissa, would love our brand-new addition too. I know fellow animal lover, Jennifer, would love our bunny too. How her cats and dogs would react to the bunny, would be quite interesting.

Think before you decide to acquire a pet

Pet’s should not be an impulse decision. Unfortunately, there are too many people that don’t think these decisions though which is why we see so many pets spilling over in animal shelters.

I’ve been thinking about getting a rabbit for well over a year. I’ve had them before and all of mine have been wonderful cuddle bunnies. Stroking super soft bunny fur has always been a relaxing experience for myself. For the past Eighteen years, all the pets that have been introduced into our home were pets that no one wanted.

Currently, Sparkes,  is sitting near me wiggling her nose seemingly content. I think she’s happy to be in her forever home. 😉

Update #2: “Sparkes” name has been changed to “Freya”.