November Chat

[Gina.Jenny]

Podge, Snickers and Pippi’s tum

[Bam]

Apollo, Bindi, Buttercup, Sterling, Podge, Snickers, Pippi’s tum, Henry’s tum, most of Olaf, several small patches of Wick, Kuro’s nose.

(Newcomers: Welcome to the BB tradition that calls for the naming of at least three white rabbits on the first day of every new month. If you perchance don’t know the names of three white or partially white rabbits, “White rabbit” said 3 times will do excellently).

[joea64]

Fernando, most of Panda from her head on back, most of Olaf, Apollo, Bindi and Buttercup!

Or to put it more generically: “White rabbit, white rabbit, white rabbit!” (which I say to Fernando a couple of times a week regardless of whether it’s the beginning of the month).

Big weekend coming up for P&F, they’re going to have their first six-month checkup since moving in with me. Let’s hope they behave like proper, well-mannered buns and don’t raise too much of a ruckus when they smell the characteristic smells of a vet’s office for the first time in six months.

[MoxieMeadows]

White Rabbit, White Rabbit, White Rabbit!

Wow, can’t believe it is already November!

[Reesebun]

Sometimes Chewie, Reese’s belly, and Cotton!
is there a November pictures topic yet?

[Bunnybuzz]

Ruby, white rabbit and Axel’s nose

[LBJ10]

Leopold’s tummy, Wooly’s blaze, Olaf, Bindi, Sterling, Chewie, Peep, Buttercup, Apollo

[Q8bunny]

Thanks for throwing Chewie in there, guys!

Sorry we’ve been MIA – hard to access the forums these days… All i get are yellow pages

Hope everybun is well?

Exams week is over, i’m crosseyed but have marked and submitted grades, and so this weekend is a big pot of veggie soup (comfort food) and some serious R&R.

Chewie sends nose boops to you all.

[ThorBunny]

Q8- Yay for finishing exams! Were you taking them or grading them? I’ve got a huge pile to grade this weekend…  Jealous of your wonderful weekend plan

Oh gosh, last night we were awakened by an almighty crash. I have no idea why but several of our paintings just fell off the walls! Thor was in a right state dashing all over the apartment, I stayed up with her for at least an hour calming her down. This morning I’m very sleepy but she seems right as rain, cheeky as always at least she bounced back quickly

[Q8bunny]

How strange… perhaps a slight tremor? Or the building’s foundation settling?

I was (unfortunately) the examiner.

[Vienna Blue in France]

White rabbit white rabbit WHITE RABBIT !!!!!!

[Tony's Mum]

White rabbit white rabbit, white rabbit!

Ugh everything with my boyfriend moving closer is taking FOREVER. It’s been like four months and he still hasn’t been transferred to the new office near me. It’s so infuriating ?

[LBJ10]

Did you try clearing your cache Q8? I get an error every once in awhile, but it isn’t happening constantly. =\

[Vienna Blue in France]

I ditto Q8. It may be an over the pond problem….?

Tony’s Mum, sorry about the time its taking. They say distance makes the heart grow stronger, but come on! Move him closer !!!! NOW
(Hope that works….)

[Vienna Blue in France]

The vets assistant has just called to see if i wanted to stay until Baloo was ‘under’ for his surgery on Monday to keep him calm.
Yeah, dur !!! LOL…

[Q8bunny]

That’s nice of them. I’m sure Baloo will appreciate your being there with him.

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

@TM: I hope it’ll speed up, that’s so infuriating…

Sounds like an excellent weekend plan Q8 I have lots of respect for teachers, it’s a job with so many responsibilities (not to mention having to deal with someone else’s kids all day!).

@Vienna: that sounds great, I hope all goes well! Keeping my fingers crossed for you and him both!

Yay, I’m back on the wire. My new modem arrived yesterday and I haven’t had any down-time yet. One of my neighbours complained about the same issues with the same ISP, so I hope it’s not something to do with the infrastructure up the line.
The down-time was wonderfully planned though: all my friends are busy LARP’ing and Bas brought in a big stack of storage boxes last week. No internet, no friends around, lots and lots of empty storage boxes staring at you… Hmmm, do any of you sometimes get the feeling that the universe gives you subtle hints?

BTW, has anyone else been spammed by newbie {name edited away by myself, the mods are already handling it}? This is someone whom I don’t know, who hasn’t posted yet, but sent me a message titled “URGENT!!!” demanding help. I hope this isn’t going to turn into a new fashion, because that’s serious misuse of the forums.

[Vienna Blue in France]

Ellie – strange.. did you alert the FL ?

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Yes, I did in the topic she seems to have made. You can’t report a PM directly it seems.
I really don’t appreciate this kind of screaming for help.

{Edit by myself: the mods are on it, thank you for your swift action! We don’t want people harrassing forum members like this.}

[jerseygirl]

Yay, I’m back on the wire. My new modem arrived yesterday and I haven’t had any down-time yet. One of my neighbours complained about the same issues with the same ISP, so I hope it’s not something to do with the infrastructure up the line.
The down-time was wonderfully planned though: all my friends are busy LARP’ing and Bas brought in a big stack of storage boxes last week. No internet, no friends around, lots and lots of empty storage boxes staring at you… Hmmm, do any of you sometimes get the feeling that the universe gives you subtle hints?

Ha! I was actually thinking earlier today that I should take my modem and leave it at my sisters for 2 days, just to see how much stuff I would get done at home. I know the experiment would be useless though because I have phone data and no will power…
Whatever did we all do before the internet?!

[Vienna Blue in France]

Jersey. ROFL. Exactly !!!!! You (and I) would get HEAPS done !!!!

[jerseygirl]

Or I might actually sleep at night. Pffft.

But it is cool to be able to chat with people from all over the world. So yay! internet!

[Tony's Mum]

Thanks guys. The only real issue is they need to hire his replacement before he can move and it’s taking forever. They had someone lined up a few months ago but it fell through and it’s harder now that we’re getting closer to Christmas. I’m really hoping it’ll be sorted this month or else I’ll be without him for Christmas ?

[Azerane]

Before the internet, people had actual real life hobbies.

Despite that, the internet is such an amazing resource of learning.

[Bam]

Tony’s mum, how frustrating!

Ellie, I’m glad you got your modem sorted swiftly

[Vienna Blue in France]

Vibes for Baloo’s surgery tomorrow please…

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Awww, I can totally understand the nerves. *Big hug* and {{{{vibes}}}} for Baloo.

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Oh great, just when I was about to turn in early Breintje was showing signs of gas pains. Rolling from one side to the other etc. I gave him a belly massage and some simeticone, but he already started to struggle when he smelled it. Over half of it ended up everywhere on his face in big sticky drops. *Sigh* If somebunny would just take his meds we could do this with a bit of dignity instead. Now he ends up looking like someone in adult entertainment…

[MoxieMeadows]

(((((Baloo)))))

[Azerane]

((Baloo)) and ((Breintje))

I think I ask this question a couple of times a year, but does anyone want a parrot? lol. Dory is driving me insane at the moment. She used to chirp when I got home from work, just 1-3 chirps in the first minute or two. It’s loud, but cute. All of a sudden she’s chirping for 3-4 hours straight (for the last 2 weeks). I can’t be in her line of vision because she chirps at me, I can’t be out of her line of vision and make any noise because she chirps. I can’t pay her attention because she chirps, I can’t not pay attention because she chirps. I can’t cover her up because she chirps. Even if I take her outside into the sun, if she sees me inside walking past the glass door she chirps! I’m considering either inner ear removal or soundproofing the entire house… It’s so bad that I can’t even be sitting in another room if I so much as cough she starts up all over again. It’s adorable because I know she just wants pets, but it’s actually driving me crazy and stressing me out. I can’t get any rest after work. So I ask again, who wants a parrot?

[Gina.Jenny]

((Baloo)) tons of safe surgery vibes ((Breintje)) happy tum vibes

[Vienna Blue in France]

Az. Clicker training for Dory?

Thanks for the vibes everyone. I’m just finishing breakie and we’ll be off.

[Bam]

(((((Baloo)))))

(((((Breintje)))))

[Tony's Mum]

Hugs for all the furballs ?

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

@Az: oh my, it drove me nuts just reading it. Are there behaviourists for birds as well?

@Vienna: thinking about you both, hoping it’ll turn out alright!

Whew, it seems I caught on early yesterday. Within two hours Breintje showed no more discomfort and started to eat something again. This morning he was super cheery and dove head-first into his pellets.

[joea64]

I took Panda and Fernando in for their first wellness exams this past weekend. The vet office I’m using, Stahl Exotic Animal Veterinary Services (SEAVS) in Fairfax, VA, has an amazing reputation in the Washington, DC region – in fact some say that the founding vet is possibly the best avian doctor in the country. Not that that’s particularly useful to us bunny people but they have several outstanding rabbit-knowledgeable vets on staff. The buns got a sparkling-clean bill of health, especially their teeth (which I always fret about). I plan to take them back for their next semiannual exam in late spring 2018, presuming all goes well (knocking on wood). Looks like I’m doing everything right on care and feeding; the only thing to adjust is treats, they should be getting more herbs. I got some basil yesterday but both buns turned up their noses (literally!) at it, so into the salad it goes.  Good thing I got a couple of packages of sage, which they love, too. Panda weighed in at 3.05 lbs, and Fernando at 3.12 lbs, which seems to be about right for adult Polish buns.
  
I had intended to pick up a hay refill from Friends of Rabbits at the local Pet Supplies Plus (which is close by the vet’s) Saturday as well, but the head FoR lady who usually manages the weekly rabbit Q&A events couldn’t make it this past weekend, so I had to buy two 128-oz. bags of timothy from PSP (good thing I had the weekly discount coupon handy). Hopefully I’ll be able to make the pickup this Saturday. P&F actually seem to find the “pure” timothy more toothsome than the mixed hay they usually get; I stuffed two toilet rolls full of it and they’d cleaned them out within a couple of hours (whereas rolls filled with “ordinary” hay mix can sit around for days). I was going to get my weekly spring-mix refill from Costco since it’s about 80 cents cheaper per 1-pound package, but when I got there yesterday morning I saw all the boxes had expiration dates of 11/7 and I don’t want to take a chance on feeding the buns salad three days over the line, so I bit the bullet and paid the extra 80 cents at Walmart.

[Vienna Blue in France]

Baloo is out of surgery and recovering. I pick him up this eve.

If there is such a thing as financial karma then i am its latest project
In 13 years Kyra had about 2 visits outside of routine vaccines and pretravel checks. I always thought myself so lucky with her.
In just 2 months Baloo is MORE than making up for that….

[Hazel]

Lots of vibes for Baloo!

Ellie: Glad that Breintje is feeling better.

Azerane: Poor you, that sounds nerve wrecking. I wonder how Dory’s ears can handle all that noise?

[jerseygirl]

TM, fingers crossed you and bf get some good news soon.

Joe, great that the buns are in tip top health. They have a diligent owner (err..slave). Any regrets getting rabbits?

Relieved to read Baloo is thru his surgery. Hoping for a swift recovery.
Also glad Breintje is doing well too.

Az, sorry about the ears!

[Azerane]

Thanks guys, I may be on the list for going deaf prematurely There are behaviourists for birds, but I don’t think it would do much good. I think it’s a lot of spring hormones driving her to be more needy than normal. We had a dicey moment today, Dory was on the floor in the bunny pen just walking around (relatively common occurrence and everybody ignores everybody). Then she went through the bunny tunnel which was adorable But when she got out the other end I didn’t notice Apollo rush over and he booped her from behind with his nose. Dory was very quick to turn around and lunge at him with her beak. Fortunately while she did make contact it was only an open beak warning and she didn’t actually try to bite. She then made a quick getaway when Apollo tried to figure out what happened

Here’s hoping after this Baloo will be healthy as a horse

[Vienna Blue in France]

Az. Your poor ears !!! Driving you to distraction i bet !!!
Do I not remember Dorys cage being mobile…?. could you not move her outside in the shade and just annoy the neighbours instead…

[joea64]

Posted By jerseygirl on 11/06/2017 10:40 PM

  
Joe, great that the buns are in tip top health. They have a diligent owner (err..slave). Any regrets getting rabbits?  
  

Not in the least! Those two fluffballs are real agents of change, even when they just sit around eyeing me for half an hour at a time.  I’ll have to start thinking about what to get them for Christmas…

[Bunnybuzz]

Posted By joea64 on 11/07/2017 9:02 AM

  

Not in the least! Those two fluffballs are real agents of change, even when they just sit around eyeing me for half an hour at a time.  I’ll have to start thinking about what to get them for Christmas…

Yay yay yay yay! I love getting Christmas presents for the buns! More then getting them for anyone else 

Am I the only one who likes going shopping for the buns more then for me?

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Hahaha, bunny Sinterklaas or Christmas is the best
In our experience Breintje is very interested in the toys for a short while, but he’ll have months of fun with the boxes they came in ^_^

[Bunnybuzz]

Posted By Ellie from The Netherlands on 11/07/2017 1:33 PM

Hahaha, bunny Sinterklaas or Christmas is the best
In our experience Breintje is very interested in the toys for a short while, but he’ll have months of fun with the boxes they came in ^_^

Lol opening the prestents is the buns fav part!

[Reesebun]

Random question: If I were to get another rabbit to bond with Reese, should I get a rabbit closer in age to Reese, or a baby? I would get a male rabbit to bond to Reese, but is harder to know the gender when they are babies.

[LBJ10]

My boys don’t really seem to get the whole present concept. LOL

Reese – IMO, it would be better to get an adult with a known personality. It would offer a better chance at finding a good match. Being allowed to take Reese for bunny dates would be ideal.

[Reesebun]

Would Reese pair well with a really sweet 3 year old (same as Reese) mini lop boy? Her personality skittish, so she can only be pet after you sit on the floor with her for 30 mins and then if you move to quickly she will run away. She hops up all over you right when you sit on the floor, she’s not that skittish, but she only is when you reach for her. Would bonding with him make her more comfortable? I can’t do dates for reasons, so I’m trying to find a match by using the description.

[LBJ10]

It’s possible. I mean, it’s hard to know for sure until they are actually allowed to interact with each other. There is always the story about the super sweet bunny that turns psycho when they see another rabbit. LOL

From my experience with Leopold and Wooly, their bond has helped both of them. Leopold has definitely helped Wooly feel more secure and outgoing and Wooly has definitely helped Leopold have better interactions with us (Leopold is deaf, so he takes cues from Wooly). So it is possible for the right bunny to make Reese feel more comfortable around you. It’s also possible the new bunny will be a bad influence and encourage Reese to do naughty things (*cough* Leopold).

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Bonding her to another rabbit may calm her down and make her feel more secure. In general rabbits are calmer if they’re part of a group. However, some rabbits will bond to humans, and some will bond to other rabbits. There are rabbits who’ll deny any attempts to bond by other rabbits. If dates aren’t an option, make sure that you always have the option to return the other rabbit if it doesn’t work out. There are shelters who have these arrangements.
It’s good that you are looking for adult rabbits, because it can be difficult to predict the personality of a young rabbit.

The reason we never attempted to bond Breintje is the complete opposite: he can be very jealous if he has to share attention. I think that Breintje has bonded to me over the years because we’re together all day. For instance: if Bas and I are cuddling, he often interrupts us to make sure that he gets his share too. I can’t even remember how often my ankles were headbutted as I was saying goodbye to Bas with a firm hug. He starts by headbutting your ankles gently, but don’t dare to ignore his signs!
Breintje also demands attention by thumping and staring at us, and he will throw things off the couch just to get close to you. One time my knitting lay next to me on the couch on my left side (his spot!). He grabbed my knitting in his mouth and threw it all off the couch. We fear that introducing another rabbit will lead to agression because he may be unwilling to share the spotlight.

[Tony's Mum]

I definitely agree with Ellie about making sure you can return a bun to the shelter. Tony is the sweetest baby bun I’ve ever met but he was a complete psycho when I brought Mellie home. Luckily it worked out fine and they’re best friends now but if he had continued being so angry around her and we hadn’t been able to bond, there’s no way I could have kept her here. Even keepings them separately for the few weeks pre bonding was a huge pain.

I think skittish buns can bond well though. Mellie is very skittish and Tony is very confident so he nearly acts as her protector from the big mean vaccum cleaner/grooming brush or whatever. It’s definitely all about the personality match.

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

A friend came over today, hadn’t seen her in a long time. It was a bit of a rushed visit because we had to figure a way around her busy schedule. It also meant that she had the dubious honour of seeing me in the early morning, which is something only close friends are allowed to see
She’s studying to be a nurse and is doing her final internship in a nearby town. She used to live really close by, but had to move in with her parents again last year who live in a small town about 1,5 hours from here. It was great seeing her again, and I was glad I could help her out with her diet.

On doctor’s orders she’s on the FODMAP diet now under strict supervision of a dietician. Trying to find out what gives her such stomach troubles, coeliac disease has already been ruled out. The diet excludes food items which are hard to digest: foods containing complex carbohydrates, lactose, pulses, artificial sweeteners, fruits and vegetables which are prone to give you gas… It’s quite a list what’s NOT allowed for the first couple of weeks. This strict diet calms you digestive system down, after which certain food groups are slowly re-introduced, trying to find the culprit.

She’s in a state of: “I can’t eat anything!”, which is very recognisable to me because I felt the same just after being diagnosed with CD. However, it turns out she can eat a lot of gluten-free foods provided they don’t have lactose or complex carbs in them. Luckily GF oats and buckwheat are allowed. So I baked her bacon pancakes with GF flour and lactose free milk, and sent her home with a large bag of my homemade oat granola with maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and pecans. Hoping that eating will be fun again for her soon, because food should be a comfort, not something to stress over.

[Azerane]

Cleaning up the junk in the bedroom, I had random boxes and piles of things that have just been left against the wall since we moved in, lol. I’m terrible with that kind of thing. As a result, things are covered in dust and cobwebs. I’m one of those “just vacuum around it” kind of people. On the plus side, I finally found the body of the spider that I wasn’t 100% sure I killed about 6 months ago, haha. So that’s always a plus Threw out some stuff, donating some stuff. Recycling the rest. It’s good to finally just be getting it done.

[Q8bunny]

Heebie jeebies LOL

[Azerane]

Dear cat gods. Please give me the strength to resist the available blue Somali kitten I’ll be seeing at tomorrow’s show, even though it will mean waiting another 5 months for a tawny kitten, instead of 2 weeks to have a kitten in our home.

[Q8bunny]

Aaaaaameeeeeen!

[Vienna Blue in France]

Whatever you do : Go with your heart and never regret.

(The motto i am currently referring to each and every day with Monsieur Baloo…!)

(Vienna playing devil as she always likes to do : are you absolutely 100% sure that there WILL be a tawny in 5 months? I mean genes do funny things with litters of cats and dogs…. )

[Vienna Blue in France]

PS : Is putting Dory outside for periods an option for your ear problem …..?
I was sure you made it mobile for that very reason…..

[Bam]

I second Aaaamen. Because it’s what you want, Azerane. I myself would want a bengal cat if I weren’t so crazy allergic.

Ellie, I remember reading about the FODMAP diet. It’s lovely of you to help your friend out. I never tried the FODMAP diet because it more or less excluded everything. But if my tummy problems hadn’t resolved themselves, I would’ve had to.

Today Bam tried out the second floor of his wooden toy house for the first time. He’s only had that house for about 4 years, so I’m very proud.

[Vienna Blue in France]

(((( huuuug bam )))))
Winter has come. Its maybe warmer up a level. Lol. My cats have decided to spend much more time upstairs recently.

[Azerane]

Haha, thanks guys!

Vienna, I would never regret if I got the blue instead, because I know I would love any kitten. But I would feel more that I’d let myself down having gone for my dream cat and not being patient enough to wait a little longer for it. (((Baloo))) I do hope you’re making progress with him I do put Dory outside at least twice a week. At the moment I don’t think it would help (well it would help my ears), but I think her issue at the moment is a higher demand for attention due to spring hormones, so putting her outside and away from me is only going to make her more desperate when I bring her inside again.

@Bam, my husband really wants a Bengal. I know they’re pretty high energy so a Somali might be a preview to that since they’re active cats too, though not quite so much. I think we’d only get a bengal if we already had another cat or a dog as a playmate.

[Bam]

Vienna: ((((Balou))))

Az, I had no idea bengals were high energy. Maybe it comes with the fur pattern. (Thinking of the Russian silver foxes now, as they were bred into domestication, their color and tails and ears also changed.)

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Hoping that Balou is doing well!

@bam: Yes, it’s a very difficult diet. But it’s for people who have explored all options and haven’t found a culprit yet. It’s some sort of complete GI reset, like sending it on a couple of weeks of vacation. Then you slowly re-introduce certain foods to see if they provoke a reaction.

@Az: that’s a relief, having evidence that it’s dead and not still crawling around the house. I hope you’ll find a pretty kitten to suit your home.

[LBJ10]

Bengals are crazy! LOL And a very high predatory instinct. At least the ones I know.

[Azerane]

Yeah, Bengals are super high energy. A lot of people recommend getting cat wheels for them if they’re going to be solely indoors.

So I got back from the cat show, I don’t think the cat gods were listening. This is what I’m having to resist right now.

This is the available blue girl. About 13 weeks old or 3 calendar months.

Adopt me!!

I’m not sure if it’s a camera artifact or not, but she seems to have different coloured toe beans Not standard I would think.

And again (couldn’t get her face in focus)

And here’s her sister (left) and tawny brother (the colour I really had my heart set on) for comparison.

I got to hold her twice and she is such a sweetheart. Settled so nicely in arms, and if she got a bit restless I just had to reposition her and she settled right in again. She licked my arm and nuzzled my chin too Kittens are so dangerous to the heart strings. I of course really want her, who wouldn’t, will have to discuss with hubby. Not only about paying out the money much sooner than anticipated, but having the house ready in time for kitten arrival. Maybe we can still get a tawny in 6 months time anyway and just have two cats

ETA: Well, there’s goes any hope of self control. I was discussing it with hubby and he wouldn’t really give me an opinion except support me on whatever I wanted to do. So I told him that wasn’t helpful and I wanted his opinion. He said “fine, you want my opinion? I want a kitty, get the kitty”

I’m going to try to sleep on it.

[Bam]

She is a beauty. How disappointed would you be with yourself? Starting out with a feeling of disappointment isn’t optimal.

I have only seen one Bengal in my life, a girl in a petshop had brought her kitten in for a nail clipping. It was a stunning cat. Doesn’t seem like a good choice though, unless you have a mansion with a private, fenced in park. So few of us have that (and if we had it’d already be filled with bunnehs).

[Hazel]

Posted By Azerane on 11/11/2017 11:56 PM

Maybe we can still get a tawny in 6 months time anyway and just have two cats

I didn’t get around to it yesterday, but I was going to suggest that you just get them both. In my experience, many breeders offer discounts to repeat buyers…  She’s beautiful, I wouldn’t be able to resist her either. Better lock her down quick, I bet lots of other people saw her at the show that might want to snatch her up! And then you get your tawny in 5 months, as planned. All my name suggestions are for a tawny boy, anyway, so you really have no choice there. 

[Bladesmith]

Lordy, we’re a bunch of enablers on this board, lol.

[Vienna Blue in France]

AZ: Do the Vienna reverse question….. if you call breeder back and ‘Blue’ has gone, how would you feel? Gutted? Or silently relieved that the choice has been taken away from you?

There’s your answer….

You’re welcome!!

[Azerane]

@Vienna, well it’s funny you should say that actually. I was browsing facebook yesterday afternoon and went to her breeder page to look at some photos again and I saw someone who had also been at the show yesterday comment that she was interested and had sent her a PM. I maybe panicked and sent her an e-mail straight away that yes we would love to have her… lol.

So basically, she’s officially ours I have to ring this afternoon to iron out the details, but I expect she’ll be home on the weekend of the 25th.

Bam, as it turns out I won’t be that disappointed with myself, haha. Yes, I still really want a tawny, but the way she settled in my arms was just love, for me at least anyway.

Hazel, yes I think we might ask to be kept on the waiting list for a tawny and then see what kind of position we’re in when that time comes. My main concern will be the rental agent/landlord, but there hasn’t been any issues yet. Also, I’m familiar with the name issues. I had half a dozen or more thought of so far, but all of them are for boys or tawnys, not a single one suits a blue girl.

Bladesmith, it’s alright. I was 90% of the way there anyway, haha

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Yay, congrats on the new member of your furfamily!

[Vienna Blue in France]

Az : ROTFL
no!!
LMAO !!!!!!
Yayyyyyyy

[Bam]

Az, YAY!!!!
Congratulations! She does look like a lovely girl ???

[Q8bunny]

LOL Congrats, Az!

So there’s this key lime Mazeratti I love on the lot round the corner…

[Azerane]

Are you asking us to tell you to buy it?

[Vienna Blue in France]

[joea64]

Fernando was a really, really naughty bunny last night.

To set the stage; on Friday evening at one point, while the buns were in their X-pen, I turned away for a couple of minutes and, much to my astonishment, when I turned back, saw Fernando perched on top of the condo. At the time I thought he must have managed an Olympic-size long jump from one of the hidey boxes in the X-pen, and was able to retrieve him from there pretty easily.

He behaved himself until last evening, when he somehow managed to slip out of the X-pen again. I was able to get him back into the pen fairly easily, but was still puzzled as to what was going on; however, I had my mind on other things at the time (I’d been experiencing annoying mail-delivery issues and a few moments later buttonholed the mail carrier to ask after the status of a package that should have been delivered from Amazon Sunday night but for some reason was marked “no access” on Informed Delivery). Anyway, with everybun being secured, or so I thought, I went to bed a little while later.

A little after midnight, I woke up, feeling something scurrying lightly over my legs as I lay in bed. I opened my eyes, and there was a certain – a very certain – little fluffy white long-eared scamp in bed with me . I wasn’t really in the mood for a bedmate, so I got up, pursued the elusive Fernando for a couple of minutes, and was able to corral him again. I was thoroughly mystifled, though, because as far as I could tell, he appeared to have teleported through the X-pen’s metal grids. So I sat down at my desktop PC, lost in uffish thought as I idly surfed while trying to work out the puzzle.

A few minutes later, a flash of white caught the corner of my eye, and there was Fernando again, scampering around the narrow spaces between the X-pen and condo and my bookcase and DVD tower (and the hay storage bins).  I got up, herded him back into the X-pen again, took a closer look, and determined that he had somehow been able to squeeze out by pushing aside the bottom part of the X-pen grid where it was supposed to be latched to the condo (not low enough, apparently). So I re-latched the pen.

A few minutes later: out he goes again, this time I had to chase him around the main room to chivvy him back into the X-pen. This time, I figured out that he’d been able to push his way out through the unlatched bottom of the X-pen door, so I latched both doors as securely as I could and also fastened the door grid more securely to the condo.

A few minutes later: again. This time, much to my alarm and astonishment, I found him precariously perched atop one of the spare hay bags (he’d somehow managed to jump up there by hopscotching over various objects), foraging inside it to get tasty bits.  I had to pick him up this time before he could risk injury. Fernando was rather miffed by having his fun interrupted , kicked around some and gave me a good little nip on my thumb just before I set him down on his feet inside the X-pen again. This time, I determined that the bottom side door on the condo appeared to be loose (though still latched), and as far as I could tell he must somehow have been able to squeeze his way out. So this time, I shoved both hay storage bins up against that door and made sure everything was securely latched and fastened.

That was the end of the evening’s festivities, at about 1 am, and Fernando behaved himself for the rest of the night. (In the meantime, Panda had been the perfect little lady, staying out of the way in one of the various hidey boxes for the most part.) In fact, when I got up this morning, he was sitting up as neat as you please in the middle of the enclosure, as if nothing at all had happened overnight. So this morning when I left for work I made damn sure that EVERYTHING was fastened, latched, and/or blocked off, and set up the X-pen close around the condo to block any escape for good measure.

You will excuse me if I’m somewhat groggy this morning.

[Bladesmith]

Sounds like Fernando had a great time!

[Bladesmith]

I just had to replace my very first power cord to a rabbit strike. I dunno why, but I wear this as a badge of honor that it’s taken this long to happen.

[joea64]

Posted By Bladesmith on 11/14/2017 7:59 AM

Sounds like Fernando had a great time!

He had a splendid time.

Me…not quite so much.

[Bam]

Bladesmith, it’s like some kind of rite of passage. You are now a confirmed bun-owner. Congratulations =D =D D

Joea, sounds like Fernando was extremely pleased with himself. And then you came and spoiled it all. Hoomins!

[joea64]

Posted By bam on 11/14/2017 8:14 AM

Bladesmith, it’s like some kind of rite of passage. You are now a confirmed bun-owner. Congratulations =D =D D

Joea, sounds like Fernando was extremely pleased with himself. And then you came and spoiled it all. Hoomins!

Yes, Fernando was all, when I finally cornered him atop that hay bag and picked him up (making sure, of course, to support his hindparts properly, not that that protected me from being kicked at vigorously   “You old meanie, put me down! I’m not finished exploring yet! Waaaaah!” *nip*  He doesn’t seem to have borne a grudge, though, since just a few hours later he was sitting pretty, expectantly awaiting the morning pellet ration as always.  Why oh why can’t he be more like his sedate, proper-lady mother Panda?!?!

Oh yeah – at one point during his multiple peregrinations, he got a little too close to the tangle of cables at my desktop PC for comfort. Possibly to my credit, though, I was a good deal more worried about him getting shocked than I was about my PC getting shorted.  Happily, I was able to shoo him away from there right away with a good firm (hopefully not too loud) clear “Fernando! No!”

[Q8bunny]

Meeehbbbee

[Hazel]

Posted By Azerane on 11/12/2017 12:49 PM

Bladesmith, it’s alright. I was 90% of the way there anyway, haha

I’m gonna go ahead and take 5% of the credit. 

Q8: Didn’t you just get a new car not too long ago?

[Bam]

I remember that too, Q8’s. A green car, isn’t it? No, we are only enablers of acquisitions of animals. ?

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

@Bladesmith: Hahaha, such clever inventiveness! And yes, the first chewed cable is some rite of passage for bun owners. Congrats on being an official bunny slave!

[joea64]

By the way, I think I figured out how Fernando was able to make multiple “jailbreaks” last night. I was watching him a few minutes ago and saw him sidle over to the X-pen grid attached to the condo next to the main access door, start poking his nose vigorously against the bars and even start digging. He was plainly trying to squeeze his way out, but unfortunately for him I fastened the X-pen down close to the floor this time so there’s no room for him to eel out. He appears to have worked that out after a couple of minutes, as he went away and back to the litterbox to eat hay with a somewhat disgruntled air.

 

UPDATE:The case has been cracked definitvely, and now I know how Fernando was able to make his more spectacular escapes.  I was lying on my front, letting him climb over me as he sometimes do, and I was just thinking how nice it is that he trusts me so much, when *sproing* he made an amazing jump of at least two feet up, possibly two and a half, from my back up to the top of the condo, when he proceeded to lead me a merry chase for the next several minutes.  Panda, thank goodness, didn’t join in on her son’s preposterousness. I finally outwitted the little fluffy long-eared white scamp by the simple expedient of one (1) bag, treat, Oxbow variety, baked, crinkling thereof, when he came running from wherever he was snooping around at the time – he didn’t want to come back into the pen at first but I just kept crinkling the bag at him and overcame his resistance. More to the point, I have worked out that he must have been jumping from a hidey box that was sufficiently close enough to be in range. so I removed one of the two hidey boxes that had previously been in the enclosure (I left behind the bigger one and the tunnel). Let us hope that puts a spoke in his adventure wheel for the nonce!

[Tony's Mum]

??? is his middle name Houdini by any chance?

[joea64]

Posted By Tony’s Mum on 11/15/2017 7:55 AM

??? is his middle name Houdini by any chance?

 Either that, or David Blaine or Chris Angel. Maybe putting a bedsheet on top of the X-pen, as a couple of other people recommend in Behavior, tonight will inactivate his magic in that regard…

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Haha, that’s pretty clever of him. It’s astounding how high rabbits can jump and climb, I keep hearing that especially the gents are good at it.

BTW, how would you all deal with a frustrated rabbit? Breintje has been gaining some weight again, so we’re back to 1 portion of pellets in the morning and only veggies in the evening. He definitely isn’t pleased…
Luckily he does eat more hay, but at the same time he runs around all day searching for more food. This includes trying to get negative attention. Following me around stubbornly, trying to get into all the “forbidden places” to check if there’s food there, pulling things off shelves to get attention. He’s driving me up the wall at times because he’s so insistant.

[Gina.Jenny]

could you try hiding his portion of pellets around like an easter egg hunt, rather than give them all together, hide them in ones?

[Bam]

You could do some clicker training to exhaust him. I did clicker training with Bam earlier tonight. Totally pointless exercise of course, I gave him a set of baby keys, he threw them, I clicked and gave half of an oxbow-sized pellets. Repeat. He caught on pretty quickly which kind of surprised me.

During his diet I’ve been hiding food for him here and there, like a leaf of lettuce, a pinch of parsley, a small pile of fresh grass. When he gets really hungry he goes searching for it. (But not until he gets really hungry because Bam doesn’t like to over-exert himself. That’s for peasant buns?)

Joea, Fernando’s peregrinations are fascinating! It must be so cute! And so exhausting!

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Great ideas, thanks ^_^
We already have a digging box for his pellets, it’s filled with shredded paper. But I can see if I can make it a bit more challenging.

[ThorBunny]

Ellie could you try giving him his pellets in a treat ball? They are great for dispensing food slowly and encouraging exercise

We’re watching another bun for a week starting today. I’m so happy my friend got a rabbit, since we have now made arrangements to have bun-sitting for free and it is really nice to leave your rabbit with someone you know. First test run! Hope Thor is not too put out, they will be separated obviously but I’m sure she will still know something is up.

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

We have a treat ball at Bas’ place, and it’s great fun indeed! We couldn’t use it here in my house because he’s too wild with it and I have a tiny apartment. It always rolled of the carpet immediately, straight under the couch etc. But I got a large flat cardboard box last week, and I’m going to flip it. This way he’ll have some sort of ball pit to play with it. I’ll post pics once I have some ^_^

[Bam]

It’ll be like a gladiator game, Ellie! Breintje vs the treat ball!

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Haha, and what a fight indeed! Breintje vs. the mound of paper. He was conquering it like a true explorer and had lots of fun with the treat ball I hope this will offer some distractions for the next couple of weeks.

[Bam]

That really is a cool idea, Ellie! There was a huge flat cardboard box in the trash room last week, somebody probably bought a tv or sth. Now I’m sorry I didn’t take it

Tonight I tried making the Deep dish cookie pie from the veggie recipe thread -I’d put the cake in the oven and settled down with a fluffy blanket to have a look at BB when I suddenly realized I’d forgot to put in the baking powder and -soda ?Had to rush out and snatch the cake from the oven and put it back in the bowl again. It made the choc chips melt when I mixed in the baking powder ?

But if the finished cake will taste anything like the dough, it will still be a success.

[Q8bunny]

Ooops.

Ellie: Breintje looks adorable in his diggy box.

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Woops, it happens to the best of us… Did your cake turn out alright?

Breintje loved his new box yesterday, when the treat ball was still filled with treats. But this morning, when Bas put his pellets in, he got angry thumps. Breintje eventually came to the point where he realised that thumping wouldn’t get him breakfast. So he dove into the digging box and started to chase after the ball. In the process he piled up the wads of paper so high that he nearly disappeared in the pile. It did get him active though, and I hope he’ll grow to like it.

[Vienna Blue in France]

Bam. Roftl !!!! That is why i do NOT use my kitchen for what it was built for……!!! Except for eating !!!

I had a box with rolled up paper in it but the buns thought it was another litter tray… so they have an empty box to chew on and throw about.

It was pretty much ONE year ago that I was attempting (and failing) bonding Zou and Henry. Seems a lifetime away. My living room has shrunk in half since then too… (cue Condo)

Saw “The Square” last night at cinema. Swedish film with Elisabeth Moss in it… Palmes d’Or at Cannes this year.
Hmmmmmmm. If anyone has seen…. please share your views… i went alone and therefore had noone to discuss it with right afterwards.
Discuss, like, WTF was that all about? !!!!

[Bam]

Oh, I wish I could help you, Vienna! I’ve read one review, it says “The square makes your head boil”. It’s apparently a film about trust and prejudice, herd mentality and moral courage.

We have had moral courage stuffed down out throats these last few years in Sweden, so the subject doesn’t really make me leap with enthusiasm. I do love Elizabeth Moss though. She was great in Mad Men, but I really loved her in Top of the Lake season 1 and in the Handmaid’s Tale. In Top of the lake 2 she got a tiny bit overshadowed by David Dencik.

The black bean brownies I made yesterday morning was a huge success, so I’ve made another batch for tomorrow. We’re demasting a boat. It’ll be very, very cold.

[Azerane]

Stopped neglecting the bunnies today and brushed them both. Oh my gosh I didn’t realise how bad they had both gotten. Apollo is half the rabbit he used to be, lol. He’s SO SOFT now too. I think I brushed out all his top coat! They both still look like they need another half hour of brushing though. It seemed never ending.

[Bam]

I brushed Bam yesterday too. Never ending is exactly how it seemed.

[Gina.Jenny]

Happy gotcha day Bam

Pippi has his annual health check and myx/rhd jab this morning. I gave him a good groom so he looks his best – he sat totally still with a cowed down look of long suffering, then the moment the grooming stopped, sat up with his ‘right, I’ve done my bit, where’s my post-grooming treats and why weren’t they ready first’ look. The weather is cold and wet, so really don’t think taking Jenny along is wise, given she doesn’t do well with getting cold.

[Tony's Mum]

I got a Furminator brush for Tony and I actually feel like I’m making a difference now when I groom him, although he still hates it and I think he’s actually now producing more fur as some sort of defense mechanism.

[Gina.Jenny]

Back from vets, decided, given the rain was coming down pretty solidly, to take a taxi n take Jenny.

Vet says he’s in lovely condition, fur, eyes, ears, teeth, heart beat n weight all good

[Vienna Blue in France]

Yay Pippi xxxx

Tony’s mum…. you can now brush your carpets with it too !!!!

[Tony's Mum]

Weirdly enough it doesn’t work on Mellie at all. Anyone any advice on grooming Rex fur? I have a mitt thing that works ok but brushes seem totally useless.

Tomorrow is Tony’s gotcha day! I got him some toys and a squash and some basil. I found the first picture I ever had of him and I can’t get over how little he was. It’s making me want another little baby bun in the family ? although I’m not convinced I could go through the stress of bonding again lol

[Gina.Jenny]

Yay Pippi is right

Smart Pippi spent his floor time this morning pushing his head against me in a most plaintive way, clearly indicating he was totally traumatised by yesterday and needed immediate and plentiful treats to cure him. He won in the end, much to his satisfaction, he is now fine until he remembers to try it on again

[Gina.Jenny]

Ps happy gotcha day, Tony

[Bam]

Happy hoppy Gotcha Day, Tony =)

[Reesebun]

Hoppy gotcha day Tony!

Also, I am for sure getting another rabbit in the near future.

I let Reese out free range at night in my bedroom, and she just likes to jump up on my bed and loaf on me! If I’m laying on my back, she loafs on my stomach, and if I’m laying on my belly, she loafs on my butt. No petting either, or she will hop away and flick her feet at you. Does anyone else’s bunny do that?

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

I’ve heard that some cats don’t like to be petted because they’re too sensitive to stimuli. One of my neighbours has a cat that will snuggle up to you all day, but will claw you if you try to pet it. Maybe it’s the same for Reese?

It’s been a while, but good news: Bas got a mail this morning that he can finally pick up his bachelor diploma today. So he rushed off to uni to get his long-awaited certificate. I think his parents will be very happy that he finally has the confirmation now. We already knew that he passed all exams a couple of months ago, but finally holding your diploma with both hands is so much better.

Sorry that I haven’t been online a lot lately, I’m very busy with Sinterklaas preparations. Bas’ family will be celebrating it on the 2nd, and I still have so much to do! We want to give Bas’ parents two handmade gifts for their boat: a set of anti-slip placemats and an insulated bag to keep food warm. You can’t cook when you’re sailing in rough waters, so my MIL wanted a way to keep food warm. We’ve bought a nice yellow fabric with a herb print for the placemats, and I’m going to make the food thermos in navy blue. I’ve already embroidered a part of the decoration, and the shaping of the insulation is coming along nicely. It has enough space to store a large stew pot.

Fabric for the placemats with slightly brighter coloured bias tape to give it a bit more kick:

Outer casing for the food thermos (navy blue cotton and cross-stitched compass on 18 ct. aida):

Inner casing for the food thermos with the navy coloured lining already sewn in. It’ll open from the front with a zipper over the whole length. Any raw edges will be covered by the outer casing or finished with bias tape:

[Bam]

That’s a brilliant food thermos, Ellie! And lovely place mats.
Congratulations to Bas ?I was confused at first because I somehow read it as Breitje had got an email. I know the Netherlands is a forerunner in many areas, but I was still a bit surprised that Dutch bunnies could get uni diplomas ?

[Azerane]

lol, Bam. I read it exactly the same! Bunnies are getting mail now?! Congrats to Bas I love your sewing projects Ellie

Apollo seemed a bit out of sorts yesterday, not 100% sure why. He seems well enough again this morning though. He just wasn’t that interested in food, though I did get him to eat. It could be from shedding I suppose.

Also happy belated gotcha day, Tony!

[Bam]

(((Apollo))) Hopefully just the ol’ shedding blues.

[Azerane]

Thanks Bam He seems fine today. He came running over when I served pellets after work. Yesterday when I served pellets he went and hid in the tunnel. Can’t get more obvious than that.

Only two more sleeps till we get our kitty! Unfortunately hubby has to work on the day, but I just means I get more cuddling, bonding and playtime before he gets home

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

@Azerane: Glad to hear he’s munching again. Always a scary moment when your bun doesn’t want to eat! Wishing you a lot of fun with your new kitty

Hahaha, Breintje getting a degree… I can already see the name tag on his new desk: Mr. Breintje Bun, BCute.
Appearantly he loves the new design as well. We sat on the couch together while I sewed and he was constantly inspecting it (totally not being in the way of course).
I went to the kitchen to make a new cup of tea, and he stealthily climbed into the thermos bag.
It was very cute to watch for about 30 seconds, that was the time until he wanted to start with bunny home improvements.
Didn’t get the time to get a better shot, but here he was:

[Bam]

Naaaw, Ellie! You should make one for Breintje as well =) In kevlar though, so it resists bunny home improvement.

Az, glad to hear he comes running for pellets again =)

[Vienna Blue in France]

Az !!! TWO sleeps. I am SOOOOO excited for you, knowing how long you have been patient !!!!

[Bam]

As: You must start a picture-thread for her!

[Tony's Mum]

Random question; does anyone else have ridiculous formal names for their buns when they misbehave? I just called Tony “Tony B. Bunnington Esq” and my sister is here eyerolling at me so hard that she’s going to hurt herself.

[Dface]

TM- Not so much formal, but full names come out when they are bold, Yumi’s full name (Yumigami) is used only when she is bold..which is a lot of the time

Took her and Peep to a new vet today for check up…there goes another €100 that I didnt have to spend. Peep is on antibiotics for a runny nose (I think it’s just allergies to Yumi’s fur tbh but she wanted to be sure)
And she noticed he has molar spurs both sides.
He needs antibiotic twice a day and probiotic twice a day too-which is awful. he wont eat the pro-biotic at all (Im clearly trying to poison him) And im afraid to syringe feed him that when he’s already on oral baytril… He wont take it in his veg, on fruit, hidden in juice. Running low on ideas to trick him into it.

Looks like loved ones are going to get a very frugal Christmas this year 😆

[Hazel]

Hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving! Ours didn’t quite go as expected. Otis was racing around the living room and ended up cutting his foot on the air conditioning vent. By the time I figured it out and caught him, there was blood everywhere, all over the carpet and the couch. So I spent the next hour crawling around the floor, a soapy sponge in one hand and a flash light in the other (I guess whoever built this house thought putting a ceiling light in the living room wasn’t necessary).

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Oh no! Is Otis doing okay now?
It must have been a really scary experience

[LBJ10]

Oh no Hazel, what a pain! I know how it is. Dogs get so excited, they don’t even know that they have hurt themselves sometimes. Next thing you know, there’s blood everywhere. =\ It sounds like the injury was superficial. Glad it wasn’t something worse.

[Reesebun]

Oh no, poor Otis! I hope he is ok.
Also, since everyone here likes to think of bunny names, I was wondering if you could help me out. Could you guys imagine a bunny that looks just like Reese but bigger, and think of names for a bunny like that? Preferably somehow linked to stuff I like (Astronomy, Doctor Who, Undertale(video game), Herbs, etc.). Thanks!

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

I’d call a handsome cheeky rogue like that Jack ^_^
Harkness is one of my favourite characters.

[LBJ10]

Reese and Rory?

[Azerane]

I’ve been denying it the past week, but I’ve come to the unfortunate conclusion that Apollo and Luna have gotten fat! It must be the meadow hay because nothing else in their diet has changed. It does have a little clover in it but i shake out all the clover leaf so they must be getting more clover stem than i realised. I guess it’s back to the oaten hay once this bale is done.

[LBJ10]

Tubby bunnies!

Ugh, stupid neighbors. I hate neighbors. LOL

[Bam]

Az, that’s all too common. Two slender singles move in together, start spending too much time lounging and munching. Been there, done that =D

[Azerane]

lol, well put Bam

Well, turns out my hay might be ruined anyway. We just had a really heavy downpour of rain, I think the heaviest since we’ve been in this house and we discovered leaks under the verandah that we didn’t know existed. So some stuff I had out there got wet, including the hay bale (even in it’s storage) as well as the bags of wood pellets (had a stream of water running right onto them). I’m hoping not too much water got into the bags but I think they do have tiny holes in them. What does expand (and hopefully doesn’t burst the bag) I can use for Dory’s cage and will just sift out the rest and I can still use it for the litter trays. I wanted the rain, but I didn’t want all my stuff wet.

We’ve also had a heap of really loud thunder, Jasiri has been a gem and just kept on playing right through it (probably desensitised from Dory, lol).

[joea64]

Posted By bam on 11/29/2017 12:10 AM

Az, that’s all too common. Two slender singles move in together, start spending too much time lounging and munching. Been there, done that =D

I sometimes wonder if Panda and Fernando could stand to lose an ounce or two.  With twice-daily hay, pellets in the morning and salad in the evening, plus several treats a day, they can’t complain of being underfed!

As far as hay goes, I’ve had to switch mainly to pet-store hay (and hay supplied by another local bunny person) for the past week or so. Friends of Rabbits found out last week (I got their email on Thanksgiving morning, in fact) that there might be a small quantity of toxic weeds somehow mixed in with the hay they’ve been selling recently, since several area bunnies got sick and the common thread was the hay they’d been getting. P&F are just fine, thank goodness, and I had plenty of hay from Pet Supplies Plus (and as noted, I got some hay from another bunny person in my town who buys her hay from Tractor Supply Co., the compressed bales from Standlee); I’m expecting to pick up a big bagful of replacement hay this Saturday – I couldn’t last weekend because I was still on the way home from North Carolina.

[Vienna Blue in France]

Az – Z&H are winter tubby too
They don’t have as much freedom to move as much now Baloo is here… and they seem to be tubby.

As do the cats

As do I

I think it’s a winter coat that will disappear in the spring… for us all.

[Author]

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