King Kirby's Rabbit Nation 2011

[kirbyultra]

January 22, 2011 - Another Rabbit Nation Change

I was going to write an update yesterday but didn't have time. Just as well, because everything is different today.

The lovely disposable bed pad idea was bust. It just didn't work out very well as Penny would shred it at night from inside her pen and Kirby would chew and swallow bits of it during the day. I'll be darned if my buns get stasis from ingesting pee pads.

At my wit's end, I have decided to put Penny into a SuperPet cage. This is the eventual decision I hoped never to get to since April last year when I adopted her. She's just too messy and I simply can't deal with her urine anymore. The SuperPet cage is easy to clean and she makes most of her mess at night, so this should be a good way to contain her problems. Kirby and Penny play during the day. Both of them run in and out of the SuperPet and the rest of the room. Only at night is she confined to her little cage. So, that's that. I hope that this is the end of my troubles with her peeing all over. Sigh.

:dutch
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[Dragonrain]

Aw I hope the new arrangement helps you deal with messy Penny better. Superpet cages come in pretty big sizes right? I think Superpet is what I have in storage, it came with Ziggy and Berry when I got them. It's like only a few inches smaller than one level of my Leith Petwerks cage. I think that's an okay size...especially since it's just for at night and not all the time.

 

[kirbyultra]

That's how Penny's cage looks like now. It's a bit small but I think it's for the best so we can all live harmoniously. Penny was upset this morning but once I reunited her with Kirby, they kissed lots and everything's ok again.

 

[kirbyultra]

Dragonrain wrote:

Superpet cages come in pretty big sizes right?  I think Superpet is what I have in storage, it came with Ziggy and Berry when I got them.  It's like only a few inches smaller than one level of my Leith Petwerks cage. 

Yeah I would say it's more or less the width of a Leith level, but not as deep. It fits a litter box and she can flop if she pleases. We put a bunch of toys in there so she could amuse herself. Penny takes to toys much more than the boys do. I give her tons of hay at night so if she wanted to eat all night, she could busy herself with just that. Some days I wake up and swear that is exactly what she did the night before. I ordered a 14lb box of SM timothy recently and they've already gone thru a 1/3 of it. It hasn't been a week yet.

I found that a 14 lb order fits exactly into one of my plastic bins. No mess of transfer. I just lift the whole bag out of the shipping box and dump the whole bag into the plastic bin as-is.

 

[Dragonrain]

Okay maybe the cage I have isn't a SuperPet...I have no idea but it looks a little different than the one you posted. Mines almost exactly the same size as one Leith level. Not that it matters anyways since I keep that cage collapsed in a closet now lol.

My guys go through SM hay fast too. I got a 30 lb box a few weeks ago but I think I'm going to have to order more in the next week or two.

I've been doing that with the bins too My bin fits 10lbs or so perfectly so it's a little messy when I get more than that at a time. Although with the 30 lbs I got the hay is in really nice compressed flakes so it's been easy for me to just lift the flakes out of the shipping box and transfer them to my storage bin without much mess.

 

[kirbyultra]

I haven't been spending enough time with Toby lately. I think he grows lonelier each day. I will try to spend more hours with him. He is a wonderful boy to me and we have the most fun together. He's really the most active bun I have. He always does something that reminds me of when he was a baby. Still has that innocence.

Except last night when I let him into the rabbit room so he could hang out with me. I put Kirby and Penny away already so they were separate, of course. Toby thought it would be great fun to claim the rabbit nation's land as his own. I had only turned around a little while but he had pooped a large amount of poops all over the floor. I can't believe he had it in him. It was a lot!

 

[Wabbitdad12]

It takes a lot of work to rule a Kingdom.Cute picture of the royals.

 

[kirbyultra]

Wabbitdad12 wrote:

It takes a lot of work to rule a Kingdom.

Oh yeah, without a doubt...

Update: So of course now that Penny is confined to a cage she decides not to pee on the floor whic is the desired affect. But now she is into shredding newspaper. Litter and hay all over. And poop. And shredded wet newspaper. I just can't freakin win with her.

 

[SOOOSKA]

Helen, I love your stories. You express yourself so well.

I can feel for you regarding the pee. Buttercup use to be a little brat sometimes with his pee habits. I ended up buy flannelet sheets folding them with a plastic garbage bag inside of it. I had afew of them so when I had to change them I did. He never chewed at them so I never worried about him ingesting the plastic.

Looking forward to more pictures and stories.

Susan

 

[Dragonrain]

That's what Berry does when she gets bored....shreds everything she can possibly shred. It's so annoying and a pain to clean up. Crazy bunnies!

 

[myheart]

kirbyultra wrote:

Update: So of course now that Penny is confined to a cage she decides not to pee on the floor whic is the desired affect. But now she is into shredding newspaper. Litter and hay all over. And poop. And shredded wet newspaper. I just can't freakin win with her.

Maybe it's time to talk with an animal communicator about Pan-pan's habbits. We know she is more upset with more confinement, so now the problem is finding what will make her happyto not make a mess anymore.

 

[MILU]

Aw.. Penny will keep shredding things if she's kept in a cage (esp. seeing the other bunnies free). That's what all pets do when they're bored or mad at their owners...
I'd be afraid she'd get sick because of the newspaper - shredding it makes her have oral contact with the ink of the newspaper which is not a good thing.. I hope you can figure out what to do to make her stop. Maybe if you talk to her.. LOL who knows?

 

[kirbyultra]

Newspapers use soy ink so it's not a problem. It's just messy to clean. But better to clean stuff confined in her cage rather than having it all over the room... She was a good girl last night. She's been clean all day. It's like when she used to dig up her litter box -- she does it when she gets into a mood.

I've been very kind to Penny. I've put up with her antics and tried to give her everything and come up with a million ideas to try to suit her. I have spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars not to mention countless hours on just trying to make her living space nice and comfy so she doesn't have wet feet and a wet, brown bottom (which she did when she first came home with me, now her bottom is clean and her tail is white). But nothing has worked because she keeps destroying everything in her environment (which is also Kirby's environment), so that's why she is in a cage at night now. Just remember that, guys and gals. It's not like I adopted her and two days later couldn't stand her and threw her in a cage. It's been 10 long months coming to this arrangement.

 

[kirbyultra]

myheart wrote:

kirbyultra wrote:

Update: So of course now that Penny is confined to a cage she decides not to pee on the floor whic is the desired affect. But now she is into shredding newspaper. Litter and hay all over. And poop. And shredded wet newspaper. I just can't freakin win with her.

Maybe it's time to talk with an animal communicator about Pan-pan's habbits. We know she is more upset with more confinement, so now the problem is finding what will make her happy to not make a mess anymore.

Shrug... some days she does it, some days she does not. I dunno, I really wish I were a believer in animal communicators. I don't necessarily think it's hokey but it's not something I'm totally convinced of. I know some members on the forum have had great experiences with it. Me... I dunno, I'm just not quite a believer.

She was clean last night. I threw her hay toy and her carrot chew block in her cage (I almost forgot to put them back when I was cleaning). But I think the toys were there both nights before too. I dunno! I really wish I knew what her deal was.

One thing I do know - when she had an 8-panel xpen to herself she was monstrous and peed everywhere as much as possible. 6 panel xpen she peed less. And now in her cage she hasn't ever peed outside of her litter box (ironically). She has made a mess, but she hasn't urinated in the wrong place - yet! Smaller space confinement seems to be helping.

 

[kirbyultra]

January 27, 2011

Today, my husbun and I were in the living room most of the evening spending time with Toby. And it made me feel super guilty that we've been holed up in the rabbit room playing computer games for the last few weeks. Toby *really* enjoys our company and he is so much happier and active when we are there. Even if he is laying on the floor, he lays where he can see us. If he is flopped in Le Chateau, he positions himself where he can see us and the TV. Toby's too cute. He really makes us happy. And he is a very good boy. I will make it a point to spend more time with him from now on.

Kirby-Wirby and Pan-Pan are having themselves a good time today as well. I gave them some cardboard boxes to play with and they knocked them around all night. Kirby's new coat has grown in nicely and he is absolutely stunning. Really, he is even more gorgeous than usual. That satin coat is what makes him King, for he is the most handsome bun of all the land.

The rabbit nation is content tonight. Masters and slaves both. :hearts

:dutch

 

[kirbyultra]

January 30, 2011 - Gotta Get More Bunnies

I want her... she's so sweet. Oreo is a mini rex bun bun who is currently adoptable at our Petco location. She's been there for several weeks. Several weeks too many, if you ask me. She's absolutely wonderful. She is gentle, sweet, calm and a total lap bunny. She interacts very well with her fellow buns at Petco (through the pen). She's clean too! She would sit there and let you pet her forever. Oreo is super pretty, and she has a tiny bitty head on a normal size body - Just like Toby!

Gee, wouldn't Oreo and Toby make an excellent couple?

I was talking to my hubby about this in the car, and he was like, let's get her. LOL... no, there really is no restraint in this family. And then he said the thing that just about put me over the edge. "Let's name her Heidi!" Ahem, after Heidi Klum, the host and producer of Toby's favorite tv show: Project Runway!

Sigh... Heidi. I don't know who will be Toby's future wifebun, but my husband has a talent for names. She's definitely gonna be Heidi.

Here are some new pics of the boy bunners.

Toby looking very unhappy as Kirby roams in the living room outside his chateau:

Kirby's new coat is very shiny and pretty

Kirby is convinced somewhere inside his box are some Craisins.

Kangaroo Kirby

Binky winky!

:dutch

 

[Wabbitdad12]

She is a real doll, she looks so sweet.

let's get her. LOL... no, there really is no restraint in this family

Better be careful, thats how I got to 15!

 

[myheart]

Wabbitdad12 wrote:

She is a real doll, she looks so sweet.

let's get her. LOL... no, there really is no restraint in this family

Better be careful, thats how I got to 15!

That's also how I ended up with more foster-buns than my own. Fosters =4 and my two girls for a total of six. :shock:Gonna catch up to you, Wabbitdad, one of these days!!

All you could do is try a date with Toby and Heidi... Nothing wrong with that, is there? :biggrin2:

 

[kirbyultra]

Dave - LOL! Yes, it is easy once you start letting yourself have the buns you want, to end up with over a dozen. If I could have every bun that I wanted, boy, I would be in trouble. Literally, I would be in trouble. My allergies, my husband's allergies. We may die by rabbit. :confused2: But, what better way to go...?

And yeah, my husband and I were thinkin the same thing - what harm could come from a date? For all we know, Toby could hate her and that would be the end of our curiosity. Chances are, 90% that Toby will chase her around and it would be absolutely awful, so our hope of getting her could die right there. It might even be good closure for me. But in the 10% possibility that he gets along with her... I mean, that is a slim chance! But if it actually happened, we would HAVE to take her. There'd be no question! But it would be a huge health issue.

With all the measures I've taken to minimize our allergy symptoms at home and all my allergy shots and meds, I've managed to be quite ok with three bunnies at home. My husband sneezes and has chronic stuffiness and post-nasal drip and he snores (which bothers me more than it does him). But we both pretty much say it's the price we pay for having three buns. We were PRETTY upset and miserable with ourselves after we got Penny and it's not a state I wish to revisit anytime soon. However, I can't help but wonder how much of it was attributed to the specific rabbit that we adopted -- Penny! She is a horrible mess and quite the hay monster. Oreo is the complete opposite of Penny in almost every way except for sweetness.

As you can see, I keep trying to reason my way into getting her! I am just so afraid that if we do a date with Toby and Oreo that I will end up taking her home. And I would never ever forgive myself if I become one of those people who return bunnies because of allergies.

Thus far I have resisted taking them for a date because of all the reasons I've stated, but more importantly, it's in the best interest of Oreo to get adopted by someone who will love her unconditionally. I mean, I would love her. I would absolutely love her for HER. It is different with Penny because I liked her, but I got her primarily so that Kirby would love her. I actually am in love with Oreo myself and if Toby liked her, it would be a bonus. I would easily keep her a single bun if they didn't work out. I would give her the best that I possibly could. But... I know in my heart that Oreo deserves someone who could devote their entire being to her. Someone who would spend 100% of their available time to loving her. I have 3 other rabbits and depending on how it goes, play time may have to be divided up. My attention would have to be split between them. Oreo is at Petco right now for a reason. She is highly adoptable and she has the best chance out of any of our shelter buns right now to get a good home. I shouldn't take that away from her...

So that's where my head is right now on the subject of Heidi-search. I don't know what will happen, but that's my thought process on it. *Big Sigh*

:dutch

 

[kirbyultra]

SOOOSKA wrote:

Helen, I love your stories.  You express yourself so well.

I can feel for you regarding the pee.  Buttercup use to be a little brat sometimes with his pee habits.  I ended up buy flannelet sheets folding them with a plastic garbage bag inside of it.  I had a few of them so when I had to change them  I did. He never chewed at them so I never worried about him ingesting the plastic.

Looking forward to more pictures and stories.

Susan

Thank you, Susan. I am glad you stopped by Kirby's blog

You are so lucky your bunner didn't chew at them. If only my Penny didn't chew, I wouldn't have so many problems. She pees, she's a messy digger, and to top it all off, she likes to destroy things in any way possible.

I have seen some improvement, though. Ever since we put her in the smaller cage, she's been a lot better. I dunno what it is about being in a smaller space, but she has not peed outside of the litter box *knock on wood!* I line the whole thing with newspaper and I line her litter box with another layer of newspaper. I decided not to put pine litter in there like I usually do because the box is too small (in order to fit in the cage) and she fills up the box with poop daily. I kid you not. Full. Daily. Of Poop! So I clean her litter box daily.

This whole thing has me thinkin that's probably why when she was a shelter bun that I never noticed she was such a messy girl. She was in a small cage! She probably pooped and peed where she was supposed to, just like she is now! When I gave her a bigger comfy space to live in, she went all over the place. It is super sad to see her wiggling around trying to get comfier in the small space, but she is super neat now. Every once in a while she'll dig the newspaper that is lining the cage, but she doesn't dig the dirty litter box. And she also stopped banging on the door. She also now knows feeding time = time to go back in the cage. She flies back into the cage in a jiffy when she hears the pellet box rattling. She doesn't seem upset by the cage anymore. *shrug*

When she's out most of the day, she doesn't behave any differently, but so far she hasn't peed on the floor. I even put up a hay rack in Kirby's old hay spot inside of his condo. I previously removed it because Penny would park herself in front of the rack, eat hay, and poop right there. Now, she eats from the hay rack but she doesn't poop there! Cross my fingers -- maybe this cage thing is working! Oh, and I did think about the possibility that she was pooping and peeing outside her box before because I wasn't cleaning her box every day. But, in fact I DID clean her box daily very early on when I first got her because that is what she was used to at the shelter. It didn't work, she still went everywhere. I do think it has to do more with the amount of space she has available.