New from Florida

[Little Cow]

Hi, I have never been here before but it said 'welcome back' and that I last logged in on 11/30/99. I really hope I don't have the same name and password as someone else. If there is an issue, please tell me and I will create a new account using a different name. I picked the name "Little Cow" because we raise Dexter Cattle (the smallest true breed of cattle-not miniaturized).

We were just given a free rabbit yesterday when we stopped by our local feed store. I haven't had a rabbit since I was a kid but this poor little girl was in a bad spot. Apparently, an older lady had the poor thing was in her pick up bed panting away in this disgusting dog kennel. She asked the feed store to take her and agreed simply because they were concerned about her overheating. So, they brought her inside and, for some reason, they thought of calling me. Lo and behold, before they could find my number, I pull up to buy some feed. Before I could even get our toddler out of his car seat, I heard this cheerful voice behind me, "Wanna a free rabbit?" What could I do? I am flattered that they thought of me first, I think, LOL! Fortunately, I still had a wire cage in the truck that I use to transport poultry because I don't think an entire bottle of bleach would save that kennel she was in! I set her up on the back seat in the wire cage on some towels and she rode home with AC and comfort.

She will see the vet today. She ate and drank overnight and seems to be hopping about happily in her temporary home (an extra large dog crate). The floor is slick, however, so I will be picking up a new cage for her today. She will be kept inside until fall because of how hot it is here in Florida during the summer. If I can house-train her, she can stay inside. My first rabbit walked on a harness and was fully house-trained. He was so much fun!

A few questions.

1) We have an organic farm, can I give her a small cutting of fresh basil, rosemary or lavender? Our spring garden is almost spent now from the heat but we will be growing cucumbers, swiss chard, spinach and carrots in the fall.

2) We just pruned our peach tree not long ago, can she have a branch to chew on?

3) We have plenty of timothy, clover, and grass hay. Should we just give her the grass hay? Florida grass hay is very low in protein (I have to supplement our horses and cattle).

4) Should rabbit pellets be constantly available? If not, what ratio of hay/veggies to pellets does she need?

So, I'll try to add a picture via my photobucket account:

This is Gracie. She has a chunk of salt that I broke off the horse's block (he won't notice), some timothy hay, rabbit pellets, a small piece of carrot, water bottle and I need to pick up rabbit safe litter today (that is clumping litter).

 

[Ashleighh]

Welcome to RO! Gracie is gorgeous! I'll let some of the more exp members answer your questions!

 

[Pipp]

Little Cow wrote:

A few questions.

1) We have an organic farm, can I give her a small cutting of fresh basil, rosemary or lavender? Our spring garden is almost spent now from the heat but we will be growing cucumbers, swiss chard, spinach and carrots in the fall.

2) We just pruned our peach tree not long ago, can she have a branch to chew on?

3) We have plenty of timothy, clover, and grass hay. Should we just give her the grass hay? Florida grass hay is very low in protein (I have to supplement our horses and cattle).

4) Should rabbit pellets be constantly available? If not, what ratio of hay/veggies to pellets does she need?

Gracie hit the bunny lottery.

Definitely yes on the basil and rosemary, I think so on the lavender.

No on the peach tree. Other fruit trees like pear and apple are good but I think it's best to avoid the ones with pitted fruit? Lots of trees are good for bark eating, what else have you got?


The timothy and the local grass hay is best, you can mix them. I'd avoid alfalfa unless she's quite young. (Any idea how old she is?)

Best if you can feed her lots of veggies and only a handful of pellets a day.

And they don't really need salt, or like it in my experience, unless they're really bored.

She should have a lot of hay all the time. I give mine huge salads daily (see my avatar) with as much variety as possible, and just a very small handful of pellets, a bit more for the bigger guys, but not unlimited.

Don't worry about the name, you're definitely the only Litte Cow.

Welcome to RO!


sas :bunnydance:

 

[Pharfly]

Welcome She is very cute! Thanks for saving her
The cage she is in now will be a good home for her. I would take the cat litter out of the box and just put some hay in it or even shredded news paper. I use the same crate for my lop, he has a fleece blanket and litter box.

I would love to see pics of your Little cows

 

[Little Cow]

Great advice! Thank you.

She saw the vet but was too stressed to get a good age on her (the vet didn't want to pry her mouth open) but she did see that her front teeth meet evenly. Good news is she seems overall very healthy and not pregnant (thank you, thank you). Bad news is she has ear mites and the runs (probably from heat stress yesterday). We're treating the ear mites and her diet should clear up the runs. I'll start her nice and slow on the fresh basil and rosemary (vet wasn't sure about lavender either).

After looking at the rabbit cages at the pet store (waaay too small) I decided to make do with the dog crate. Here is her new set up.

 

[Little Cow]

Oh, that's a paper product in her litter box now and I moved it to the spot she chose last night. I mixed a little of the wet shavings into the litter hoping she'll accept it as her new elimination place.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Pipp gave all the same advice I would have said. Most Pellet feeds will tell you how much to give by weight, per day. With the unlimited hay and fresh veggies, our vet says they need no or very little pellet. When we first came on board here, it wasn't Rabbits Online, so it is possible you were here before--think it would be your E address plus user name. Glad you found each other--she's a cutie.

 

[Little Cow]

Thank you! I can't wait until she settles in a little so I can start handling her more.

I did remember how to 'hypnotize' her for the vet exam, LOL! (Put her on her back and rub her gently until she relaxes). I used to do that with my first rabbit.

Back in '99, I was on active duty and I didn't have any pets. Maybe it's just a bug. The post count started at 1.

 

[Wabbitdad12]

I would like to welcome you to Rabbits Online, my name is Dave and I am a moderator on the forum. So if I can be of any help please let me know. This is a terrific website for rabbits and their slaves, not only is it very active but also friendly. I am so glad you’re here and I know you will enjoy it.

Many bunnies’ recommend their slaves to this site so we may learn of others methods to keeping our furry masters happy.

If you everhave a sick bunny, please post in The Infirmary and include your rabbit's age, breed and health history as well diet and output details leading up to the problem.

Here are somelinks I thought you might find interesting:

*For reference the Library section

*To brag or tell everyone about the antics of your bunny or just to talk about your day here is where to start a Bunny Blog, you can also look back at it later and remember when you had a life before your bunny.

*Now all the bunny’s like talk to each other when we mere slaves aren’t around in the Bunny Chat is the spot to be.

*The House Rabbit Society has a lot of good information on what veggies are safe for bunny’s, etc.

*Here is a link to learn what your furry master is trying to say to you How to Understand Your Bunny's Language

*Rabbits Online also has regional forums , this a good way to find a vet in your area that has experience with rabbits and to find out from other nearby of good sources of rabbit supplies.

The Let Your Hare Down section is for anything non-bunny related.

Here is a link tothat will help you and your bunny to connect, How to Bond with Your Bunny.

Now every forum has rules and ours can be found with this link Rabbits Online Forum Rules. This gives guidelines on what is acceptable, what is not and how we hope everyone will treat each other.

Everyone on this forum loves to see pictures of each other’s bunnies. So if you would like to post a picture this link will help you do that, Upload Photo's to Photo Gallery. Then in the post, you click on the "G" in the tool bar to insert your photo. Many people also use Photobucket. You just copy the img file and paste it into the post.

Don’t hesitate to ask questions and I am glad you have joined rabbits online; I look forward to seeing you around.

 

[MiniLopHop]

Welcome to RO! This is a great place for information.

Lavender is fine for bunnies. I have a plant that I feed my kids from and they love it. Oxbow also makes a Chamamile/Lavender treat.

I hope she settles in nicely for you and the runs go away.

 

[slavetoabunny]

Welcome from a fellow Floridian! It looks like you are doing a great job being a bunny slave. I am with Gainesville Rabbit Rescue and live in the Daytona Beach area. Please feel free to contact me if you need any help. If your bunny is not already spayed, GRR can offer our low cost program to you. The cost is only $65 and we have vets in both Gainesville and Port Orange.

 

[Little Cow]

Thank you for the very kind welcomes! Thanks for all the links and info, Wabbitdad.

Slavetoabunny- Our vet mentioned spaying due to ovarian cancer. Once she settles in, I'll take her in.