The Diaries of Merlin Puffsbottom and Naja Seraphina

[whiskylollipop]

The fuzzies are out of food! :sigh:

It's astonishingly hard to get Oxbow, the pellet they're on, in New Zealand. Only one place in the entire country stocks it, and they always run out. This is the first time they've gone out of stock for so long that I've used up their last bag and now we're clean out. I would get another pellet brand if only there was aNOTHER TIMOTHY-BASED PELLET SOLD HERE EVER. *shakes fist*

Rabbits in NZ are primarily agricultural, so all the other rabbit pellet brands are the low-fibre, high-alfalfa, coccidiostat-medicating farm breeding kind, which I don't really want to have my pet bunnies on. I can't import US/UK rabbit feed either. Siiiiiiiiiigh.

Well, looks like we're on a pellet-free diet for now. I've stocked up on silverbeet, parsley, broccoli, watercress and cilantro. I do hope that's nutritionally sufficient to get the buns through the week.

 

[pani]

It's hard to find Oxbow here, too, although not as hard as in NZ from the sounds of things. I used to order it online but WA recently introduced a $50+ quarantine fee for hay/hay-based products entering the state, so it's out of the picture now. I hope you find one soon!

 

[whiskylollipop]

Aw ****, what pellet do you feed now?

Oxbow needs to be less stringent about their stockists! I hear they won't let pet shops sell their products, not in NZ anyway...it has to be a vet practice, and a rabbit specialist vet practice at that. And we only have one. Yay us. I don't understand why though, isn't it a good thing that a great rabbit pellet is widely available, to encourage all rabbit owners to feed their buns the good stuff? I bet a lot of NZ rabbit people are feeding the farm rabbit feed due to how expensive it would be to get Oxbow from this one place up in the North Island.

Piggin out on beggies.

Am I crazy or does Sasha have eyelashes?? You can see it right? It's not just forehead fur like silly hubs says right?

Sashybunny's great about pacing her food intake. I can pop a whole plateful of veggies in her cage and she'll gradually work her way through it over half the day. A bit of broccoli, then a nibble of silverbeet, then she'll go have some hay, then maybe later come back for more veggies.

Merlin is a simpler bun. He'll snarf up the cilantro first. Once that's done, the bok choy leaves, then the parsley, then the broccoli, then the watercress. All his favourite veggies gone within 15mins. Then he'll rest. And then when his belly's a bit emptier he'll eat the bok choy stalks. He's never been a big fan of silverbeet, so he leaves that.

So in about an hour, Sasha's various veggies would all be delicately nibbled like Gordon Ramsay trying a bit of everyone's food in Hells Kitchen. Merlin would be wandering around his pen like a forlorn child looking for food, trying to ignore the silverbeet leaf. When he does finally sit down and grumpily eat it, I'll know he's hungry enough for the next portion of veggies! By then Sasha would've finished her veg too. It's the Silverbeet Indicator - when Merlin's silverbeet is gone, it's feeding time.

I'm seeing small poos from both buns today though. Tough call - lower the veggies and up the hay? I don't want them to be undernourished..

 

[pani]

Right now I'm feeding them pellets from Petstock, a pet store here. They don't seem to like them as much as Oxbow, or as much as the last brand I had (another pet store's), but this was all I could get this time.

My bunnies are trying silverbeet and broccoli for the first time tonight.

 

[annabelle00]

Pet Doctors Terrace End stock Oxbow ...not sure which type though. Have heard their rabbit savvy and they should be able to post to Auckland too.
-https://www.facebook.com/PetDoctorsTerraceEnd

 

[whiskylollipop]

Charlotte: At least over in Oz you have the variety to choose from if one goes out of stock! Hope the broccoli and silverbeet introduction went well, bunnies can be so picky. Merlin hates silverbeet but loves broccoli. Sasha only likes the broccoli stalk, but happily eats silverbeet. Lol.

Annabelle: Oh wow thanks, I didn't know that! Only Lynfield Vet is listed on the Oxbow stockists page. That's excellent, I'll have to keep those guys in mind if Lynfield run out again. Luckily they got some stock in today and I've ordered two bags. So the bunbuns will have pellets soon! :hyper:

 

[whiskylollipop]

The rescue remedy came! I thought it would smell like perfume but it just kinda smells weird. I sprayed both Merlin and Sasha with it a few times - not sure if they're calmer now, but they sure weren't pleased about being sprayed. Lol.

Oxbow came as well. Good thing too, I was running out of veg.

Bubs and I have been throwing around a few ideas for minimising the fighting. One was putting them on the kitchen counter where it's really hard for buns to walk. Another was semi-crippling them by tucking half their bodies into socks so they can't kick/lunge. Or similarly, putting them in organza/mesh baggies.

Silly ideas, but we're pretty desperate. I definitely want to keep Sasha and hubs is warming up to her too, but keeping two bunnies separately for the rest of their lives is not something we'd have the space for in our apartment. :/

 

[JBun]

Those naughty buns. They just need to get along and love each other already

Bonding is tough work, and can be quite complicated with certain pairs. It's looking like you have one of these complicated matches. Lucky you huh You may need to take a step back at this point and re evaluate how to go about the bonding process with them. It sounds like the fighting has lead to them developing resentment towards each other, and this isn't good for a potential bond. It's not usually considered a good idea to allow fighting to occur at all, for this particular reason, as well as the risk of serious injury, though in some cases you do have to allow some minor bickering to allow them to work out who will be in charge. But you have to be able to know where the line is between minor nips and bickering, and serious fighting that could escalate into resentment and possible injury, and that can be hard without a lot of bonding experience to draw from.

It's hard to know what is the best way to go about bonding these two. There are different methods for bonding, and these methods really have to be tailored to the individual rabbits and bonds. There is the slow gradual method of introducing rabbits to each other, but there is also a fast track method. One may work well for one pair, but cause issues for another pair. I have a trio that I'm attempting to bond. I've been doing the slow method. The fast track wouldn't have worked for them as my old bun has needed time to get accustomed to a new rabbit being around. In the beginning when first introducing Penny and Dakota(old bun), I didn't allow any fighting or even any nipping, because I just knew that I needed to give Dakota a chance to get used to Penny, and if I had allowed any nipping, it would have escalated into serious fighting. And there were a few times that they started circling and were getting agitated, and it could have ended in a fight if I hadn't intervened. I would press both their heads down(gently but firmly, like a dominant rabbit would do) to stop them when they were on the verge of wanting to nip or bite, then with them next to each other I would start giving them both head rubs. After that when ever they got near each other I would start giving head rubs to both. In the beginning I wanted them to look at the other rabbit and associate good things. They started to get more used to each other, and at a point I knew they needed to work out their relationship with out my intervention. They did sort out who was in charge without any fighting, but I know if I hadn't stepped in at the beginning, that they would have ended up fighting and bonding would have been much more difficult or impossible if that had occurred.

With bonding, you in part have to kind of start and go with what feels like the right direction, but you also have to be able to change and adapt how you are going about things when you see something isn't working. That's basically what I have had to do with this trio. I started to bond and when I saw their reactions to each other, I've had to adapt what I did along the way. At first I was thinking I would allow some nipping in the beginning, but as I saw how they reacted to each other, I changed my mind and didn't think allowing it at the start, would be good for their developing relationship.

I'm thinking that it's possible your two may do better with the fast track method. Sometimes the slow method can cause issues for some buns, because they start to sort out the hierarchy and who's in change, and then they get separated til the next bonding session, where they have to sort out who is top bun all over again. One good example of this is RO member Troller, and him bonding his two flemmies. If you haven't read his blog you may want to as it is a really valuable bonding experience, and may give you some ideas on how to work things out with your two. He started out with the slow bonding method, and it just didn't seem to be working out well and the bonding was getting more difficult as it dragged on. It is quite lengthy so may take some time to get through, but is worth it.
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/f18/conan-bunbarian-xena-bunnier-princess-73217/

You also may need to give your buns a couple weeks break with zero contact or interaction. In some cases the other rabbit needs to be removed to another room entirely, to break the cycle of resentment that has developed, and sort of 'reset' the relationship.

Best of luck with their bond. People always say that it's better for a rabbit to have a buddy, but sometimes what is left out is the difficulty that can occur when trying to get those rabbits to be friends. Some rabbits just won't ever get along, and sometimes it just takes lots of perseverance. I have a feeling that your two can find a way to get a long, but it's just going to take finding the right way to go about it.

http://www.wheekwheekthump.com/2013...rs-guide-rabbit-bonding-everything-need-know/
http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/articles/bond.shtml
http://cottontails-rescue.org.uk/bonding-bunnies/

 

[whiskylollipop]

Thanks Jenny! Really appreciate the advice. But what do you mean by the "fast track method"?

You're right about the resentment. I'm starting to feel Merlin getting more and more depressed the longer he has to share his home with a bunny he doesn't like. I wish I'd known now to be more of a dominant presence in their bonding - I'd read before that some scuffling, nipping and chasing should be allowed so they could work things out between themselves. I did stop the big fights, but I'm afraid allowing the early scuffles to happen just made things so much worse, now they can't stop fighting when they're in the same space.

I can't tell who is going to be the dominant one... I fear both of them are. Sasha is definitely the main aggressor, but when Merlin gets fed up he can get really scary too. He was the definite dominant of his and Rosebun's bond, even though Rosey was larger than him.

Also Jenny, thanks for the links! I hadn't seen that Wheekwheekthump one, and it did have a bunch of helpful advice I hadn't read on other bonding pages. I spent last night reading Troller's blog too. I'm up to page 30. He's had to do so many dates! I think Merlin and Sasha have had around ten, but our dates are a lot more vicious than most of his.

I think I've done a lot of things wrong in this bond process. Sigh! I never made sure to end on a positive note, for one thing. I held the bonding sessions on the tiled balcony, where Sasha finds it easy to walk/run but Merlin doesn't. I never stressed them. I can't seem to distract them from fighting with treats. And of course I've let them fight, chase and nip. I don't believe they HATE each other, but I think that at this point they're both lashing out out of fear that the other will beat them up.

I'm not giving up though. I haven't tried nearly all things I could possibly try. We haven't been holding dates the past couple weeks, and I think for the next week I'm gonna make extra sure they have as little interaction as possible. A relationship reset is just the thing they need. Then we'll take them on a car ride, and try bonding them in a fresh location. I don't think the balcony can really be considered neutral anymore, they've had so many fights out there.

I so wish we had a bathtub or a washing machine that wasn't tucked into the wall, for easier stress bonding! Oh well.

In other news, Merlin has been shedding for nearly 2 months now. What's going on there buddy? He constantly looks ratty and unkempt. And his appetite seems to have lessened. He doesn't hoover up this new batch of pellets like he used to. He nibbles then leaves the rest for later, like Sasha. Hmm. A little worried, gonna have to keep an eye on him.

 

[BabyMiyo]

Bonding really does require lots of patience. Rodney and Miyo took 2 months to bond! Sending you good vibes, keep persevering and I'm sure you'll be successful

 

[whiskylollipop]

BabyMiyo: Thanks It's good to feel like I'm not alone in long drawn-out bonding difficulties!

-
Hubs wants to adopt a cat. I'd LOVE one, but seeing as I'm forced to be the adult in this situation, we have to consider the difficulty of adding another member to our little apartment family. Not to mention the current stress of bonding the two bad bunnies. And we aren't exactly in the best financial situation to be buying all the stuff cats need, like towers and scratching posts and whatnot. But cats are so adowables! RrrRRRrRrrrrgh. I don't like being the adult.

 

[squidpop]

The fuzzies are out of food! :sigh:

It's astonishingly hard to get Oxbow, the pellet they're on, in New Zealand. Only one place in the entire country stocks it, and they always run out. This is the first time they've gone out of stock for so long that I've used up their last bag and now we're clean out. I would get another pellet brand if only there was aNOTHER TIMOTHY-BASED PELLET SOLD HERE EVER. *shakes fist*

Rabbits in NZ are primarily agricultural, so all the other rabbit pellet brands are the low-fibre, high-alfalfa, coccidiostat-medicating farm breeding kind, which I don't really want to have my pet bunnies on. I can't import US/UK rabbit feed either. Siiiiiiiiiigh.

Well, looks like we're on a pellet-free diet for now. I've stocked up on silverbeet, parsley, broccoli, watercress and cilantro. I do hope that's nutritionally sufficient to get the buns through the week.

Hi, I'm in NZ too. Have you looked at Little Chinta's rabbit pellets? The ingredients look good I think and they are 30% fibre. http://littlechintas.webs.com/food-and-treats I thought they looked really good but kind of expensive. I was also looking at all the ingredients to a bunch of different pellets and it seemed like Country Harvest topflite had more fiber (but way less than 30%) than the others if that helps. I've been feeding NRM which is one of the farm pellets, chose it based on the fact that one of the best breeders of Netherland dwarfs who regularly wins all the NZ rabbit shows uses it. But its really fattening so thinking of switching brands. As it is now on the NRM my rabbit are really healthy- no ones had any gut issues but I only feed a really small amount and lots of hay.

 

[whiskylollipop]

You know, I always hear that Nethies are skittish little things, more fearful than friendly due to their vulnerable size. But it's hard to imagine a bunny braver, tougher and friendlier than Sashabun. She was such a good sport for her nail-clipping yesterday, especially for somebun more than capable of raising hell if she wants to. And she's really bonded to me these past few weeks, almost always follows me around the house. Rosebun and Merlin used to do that, but that was because I used to be a soft-hearted treat dispenser who always gave them little nibbles and scraps to reward them for being near me. I don't do that anymore, and since Rosey's passing Merlin has reverted back to his independent self, lounging in his favourite hidey holes and generally ignoring everyone. But Sasha just adores nosing around me, sniffing at whatever I'm doing, and putting her head down to demand pets. And she can make me feel so guilty for leaving her locked up when Merlin gets his time out.

I've been putting rescue remedy in their water. While I don't think it's done much to quell the rivalry fires (they still have bitey confrontations through the bars), I get the sense that Merlin's been feeling better of late. He tears around the house more and just seems more enthusiastic about life. I'm happy about that.

Sasha totally has eyelashes.

Mr SnakeBunny

Ms SnakeBunny

 

[whiskylollipop]

Hi, I'm in NZ too. Have you looked at Little Chinta's rabbit pellets? The ingredients look good I think and they are 30% fibre. http://littlechintas.webs.com/food-and-treats I thought they looked really good but kind of expensive. I was also looking at all the ingredients to a bunch of different pellets and it seemed like Country Harvest topflite had more fiber (but way less than 30%) than the others if that helps. I've been feeding NRM which is one of the farm pellets, chose it based on the fact that one of the best breeders of Netherland dwarfs who regularly wins all the NZ rabbit shows uses it. But its really fattening so thinking of switching brands. As it is now on the NRM my rabbit are really healthy- no ones had any gut issues but I only feed a really small amount and lots of hay.

Hi!!! Where in NZ do you hail from?

I used to have Merlin and Rosey on NRM before Oxbow started exporting to NZ. I wasn't very happy with it because it caused some mushy poos, but that was probably because they were only babies and I was feeding them lots of it. When I switched to Oxbow they loved it and their poops improved so I never looked back.

I have checked out the Little Chintas pellets (actually, I just hopped on Trademe to have a fresh look and I don't see any listings - they must be sold out?). It's definitely on my to-try list if I ever fail to get my hands on Oxbow again! And hey, it's half the price of Oxbow. :thumbup

 

[BunnySilver]

Omg Sasha just looks more and more like my Silver is these pictures! Too cute!

 

[whiskylollipop]

Merlin today:

I'm on the other side of the bed with my laptop. He jumps up here to romp around a lot, but this is the first time he's ever flopped out on the bed with me. :hyper:

Had an argument with bubs last night. We're not ready for a cat... sigh.

Update: Merlin just peed. Little shyte.

 

[**SRonchi1]

I'm in Nz and give my buns Country Harvest rabbit- it's the one without Coccidiostat and is a good quality basic pellet- the little chintas I found had a lot of seed and colourful bits which I wouldn't feed to my buns.

My buns just nibble abit of pellets but prefer their edible weeds, dried rose leaves, branches & dried herbs with fresh herbs and lots of hay & they have been doing great. I to looked into Oxbow but the only place that stocked it was the exotic vet in Auckland & I have 7 buns so

 

[**SRonchi1]

**so I would need lots of bags each time!

 

[pani]

Aw Merlin, so cute flopping with mum!!

Sorry to hear about the cat.

 

[Ana_The_Dreamer]

Just wanted to say how much I enjoy reading your bunny blog! I hope Merlin and Sasha start bonding soon, I imagine that's tough. Oh, just for the record, Merlin looks SO much like my girl Nessa.