The Happy Bunny Family

[SnowyShiloh]

I thought I'd start another blog for my bunnies! Hopefully I will do better at maintaining this one than some of my past blogs. And I hope people enjoy reading about my bunnies and seeing pictures. I LOVE comments!

So, about my happy bunny family. We live in Fairbanks, Alaska. Dad and Mom are my husband and me. My husband fixes computers for a living and I am a college student pursuing a degree in Elementary Education. At this point I have 1 more year of classes before my student teaching year, but the next year will only be 2 classes each semester so it will be very easy. When I'm not doing school stuff or doing things in preparation for being a teacher (such as growing my classroom library and reading tons of books about teaching as well as children's books), I like to cook, bake, read, do crafty things, and of COURSE play with my babies/pets!

We have 6 pet bunnies. Wouldn't have guessed we'd have that many, but we are very happy with them. I know 6 rabbits sounds like a lot, but somehow it doesn't feel like a lot to me because they all have distinct personalities and I love them all. My bunnies bring me lots of happiness.

Rory is the oldest. He is 4 years old now and a mini lop mix or something. We got him from the animal shelter when he was about 8 months old and it was absolutely love at first sight. He is my big, sometimes grouchy, very quirky loppy boy and I'm completely smitten with him! His special talents include holding his hears up, down, in between, or some combination, biting boy bunnies on the face, sounding like an elephant when he binkies, and being able to melt my heart 100% of the time. Here he is lounging in a mixing bowl for some reason:

Phoebe Mae is almost 3 (she will actually turn 3 on our 1st wedding anniversary). She is a Holland Lop-Mini Rex mix. We got her at 8 weeks old from someone down in Seattle, she was from an accidental litter. Her nickname is Stinkerbell because she has litter box issues. She is a very smart girl, quite sweet, and although she's laid back, she can beat the snot out of much larger bunnies when she feels threatened. Here she is:

We don't have any idea how old Ned is or what breed he is. He's a very special boy with a sad story. I saw him on Petfinder but my husband wouldn't let me get him. A couple weeks later we got a call from a friend asking if we wanted his other friend's rabbit that he just got from the shelter. The friend sent us pictures and I immediately recognized the bunny, but he was missing an ear now! Turns out the shelter staff had put him and another little bunny in a cage with a big male lop and the lop tore off one of each bunnies' ears The friend adopted him but her bunny didn't like him. We agreed to take him in and went and got him then named him Ned. Ned is a complete sweetie. Very, very endearing and loooooves pets and snuggles. He loves food even more! Here's Nedders:

Kerensa is my little darling. She just turned 1 and is a Holland Lop. We're crazy about our little girl. Last summer we got her from a very good breeder at the fair. She was originally promised to someone else and I was heartbroken but the other buyer backed out so we got her! She's a tiny little thing and still looks exactly the same as she did the day we got her (though she's grown some of course and is now about 1 1/2 pound). Kerensa brings me lots of happiness and everyone that sees her loves her because she's adorable and sweet. Here she is:

Maximus is our newest little man! We got him and his sis at Petco last Sunday, they're only 6 weeks old and Mini Rexes. Went in to get litter and a fish and came out with a pair of baby bunnies. The whole litter was ditched at Petco by their owners so they were adopted out. Maximus is beautiful and very sweet. He has a huge personality for such a tiny guy! I've had the pleasure of being bunny slave to 9 wonderful bunnies over the years of all different breeds and MaxMax is THE most hyper bunny I've ever had. He's always go-go-go and quite the wiggle worm! He's also super affectionate, gives jillions of bunny kisses, and comes running whenever the cage door is open because he likes snuggles and pets. I can tell we are going to be in for some adventures with him and I can't wait

Mathilde is our baby girl. She is the sister of Maximus. She is more laid back than Maximus. She does like a good binky and can be quite boisterous but is not a little daredevil like him. Mattie loves cuddles too and can often be found snuggling with Maximus. I love her sweet nature and can't wait to see how her personality develops.

Here's a photo of the babies, Mathilde is in the purple mug and Maximus is in the green one:

Aside from our bunnies, we have 3 cockatiels. Phoenix is our little dude who we hand raised last summer. He is the baby of Arthur and Poppet. All the other babies in the 2 clutches the parents had died. Phoenix is very opinionated, cute, loud, fearless, demanding and hilarious!

Phoenix:

A collage I made of the baby birds (we had 6 in all) and their parents, the 8 by 10 hangs right next to my bed:

And I have to mention my angel bunnies, too. Cinnabun was my first rabbit, a Netherland Dwarf. I got him when I was 10 and he died 7 years later. He is responsible for my intense love and adoration of rabbits. He was a wonderful bunny and will always be missed:



Tallulah was my little girl. She died at 7 months of age after lifelong health issues. I only knew her for 5 months but completely and unabashedly adored her and her death hit me really, really (really) hard. She died 3 years ago but I still think about my baby all the time and miss her. We got Kerensa 2 years after Tallulah's death and I was so happy to finally have a Holland Lop again.

Skyler was my gorgeous boy. He was bred by another forum member and flew all the way from Pennsylvania to Alaska to live with us! He was wonderfully sweet, loved everyone (even strangers), was funny, adorable, and loved food. He died from e. Cuniculi complications just over a year ago. We miss our Kybie and want another Dutchie someday, though no other bunny could possibly replace him. He loved bananas:

So, that is our happy bunny family I hope you enjoyed reading and will come back soon!

 

[SnowyShiloh]

Maximus is so funny! When we brought the babies home last week, they were in a cardboard Petco carrier. I put the box on its side in their cage and they've thoroughly enjoyed sleeping in it, sitting on it, and jumping on and off of it. And putting hay in it! I even found Miss Mathilde stuck in the box a couple days ago, she'd gone inside and somehow it flipped over so she couldn't get out.

Well, the babies have grown a lot in the past week and now the box bends under their weight since it's on its side. For the past few minutes, Maximus has been racing around behind the box, jumping on top, then sliding off it as it bends under his weight, over and over! He's having so much fun and it's adorable. Wish my camera was charged so I could film it.

 

[Nela]

If you heard a real high pitch squeal, don't rush to the bunnies, it was just me, expressing my delight at you having started up a blog again *Bounces around happily* You know I simply can't get enough of your wee ones

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Love 'em all!

 

[megs]

Lowe them!

Aww... I love Neddy! :innocent:biggrin2:

 

[SOOOSKA]

Great New Blog Shiloh.

I look forward to reading ALL the FREQUENT :weee::clapping:inkbouce:updates you will be posting.

I Love all your Bunnies & Birdies.:inlove::heartbeat::hearts

Susan:bunny19:bunnydance::bunnyheart:running bunny:dutch:anotherbun:happybunny:

 

[SnowyShiloh]

Hooray replies I made the blog almost a week ago and didn't have any comments so was kind of sad! Thanks Nela, Larry, Megs and Susan

I got some cute pictures of the babies out in the yard the other day and a funny picture of Mathilde crammed into my shirt pocket. I will post them later today, right now I am at school!

 

[SnowyShiloh]

Here are the promised pictures!

The babies had lots of fun outside. I only let them out for a short while because unfortunately they'd rather eat the grass and dandelions than play. That would be fine if they were older but they're only 7 weeks old. They had a little bit of tummy upset after their time outside unfortunately but it cleared up quickly. We're thinking of putting a tarp down out there so they can't get to the grass but still have lots of space to run and play!

They're just growing like crazy. It's been less than 2 weeks but they seem about twice as big! They're super sweet too. If we have them both on the couch at the same time, it's so hard to keep track because they bounce around everywhere! Earlier they were both on the couch with us and I accidentally knocked Maximus into the trash can that was right in front of the couch :shock: Then the trash can fell over and he started to make a bee line for Rory's cage so I reached over to grab him while righting the trash can. Baby Girl was next to me on the couch and fell into the trash can as I was reaching for Max, then while I was picking her up Maximus leaped out of my arms to Paul... it was a pretty crazy 30 seconds and very funny

Okay, here's a picture of Baby Girl in a pocket:

The shirt is Paul's and I couldn't resist putting it on to get a picture of her

And here are the little ones snuggled up in their litter box. They love each other so much!

We love our babies. We're thinking of changing Mathilde's name because I haven't been calling her that and I'm not sure if it fits right. Top contestants right now are Adelaide aka Addie, Cecelia aka Cessie (I've taken to calling her Sissy which I HATE and figure Cessie is close and acceptable), Gracie, Delilah and Sophie (Nela- ). We shall see! I know it's silly to spend so much time on a rabbit's name, but it's important to me that my pets have names that fit them well. Rory, Kerensa, Maximus and Tallulah were very easy to name, Phoebe took about a week, Skyler was Mylo for about a month (anyone remember that?) and Ned was Paxton for a week or two. Now it's hard to think of Ned and Skyler by any other name!

 

[SOOOSKA]

Shiloh, I love your Blog.

Your babies are adorable:inlove:.

I figured they thought they hit the jackpot with all those danylions. YUM YUM I bet they were saying.

What's your weather been like? OMG it's so hot and humid here, I wanted to take the bunnies out onto the balcony Too HOT and Humid.

Looking forward to more pictures and stories of all your munchkins.:biggrin:

Susan:happybunny::bunnybutt::bunny18

 

[SnowyShiloh]

Susan, I'm so happy that you like my blog Even though it isn't much yet! Do you currently have a blog?

 

[TinysMom]

SQUEAL!!!

You started a blog again!

YIPPEE!!!

 

[SnowyShiloh]

Yay, I'm glad you like it and are reading, Peg I hope my cute bunnies help brighten your day!

So, Kerensa has been feeling extra needy since we brought the babies home. Up until then, she was our little princess and the one we fawned over the most. She is Paul's favorite bunny. Or WAS!!! She did seem like a little bitty bunny but in comparison to the babies, she's a giant hulk of a rabbit and they look like hamsters. Of course she still gets tons of attention but is feeling a little displaced I think. To top it off, I worked out when the babies' birthday is, and... uh oh. It's the same day as Kerensa's! Here she is to tell you how she feels about THAT:

Thoughts?

 

[SnowyShiloh]

Awww my sweet Nedder Doo is sick He has an inner ear infection and has his head turned to the right. His head is only a tiny bit tilted so far but he keeps looking to the right and his poor eyes are scanning back and forth constantly like he's spinning. He does a lot of walking in circles but can walk straight or to the left if he tries. We discovered this at 1 am this morning and rushed him to the emergency vet. They gave him some Baytril and I hope it starts working fast because I want my boy healthy and happy again! I know head tilt can kill so we're quite worried.

Let me tell you, a 1 eared bunny that walks in circles is really pathetic looking and Ned was treated like royalty by everyone at the vet office because he was so heartbreakingly cute. The vet even sacrificed the pear from her lunch to get him to walk around. I only let him have a little since we don't need to add diarrhea to his problems but he sat there and licked the spot on the towel where the pear had been for about an hour. His appetite is definitely intact!

Poor Nedsie I took the shelf out of his cage so he can't get up there and fall.

 

[SnowyShiloh]

I took this picture of Ned a couple minutes ago:

He has a definite tilt now but his head isn't turned to the right as much as it was before. Not happy about the tilt.

Since I'm talking about Ned, this seems like a good time to share some of his nicknames. He's such a sweet bunny and his name lends itself to goofy nicknames so he has a TON. His actual name is Ned Zaccheus Doodle (usually abbreviated to Ned Z. Doodle or Neddie Doodle). Nicknames include:

Doodlebug
Doodle Bear
Doodmeister
Doodster
Neddie bee
Neddie beddie (which doesn't even make sense)
Nedders
Nedster
Nedsie
Neddie Bear
Neddie Beans
Nedderbetter
Doodle Pie
Neddie Pie
The Dood
Nedder Doos
and... Nedsie Boobums. Poor rabbit. In my defense, the 'boob' comes from a German dialect word for boy which is Bub and pronounced like boob. I lived in Austria for a year and my host mother was German Uh I also call Rory "Bubibaer" which sounds like Booby Bear. Paul hates it!

Etc!

 

[JadeIcing]

*hugs*

 

[SnowyShiloh]

Thanks, Alicia!

Ned is holding his own still. He seems subdued today but is eating and everything. I made an appointment for him with his regular vet for Wednesday morning so we can hopefully get more medication. I do believe the emergency vet's assessment of his condition was accurate even though she has little experience with rabbits (she was so sweet and just loved Ned- she treated my first rats 4 years ago and actually figured out what was wrong with them, the first 2 vets failed at that).

The babies are doing great! Amazing how quickly they've integrated into our family. We love our wee ones. I'm really glad we found them 2 weeks ago at 6 weeks instead of this past Sunday at 8 weeks because I doubt we would have brought them home with a sick Neddie on our hands.

Baby Girl still is in name limbo and I fear she'll be Baby Girl her entire life!

 

[Pharfly]

I :heartbeat: Ned! Hope he feels better soon!! Bunnies are adicting! LOL I started off with 1 this spring, now have 2 with 1 possibly lined up, a red satin doe So the collection starts right :brat:

 

[SnowyShiloh]

We just love our bunnies! Our 6 have been acquired over the past almost 4 years. We actually got Rory, Tallulah and Skyler all within about 6 months but the others have been spaced out more like a year apart. I had a bunny as a child though so was very familiar with their care and don't consider getting Rory, Tallulah and Skyler so close together to be a bad thing. So far 6 bunnies is great! I don't see us having any more than that and once we have kids I doubt we'll have as many. NOT that I would ever rehome any of them- the idea is preposterous- just that we wouldn't "replenish" our herd as they pass away. Which is disturbing to think about in and of itself! Stay alive, bunnies!

 

[SnowyShiloh]

I have a bit of good news! Ned's nystagmus is gone and his tilt isn't as bad. We have a vet appointment in the morning and the vet told me over the phone that she would prescribe an additional medication so we can attack the ear infection best as possible. This is a big relief to me! Here is Neddie in the yard earlier today, we went out for just a bit:

In other news, I think we finally decided on a name for Maximus's sister. It's the name we originally picked for her too :foreheadsmack: Mabel! Paul has been calling her that because he likes the name for her. Also today I thought of the nickname Mabs which for some reason I think is completely hilarious and adorable and fits her to a T. I even looked up the meaning and check this out: http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/0/Mab "joy; hilarity; baby" and also the name of an Irish fairy queen. Sounds about right to me. Mabel Hopp aka Mabs it is It's also kind of after my sweet Tallulah, whose middle name was Maesie. I called her Mae Mae 90% of the time. Phoebe Mae's middle name is after Tallulah too (she's Phoebe Marigold, shortened to Mae).

I don't think I shared the background for the name Mabel Hopp here in my blog. My mother-in-law's best friends are named Rose and Mabel. Mabel's last name is Hopp. She makes the best jelly around and always sends us about 20 jars each year (not kidding). She's a very sweet older lady and when I asked a year or so ago if she minded if we ever named a rabbit after her, she was delighted! Maximus's last name is Hopp too of course and we think Maximus Hopp sounds like a bunny super hero His full name is Maximus Speedwell Hopp, Speedwell after a Watership Down bunny and because he is one hyper boy. Don't have a middle name for Mabel yet though

 

[SnowyShiloh]

Poor Neddie! I dilute his Baytril with 2 parts grenadine, but I tasted it and it's still disgustingly bitter. He hates it And the grenadine stains his mouth pink, adding to the indignity of it all. And after the vet visit tomorrow, I will have to inject him with meds every day! Don't get me wrong, I WANT the injectable medication for him, but he sure won't be happy with me. He's such a sweet guy and just tries to run away to Paul when it's medicine time.

For something cheerier, here are pictures of the babies from a few minutes ago! Sorry the blog is so full of pictures of them so far. I always try to get lots of pictures of our bunnies as babies so they've been photographed a lot.

Please excuse any mess in the photos. The blanket is on the couch to protect them from any Neddie germs and I didn't notice until after the photos were taken that the lamp shade is crooked. And all the stuff that looks like it's on the floor in one picture is actually in a cute little pull out basket under the coffee table. I keep my crochet stuff and camera in there and I pulled it out to get the camera out! And the roll of toilet paper on the coffee table is because the babies tend to fling turds as they run around and I like to pick them up ASAP. It's really not that messy in person though

So, on with the show!

I know she looks a little nervous, it's just from the flash on the camera. Sorry, bunnies!

"Mama, watch what I can do!" The babies spend most of the time zooming around the couch and leaping on and off the back of the futon

In the background are Ellie and Perry, an elephant and lion that I crocheted! They hang out on the stairs along with a moose and a creepy as heck stuffed bunny that my mother-in-law gave us.

"Whatcha doin', Daddy?"

"Less pictures, more playing!"

I spy Mabel tongue!

This one is pretty funny. I was just taking a picture of Mabs but as I was pushing the button, Max zoomed in. He's such a show off

I hope you enjoyed! The babies are so much fun.