Well after reading a couple of the blogs on here and enjoying them so much, I´ve decided to have a go.
My name´s Chris and I´m the proud bunny mummy to Houdini, Snowy and Bandy. Houdina and Snowy and dutchies and Bandy is a cross angora, think he´s got a bit of Hotot in him. Thought Bandy was a little girl to start but found out after the first three months that he was a little boy as well.
Houdini a week after he was brought home
Snowy snuggling up to the ex
Bandy just arrived at his new home
I didn´t set out to own rabbits as I had a dog for seventeen years which I had to have put down seven years ago as it contracted distemper. I´d had it vaccinated every year but even the vet didn´t know how it happened. It awful to watch my lovely little girl get worse and I had to make the toughest decision I´ve ever made to put her out of her pain and suffering.
In January this year, my boyfriend (now my ex) who is a magician decided to get two rabbits to put in his act. I remember when he brought them home that first day and they were tiny. It was a kids party and I went with him and it went really well but it terrified me when the kids were handling them after as they were so small. As he hadn´t prepared for their arrival, I ended up keeping them in my flat and buying things over the next few days and preparing accomodation for them and trying to rabbit proof my living room. As time went by, we all settled down and I started to read up on everything about rabbits; feeding, training, health issues, etc. I never knew they were such complicated little creatures but loved learning new things about them. Those first months were a real learning curve and I grew to love my two little boys.
Then in May, he turned up one day with another addition, I remember it was a Thursday. Bandido or Bandy as he´s known was just a tiny ball of fur with one black ring and one brown ring round his eyes. He was just adorable and we took him to a first communion celebration on the Saturday and once again, I was so worried about the kids touching him that as soon as he´d appeared out of the hat, I whisked him away so he wouldn´t be scared to death. Don´t know if that was a trigger but on Sunday, he wasn´t very well and his bottom was filthy. He was so tiny that by Monday morning, I called the vet and arranged to take him there. He only weighed 200 grams so the vet had a good look at him, gave him an injection and we took him home and he lived on hay and water mixed with a saline solution and he recovered after a few days. I remember trying to bath his little bottom and then dry it afterwards. It was a terrible few days as I thought he might not pull through but after a couple of days, he was back on his food and back to normal.
He started mixing with the other two and by this time, I´d bought an enclosure which I split in two with Bandy on one side and Houdini and Snowy on the other. They spend together time when they were free in the living room and got on like a house on fire, no fights with any and no troubles. They all started to grow and in July, the boyfriend left but didn´t take the bunnies. Well, not that I´d have let him as by then, they were completely mine. I must admit the Spanish are not really good with animals in the way that the British or Americans or other Europeans are. They don´t really see them in the way that we do, would hardly ever get obsessed the way we do and treat some of them in the most inhumane ways you can imagine. That´s why I´m glad they got out of showbusiness, it really wasn´t for them.
They all thought the food was coming
Snacktime....
Bandy was such a cutie...still is
Time for a rest....
Anyway, we all thrived until Houdini and Snowy got to 7/8 months and they started fighting. Not serious fighting just really kissing with teeth; that´s an expression my friend uses
I could feel Houdini had some scabs on his rump when I picked him up and I started to worry then as Snowy is usually so calm and quiet. This continued and although one day I laughed out loud as I saw Houdini racing past my legs with Snowy dragging behind him attached to his back end, I realised that I really had to do something.
I´d read a lot about neutering and had intended, at some point, to do this to all three but money was a bit time and I´d kept putting it off. My mother was due over in October and said she´d pay for it so I booked all three in and we prepared. They went in a Friday morning early and before they closed at 2, I went to collect them with a friend. They seemed to be OK but I´d read that I should separate them, just in case, so I did. After the first couple of days, they were already wanting to be out and about so I let them free in the living room but Snowy and Houdini started to fight and wouldn´t stop chasing each other. Snowy was the agressive one but only with Houdini, he left Bandy alone. I decided to keep them separated as when I put them back in the same enclosure, it was the same story. I hated seeing them like that as they´d always been together and loved each other. I had to adapt their enclosure but really wanted to get them back to normal so I could let them all out together. You can imagine letting Bandy out with one of them and then, after a couple of hours, swapping them round so the other one got play time. I knew it would take a couple of weeks for their hormones to settle down so i waited.
I then found neutral territory, my bathroom and put them together in the bath to see how it went. The first day was quite quick as it was teeth showing from the first minute with Snowy who was the agressive one and trying to bite really seriously. The second day it was a bit better but I had to wear leather gloves as I didn´t want to end up with a nasty bite. I kept them there for around half a hour....and so on until about the sixth day where they started the same but then suddenly flopped down together and that was it....how strange they are. I kept my leather gloves to remind me as the right hand has several tears from Snowy´s sharp little teeth. They still have their own space to sleep but spend lots of time roaming the living room and grooming and sleeping together.
Finally back together...
Now, I just spend my days enjoying all the little things they do. Houdini is the escape artist. He´ll try to get away with anything. I´m sitting writing this and I can hear him chewing. He´s actually in his willow tunnel and enjoying the feast. I´ve had to block off the bottom of my china cabinet as both he and Bandy have been nibbling....little sods. They´ve got food, hay, wood, cardboard and it´s never enough. I don´t know how many mobile phone chargers I´ve had so far...probably around 5 and a few weeks ago Snowy chewed through the TV cable. I have it well off the ground but it had come a bit loose from the plastic tie and he´ll stood on his back legs to reach it and pull it down and nibble on it. I ´m surprised he was OK.
Anyway, I think I´ve rambled on enough for now but just wanted to give a bit of background.
I´ll be back with more news soon....
My name´s Chris and I´m the proud bunny mummy to Houdini, Snowy and Bandy. Houdina and Snowy and dutchies and Bandy is a cross angora, think he´s got a bit of Hotot in him. Thought Bandy was a little girl to start but found out after the first three months that he was a little boy as well.
Houdini a week after he was brought home
Snowy snuggling up to the ex
Bandy just arrived at his new home
I didn´t set out to own rabbits as I had a dog for seventeen years which I had to have put down seven years ago as it contracted distemper. I´d had it vaccinated every year but even the vet didn´t know how it happened. It awful to watch my lovely little girl get worse and I had to make the toughest decision I´ve ever made to put her out of her pain and suffering.
In January this year, my boyfriend (now my ex) who is a magician decided to get two rabbits to put in his act. I remember when he brought them home that first day and they were tiny. It was a kids party and I went with him and it went really well but it terrified me when the kids were handling them after as they were so small. As he hadn´t prepared for their arrival, I ended up keeping them in my flat and buying things over the next few days and preparing accomodation for them and trying to rabbit proof my living room. As time went by, we all settled down and I started to read up on everything about rabbits; feeding, training, health issues, etc. I never knew they were such complicated little creatures but loved learning new things about them. Those first months were a real learning curve and I grew to love my two little boys.
Then in May, he turned up one day with another addition, I remember it was a Thursday. Bandido or Bandy as he´s known was just a tiny ball of fur with one black ring and one brown ring round his eyes. He was just adorable and we took him to a first communion celebration on the Saturday and once again, I was so worried about the kids touching him that as soon as he´d appeared out of the hat, I whisked him away so he wouldn´t be scared to death. Don´t know if that was a trigger but on Sunday, he wasn´t very well and his bottom was filthy. He was so tiny that by Monday morning, I called the vet and arranged to take him there. He only weighed 200 grams so the vet had a good look at him, gave him an injection and we took him home and he lived on hay and water mixed with a saline solution and he recovered after a few days. I remember trying to bath his little bottom and then dry it afterwards. It was a terrible few days as I thought he might not pull through but after a couple of days, he was back on his food and back to normal.
He started mixing with the other two and by this time, I´d bought an enclosure which I split in two with Bandy on one side and Houdini and Snowy on the other. They spend together time when they were free in the living room and got on like a house on fire, no fights with any and no troubles. They all started to grow and in July, the boyfriend left but didn´t take the bunnies. Well, not that I´d have let him as by then, they were completely mine. I must admit the Spanish are not really good with animals in the way that the British or Americans or other Europeans are. They don´t really see them in the way that we do, would hardly ever get obsessed the way we do and treat some of them in the most inhumane ways you can imagine. That´s why I´m glad they got out of showbusiness, it really wasn´t for them.
They all thought the food was coming
Snacktime....
Bandy was such a cutie...still is
Time for a rest....
Anyway, we all thrived until Houdini and Snowy got to 7/8 months and they started fighting. Not serious fighting just really kissing with teeth; that´s an expression my friend uses
I could feel Houdini had some scabs on his rump when I picked him up and I started to worry then as Snowy is usually so calm and quiet. This continued and although one day I laughed out loud as I saw Houdini racing past my legs with Snowy dragging behind him attached to his back end, I realised that I really had to do something.
I´d read a lot about neutering and had intended, at some point, to do this to all three but money was a bit time and I´d kept putting it off. My mother was due over in October and said she´d pay for it so I booked all three in and we prepared. They went in a Friday morning early and before they closed at 2, I went to collect them with a friend. They seemed to be OK but I´d read that I should separate them, just in case, so I did. After the first couple of days, they were already wanting to be out and about so I let them free in the living room but Snowy and Houdini started to fight and wouldn´t stop chasing each other. Snowy was the agressive one but only with Houdini, he left Bandy alone. I decided to keep them separated as when I put them back in the same enclosure, it was the same story. I hated seeing them like that as they´d always been together and loved each other. I had to adapt their enclosure but really wanted to get them back to normal so I could let them all out together. You can imagine letting Bandy out with one of them and then, after a couple of hours, swapping them round so the other one got play time. I knew it would take a couple of weeks for their hormones to settle down so i waited.
I then found neutral territory, my bathroom and put them together in the bath to see how it went. The first day was quite quick as it was teeth showing from the first minute with Snowy who was the agressive one and trying to bite really seriously. The second day it was a bit better but I had to wear leather gloves as I didn´t want to end up with a nasty bite. I kept them there for around half a hour....and so on until about the sixth day where they started the same but then suddenly flopped down together and that was it....how strange they are. I kept my leather gloves to remind me as the right hand has several tears from Snowy´s sharp little teeth. They still have their own space to sleep but spend lots of time roaming the living room and grooming and sleeping together.
Finally back together...
Now, I just spend my days enjoying all the little things they do. Houdini is the escape artist. He´ll try to get away with anything. I´m sitting writing this and I can hear him chewing. He´s actually in his willow tunnel and enjoying the feast. I´ve had to block off the bottom of my china cabinet as both he and Bandy have been nibbling....little sods. They´ve got food, hay, wood, cardboard and it´s never enough. I don´t know how many mobile phone chargers I´ve had so far...probably around 5 and a few weeks ago Snowy chewed through the TV cable. I have it well off the ground but it had come a bit loose from the plastic tie and he´ll stood on his back legs to reach it and pull it down and nibble on it. I ´m surprised he was OK.
Anyway, I think I´ve rambled on enough for now but just wanted to give a bit of background.
I´ll be back with more news soon....
