Friday, November 20, 2015

Bumper buns!

If River rammed into Simon with any more force, she would've flipped over him!  I love the "What?" look she give afterwards.

Thanks for visiting the blog and we hope you have a great weekend!  We'll be back with more bunny cuteness on Monday.

8 comments:

CareBear Kemping said...

Hi! So watching your videos I noticed that you used really effective treats! What kind are those? What do your ADORABLE bunnies enjoy most? Thanks for all your posts, my mom and I have been "binge" watching them all day and "awwing" and laughing at your bunnies. I have a little lop eared bunny named Tippy and he has only spent a week here and trying to get him acclimated to his new home and us. If you have any advice for him and us it would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

CareBear Kemping said...

Okay and also to add, when we bought him we were told he WAS neutered but the first day we had him he humped my arm and has been since along with circling my feet every time I stand up. We have looked at many resources but have found nothing. We previously thought that it was the smell of our old rabbit who recently passed away but we still are unsure of what is up. Can neutered bunnies still perform mating characteristics? Thanks again

Courtney said...

Hi! Aww, thank you so much--glad you liked them! As for the training treats, I used uncooked old fashioned (rolled) oats. I probably had 1 Tbsp in the little scoop for training two bunnies and only allowed them a mouthful whenever they completed the trick, so that lasted for quite a while. You just don't want to give too many treats of any kind per day because they'll be too full to eat their hay or greens and that can cause GI stasis issues. To help Tippy get used to you, spend a lot of time down on the floor at his level just sitting there and talking quietly--let him make the approach and slowly reach out to pet his head. Always make sure your movements are slow and deliberate--you don't want to startle him into running off. When he's more comfortable with being pet on the head you can move on to petting his back then his sides. Gaining their trust is a huge thing with rabbits and you need that before trying to train them. Also know that most rabbits are NOT fond of being picked up because they assume whatever picks them up is trying to eat them. Even now after almost 4 years, Simon and River still don't like it and will sometimes struggle--generally, I only do that for nail trimmings or to give medicine. A really helpful site for rabbit health and behavior info: http://rabbit.org/ Hope this helps! :)

Courtney said...

Some neutered bunnies can show mating characteristics not long after their surgery (usually only until their hormone levels drop within a month or so). It may not hurt to ask where they had him neutered and the vet's name who did it just so you can check with them (and have the name of a rabbit-savvy vet for later on).

The behavior you're describing is what Simon showed prior to his neuter. After he had his done, all that stopped almost instantly. Granted, bunnies use humping as a dominance display, but generally not the way you're describing with him circling your feet (a bunny version of "I love you").

I'd suggest taking Tippy for a wellness check at the vet and ask them for their opinion on if he was really neutered or not (assuming you've never noticed his testes descend since you've had him and he's over 3-4 months old--typical bunny puberty age for dwarf breeds). Hope this helps! :)

CareBear Kemping said...

Thank you so much! We were told he was neutered when we bought him but he is currently a year and a half years old. Wondering if we could keep in contact for more tips (hahaha Tippy) and update you on if he is neutered or not? Thanks again!!!! Oh and also it is funny because he only seems to do this to me not to any one else in my family. Guess he loves me best ;)

Courtney said...

You're very welcome! It definitely sounds like you're Tippy's favorite human!

I'd love to hear what you find out about Tippy and how he's doing. Feel free to ask any questions and I'll do my best to answer them or point you in the direction of a source that might have the info you need. :)

CareBear Kemping said...

Thanks! This is our 3rd bunny so we have some experience but knowing how to make him happy helps!

Courtney said...

Then you're like us--the more ideas to keep them happy and healthy the better! I think we end up learning a bit more with each bunny we have. Still not sure how many it takes to achieve "expert" level, but darned if we're not trying! :)