Funny Bunny Monday Meme*day Twofer

 

Bunya sneaks a treat away from Ethel

Sometimes, Bunya needs a cuddle to get away from Ethel's treat-aggressive behavior.

Which he taught her.

Here Bunya's munching a small piece of their favorite treat, a Probios. It looks like a "crumby" disaster but part of that was because the camera was so close.

Love watching bunnies eat. Their little moufs are just so cute.

(You can also clearly see his cataracts.)

Funny Bunny Monday Meme*day

Bunya and his bowl of oat hay

You know how, sometimes, smaller hay bits (and dust) settle at the bottom of the box or bag of hay? Well, Bunya loves his oat hay but the pieces were getting too small for our usual hay distribution channels. Put it in a bowl and Bunya was a happy camper. Turn up the volume so you can hear him crunching.  (No dust, just small hay pieces in bowl.)

Another bunnies eating video

Bunnies eating dried kudzu leaves in a morning sunbeam

I wish I had their focus.

If the video does not work here, check out the Rabbit Ramblings YouTube channel.

The hay feeder

We won this hay feeder from the online FB auction of the Alabama Rabbit Rescue. (Their Facebook page is here.)

The bunnies love their new hay feeder, especially since it's filled twice a day with third cut hay. Ethel dives in for that singular best piece of gourmet hay... I'd love to know what makes it so.



One time, I came in the room and she was buried so deep she didn't hear or see me until she pulled her head out - and took off like a rocket to hide. She has issues.

I wouldn't be too surprised to find her entirely inside it one day.

Bunya and Ethel eating hay

Just about a minute of bunnies peacefully eating hay. 

That's all. I like watching bunnies chew. Or yawn. Or flop. Or binky.

Clean litter box, fresh hay

Sunday is the bunnies' top-to-bottom, clean-everything day. Here, Bunya and Ethel enjoy a clean litter box and fresh hay.

What makes that perfect piece of hay that they seek? I've always wondered as they sift through. Don't know but a good bet in this case is the third cut hay mixed in. (~38 seconds)

Like I've said, I like watching bunnies eat.

Table for One, or Ethel sneaking some pellets

Bunya is on an all hay diet to make sure he's on the road to recovering from his recent stomach blockage. This will likely be his future forever diet.

Well, that means poor little Miss Ethel is on an all hay diet, too.

But I try to sneak her some pellets when Mr. B is not around. In this case, Bunya was off in the hay cube box and Ethel was playing in their cardboard "warren" under the kitchen table. Ethel now knows that if I tap on a certain door, I am prepared to offer her some pellets or a treat Bunya can't have.

When this video starts, Ethel has finished the first course of pellets but is still hanging out hoping for more. Of course, I caved in and provide more pellets for her surreptitious enjoyment (about 20-ish seconds in). Still love watching bunnies chew.

Bunya's noises

Bunya has started to squeak and grunt when eating. This is a fairly recent development. A prior bunny, Alice, used to "growl"; her little motor was running all the time (a little ruby-eyed white, Alice did not like to be picked up but once you did, her little body melted into you). Other than Alice, we have not encountered "verbal" bunnies.

Turn sound up and listen. Filter out the crunching sounds of a small piece of Probios he was munching as a treat for taking his meds. He sounds like he needs WD-40. If this is indicative of any bunny condition or illness, please let me know.

One day at the hay buffet

Lucy and Ethel eating hay together. About 20 seconds in, Lucy periscopes for some more hay. Lucy had quite the Dutch bunny bootay. As you can see, her center of gravity was so low, she could lean over like Michael Jackson in Smooth Criminal.

There are two kinds of hay there, well, different "cuts" of Timothy hay. The "first cut" is the coarser, with more roughage or fiber. That's the one they are eating. They also get a variety of "treat" hays in smaller quantities (but not alfalfa - they are too old for that).

(This was a few days before Lucy passed.)

Treat!

Bunya, Lucy & Ethel enjoying the dried willow leaves treat purchased at GHRS's annual Bunnyfest. (~1m28s)

P.S. Happy Birthday, Marilyn!

One day at the bunny bistro

Just another day in bunny-land. This bistro has two sections: pooping and non-pooping.

Or perhaps it's more that Lucy was in the main dining room and Bunya was at the dessert bar. Yeah, I guess that sounds more appetizing. If there was sound, you could hear the hay cubes thumping the bottom of the box, but the TV was on... a restaurant show, ironically.

The box is where the bunnies get their hay cubes. Theoretically, it's to help reduce the spread of hay cube dust. And stepping on an errant hay cube is similar to stepping on a Lego. Of course, the contained box concept is ruined when Lucy comes and bosses the chunks of hay cube out of the box and to wherever she decides to take them.

Ethel stops by to check out the dessert bar menu, but since she had eaten there earlier, she passed the second time.

Earlier...

Ethel: Well, if the paparazzi is going to stick his camera
in my face while I'm trying to eat, I'm leaving.

[And she did.]

Bunny enjoying banana treat (video)

Ziggy nomming some nanner...

Post by Mango Steen.

Bunny fruit tray

The bunnies are enjoying a fruit tray, little pieces of banana, grape and blueberry (more than they usually at at one time, but it was for the video). In the beginning, the three of them line up and do their cute rapid chewing. Near the end, when Bunya is satisfied there is no more to be had, he cleans up, including the little jerky hand moves and then washes his face.

That healthy bunnies are pretty much self-cleaning is one of their appealing characteristics.

Bunny eating greens at super-speed!

Just for fun!

Bunny care: What is a treat?

Telephone cords.
Well, no, that's another story: bunny proofing.

Let's briefly cover what is food and what is not.

Hay - This is the bulk of a bunny's diet, like 80-85%+. Our trio gets mainly Timothy hay or Western Timothy supplemented by a variety of "treat" hays: orchard grass, botanical hay, oat hay, and so on. ("Treat" hay is our term, mainly because they come in smaller bags than Timothy hay, which can be huge.)
Caveat: Alfalfa is for some young buns and should otherwise be very limited (we don't buy it at all).

"Treat" hays

Selected greens - in limited quantities - give bunnies more vitamins and nutrients. Examples include lettuce (NOT iceberg), parsley, cilantro, carrot TOPS, basil, clover, endive and wheat grass.

Certain vegetables should be very limited - those that might negatively impact the bunnies complex and sensitive digestive system, for example: kale, collards, mustard greens, spinach and broccoli leaves/stems. If a fruit or vegetable is considered "gassy" or "binding", think small amounts or none.

Pellets - Oxbow Bunny Basics/T is recommended by our vet and GHRS. How much depends on weight. If the bunny is under a year old, there is a "baby" version of pellets.

Pellets - Oxbow Bunny Basics/T

Water is also very important. Your bun should have access to a clean fresh bowl of water 24/7. The same with hay. Read this post to find out a way to get your buns to ingest more water.

While discussing feeding your bunnies, it is worth noting that it is good to feed them twice a day. Whatever is the right amount of food for their age and weight, divide by two. This helps them keep the digestive system going. (Not applicable to hay - that's the other 7/24 food, always available).

So, now that we covered a little basic bunny diet, WHAT IS A TREAT?
Other than speaker wires and phone cords.

Exact - We were advised that this multicolored pet food is not a good basic pellet BUT it s fine as a treat. The bunnies think it's special and react that way.

Use as a treat
(not the pellet part of the diet)

Probios - The ones for horses. It comes in apple and peppermint flavors. Our bunnies range between 3-5 pounds so a whole cookie is too much. They end up with maybe about half a cookie a day in total. It is good for their digestive systems and they LOVE it.

Whoever finishes his/her piece first
tries to snatch some away from the others.
They LOVE it.

Papaya - Purchased from our HRS chapter Hop Shop (no sulfur, low sugar). Another treat they LOVE. In fact, this is one way we assess whether our bunnies are sick - if they will not come and eat either a Probios or a papaya piece, something is wrong. The papaya we get from the Hop Shop are diced into little tiny cubes about 1 cm per side.

Hay cubes - Compressed Timothy hay. They love to nibble on them. We toss them in a box they can hop into, but they sometimes carry them off to eat. You will know where by the little puddle of green "sawdust". Stepping barefoot on a hay cube is a little less painful than stepping on a Lego (that's why we try to get the bunnies to enjoy them in a dedicated purpose box).

Hay cubes - of Timothy hay

Carrots - Are like doughnuts are to a human. So ignore Bugs Bunny and only give them a little, like the size of your small fingernail. The green tops - a different story; the bunnies love them and that part can be a part of their regular greens rotation.

Fresh fruit - The bunny is small and it's unhealthy for them to pack on the pounds, so think small portions (a piece about pinkie fingernail size). Our bunnies like: pineapple, blueberry, apple, banana, grapes, melon, peach, pear, strawberries ...

DANGEROUS TREATS
Unfortunately, some pet food companies sell treats that are bad for bunnies; one of the little furries on the package may be a bunny. When we first had Bunya, we gave him those and he loved them, but we stopped once we learned better. Avoid the ones with seeds and yogurt; the chart above has a little list of never foods for bunnies (little longer list below).

ABSOLUTELY NO - THE NEVER FOODS:
Bread, Cabbage, Chocolate, Cookies, Crackers, Cereals, Corn, Nuts, Onion, Pasta, Raw potato or skin, Rhubarb, Seeds, Sugary treats,Yogurt drops, Human snack foods - don't share them with your bunnies.

(Came across this in 2016)

So, there are plenty of treat alternatives for bunnies. Just keep in mind an overall "how many treats have I given my bunny today?" limit. Wish I could do the same for me.

Great bunny care advice is on the GHRS website, including a section on "Your Rabbit's Diet".

What makes that perfect piece of hay?

Often wondered, what makes that special piece of hay that the bunnies go after?

In a fresh littler box, Bunya, buries his face
under a pile of 5 or 6 different kinds of hay
to find that one perfect piece that Paul Masson would bless.

Lucy really likes our home-made hay server. Of course, it's atop a litter box, since efficient little bunnies often like to eat and poop at the same time. All of them, especially Lucy, will work on one of the holes that has the flavor she wants. She will eat a little cave into the container of hay, to get the ones she's after.

One of these days, we will have to conduct a hay taste test.

Ever been too tired to eat? How about your bunny?

Personalities revealed ...

All three started eating.
Ethel is finished and flops in place,
with a good stretch, bracing her feet against the pen.

Bunya and Lucy continue eating.
No surprise, Bunya.
Lucy never takes her eyes off of you. No surprise there either.

Ethel ignores all and nods off.

Shortly after everyone's had dinner,
it's a group snuggle ...
our little Bunmuda Triangle.

The bunnies know their treat containers

Back to the "bunnies are smart" theme, check out this Bunny CSI adventure starring Bunya and Alice.

Extracting the Exact
(All such plastic containers are thoroughly cleaned before being used for pet treats.)

Pawing the Probios
We think this is their favorite treat -
they will start running for the container
as soon as they hear us unscrewing the top
(this treat is good for their digestion).

It is amazing what they pick up on when they think a treat may be involved. If I just get up to walk in the direction of the kitchen, I have a little buntourage hopping along with me. Never mind that seconds before, they were in one of their little flopped together piles of Bunmuda Triangle, seeming barely awake. Or scattered to the four corners of the basement in search of adventure and just the right piece of cardboard to rip, tear and chew. Even if it was not my intent to go for a treat (for them, anyway), more often than not, they turn out to be right. A piece of papaya or something makes it their way. They have trained me well.

And heaven forbid my snack is in a crinkly bag that sounds like one of their treat bags. I will be sitting in my chair and instantly will have three little bunnies staring up at me from my right side. "Puppy dog eyes" can't hold a candle to three sets of "bunny may I pleeeeease have a treat" eyes.
So I have just started keeping their treat containers next to my chair.
I am such an easy touch. And they know it.
As I said, they have trained me well.

Does your pet know where you keep the good stuff?