# Learning to Speak "Rabbit"



## Dashinthezoo (May 30, 2012)

So, I thought this would be an interesting way for my husband and I to document our adventures into rabbit-dom. 

First, I must mention, my husband once owned a rabbit who lived to be roughly 8-10 years old. His name was Beethoven and he was a 4-H bunny. He enjoyed the high life as far as I know and enjoyed chasing cats. David's sister also owned a 4-H rabbit who was less than...friendly.

Anyway, Dash was an accident. Sorta. I fully admit that I kind of poked and prodded to get him to come home with us. My husband had mentioned having a rabbit before and I thought, oh! Fantastic idea. Er...but I know next to nothing about rabbits.

Keep in mind that I worked at a pet store at the time. Most of our rabbits were fairly obvious heinz 57s. I don't ever remember our store getting in Dash, but by the time he came in, I would have been moved over to the grooming salon as a dog groomer.

I wasn't there the day he was dropped off and the other groomers attempted to free him from the majority of his mats. The owners claimed he had mites and had chewed and scratched himself so matted. They were angry at us because they said we were the ones to gave him the mites (though they fully admitted to using wood bedding), despite none of our other rabbits having mites. They told us they kept him outside. They were angry too because their 4-H leader told them he was a mixed breed and they only wanted a purebred rabbit. We told them we never guaranteed our rabbits were purebred. After being shaved down, he was put in quarantine in our backroom. He sat in the corner of his cage and didn't interact with the people who fed him. The only thing he did was empty his food bowl as quickly as possible. I visited him often and held him and rubbed ointment on his roughed up skin.

Three days in a row, I told my husband how sad I was for this little rabbit. How he seemed so depressed. How the pet store was trying, but unable to give him the attention he needed. The day before my last day there (did I mention I was changing jobs in the midst of all this?), I had my husband come and meet him. Dash looked up at us and came out of his corner. My husband, very matter-of-factly, picked him up by the scruff and bum and went over him. "He's pretty thin, and he's got some horrible dandruff...And...God, is that a mat?" I nodded, we hadn't been able to get the mats out of his armpits, they were just too close to his skin. Suddenly, my husband put his face in the rabbit, holding him close. After a minute, I realized he was crying. He looked up slowly, "How can people be this cruel?" I shook my head.

The next day, he came home with me.

He lived his first week in what would amount to a 20 gallon cage. I knew it was too small, but it was all we had to offer. We let him out daily starting then, confining him to the office and bathroom. His first day, he jumped, what seemed, for joy. Leaping and twirling and wiggling his feet. We let in one of cats the following day to see how she would react to the rabbit. She was a kitten I had hand raised from 2 weeks old, named Hannelore - Hanners for short, who is about as ADHD as they come. For about fifteen minutes, she followed him around, poking him in the rear and the face and the ears, pouncing on his tail and following him with a twitching tail. Then the rabbit, still unnamed, put his face in hers, sniffing her. And quite suddenly, jumped at her and took off in the opposite direction. He was inviting her to play? What little I knew of rabbits, I hadn't known they played. I was worried, so I kept an eye on them, and every time they'd settle, he'd reinitiate.

The next night he gained his name Dash. Bouncing around and dashing around with the cat. We let in our other cat, a fairly chubby siamese mix with crossed eyes and a personality like a kitten, named Sedgewick. Sedge stared at the rabbit. The rabbit gazed calmly at him. Sedge poked him in the face, the rabbit flickered his ears and calmly started grooming himself. Sedge sat back, Dash jumped forward. Sedge whined, his tail like a bottle brush and hid under the desk. Dash looked at me, as if to say, "Really?" I let Hanners in and they dashed around the room, frequently bothering the hiding Sedgewick.

After about a week, we moved Dash into an old aviary cage, roughly three and a half feet tall by three and a half feet wide. We got him a little wooden hut, a new food dish, a wicker ball with a bell inside and a cardboard hay roller. While we have been working on putting a second level in, Dash has patiently enjoyed trips to the outside, where he binkys high and often at the old apple tree and neighbor's cat (who is usually on a tie out - he has a tendency to stray) and the neighbor's grandkids, time learning how to jump over the feeble excuse for a gate we have to keep him in the areas of the kitchen and dining area (both of which have laminated floors for easy cleaning). We've started brushing him regularly, usually every other day or so, particularly if he's been outside in his jacket (a harness and leash combo, something I'm wary of with his long fur). He is officially free and clear of all mats as of two days ago.

So...that's the beginning of the story...I figure I will post more about his life as time goes on. He's a joy in our lives that I never thought a rabbit could fill. And despite what my mother in law thinks, he's here to stay.


Oh, and some before and after shots:


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## ZRabbits (May 30, 2012)

Thanks for sharing your adventure into the Bunny World. Look forward to following your adventure. 

And definitely would love to see pics of all your critters. Rabbits amaze me how they can befriend all types of species. My buns love the interaction with our dog, Jake. 

K


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## kmaben (May 30, 2012)

First of all he looks like such a sweetie!! Second of all some people just suck at life. I dont understand why people think rabbits are "throw away" animals. I am so glad he found a forever home with you! Looking forward to his blog and more pictures! i love how he plays with Hanners. Need video!


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## Dashinthezoo (Jun 2, 2012)

Well, I don't think this will be a long post, but I did have some things I wanted to share.

First, what my husband said this morning: "How can one little rabbit terrorize so many cats?"
I put Dash out of the cage today as I made my way to the kitchen for some coffee. He and Hanners immediately touched noses and the games were on! First she chased him and then he chased her. Then he chased our two big male cats Okita and Sedgewick. Hanners stalked very conspicuously....

Second, Mr. Peepee McGee...
Whose that? That would be Dash. I mean...I can't blame him entirely for the events that unfolded, but I'm a little disturbed that I am suddenly a human litterbox. 
One lovely afternoon, I had Dash out while I read a book. Hanners was starting to get a bit rough with him and I wanted to spare her another one of his "kicks of doom" that leaves her sulking for the rest of the day and him hopping around like he owns the place. So I hoisted said bun up onto the couch with me and started scratching his ears and petting him. He relaxed quickly and flopped down. It was bliss.
This lasted all of fifteen minutes when he perked up rather suddenly and started poking me and headbutting me and digging at my armpits. Then one hop and he sat on my side, which I responded with "Haha...what are you doing, Dash....Oh god..." As the warm urine trickled down my back and the little pellets caught in the waistband of my jeans, I could only think, "I probably deserved this."

Third and last, Dash has taken over the house.
We were previously able to contain the bun with the clever use of an old rat playpen, which was roughly 12 inches high. We figured we'd have to change it out eventually, but it was working so well for nearly a month.
One day, while I sat in the kitchen doing some bunny research (read as: goofing off on the internet and looking at cute baby bunny pictures), and my husband finished his work for school, Dash hopped around and explored the ins and outs of the kitchen and the laminated breakfast nook.
At the time we were fostering a kitten named Ivy who was gentle as a lamb with Dash, and Hanners was her evil sidekick. Well, no, Hanners lead poor Ivy into trouble and then would leave her in the blink of an eye to get all the blame. Usually we'd find Ivy in the middle of a mess with a look on her face that said she was just as shocked as we were.
Anyway...Hanners was following Dash around having easily scaled our pathetic excuse for a gate. Ivy was walking the barrier like a balance beam. Then Hanners did something ridiculous...Ridiculous because I still do my best not to anthropomorphisize animals if I can. (I'm terrible at that.) Hanners did three to four jumps back and forth in front of Dash over the barrier. I still just thought they were playing, so I didn't pay any attention beyond that.
Fifteen minutes later, I heard exclaimed from the office across the house, "Dash! How did you get out?"

Okay, I lied. Its long. I'm a ramblin' lady, what can I say?


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## Samara (Jun 2, 2012)

I've never met him, but I think I'm in love with Dash. LOL


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## ZRabbits (Jun 2, 2012)

Sounds like Dash has settled in. And yes, they do take over the house at some point.lol

Loved the stories. As your blog states "Learning to Speak Rabbit", it seems you found the clue to when Dash needs to go. That sudden sit up is usually the key. I had to learn it the hard way myself with all my bunnies. lol They all have different signals. 

And Dash sounds like he's having fun with the cats. My Dobby, especially My Kreacher, loves playing with my Dog Jake. You should see the time they have when the game of "Hide and Seek" gets going. It's amazing how well bunnies will adapt to different types of animals. 

K


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## Nancy McClelland (Jun 2, 2012)

When we left Finn out for the first time all night we didn't think anything about it. We use a baby gate in the rabbit room to block the doorway and no one ever climbed over it, and we do have some big bunnies. Came out of the bedroom in the morning and Finn was in the Dining room just looking at me. So now we use two tall boxes to block off the door in addition to the baby gate and his nickname is "Rocket Rabbit" as he zooms all around.


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## SOOOSKA (Jun 2, 2012)

Oh my that picture of Dash half shaven, that poor baby. No wonder your husband cried. He is a gorgeous rabbit. What great care you gave him.

I love reading your blog. Need lots of pictures.

Susan


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## gmas rabbit (Jun 2, 2012)

Poor little soul, thank goodness you found him. Reminds me of the little french angora we rescued from a pet store in Kelowna, a pitful little man. He had so many mats we had him shaved and he had a mohawk until it all grew out. He was the sweetest little guy going. You rescue these babies and they become your best friend for life. Happy to see him looking so great. Talking about rescues, I just now had a squirrel run over my feet in the computer room of the shop. Have to chase him out before he eats a few cords etc. Think he knows that Len keeps his cookies and goodies in here. lol


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## ukcarolm (Jun 2, 2012)

Love your blog and thanks so much for sharing your story. How people can be sooooo cruel to rabbits/animals I'll never know. Thank goodness for Dash you rescued him hi sounds such a wonderful character and looks gorgeous now.


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## MikeScone (Jun 2, 2012)

*Dashinthezoo wrote: *


> This lasted all of fifteen minutes when he perked up rather suddenly and started poking me and headbutting me and digging at my armpits. Then one hop and he sat on my side, which I responded with "Haha...what are you doing, Dash....Oh god..." As the warm urine trickled down my back and the little pellets caught in the waistband of my jeans, I could only think, "I probably deserved this.


He's starting to settle in, and wants to make sure that you're properly marked as his. 

I went through that when Natasha Rabbitova came to live with me, as you can see in her first blog. She had perfect litter habits from the start - except for peeing on me. She also would do the digging thing before she peed, but not always. I got used to sitting with a towel and plastic garbage bag on my lap, which worked well in minimizing the number of changes of clothing I needed. 

Finally, after about four months, Natasha decided she was home for real, and the peeing stopped.


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## MagPie (Jun 2, 2012)

Awww he's a little sweetheart.

And a little side tracked, I see you are a Questionable Content fan :biggrin: Me too


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## Wabbitdad12 (Jun 3, 2012)

Great blog! I had a rabbit that beat up one of my wife's cats after the kitty took a swipe at her ears.

I am glad you are able to give Dash a good loving home.


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## Dashinthezoo (Jun 3, 2012)

I just wanted to respond to some of the responses...I didn't want you to think I was ignoring you all! Lol. Thank you so much for reading about Dash. He's truly a special bunny and we are fortunate to be a part of HIS life. 

And yes, we are totally QC fans. We are actually very nerdy with most of our animals being named after comic, cartoon or television characters. Two of our cats are named after webcomic characters: Hannelore from Questionable Content, and Sedgewick from Lackadaisy Cats - we call him Sedge instead of Wick like the character though because he is...not...er...bright. (*humming a few notes from the song Sledgehammer* He may also be called on occasion Sedgehammer.) Okita is named after an anime my husband watched as a kid. We also have/had two cats named after the Redwall series: We had Taggerung, but she's no longer with us. And Martin the Warrior (or Marty McFly depending on our whimsy that day) is an outside cat who lives under our porch. (We've tried to bring him in, but he only really comes in for the winter.)

Ha. So we have lots of background on our critters' names. If anyone's interested, I can list the other critters in our lives along with what they are. And I guess, why they got their names (I guess I didn't quite say that in the previous paragraph, did I?)

But onto rabbits. I call this post:

Bun in the Sun...

Its true, it was such a lovely day we decided to take Dash outside for a romp in the yard. Being the good bun he is, I imagine his first thought is something along the lines of "SMORGASBORD!!" Which, I believe, will give you some clue as to how he reacts to being put in the grass. No worries on treating our grass with fertilizer...my husband and I are too busy (read as: lazy) to worry what our lawn looks like most of the time. (In fact, its more often than not one of our renters who mows the lawn for us in exchange for a break on his rent.)

To describe our yard as well tended would only benefit our renter and my grandmother-in-law. I'm afraid the time I spend in my garden is usually plucking strawberries from our strawberry patch, or weeding while I'm eavesdropping on the neighbors. Oh yes, I admit it, I'm one of _those_ people. (To be fair, they vacated their house about six months ago and their yard looked like a Life After People time progression piece. When she showed a week ago yelling on the phone about being fined for not caring for her yard, I felt justifiably curious.) Our front yard is fairly small, no more than a sneeze worth of grass and some garden space which has slowly shifted in our two years of marriage from flowers and shrubs to fruits and veggies and sunflowers...so...many...sunflowers...). Our backyard is much larger with an old maple tree and a horrible apple tree that is more trouble than its worth. At the very back of our property sits a barn, mostly unused by us because I think its icky and full of spiders. 

SO! Back onto today...
Dash started his day chasing Hanners and Sedge around the house. I'm happy to say that I found very few pellets and no wee spots, despite my wandering attention. When David came back from church, I proposed an outing. Dash was...nowhere in sight. Erk. Well...that's embarrassing. As I ran to get his harness, David pulled him out from under the bed, and after some struggling, we got him suited up for his journey outside.





Dash enjoying a nibble on the strawberry leaves while Martin looks on.

After about fifteen minutes of hopping around and sampling the yard, a couple of people walked up (they were dropping off weekly advertisements). The lady looked at us concerned, "Is that a rabbit?" David and I nodded smugly. Why yes! And only the best rabbit ever. "Can I pet him?" 

I shrugged, "Sure." 

Dash, who seemed to hear me hopped right on up and stood on his hindlegs while she knelt down next to him. "He's so big..." she muttered. 

"Its all fluff," I responded, perhaps a bit sharply. Am I really getting that concerned over his weight? I think I need to talk to my vet.

After that, David and I moved our shindig to the backyard. More space and I didn't have to worry about strangers questioning my rabbit's pudge. Our renter was moving some things around for his brother who is returning home from the hospital soon (fingers crossed!!), and his truck was parked in the middle of the yard. What curious thing is this? Dash had to investigate...






After winding himself and me around the tire a few times, he started exploring the roots of the maple tree we were sitting against. Each time he would find something new, he would jump around like a madbunny, inevitably getting his feet tangled in the leash. Despite some indignation while we held him still to fix his harness and leash more than once, he seemed to really enjoy our outing today.

I only feel like a got a few good shots of him though. :/ Too bad, will try again later, I suppose.









And finally...the leafbum incident. At one point, its true, we had to pull a twig with leaves still attached off his bum. Dash had this to say, "I'm so ashamed!"


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## ZRabbits (Jun 3, 2012)

Oh so glad to hear you had a beautiful day outside with Dash. Sunlight and fresh is a must for a happy bunny. And don't start me on exercise. My buns enjoyed their day out too. 

And love all the pics. Don't worry, just enjoy Dash and snap away. Thank goodness for digital. I took 107 pictures today. And few came out pretty good. Just think if it was film. Oh the processing costs. 

Really enjoy following your blog. Look forward to Dash's next adventure.

K


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## Dashinthezoo (Jun 10, 2012)

I've been wondering what to write about for a few days. 

We combed out a little long haired rabbit and joked about tribbles. We praised him for sitting so still while we combed out a new mat behind his ear. About our adventures learning about his diet.

I don't feel like any of that is important right now.

Let me start by saying that we live in an area full of feral cats. I make it my mission to tame them and I have succeeded on several occasions. We started with an ugly little tortie cat we named Gargoyle, Gar for short. After that a big orange and white tom named Herb. Two little males showed up who we assume were brothers named Martin and Max. Last was an older longer haired male we named Gizmo for his funny eyes. They all disappeared about six months ago for various reasons with the exception of Martin.

Roughly a month after the other cats had disappeared, the territory was reinhabited by other ferals in the vacuum effect. Most of the other cats stay towards the back of our property and have been hard to tame. One in particular, a tabby and white spotted tom started hanging around the porch where we put out food. It took a couple months, but I could finally come up to him an pet him. It got to the point he would follow me around, whining for food. My husband named the tom Stanley and despite teasing him for his whiny cry, I think he was starting to grow on him as well.

One of the reasons some of our previous cats disappeared, it was suspected that someone in the neighborhood was poisoning cats. I've honestly never been so sick to my stomach as the day I learned that. (It turns out that at least two found homes, with two being unaccounted for.) 

Stanley disappeared for three days. I started going crazy with anger. The poisoner was back, I was certain. On the fourth day, Stanley showed up with long streamers of drool and his stomach looking caved in. With some help, we grabbed him and checked his mouth, noticing a foul smell - like death. I couldn't find any sores, so I assumed he had broken a tooth which was rotting. I felt sorry for him and tried to work out something where I could pay to have some dental surgery done on him.

About a month later, David and I had scrounged the money together. Except...Stanley disappeared again.

I'll just wait for him to come back, right?

Today, after Stanley has been missing for a week, I took Dash out in the front yard. We played some and weeded the garden. It was pleasant out and we enjoyed the beautiful weather.

Except the flies. And...smell...

Behind the sunflowers, under the porch, Stanley lay. He'd been there about a week, if the amount of decay was accurate. Even in his rotten mouth, it was easy to see what killed him. A full bird wing stretched out of his mouth and a little ball of what we assumed was the rest of the bird, lodged in his throat.

Dash was quickly put away an we bundled up Stanley in a plastic bag and a Tidy Cats litter pail. Up at the farm, David dug a hole under the catalpa tree. With the blooms fresh in our noses, we buried Stanley. He was only with us a few months, but - he was a good cat. He loved to be scratched behind the ears. A headbutt was his favorite form of affection, even bypassing purrs. He only ate pates because his mouth was rotting, but when it came to eating or affection, Stanley just wanted loved.

So here's to you, Stan. I'm sorry we couldn't give you a chance at a better life.





And for those hoping for a bunny post, I'll get you one next time.


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## ZRabbits (Jun 10, 2012)

Thanks for sharing Stan's story. My heartfelt condolences for his loss. 

Where I work is a colony of feral cats. Seen lots of babies since I started working there. My employers work with a Rescue group that will capture and neuter/spay. They really cut down the numbers there, but unfortunately the junk yard adjacent to where I work, has feral cats and they come over to us for food, drink and have their kittens. Vicious circle. 

One of these feral cats was named Louie. Louie was this big Gray and White Tabby Male, who had a strange, whiny voice too. Unfortunately, a few months ago, he turned up in the same condition your Stan did. Tried to catch him, but couldn't. It looked like he went through a horrible death when they found him. They buried him on the property. 

I understand your outrage and your hurt. Absolutely disgusting what some will do to an innocent animal. Louie wasn't mine, but he always greeted me every morning with a head butt for a scratch between the ears. Truly miss him. 

Again my condolence. 

K


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## MagPie (Jun 10, 2012)

Ooooh I am also a fan of Lackadaisy Cats 

And sorry about Stan.


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## Dashinthezoo (Jun 27, 2012)

First thing, thank you for your sympathy and support after Stanley died. We had a cat come into the vet office with similar symptoms (in fact, the same ones). I will wait til we get the final word, but I will see what Stanley might have had.

Second, I feel I should warn you that this is post 1 of hopefully 2. I say hopefully 2, because I'll be worried if it takes more time than that. :/ 

We'll call this: Rabbit Palace

We have a problem.

Its sad and its true, but Dash is living in a bird cage...Well, bird aviary. Here it was (as an aviary, because that's what it was originally used for - we had canaries...and before someone asks, yes, it was thoroughly bleached before Dash was put in it):






SO! What have we decided to do about it? Look for a new cage, of course!! Dash is a growing boy and he is very quickly outgrowing his digs, as it were.

Now, my hubby and I are rich in love, but generally pretty lacking in the cash department. Making the mortgage is no problem, but planning ahead is a MUST for large purchases. Cages are most definitely a large purchase. At least, cages at the pet store are. So we began trolling garage sales and CraigsList, to no avail.

David's mother suggested using a lean-to attachment on the garage/barn and converting it into an outdoor hutch.

NO.

So, I began trolling the internet for ideas that could be practical in our modestly sized house. I trolled Google, CraigsList, Pintrest...Then...Yes, that might be possible...

Using a wire shelving unit, some cable ties, corrugated plastic sheets and some ingenuity, it could be done! Today we hit up Walmart, Lowe's and Target...After some very intense searching, we found the buildable wire shelves at Target. We bought one set and decided we'd play with it and work out a new cage for our darling Dash.

Inspired by these (please tell me if I'm not allowed to post these, I understand): http://www.binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/120480/Default.aspx

We have started building our new rabbit palace...I think Dash will be one happy bunny when we're done.

We'll update with pictures later. ;D


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## Dashinthezoo (Aug 8, 2012)

So...the trouble with tribbles is that truly they are never ending. Despite a near daily brushing regime, Dash has managed to get a few mats. Let me start by saying, I am having a truly humbling moment. *Sigh* Admittedly, things have worked out against us in recent weeks. We went on vacation and left Dash in the reliable hands of a friend. Feeling it would be a bit too much, we told them it was fine if they didn't brush him. We were only going to be gone for a week, so that's fine, right? Okay...but then, we lost power for the week we were gone. -.- In horrible hot weather.

What this all means is that now I am trying to chase down a rabbit, who is quickly learning that I am the source of tugging and pulling at his coat to try and shave under his chin and around his rear end. This is NOT the same Dash we shaved as a baby, that's for certain. Baby Dash was malnourished and from what I could tell, had pretty much given up on life. Adult Dash is full of vim and vinegar and is absolutely positively NOT going to sit still, thankyouverymuch!

Any one have any tips for shaving a rabbit? I feel like a monster asking, but I can't think of any way to get the mats out of his chest without hurting his skin. Before the matting, this is what we started getting out of his coat on a regular basis though:





OH! Let me tell you tails of the new rabbit palace as well! 

My darling dear husband and I decided to build our own cage based on some ideas we'd found on the internet. So, we set about it with some cube shelving units, zip ties, corrugated plastic sheets and binder clips, not to mention some fleece scraps and a new litter pan.

Here are the results:

























I am planning on one adjustment though: soon I'll be putting a barrier out of corrugated plastic on the bottom to keep some of the hay and mess inside.


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## JjGoesBounce (Aug 8, 2012)

What a wonderful cage!!!

Jj


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## Dashinthezoo (Aug 8, 2012)

^-^ Thanks, JJ. Dash seems to love it too. He took a couple days to figure out the levels, but I see him on all levels, so it must be a hit. Now the hardest part is getting him to come out! lol


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## agnesthelion (Aug 8, 2012)

Love the cage! Agnes is a climber and loves all her levels too! I'm sure dash will get the hang of it!


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## ukcarolm (Aug 9, 2012)

Brilliant, and I'm sure Dash will love living in his 'new' home!


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