# The Life and Adventures of Hopscotch (and her lucky family)!



## redjess (Aug 12, 2011)

Hi, I'm Jessica (and I'm a redhead = redjess lol)! I'm going to warn you I LOVE my family and my animals and I take a lot of pictures. I am so happy to have found people who love animals to the point that everyone else thinks we are nuts most of the time. :biggrin2:Ok off now to the important stuff..... 

We JUST got Hopscotch, a 6 month old Flemish Giant,last Sunday! Unfortunately we had a space in our household open up. We had a hamster, Little G, named after my boyfriend who bought him for my daughter 3 years ago, pass away a month ago. Sorry to start on a sad note. On the bright side I realized my daughters are old enough now for something bigger...... a rabbit maybe.... or even better a HUGE rabbit..... oh I know, maybea Flemish Giant rabbit!!!!! :yahoo:So the search was on! 

But first in honor of our sweet Little G here is a pic of his cuteness:







Now adding an animal is a big decision, so I had to take into account if a rabbit would be a good addition for us and for the rabbit. So first to consider were my two daughters! My girls are 14 and 11. They are amazing, responsible,and they love animals as much if not more than I do. 

My girls






My oldest, 14, starts High school on Monday!! (Yes I am freaking out, I can't believe she is this old and has her first boyfriend!) :shock::scared:

Ok next to consider were our darling "babies" Drake and Cookie our crazy cats. We adopted Cookie a yearago from the SPCA during a trip to help my boyfriend's parents find a cat. I almost didn't go because animals in need aremy weakness. Well I was strong, I did my hardest to NOT fall in love and come home with a cat. Luckily Cookie made my boyfriend fall in love!!! I was SO excited when I found out he is a softy just like I am. All it took was for him to mention he was interested in the kitten, next he had to talkME out of getting TWO. Now my sweetie, Drake was adopted by his parents the same day, they got 3 catsthat day. Unfortunately one of the 3 HATED poor Drake and would beat him up. So Drake did the smart thing and made best friends with me, so he is now my baby. :heartsSo I did my research and found out cats are normally good if not great with rabbits. YAY!

Drake and Cookie LOVE each other. Cookie is the one with more white. They are spooning. lol






Okay next I had to consider our other babies (not really turtles are harmless, I just wanted to show pictures lol.) We are turtle CRAZY! In fact we are known as "The turtle people"So these are some pics:

Lois, she is a Sulcata Tortoise and the prettiest girl in the world.





My Itty Bitty, he was rescued from a low abandoned pool and his mud turtle gang:






I have MANY more turtles and pictures, but I will save those till later!

So there was one more hurdle to getting our Hopscotch, my amazing boyfriend, Geoffrey. :biggrin:I am the luckiest girl in the world to have a man who loves me so much and puts up with my wanting every animal. It took some convincing but Geoff said YES, we can get our big bunny!!! :woohoo (But "he wasn't picking up poo or cleaning the cage." LOL! I said DUH, you have never even cleaned the litter box one time, since YOU fell in love and had to get Cookie. lol) So here is a picture of me and my very loved, amazing man:






So since we decided a rabbit was a GREAT fit for our family my search for our new family member began.............. to be continued with lots of Rabbit pics!!!!:bunnyheart Yes I know this is mean to not even post one bunny pic, sorry! But, I want to tell you the WHOLE story of our new girl.


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## Kipcha (Aug 12, 2011)

Awesome start to a blog! Is that your horse?

Can't wait to see Hopscotch pics!


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## MiniLopHop (Aug 12, 2011)

So glad you started a blog! I'm looking forward to more. I love all your animals, it's great having a multispecies home


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## redjess (Aug 12, 2011)

Thanks to both of you! No the horse is not ours, it is our sister-in-law's. Her name is Paris and SPOILED! She even gets to dress up, have pink and purple in her hair, and gets her hoofs painted with safe glitter colors. lol

Ok so now back to my story! 

So now we knew we wanted to add a rabbit to our family but we needed to find the right one. I did tons of research and came across the Flemish Giant. Holy cow, there is a rabbit that gets as big or way bigger than a cat???? :shock:I had to know more. The more I read about this breed I found out what great animals they were. Since we were looking for a "house rabbit" the Flemish sounded perfect. One of the biggest points to me was the size, since it would have roam of most of our house, along with our two cats.

I wanted to find a rabbit that was in need of a home. For weeks I checked local rescues, animal shelters, ads, and craigslist. Then one day there she was, right on craigslist. I fell in love that moment. The ad told her age, personality, that she had grown up with free roam of the house, was potty trained (this part is still debatable ) and had cute pictures. It was wrote by someone who loved her very much. So why was she looking for a home? I called right away, I was busting at the seams! I talked to her old family and found out they had both lost their jobs and were being forced to move in with a family member in another state. The apartment they were going to had a strict "no rodent" policy. They were moving right away and the next step was animal control for her. They wererelived to hear from a familyand wanted to meet us.Soooooo, when could I see her???? They were out of town and we would have to wait 4 days till they were home. ullhair:This is when I started driving my family and coworkersnuts with non stop talk about a rabbit that I didn't even know if I was going to get or that they would give to us!

Luckily we hit it off and I got to bring my new baby girl home. Since the day we brought her home I have spent more time laying on the floor then in all of my 32 years put together. :biggrin:

Ok here are some pics: sorry to have made you wait so long!

The ride home from her old home. I was shocked that Hopscotch didn'tseemed to be bothered at all by the car ride.Look at my daughters face. 






This is the cage they gave us. We only had her home for about 10 mins at this point. She will be getting a much larger cage, and after a week this one looks totally different. Also this is her kinda miserable. Poor Hopscotch was COVERED in fleas. You could see them crawling ALL over her eyes, face, nose, fur. The first thing I did the next day was make a trip to my Vet, without the rabbit. He gave me Advantage for kittens and we only used half a dose. It worked so well and as soon as we applied it you could see her get happier by the hour. 






This was the cats, but she stole it.






This was the cat's also, she stole it too. lol






The way she sleeps scared me the first time! She was doing this since the first day we brought her home. Her old owners said she is a confused bunny that thinks she is a cat. You can even vacuum around her and she still sleeps like this!




























The end for the moment!!!


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## plasticbunny (Aug 12, 2011)

So pretty!!

Enjoy her, they are the most amazing companions :biggrin:


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## redjess (Aug 12, 2011)

Thanks plasticbunny! 

*Our Princess Cookie finds out there is "Somebunny" new in the house!!*

Yay! My Mommy bought me a new cat toy! I LOVE it!






Holy smokes, my new toy has a fuzzy, white, ALIEN in it! :?






It's okay, that alien with the HUGE ears will NEVER reach me up high here!






UT-OH!!!! I'm in trouble!






Ugh I really am not liking this stupid fuzzy white alien thingy! :shock:


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## gemgnir (Aug 13, 2011)

Oh my goodness! She is the size of my small dogs! How hilarious! Your girls seem very sweet, and love all the photos of the kitties and turtles! My hubby and I like tortoises...Once there was a Russian Tortoise in the pet store, and we went to visit him several times and called him "Tucker".. then he was bought. Sigh. That's the closest we ever came to obtaining a tortoise!  She is gorgeous. I love the pic of her little bunny butt!


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## slavetoabunny (Aug 13, 2011)

Hopscotch is gorgeous! I can't wait to see more pictures. Maybe I'll even get to meet her someday!!


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## MagPie (Aug 13, 2011)

Wow love her big ol' ears. I have a 4 lb rabbit that does the same thing with my cats (one is 12lbs the other 22lbs) and they both scatter, which cause bunny to chase the cats


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## funnybunnymummy (Aug 13, 2011)

:bunnyheart

Rue


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## Wabbitdad12 (Aug 14, 2011)

Such a beautiful bunny. One of our cats once took a swat at one of my flemmies ears once. The flemmie chased the cat and our kitty has never bothered her again.

I am glad you were able to give this bun a new forever home.


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## redjess (Aug 14, 2011)

Yeah the cats are coming around well. Cookie still is a little freaked and jealous, she is used to being the spoiled one. Drake loves the new bunny and plays/chases and shows it all sorts of bad habits, like running at top speed across the back of the couch and how to jump from the couch to the coffee table. 

I had a wonderful bonding time with Hopscotch today, I think she is starting to know I am the new Mommy! This morning I couldn't sleep so I was laying on the couch and she jumped up, gave me kissesand fell asleep on my chest. :heartsShe got up and started playing around me making what sounds like little pig noises. Is this the sound they make when they are happy that everyone keeps talking about?

I am having problems with the potty training. I was told she was potty trained. She IS not. I have done a lot of reading on this and I am hoping it is because she is in a new place and needs time to adjust. My daughters and I are on constant poo duty, :shock:. 

Now on to the fun stuff!

*There is an Identity Crisis in our House!*

Hopscotch gets a "treat" when I go to the fridge. Cookie the cat gets jealous so she takes it upon herself to steal the kale! 






Turns out Cookie is a lettuce loving freak! Not sure if she really likes it or is just eating it out of jealousy. She even eats from the greens now from the other side of the plate now when I feed the bunny. lol






So the rabbit then got confused and started eating cat food. (Don't worry we found a new spot for the cat food.)






Then there was the whole, "This is the biggest rat in the whole world!" thing. They really liked each other and tried to groom each other. Who knows it might be love.....


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## gemgnir (Aug 14, 2011)

HAHAHA!! Your poor animals! Oh they are all so precious! Did you see the Flemish Giant that needs a home in my town? *sigh* My best friend, her husband, and my husband are going "Oh here we go again..." Hehehe! Maybe I should not read your blog until the bunny is taken off of craigs list.. I'm driving the hubby nuts! Your Flemmie is DARLING. And she laid on your chest?! *dreamy* 


Meg


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## redjess (Aug 15, 2011)

*gemgnir wrote: *


> HAHAHA!! Your poor animals! Oh they are all so precious! Did you see the Flemish Giant that needs a home in my town? *sigh* My best friend, her husband, and my husband are going "Oh here we go again..." Hehehe! Maybe I should not read your blog until the bunny is taken off of craigs list.. I'm driving the hubby nuts! Your Flemmie is DARLING. And she laid on your chest?! *dreamy*
> 
> 
> Meg


Ha ha yes I did look at the ad, ADORABLE! I did debate it myself, then I realized where you live. :shock:I was SO excited that she started sleeping on me, I was afraid to breathe. She has been letting me pick her up the last two days when needed, before she would freak out.


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## redjess (Aug 15, 2011)

slavetoabunny, you can count on it! Thank you for being SO kind to me, you are an amazing lady!

@ MagPie and Wabbitdad12 Thank you and the cats and the rabbit together crack me up. It is like my own personal comic strip, lol.


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## gemgnir (Aug 15, 2011)

Haha, I know! Darn having to live on the opposite sides of the country, right?! We're originally from North Carolina, so we know just how long of a trek it is! 

I'm glad Hopscotch is getting used to everything and letting you pick her up! She sounds like a real sweetie. My hubby did say yesterday "Well, a giant bunny WOULD be pretty cool." Ugh! Don't tease meee! Haha!


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## MiniLopHop (Aug 15, 2011)

Meg- LOL yeah my husband did the same thing. Now I'm sending him all kinds of pictures of flemmies from here, including hopscotch to try to convince him to say yes. There happens to be a beautiful flemmy girl at our local rabbit rescue 

I know, redjess, you could send me hopscotch! That way Becky can help with the litter habbits


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## gemgnir (Aug 15, 2011)

MiniLopHop wrote:


> Meg- LOL yeah my husband did the same thing. Now I'm sending him all kinds of pictures of flemmies from here, including hopscotch to try to convince him to say yes. There happens to be a beautiful flemmy girl at our local rabbit rescue
> 
> I know, redjess, you could send me hopscotch! That way Becky can help with the litter habbits



Arg!! They just don't know what it does to us! It makes it that much worse when I know there's that handsome big boy just waiting for me to commit. Sigh! It is not our time, however, and I will just appreciate it that much more when the time comes that the hubby says yes. Heck, maybe he'll surprise me one day!


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## MiniLopHop (Aug 15, 2011)

oh that is an idea. I will ask for one for my birthday or Christmas. That's how I got Becky last year


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## gemgnir (Aug 15, 2011)

Hahaha! Christmas is just around the corner!


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## redjess (Aug 16, 2011)

lol You guys are crazy funny! :biggrin:

Ok Hopscotch has been here for over a week now and settling in wonderfully. The potty training is driving me nuts. I keep reading and watching videos on potty training and everything I have tried so far isn't working. :?I keep reading about how it takes 1 day to a couple of weeks. My Hopscotch is NOT a 1 day gal lol. I'm still holding out hope it is just her getting adjusted, but it has gotten worse. She poos everywhere. It is like hop, poo, hop, poo. lol I read this scattered poo thing is territorial. There isn't just one spot she goes even when she is in her cage, it is everywhere. I have been caging her at night and I think she saves all her poo all night so she can run around and spread her "love" in the morning. lol The worst part is she has started to pee by the front door and a couple other spots. I have been running around after her spraying vinegar solution to clean so hopefully she won't smell it. Also There are no longer floor rugs anywhere in the house because these are her favorite to go on, so I removed them. Also I have seen her do the "circle spray" thing 3 times, and all 3 times by the front door. Our front door is in our kitchen. Should I block her from the kitchen for awhile and see if this stops? My biggest worry is this is her telling us she is not happy or feels threatened.She rubs her head on everything in the house all day, I read this was a scent thing, establishing her space. I have also seen my female cat go right back and rub her face on all the same things. Are they fighting for territory?

On a lighter note I have found out she LOVES ice! I can put 2 ice cubes in a dish and it keeps her HIGHLY entertained! It is great for when I have to walk out of the room for a few. I think I am going to make her bunny safe popsicles with greens and a little fruit for special treats. (Oh boy my friends think I lost it, wait until I start talking about bunny popsicles. :headsmack) :biggrin:

Even funnier, my Geoffrey opened up the computer and found out about my Hopscotch blog. Let's just say I got a really odd look and a smile. After letting me know this is a reason he loves me, he made a comment about how he can't think of a bigger waste of time. I let him know that the reason he didn't know about it was because I only write it while HE is playing Call of Duty (It's a shooting game)on his xbox, with his nerdy headset on talking with all his friends.
The next day one of his xbox buddies was over and LOVED Hopscotch and has been thinking of getting a rabbit too. His xbox buddy asked for the link to my blog.


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## gemgnir (Aug 17, 2011)

Hehehehehe..... thinking about bunny popsicles. Reminds me of a joke a friend of mine's father told years ago when it was cold out. "You'd better come inside or you're gonna turn into a PUPsicle! Teehee!" Oh man! So cute to hear an old man say that joke.  

Ben wouldn't even give my blog the time of day, I'm sure of it! And he has nerd-doms too! Fantasy Football. Sheesh! 

Unfortunately, I have no advice to give you regarding the territory and will leave that to more experienced bunny slaves. I did read that it's easier to potty train in a smaller space? Who knows, and I'm sure each bunny is different!  Good luck though!


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## MiniLopHop (Aug 17, 2011)

Has Hopscotch been spayed? That makes a HUGE difference in how faithful a girl will be to her litterbox. The hormones make her crazy territorial, once they die down it's not so bad.

Joshua and I are going to the largest fair around here on Saturday. I'm secretly hoping one of the 4-H kids will have a tan or gray flemmy for sale! sssshhhhhhhh!

My man is a chess geek, professionally. He doesnt' get the bunny blog either, but he's happy that it makes me happy. Last night one of his friends was over and they were playing chess late into the evening. I had to go to bed. I gave him a kiss and had Becky in my arms (she likes to socialise with visitors). Joshua and his friend both gave her kisses on her forehead to say good night to her. I'm hoping the friend gets a bunny. He needs a pet


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## gemgnir (Aug 17, 2011)

MiniLopHop wrote:


> Has Hopscotch been spayed? That makes a HUGE difference in how faithful a girl will be to her litterbox. The hormones make her crazy territorial, once they die down it's not so bad.
> 
> Joshua and I are going to the largest fair around here on Saturday. I'm secretly hoping one of the 4-H kids will have a tan or gray flemmy for sale! sssshhhhhhhh!
> 
> My man is a chess geek, professionally. He doesnt' get the bunny blog either, but he's happy that it makes me happy. Last night one of his friends was over and they were playing chess late into the evening. I had to go to bed. I gave him a kiss and had Becky in my arms (she likes to socialise with visitors). Joshua and his friend both gave her kisses on her forehead to say good night to her. I'm hoping the friend gets a bunny. He needs a pet



Awww... I love seeing the guys lovey-dovey with the animals or kids. So sweet!! Also, I REALLY hope you find an adorable Flemmie. P.S. Please find a grey huge female that's spayed and send her my way. That's not asking so much, is it?!  Oh now I'm looking forward to Saturday to see if you get oneeee!!!


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## redjess (Aug 17, 2011)

*MiniLopHop wrote: *


> Has Hopscotch been spayed? That makes a HUGE difference in how faithful a girl will be to her litterbox. The hormones make her crazy territorial, once they die down it's not so bad.



No she has not been spayed. I am getting her spayed, I met a wonderful lady on here and I am going to make her an appointment here VERY soon. Honestly I didn't want to put her thru the stress so soon after getting her so I wanted to wait about 2 weeks. I figured it was stressful with the move, new people and than surgery might be too much.


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## MiniLopHop (Aug 17, 2011)

I can see waiting a couple weeks, but don't wait so long that her naughty hormonal behaviors become learned naughtiness. It is as stressful for the person as the bun I think. I'm sure she will do great


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## redjess (Aug 18, 2011)

*MiniLopHop wrote: *


> I can see waiting a couple weeks, but don't wait so long that her naughty hormonal behaviors become learned naughtiness. It is as stressful for the person as the bun I think. I'm sure she will do great



The top 2 things on my list to get done in less than 2 weeks are spaying (Hopefully this helps, that and it is good for her) and a MUCH larger cage. I don't really put her in the cage but I started doing so at night just because I'm afraid of her getting into something I don't know about. I've been looking at C&C cages online and I think we are going to go that route. Seems like I can make one big enough for our big girl. 

Thanks for all your help, it is great to be able to talk to someone that actually knows what they are doing. lol


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## slavetoabunny (Aug 18, 2011)

I'm looking forward to booking your spay for you and hopefully getting to meet Hopscotch! As far as housing goes, a large dog crate (I use 48 x 30 for one of my fosters) or else an x-pen works really well. I have 24" high x-pens that I sell for $50 through the rescue.


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## gemgnir (Aug 24, 2011)

I'm right there with you Jess! Levi is going to get neutered here in the next month. Not as invasive (hopefully) as a spay for your big girl, but a surgery nonetheless! Praying all goes well for Ms. Hopscotch.


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