# Shiloh's Happy Herd



## SnowyShiloh (Jun 1, 2010)

Time for a new bunny blog! 

About us: My name is Shiloh. I live with my fiance, Paul, in Alaska with our 3 bunnies, 5 rats and 2 cockatiels. I'm 25 but still in college because I just had to go and switch majors! I'm going to be an elementary school teacher and love kids as well as animals. My favorite things to do, other than look at, spoil, and cuddle my bunnies, are to read, cook, grow plants, and do any number of crafty things. Paul and I are getting married on August 1st, 2010. He is my best friend and does a great job of putting up with the bunnies even though he claims to not like them. That doesn't explain why I "catch" him petting them every day!

My bunnies:

Rory, short for Rhiordan Blackberry Bean, has the nicknames Wowo, Beanie, Beanie Weenie Tooter Man, and about 5 billion others. It's no wonder none of my pets know their names! He is 3 years old and is a Mini Lop or something. We got him shortly after I joined the forum. When I joined, we were planning to wait a year or so to get a bunny, but a forum member sent me the link to Rory's Petfinder page and I convinced Paul that night that we neeeeeded him. How right I was! Rory is my grumpy, bunny and linoleum hating, ultra disapproving, binkying, licking, cuddling baby boy and is undeniably my favorite bunny. The birthday we decided on for him is March 17th because he's my little Irish bunny and the vet said he was probably born sometime in March.












Phoebe Mae, short for Phoebe Marigold MacBinky, has the nicknames WeeWee, Tinkette, and tons more. Stupid nicknames, I know. It's like I don't have any control over what nicknames they get! She is a 1 year old Mini Rex-Holland Lop mix and so cute. She's very athletic, very smart, very feisty, very sweet, very cuddly, and very long eared. I think she looks exactly like a Mini Rex, but has longer ears like a Holland Lop and she has the regular for of a Holland Lop too. Oh and her second birthday will be our wedding date, August 1st!











Ned's full name is Ned Zaccheus Doodle. For some reason he has even more nicknames than the others. Neddie, Neddo, Nedders, Doodlebug, Tootles, Neddie Z, Ned Z Doodle (Nedsie Doodle), etc. I honestly have no idea how old he is or what breed he is. He's at least a year and a half old. Sometimes I get the feeling that he's older than the other bunnies, but I hope not because I want him to be young and live a long time. Neddie's defining characteristic is that he loves FOOD. Boy will eat anything, except for the fancy shmancy bunny treats I ordered online. We think he was never fed anything but pellets at his previous home because the first couple times we gave him other food, he didn't know what to do with it. Aside from loving food, Neddie is a a super sweet, snuggly, very innocent, possibly not very smart, and very endearing little guy who likes everyone. He has a sad story though. His previous owners ditched him at the animal shelter (we saw his page on Petfinder but Paul said 'no'), and the shelter staff stupidly put him in a cage with a MUCH larger unaltered male bunny. The big bunny ripped one of poor Nedders' ears off and bit the tip of the other ear off. So sad. Then he got adopted, but his new owner changed her mind after a week because her bunny hated him. Called us, we figured out he was the bunny we'd seen on Petfinder a couple of weeks earlier, and he came home to us! Yay for happy endings!

Sweet Neddie on his birthday (May 28th) a few days ago (no, he doesn't normally get cheesecake!):











I have three angel bunnies, too. Cinnabun was my first rabbit. I got him when I was 10 years old. He was my first pet. I can safely say that I was a fantastic young bunny owner, though I feel guilty about some of my bunny keeping practices because that was 15 years ago and the guidelines about how to care for bunnies has changed somewhat. Regardless, Cinny was a happy, very loved Netherland Dwarf who lived to the age of 7 (May 7, 2002). I'll always miss my Cinny. He is responsible for my deep love of and affinity with rabbits. I had to wait 5 loooong years to get another bunny after he passed away.









Tallulah still breaks my heart. I had her for 5 short months, but fell hopelessly in love with her during that time. She had a lot of health problems. We finally thought she had grown out of her health problems when she died suddenly. She's been gone for 2 years May 29, 1008), but I still miss my baby girl and hope to someday have another sweet little loppy baby like her (she was a Holland Lop). We got Ned almost 1 year after she died and I assigned him the birthday of May 28th so that the time around the day she died would be happy instead of sad.











Skyler is my most recent angel. He just passed away on May 13th, 2010 at the age of 2 1/2 years. Skyler was one of a kind. He was the cutest Dutch ever born and honestly I think one of the cutest rabbits I've ever seen. He had the sweetest little Marilyn Monroe style beauty mark on his cheek! His personality was awesome- very sweet and snuggly, happy, loved food, and would let complete strangers hold him and pet him. He came from another forum member (JAK Rabbitry) and actually traveled over 5,000 miles to get to us. Unfortunately, he had E. Cuniculi which was diagnosed back in December 2009, and that's what killed him. His last few months were surprisingly happy though, which I'll always be thankful for.











Okay, I still have to talk about the birds and rats, but I think I've written enough for now!


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## SnowyShiloh (Jun 2, 2010)

This evening I decided to do the first session of trying to bond Ned and Phoebe Mae. Their cages have been across from each other in the same living room for the past year and they've played in the same place. Last night I switched their cages too, so Ned was in Phoebe's and Phoebe's was in Ned. 

The intro went very good, then very bad. For 40 minutes they ran around the outdoor bunny enclosure, ignoring each other or sitting next to each other and eating. I saw Phoebe stick her head under Ned to be groomed once, but he didn't want to. "I don't know you well enough for that, lady!" Then, Phoebe Mae was under my chair and Ned went under too. I immediately got up to move the chair so I could see what was happening, but before I could move it, a fight broke out. Fur flying, biting, growling. I separated them with a NIC panel, but they kept going for each other. After about 15 seconds I was able to scoot Neddie into the carrier and close the door.

After I got them inside, I checked them over for wounds. Both seemed fine, but Neddie wriggled away from me when I was checking out his belly, flipped over my shoulder, and fell 5 feet to the floor, handing on his face :cry2 I scooped him up right away, checked him over again, and there was blood in his mouth... I couldn't see any cuts though. Put him back in his cage and he's acting completely normal. The blood is gone. This was about 15 minutes ago. Poor baby! I have never, ever had a bunny get away from me and fall like that! I really hope he'll be okay 

Assuming he seems fine tomorrow, we're going to try taking the bunnies for a car ride tomorrow night. I'm really encouraged by how well the intro went at first. Sad they fought though. I was keeping a good eye on what was happening, but naturally I didn't get to see what happened under the chair- it was the only 2 seconds I wasn't watching them! I *suspect* Ned tried to mount Phoebe Mae. She doesn't take kindly to that AT ALL- Skyler tried it on her when she was only 12 weeks old. She threw him off, attacked him, and flung him off the bed. He was twice as big as her! Poor guy was bleeding from his wounds! This fight was actually less serious- only a couple fur wads and no bleeding. At least, not until Ned plunged to the floor!


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## SnowyShiloh (Jun 2, 2010)

I'm relieved to say that Nedders seems to be okay after his fall yesterday. It's been almost 20 hours. I wonder how long I need to worry about him. We're going to try another bonding session tonight. First a car ride with them together, then in the bunny play yard! This time I'll be sure to keep the time in the play yard to only 20 minutes or so.


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## kirbyultra (Jun 2, 2010)

Your bunnies are gorgeous. Your angels too  

40 minutes is quite a long time for a first intro. Go slow, your patience will be rewarded :biggrin2:


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## SnowyShiloh (Jun 3, 2010)

Helen, thanks for replying to my blog  I love when people leave comments. Then I don't feel like I'm talking to myself! I agree, 40 minutes was too long yesterday. I didn't know how long we'd been out there until we came back in (I thought it was only 20 minutes or so).

Tonight Paul and I took the bunnies for a car ride. They were in a laundry basket on my lap. We were out for about 15 minutes driving around. It went really well! I felt bad for the buns because they were obviously stressed, but they were huddled together and I think getting comfort from each other. Every once in a while one would stick his/her head under the belly of the other for a couple of minutes. Surprisingly, Phoebe Mae was doing more "hiding" than Ned. When we got home, I put them back into their original cages (we swapped cages Monday night). The plan for tomorrow is to take them on a 5 minute car ride, then put them in the outdoor play yard for 15 minutes. I'll be in there with them, armed with the NIC panel (to separate them if necessary), a spray bottle of water, and a carrier to shoo one of them into if necessary.

Sappy, sentimental time. I have had the pleasure of "owning" rabbits for 9 1/2 years. I've loved 6 wonderful bunnies. But I have never had the chance to hold two of my bunnies at the same time because I was afraid they'd try to get each other. I've always really, really wanted to be able to hold two at a time, and tonight I did! I carried them back into the house, Neddie in my right arm and Phoebsie in my left  It was also so sweet seeing them together today and yesterday. I hope they bond easily and I'll get to watch them together all the time.


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## crystal (Jun 3, 2010)

What a fantastic start to your blog 

I have always remembered Ned - I was fairly new to the forum when you got him. He is a gorgeous bunny, and it's so lovely that he now has a happy [and spoilt] home with you. Rory and Phoebe Mae are gorgeous too. I so hope the bonding works with Ned and Phoebe Mae!

You take great bunny photos too, by the way. Keep up the good blogging


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## SnowyShiloh (Jun 3, 2010)

Crystal, thanks for checking out my blog and posting  It's funny how you remember certain bunnies, isn't it? Ned is indeed a happy and spoiled bunny. It's hard not to love him. He's Paul's favorite bunny. He has these big doe eyes and just seems so sweet and innocent. Whenever someone comes over and wants to hold a bunny, they get handed Neddo. If a stranger holds him, his eyes get really wide and he looks a little worried for a couple of minutes, but then he relaxes and soaks up the love and attention. You would love him if you met him  I wonder why his original owners didn't want him and brought him to the shelter! Wonder that about my Rory too. Doesn't make sense to me. Oh well, my gain, right?


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## SnowyShiloh (Jun 3, 2010)

These Rory tail shots are for Vivian (hotmaildeal)!






being weighed- "This is not dignified!"





poofy tail









Okay, this one doesn't show his tail, but it was the day we brought him home from the animal shelter. He looked so babyish! What a cutie! We didn't even know he had the ability to let his ears lop until like 2 days after got him home. He is talented and can hold them up, down, out to the side, or one up one down, all depending on how he's feeling 






Somewhere I have a picture of him and his tail is so long and curly... Can't seem to find it right now! It's funny because Rory has such a long tail, but Ned has the stubbiest little tail ever. Half the time you can't even see it!


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## MILU (Jun 3, 2010)

Hi Shiloh, Thanks for posting the pics, Rory's tail is really long!
Now, once again, I went "ooooooh this is the cutest bunny ever", "aaaaaaah this is the cutest bunny ever, too", and so on. Sweet, sweet bunnies! 
I'm always sad about stories with hurt animals, they're better than many humans and deserve to be treated with care and respect. It's incredible that that happened to Ned at the shelter.
I'm glad that he found a good home with friends who love him, and a good mom and a good daddy - although "we know" his daddy "doesn't" like rabbits 
He must be like my brother, who says "this is a silly pet" but always asks about, kisses and plays with my bun. He even talks to him on the phone when I ask him to!


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## SnowyShiloh (Jun 4, 2010)

Vivian (by the way, I love your name!), isn't it fun looking at pictures of other people's bunnies? They're all so cute! I can spend a long time looking at pictures of my own bunnies, too 

Neddie is a very loved bunny. Paul insists he doesn't like the bunnies, but he's admitted that Ned is his favorite. It was actually Paul's idea to get Ned!

We took Phoebe Mae and Ned for another car ride tonight. It only lasted 10 minutes because I saw Ned's tail go up and he peed in the box! A lot! I was able to snatch Phoebe Mae out before the pee got on her. We turned around and drove home, Phoebe Mae tucked under my chin (incidentally, she seemed much happier there than in the box!) while I held onto Ned and tried to keep him out of the urine. It turned out that the apple box had holes in the corner, so my pants and the car seat got all pee-y  Spent a while cleaning that up when we got home! Note to self: don't use cardboard boxes for bonding! 

It was raining again when we got home, so no play yard bonding session tonight. I just put them back in their swapped cages (Phoebs in Ned's, Ned in Phoebe's).


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## crystal (Jun 4, 2010)

Lol the undignified photo of Rory being weighed is awesome. He has a very cute face, and gosh is his tail long.

FYI, I was going to be called Rory if I was a boy haha


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## hln917 (Jun 4, 2010)

I glad Neddie is ok, that would have freaked me out. Baci missed the couch from hubby's arms last week and landed on the floor. I knew it wasn't his fault but I didn't speak to him for the night.

Love the picture of Rory being weighed. I was looking to get a kitchen scale to weigh my buns and saw the one you have. Here I'm thinking my lops would never fit in it, but if Rory can........... Oh they would hate me for doing that!:biggrin2:


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## cheryl (Jun 4, 2010)

Those are some lovely pictures of your bunnies..they are all very adorable..


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## SnowyShiloh (Jun 5, 2010)

Helen, I was so worried when Ned fell on his head! And felt so guilty! I was in a bad mood the whole rest of the night (which is very unusual for me) because I was worried about him and mad at myself. It's been over 72 hours since he fell, and he seems fine, so I think he'll probably be okay. But the idea that he could have some injury that isn't apparent yet is lurking in the back of my mind. Several years ago, my girl cockatiel flew into a wall. She acted totally normal and I took her to the vet TWICE to make sure she was fine. She died suddenly 5 months later, and the necropsy showed that her liver had been seriously damaged in the accident. I hope his spine or something isn't damaged!

I have more scale pictures of Rory and Tallulah  It isn't the ideal scale for bunnies, but all of mine except for Ned are okay being weighed in it. I weigh the rats with it too. May gross some people out, but I weigh food with it also! I just wash it well between uses and put a paper towel or something down if the ratties are being weighed.

Cheryl, thanks for looking at my blog and commenting  I'll get some more photos up soon. The weather has been rainy for the past 2 days so I haven't had the chance to go outside and get pictures!

Do any other bunnies have songs? Ned's song is "All I Want is You" and I sing it to him all the time (sans the bride lyrics). Here are the words:

http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/juno/alliwantisyou.htm

I change it to "All I'd want is you to be my sweet Neddie bee" though  Poor Paul. I sing a lot, and he has to put up with almost every song being changed so it has the word "bunny" in it or is somehow rabbity.


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## hln917 (Jun 5, 2010)

Yes~ I started singing to my buns whenever we'd go to the vet. Baci's song is Baci-razzi from Lady GaGa' Paparazzi.It's funny b/c he actually knows that song now. Shades' song is Shakerdoodle from KC and the Sunshine Band "Shake your Booty."


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## SnowyShiloh (Jun 5, 2010)

Somehow Rory ended up with the Flipper theme song as his song. I have no idea. Poor guy. Tallulah's song is, of course, this song: [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_n_Cfw1FVE[/ame]

Paul found it a few days after she died.

Phoebe Mae doesn't really have a song yet. But she is cuddled up with me on the couch right now! What a sweet girl!


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## SnowyShiloh (Jun 6, 2010)

Wow. I'm feeling pretty nauseous right now because I was just reading about culling rabbits. Blech.

In other news, is it just me, or did the forum format change somewhat? I thought the main RO forum used to be ABOVE the Infirmary forum. I keep clicking on the wrong one!


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## kirbyultra (Jun 6, 2010)

*SnowyShiloh wrote: *


> In other news, is it just me, or did the forum format change somewhat? I thought the main RO forum used to be ABOVE the Infirmary forum. I keep clicking on the wrong one!


They changed it!! I was confused yesterday too.


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## SnowyShiloh (Jun 6, 2010)

Do you know when it was changed? Don't know if I noticed it yesterday or the day before, but I kept getting mixed up!


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## SnowyShiloh (Jun 6, 2010)

Awwww... We got Rory when he was 6-8 months old, so I never got to see him as a baby, but I'm betting he looked something like this:


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## SnowyShiloh (Jun 6, 2010)

LOOK at this baby girl:shock: I saw her picture and my breath caught in my throat and it felt like my blood drained out my feet. She looks like Tallulah's twin. Tallulah didn't have white on her ear, but they're both broken torts. She is one of Tallulah's cousins- the parents are from the same breeder Tallulah's parents came from (but not where Lula herself came from). Also, looking at the breeder's other rabbits, Tallulah's full blood brother is listed as this little girl's uncle. Amazing. It's SO obvious they're from the same lines because this little bunny has Lula's face and body, in addition to the same markings. She has Tallulah's beautiful brown eyes, too. Looking at the breeder's other Hollands, none of them really look like Tallulah except for her. If it wasn't for the white ear, I would honestly think I was looking at a picture of my baby. This girl has already been sold, and it probably wouldn't be good anyway for me to have another rabbit that looks SO MUCH like her, but... wow. I have to admit though, I would snatch her up in a heartbeat if she was actually available and not a 1000+ miles away! What a sweetie.

This seems like as good a time to announce that Paul and I have decided to add another bunny to our troop. I have my heart set on another Holland Lop because I love the breed. It will most likely be several months until we get her (or him... but probably her!) because we want to wait until after our wedding on August 1st. I'm excited :yahoo:


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## crystal (Jun 6, 2010)

Those babies are adorable! so is that happy dancing emoticon at the end of your post...

Wow I didn't know you are engaged! Sorry, I'm probably super behind. That is so exciting, not long now until your wedding! Sounds like a good move to wait until after, I imagine you'll be pretty busy 

You might not have a say if a bunny comes into your life though haha you shall have to wait and see


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## SnowyShiloh (Jun 6, 2010)

Here's a side view of Tallulah so you can see how much the bunny whose picture I posted looks like her... I swear, they look like the same rabbit except for some small differences in their markings.


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## crystal (Jun 6, 2010)

It looks like Tallulah just has a bit more of a racing stripe 

and without the white tip on the ear, like you said.


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## SnowyShiloh (Jun 6, 2010)

Oh, hey, Crystal! Didn't see your reply before. Aren't the baby Rories and the Lula lookalikes adorable? I wonder what Nedders looked like as a baby. He must have been the cutest little puff ball! I can just imagine! I know what Phoebe Mae looked like as a baby... she looked like this!






D'awwwwww, she was such a darling little baby girl  That was the day I got her. She spent a couple days in my mom's bath tub until we flew back to Fairbanks together


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## crystal (Jun 6, 2010)

haha I replied again before you saw my reply and comment about not seeing my reply 

we replied in the same minute... and you might even reply again now before I press reply again lol

ps. what a cutie pie!


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## SnowyShiloh (Jun 6, 2010)

Paul and I took the bunsies for another car ride last night. I carried them in together again, this time with them cuddled in both arms. I loved holding them and hugging them like that!! It was like hugging one really big bunny! Paul got a picture:






Neddie looks so happy snuggled between Phoebe Mae and me! I love that picture


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## SnowyShiloh (Jun 7, 2010)

We had another bonding session tonight! First we went for a car ride (15-20 minutes), then we went into the play yard in our back yard. This is what the play yard looks like:






See my sweet Kybie in there? That was last summer. I miss my boy. He never got to go outside this summer 

Anyway, back to the bonding session... We spent 15-20 minutes in the play yard. It was raining again this afternoon, but I decided a little wet grass wouldn't hurt them, especially since Phoebe Mae peed in the container on the car ride so they both were quite soggy already 

Paul came out with us and stayed for about 10 minutes. During the time Paul was outside, the bunnies didn't come closer than 3 or so feet to each other. They were busy eating dandelions! When he went inside, they came closer and sniffed each other a few times. At one point they were sitting nose to nose, so I petted them a bunch and told them how good they are. There weren't any signs of aggression, but the first time Ned approached Phoebe, after sniffing her a bit he turned around and ran away, flicking his feet a little. I don't know if it's because he was mad or because his feet were wet! In any case, I ended the session with them being nice to each other


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## SnowyShiloh (Jun 7, 2010)

Awwww  A few days ago I saw an ad on Craigslist for a bun bun. This ad, actually: http://fairbanks.craigslist.org/pet/1769612724.html

I contacted the bunny owner (who seemed very nice) and we chatted a bit about what exactly the problem was with Darth Vader. Turns out she doesn't get along with the baby bunny they bought so they wanted to rehome her. They only got her from the shelter a few weeks ago and she was part of a bonded pair, but they only wanted her. In the end, the owner decided to keep Darth Vader and get her spayed because she said they loved her. She said she would join RO. I've been keeping an eye on the Intros section to see if she comes over, but tonight I looked on Petfinder and Darth Vader is there again  I promised myself that we're getting a Holland Lop and anyway we want to wait until mid August at the soonest. Darth Vader/Keeta looks so sad though  She has the same markings as Cinnabun.

Here she is on Petfinder:
http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/16568856


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## crystal (Jun 7, 2010)

Sounds like it's going okay with Phoebe and Ned, hooray!

Awwwe darth vader looks like Lopsy 

Any chance she is just misguided about bunny bonding? Maybe the baby bunny needs to grow up and be desexed and then they would have a chance?

Or would there be any chance that the bunny she was previously bonded to is still at the shelter and they could be reunited? It doesn't ad up to me that the ad says she isnt good with other bunnies, yet she was bonded before they split her up! Maybe the shelte would take her back...

Sorry... Detective Crystal has left the building


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## SnowyShiloh (Jun 7, 2010)

Crystal, she does look like Lopsy! I think it would be best for her to wait to try to bond them until Darth Vader is spayed and the baby has grown up and been fixed, but I guess she didn't want to do that. I doubt the owner is going to go back down to the shelter to re-adopt Darth Vader  

I had a dream about this last night, except with a different bunny. I dreamed that I was walking near the university campus and saw a bunny that looked like a big, 2 eared Ned in the gas station parking lot. I approached slowly, crouched down about 10 feet away from him, and kissed at him (something that all my pets will come to) and talked to him quietly. He ran over to me and I picked him up. I decided he looked like Neddie's brother and of course had to take him home. I went to track down a telephone so I could call Paul (since you can't take pets on the bus and that's how I get to and from school), and Big Ned (who I named Dino!) was licking my cheek. How sweet is that? Anyway, I found a pet store with a phone, but before I could ask to use it, I saw a cage fulllll of baby bunnies that looked just like Tallulah. I set Dino down because I just had to hold one of the babies. After I held the baby, I couldn't remember where I'd put Dino :? I was quite worried, then I woke up.

Also, kind of exciting news: I hadn't posted it here in my blog yet, but the day after sweet Skyler died, my cockatiels started laying eggs. 5 in all! I got them a little nest box and everything, but they were doing a pretty bad job at sitting on the eggs and Poppet insisted on laying them on the cage bottom instead of in the nest box. Only Arthur knew what to do and he'd only sit on them for a few hours a day, they need to be sat on 24 hours a day. Poppet seemed oblivious. Eggs will stay alive for 7-10 days, but that number of days passed and when I checked the eggs with a flashlight, they were all empty  I decided to leave the eggs there so Poppet wouldn't go nuts laying more. 

Last night I decided to take a peek in the nest box because Poppet had been spending some time in there. I opened it up, and there she was! Sitting on the eggs! Before now, when they were in the nest box, they were just making messes and playing and the eggs were scattered and cold. Of course, it's pointless for her to incubate dead eggs, but when I shooed her off the nest (which she was very reluctant to leave), there were SEVEN eggs! Two newbies that have a chance at surviving! I turned off the lights, candled them really quickly, and 1 of them has a baby beginning to form in it  The other one may be too young to see a baby, but hopefully it has a baby as well. Maybe those two little eggs will hatch! If they do, it will surely be easier for Arthur and Poppet to take care of 2 babies versus 7, and the dead eggs will help keep the living eggs warm.

Miss Poppet is still on the eggs this afternoon. I'm going to candle them again tomorrow night. I'll be able to see if the other egg has a baby in it then.

This is the adorable Arthur (12 year old male, he's the gray one) and Poppet (approximately 2 year old female, she's the yellow one):






Oh and I looked at cockatiel genetics. If we get any babies out of this, all the babies will look like Arthur because Poppet's color mutation (Lutino) is sex linked and will only appear in the babies if the father is the mutation or carries the mutation.


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## Pipp (Jun 7, 2010)

Yay for the new Bunny Blog!! (I'm late, I know).  

Awesome photos, as always, a wonderful example of a great bunny home.

And congrats to Arthur for being such a good daddy! And Poppet for finally catching on to the mommy thing. 


sas :bunnydance:


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## SnowyShiloh (Jun 7, 2010)

Yay! Hi Pipp! Thanks for checking out my blog and leaving a comment  

Poppet is so cute. I was actually worried last night because I wanted to check the nest box, but Poppet didn't come out when I tapped on the side. You're supposed to tap on the side before you open it because they could trample the eggs if you startle them opening the lid. Usually the parents come out if you tap, but no Poppet! I thought maybe she'd died in the nest box  Opened it up, and there she was, looking up at me! She STILL wouldn't move- I ended up gently moving her off to the side of the nest box. She was acting big and tough, hissing and threatening to bite me, but of course she didn't because she's a sweet girl. She kept trying to hop back on the eggs while I was candling them (which took less than a minute for all of them). Also, me checking the eggs and candling them isn't a bad thing- you're supposed to do that. I wasn't invading Poppet's privacy or anything. Usually the parents leave the nest box when the owner messes with the eggs, but Poppet wanted to oversee everything and that's fine too 

I'm going to get some photos of the buns out in the yard this evening. Hopefully they turn out well! First I have to plant all of the flowers I bought (maybe I'll take some photos of them, too!), but bunny photo time will definitely happen.


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## SnowyShiloh (Jun 8, 2010)

Arthur is on the eggs now, and has been all day! Normally, the dad incubates the eggs all day and the mom incubates them all night while the dad stands guard. I suspect that's what they're doing.

I made oatmeal for breakfast. I put some on paper plates for the ratties and decided to give Ned some too. The only ingredients were oats, water, and a little bit of fresh peaches (not enough to even make it taste sweet). We add sugar and milk to our individual bowls, so there wasn't any of those things in the oatmeal. I put Ned's in a tiny bowl, gave it to him, and the boy practically DOVE face first into it! He's such a little piglet! It was all over his face- nose, whiskers, cheeks, chin. I only gave him about 2 tablespoons worth, I think most of it got on him! It was pretty funny. But silly me thought he'd get himself cleaned up okay. I just went to pet him and his face is kind of crunch from dried on oatmeal. He got most of it off... I can't decide if I should just leave him alone or go after him with a wash cloth. Bunnies like having their faces washed about as much as babies do!


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## SnowyShiloh (Jun 8, 2010)

Bunnies and I just came in from their third yard bonding session! I don't think I've ever been outside at 6 am for something like this. I brought the timer out and we were there for exactly 20 minutes. Once again, they ignored each other for the most part- they approached each other several times, and sat next to each other eating dandelions for a bit. A few times, one of them would bounce over to the other or sniff the other's butt. There were several times that I was ready with the NIC panel to intervene if necessary because they were "getting all up in each other's business," so to speak, but there was no nipping, chasing, mounting, or other aggressive behavior. Also, at one point they tried to go into the carrier together- I headed THAT off! Last thing I need is a fight breaking out in a small, enclosed space that I can't break up!

I brought my camera out this time  Got some cute pictures of them together, and a photo of each bunny that I absolutely adore. You know how sometimes you see a photo of your bunny and know it's going to be one of your all time favorites? Yeah. I'll post them later 

Also, poor Doodle (Ned) has a mosquito bite on that little bit of bare skin around his eye  When we were outside Sunday night, I saw a mosquito right there and I brushed it off. Poor dude. It isn't too bad though and at least I saw the mosquito so I know what caused the redness!


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## crystal (Jun 8, 2010)

Where's those pictures haha


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## SnowyShiloh (Jun 8, 2010)

Oooh, it's raining so hard here! And hailing! And there's thunder and lightning. That almost never happens in Alaska. I've been here for almost 5 years and it's never happened. Poor little Ned was scared of the storm, so he's snuggled with me. I unplugged all the computers  And I ran outside and brought in all my potted plants so they don't get murdered! The bunnies are glad they are not outdoor rabbits right now.


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## SnowyShiloh (Jun 9, 2010)

Phew! Storm finished an hour or so ago! Ned is relieved. Poor little dude was cowering in his cage until I came and saved the day.

ALSO, I checked the nest box again (I'm only doing it every other day) and we have 8 eggs now! 2 of them definitely have embryos in them! I'm guessing that the egg that was just laid will develop too  #4 looks like it has something in it, too, but it kinda looks like it started developing, then stopped. So, assuming (hoping!) she doesn't lay any more, we have the potential for 3 baby birds 

I hope Poppet stops laying eggs soon though... it isn't healthy for her to lay too many. 8 eggs in less than a month is a lot! I've been supplementing her food, but she's so picky. I don't want her to get sick or die. There's nothing I can do to make her stop laying though. Hopefully she decides soon that she has enough eggs! The average clutch is 5.


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## SnowyShiloh (Jun 10, 2010)

I posted the cute photos here: http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=58450&forum_id=1

I'll post them (and a couple others) later. It's 2 am and I'm gettin' ready for bed! 

Today Nedders and Phoebs went out for another bonding session in the play yard. Silly bunnies essentially ignored each other for the whole 20 minutes! This is the 9th time they've met, they seem to be acting awfully aloof with each other still! Ah well, I'd rather have them ignore each other than fight with each other  

Something funny happened today. A lady from the census bureau came by. After filling out the form, she asked what the pen in the yard was for. I told her it's for my bunnies and she practically squealed with delight because she loves bunnies. So I went inside and got Phoebe Mae, and the lady held Phoebs for a while  We talked about our pets and other things. I showed her Phoebe's silly shaved belly with the line of fur (she was spayed in January and they shaved her belly but so far only the fur along the incision has grown back), which she thought was adorable. She was nice 

Oh, before I go to bed I'm probably going to check on the eggs again. Yesterday there were 8! I wonder if there will be another today. I'm checking the eggs every day so they get used to me being in the nest box, but other than that I'm trying not to disturb them too much.


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## SnowyShiloh (Jun 14, 2010)

I just had an impromptu nap and had a bad dream! I dreamed that for some reason Ned was down in a rabbit rescue in Louisiana, where my dad lives. Even in the dream I was trying to figure out how the heck Ned got down there. I got an e-mail from my dad saying they'd gone that day and adopted Ned from the rabbit rescue where he was living so they could ship him back to me via airplane, but that he was a big jerk so they were going to take him back the next day and get a nicer bunny for me. I went to the rescue's website where they had all the bunnies listed, and in Ned's little profile it said "last day- will be euthanized tomorrow"! I was of course horrified that my little Doodle had been so close to being killed  In his profile it said he was a very aggressive and dominant rabbit, and Paul said he was like that whenever I wasn't around. So weird. Of course I wanted him back. The rest of the dream was spent trying to get ahold of my dad so he wouldn't return Ned and the shelter wouldn't kill him. I was trying to make flight reservations and stuff for him... Bad dream and so weird! Ned is one of the sweetest bunnies ever born!


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## SnowyShiloh (Jun 14, 2010)

I'm getting Rory snuggles  We have a cuddle session at least once a day. I lay down on the couch, then put him next to me so his head is on my stomach. Then I cover us with a blankie so his head is sticking out. He always looks a little worried at first, but within a minute or so he relaxes with his chin on my stomach while I pet his head, ears and cheeks, and then he gives me bunny kisses  Love it!


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## SnowyShiloh (Jun 14, 2010)

Bunsies had another bonding session tonight. We went for a 20 minute car ride, then sat in the play yard for 30 minutes. They cuddled together on the car ride, but as usual ignored each other in the play yard. They actually ignored each other more than they ever have before! Didn't sniff each other at all, but they sat a few inches apart and ate a couple of times. Their entire time in the yard is spent eating dandelions though so I don't know if them "eating together" is significant at ll.

Ned did something really funny when we were outside  His favorite part of the dandelion is the flower, so he was standing as tall as he could, trying to grab one and teetering... He finally caught it, sat down and chewed it a couple of times, then tried to turn and run away with it in his mouth. It was of course still attached to the stem of the plant and the ground, so he got yanked back  He was so confused! I don't think he'd survive as a wild bunny.


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## kherrmann3 (Jun 14, 2010)

*SnowyShiloh wrote: *


> Their entire time in the yard is spent eating dandelions though so I don't know if them "eating together" is significant at all.


If I remember right, "ignoring each other" and eating isn't necessarily a bad thing. It means they are comfy enough with each other to eat in mixed company. I wish my two would at least ignore each other. They're like angry little magnets. 

Cute story with the dandelion! I could just imagine him looking back at the offending stem, "Avast! Ye fiend!" Then getting into a full-blown bunny-flailing-paw attack (little front feets of fury)!


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## crystal (Jun 14, 2010)

haha I love the dandelion story too... Such a cute mental image


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## SnowyShiloh (Jun 14, 2010)

Look! Ned is the pet of the day! I just nominated Ned as pet of the day a few days ago, so I guess either they don't get a lot of submissions or they were so charmed by him that they had to use him right away  

Here is the link: http://petoftheday.com/archive/2010/June/14.html

Hooray for Neddie


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## kherrmann3 (Jun 15, 2010)

Hooray, Nedders!  I wonder if his ear helped the submission? It does kind-of give him an endearing "I'm special, love me more!" quality. lol Go give that bun some salad snackies, pronto! :bow


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## SnowyShiloh (Jun 15, 2010)

Kelly, I was wondering that, too! Paul and I "talk" for the bunnies and Ned often "says" things like "I have one ear! Give me a banana!"  Some people have been like "What is THAT?" when they see him (those are the not nice people), but most are like "awwww poor little bunny! Let me spoil him!" When he's sad or a little scared he gets these giant eyes ("bunny dog eyes," much more pathetic than puppy dog eyes) and you can't help but do anything to cheer him up.


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## kherrmann3 (Jun 15, 2010)

*SnowyShiloh wrote: *


> When he's sad or a little scared he gets these giant eyes ("bunny dog eyes," much more pathetic than puppy dog eyes) and you can't help but do anything to cheer him up.


Kind of like the eyes on Puss in Boots from Shrek? lol


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## SnowyShiloh (Jun 15, 2010)

Exactly, Kelly!  I even thought of that as I typed it.


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## kherrmann3 (Jun 15, 2010)

:biggrin:


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## SnowyShiloh (Jun 21, 2010)

Woohoo! I'm a grandma (or something)! Arthur and Poppet's first baby just hatched about an hour and a half-2 hours ago! He is so cute and is already being fed! Here is the link to the cockatiel thread if anyone would like to follow:

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=58476&forum_id=5

And OF COURSE here is a picture of the little dinosaur bird with mama Poppet:







YAY!


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## crystal (Jun 21, 2010)

haha tiny funny dinosaur alien thing

congrats grandma! how are the bunnies?


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## SOOOSKA (Jun 21, 2010)

Shiloh what a great blog. You have the cutest bunnies including your "Angel Bunnies".

Weren't you studing to be a Paramedic? When did you change and howmany more years till you are finished? Do you think you guys will be staying in Alaska?

What I circled in your picture (below), is that the baby bird? It's so small and cute.






I look forward to reading your blog and seeing more pictures.

Susan:nod


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## kirbyultra (Jun 21, 2010)

WOW I've never seen something like this before. This is amazing! Congratulations!


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## SnowyShiloh (Jun 22, 2010)

Thanks for the replies, Crystal, Susan and Helen! Susan, yep, the ugly little thing is the baby  Funny thing though is that as soon as I saw him, I thought he was the prettiest baby bird ever. To be honest, he looks like every other baby cockatiel, but he is MY baby cockatiel! Arthur and Poppet are doing a great job at being parents (they've both been with him in the nest box all afternoon), so hopefully he'll grow up just fine! He's past the most iffy part- incubating and hatching- and once he gets past the first week or so, it should be smooth sailing more or less. Hopefully his 3 siblings hatch fine too and Arthur and Poppet can handle all of them!

I'm trying to think of a name for the little guy. Don't know if he's a boy or a girl yet and I won't know for a few weeks. There is the option of sending his egg shell (which you can see at the top of the picture!) away to be DNA tested, but I'm sentimental and want to keep his shell. Since he hatched on the summer solstice, we want a name for him that is summery. The only ones I can think of are Solstice and Sunny.

Edit: Oh yeah and we're going to keep him and his siblings (unless we really do end up with 4 baby birds... may not keep all of them then!). I'm going to be SO picky about potential owners if we have to find homes for some of them. Good news is I put an ad on Craigslist and already got 5 replies...


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## kirbyultra (Jun 22, 2010)

Awww, those are really nice names. I think Solstice for a girl would be beautiful. Sunny for a boy perhaps? Or a girl. 

Yep, it's YOUR baby bird, and that makes it the cutest! You're in your right.  You should totally keep the shell.


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## BooLette (Jun 22, 2010)

Snowy, all of your buns are sooo cute! I do have to say though that I have a soft spot for Rory. There is something about that boy.

AND HOORAY for baby 'Tiels! I LOVE birds. I can't wait until he starts to get more feathers!:heartbeat:


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## SnowyShiloh (Jun 23, 2010)

BooLette, I'm glad someone else has a thing for Rory too!  I love all my bunnies a ton, but Rory has something extra special about him. Last night Paul and I watched a movie and Rory snuggled in my arms the entire time. It was so sweet. I love bunny cuddles! Ned and Phoebe Mae like to cuddle too, but Rory especially does when he's not feeling grumpy 

In birdy news, we decided to name the chick Kieran, which is a simple spelling variation of Kiran that means "sunbeam." It's Hindi/Sanskrit. Little Kieran seems to be doing well today. I'm a nervous "grandma" and worry if he's okay of course. I held him once last night and once this afternoon, he's so sweet and fluffy! He's very top heavy too and has trouble keeping his balance, just like all baby birds. I actually got 2 videos of him tonight but Photobucket won't let me upload them  They're really cute too, in one he's chirping and the other he's taking a nap. Of course the videos were taken like 10 seconds apart- baby birds don't stay awake for very long!

I will post the videos once we get Photobucket figured out.


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## SnowyShiloh (Jun 23, 2010)

Our second egglet is in the process of hatching! I'm so excited! I'm a lot less worried than I was last time around, because Kieran hatched just fine and I know Arthur and Poppet are good parents. I can't wait until the new baby is here! I posted videos and photos over in the cockatiel thread. Videos of Kieran AND of the new baby chirping in its egg 

Bun buns are doing well. They all got mango today! They love fruit. Rory actually turned down a second piece, which is odd. I think he just may not love mango. Ned and Phoebe Mae and the rats love it though!


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## hln917 (Jun 23, 2010)

Congrats on being a grandma! I've never seen a cockatiel baby, how cute. I thought it was a chicken when I saw the picture! You can actually get the sex by using the eggshell?


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## hln917 (Jun 23, 2010)

Congrats on being a grandma! I've never seen a cockatiel baby, how cute. I thought it was a chicken when I saw the picture! You can actually get the sex by using the eggshell?


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## SnowyShiloh (Jun 24, 2010)

Helen, they swab DNA from the inside of the shell and test it  Cool, huh? DNA test from a blood sample is $20 and from an egg shell is $25. It may sound like a lot, but it's worth it to us because it can be really hard to tell what sex a bird is. We had Poppet DNA sexed and I was 90% sure she was a boy- talk about a surprise! It would have been an even bigger surprise if we hadn't had her DNA sexed and she'd laid the eggs!

Also, our 2nd baby hatched this morning! His name is Teddy. He's as homely looking as Kieran, but to me he's beautiful :big kiss:

Picture of the happy family (Teddy had just hatched so his feathers weren't dry and fluffy yet):


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## Myia09 (Jun 24, 2010)

Oh my god those babies are so freaking adorable!


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## usawan (Jun 24, 2010)

i love baby birds, they're so awkward and strange looking that they go right past ugly and back into adorable. my childhood friend had a cockatiel that she tried to breed, but sadly died from complications after laying too many eggs. 

your buns are adorable too :biggrin2:


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## kherrmann3 (Jun 24, 2010)

I hope they get their adorable baby-fluff soon!  I think they're cute once they're past the odd, wrinkly stage. They're going to be adorable, though! (Right now, they do have a "love me, I'm naked and goofy looking" charm, I will admit.)


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## SnowyShiloh (Jun 25, 2010)

Woohoo! Our third little one hatched tonight! It was a bit of a surprise since Teddy just hatched yesterday and this egg is only 16 days old, but a happy surprise  Teddy's been having some tummy troubles so I'm worried about him. Hopefully everything will be okay with all 3 chickies. The last egg is theoretically going to hatch on Sunday, but I get the feeling it may be more like... tomorrow!

Here is Poppet with her babies, Neeja (the new baby) just hatched, as you can see by his wet feathers:






Here's a close up of the picture so you can see little Neeja better. He kind of has his back to the camera. You can see the 4th little egg too! 






Go to my cockatiel thread to see more pictures and video.

Bunnies are doing well! Ned is as cute as ever and I got some major snuggles with Rory again last night. Phoebsie's belly is still nekkid.


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## kirbyultra (Jun 25, 2010)

LOL! Bald little baby heads! Squee!


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## Nela (Jun 25, 2010)

Weeee, I am now 'watching' your blog ^_^ I was thinking it would be cool if we could subscribe to those we liked when it hit me  Loving your blog. I've always liked keeping tabs on your herd!


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## SnowyShiloh (Jun 26, 2010)

I'm glad you guys like my babies  Poor Sophie, you're going to get like 10 updates every day because sometimes I post in here a lot! It's kinda like a pet journal of sorts. I'm glad you like my bunnies and me enough to subscribe though  You should start one for Smores and Ashlynn!

Here is the baby bird photo of the day, I love my little cutie uggos.

Teddy Bird snuggles :inlove:






Uh okay, there's more than one photo of the day:

Squawkin' Kieran:






Tiny Neeja:











ball o' baby birds (they look like a tribble!):


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## hln917 (Jun 26, 2010)

Cute! They look like the baby dinosaur!


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## kherrmann3 (Jun 27, 2010)

Ha! They look like a balding tribble!  I love the teddy snuggles picture. He looks like a yellow cottonpuff with a head! :hearts:


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## SnowyShiloh (Jun 27, 2010)

Kelly, isn't that a cute picture of Teddy? Here's one I took last night of him after he fell asleep when I was examining him:






Our last baby hatched about an hour and a half ago! Sweet little Phoenix  He is quite the slow poke and had me really worried because it took him so long to hatch. Thankfully he's here now and I can hear him being fed! His chirp is tinier than the other babies' chirps because he's so little  Kieran is 6 days old, Teddy is 4, and Neeja is 3. May not sound like much, but a few days means a huge size difference. Kieran is like giganto baby in comparison.

Here's video of the little bird family, Phoenix pops his head out from under Arthur partway through and you can see how protective Arthur is as well as Kieran's eyes which are just starting to open!





and here was Phoenix about 3 hours ago when he was still an egg! You can see him move and hear him chirp.





Yay!  I have some more videos of the babies too that I'll upload later. They're cute!


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## kherrmann3 (Jun 27, 2010)

I kind-of giggle at your pair of cockatiels. My mum has two cockatiels, and one is a lutino, one is cinnamon(?). He's like a warmer-tone gray than the normal one. Your two remind me of them. Plus, her gray one is always hissing at me and is in defense mode. Arthur being protective reminded me of that, too!


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## SnowyShiloh (Jun 28, 2010)

Kelly, it's always interesting when other people have birds that look just like mine! Especially if they have a pair. I'm afraid I won't be able to tell the chicks apart as they get older and will probably put bands on their legs, just in case!

Paul just called Rory "Ugliest Face McPooperdoodle."


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## kherrmann3 (Jun 28, 2010)

*SnowyShiloh wrote: *


> Kelly, it's always interesting when other people have birds that look just like mine! Especially if they have a pair. I'm afraid I won't be able to tell the chicks apart as they get older and will probably put bands on their legs, just in case!
> 
> Paul just called Rory "Ugliest Face McPooperdoodle."


I like the idea of putting bands on them. My mum is always worried about losing her birds (even though they are inside all the time and are afraid of the outdoors). If she would take them in to get a band on them, she wouldn't have to worry... as much. 

I lol'd at "Ugliest Face McPooperdoodle".  What prompted the name-calling?


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## SnowyShiloh (Jul 4, 2010)

Phoebe Mae just nearly gave me a heart attack. Our baby birds are very sick (Kieran died) and have only been getting worse, but they just now started to show small signs of improvement. I was so focused on that that it took a while to register that there was the sound of something clanging against Phoebe's water bowl... And something that sounded like choking?! Almost like a cat coughing up a hair ball! I whip my head around to look at her, see her backed into the corner with her head close to the ground and moving her head forwards and backwards. Think she's choking on something and leap up to run to her. Then realize she's chewing on this awesome new toy I gave her (which was the choking sound, just her teeth on the toy) and knocking it against the water bowl. PHEW!!!!! She peed on the top floor of her cage completely randomly a few hours ago (never done that before) so I was worrying something was wrong with her already. So glad it was just her playing with a toy!


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## kherrmann3 (Jul 4, 2010)

Oh no! What happened to the birdies? Is it just a "failure to thrive" thing, or do they have some illness that's getting to them? I'm sorry that you lost Kieran. 

Sassy Phoebe Mae for scaring mommy like that! Tsk! :shame


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## SnowyShiloh (Jul 5, 2010)

Kelly, check out my cockatiel thread in the Let Your Hare Down section. It's a very long and sad thread. I've been living and breathing baby cockatiels for the past few days trying to keep them alive. Poor bun buns are no doubt feeling neglected because 99% of my attention is focused on the chicks right now.


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## SnowyShiloh (Jul 5, 2010)

I just found out that Rory is a little sick  Normally we cuddle every day, but I haven't held him in the past few days since the chicks got sick. I hold the chicks against my chest and they have very weak immune systems so I haven't held any of the bunnies so I don't get bunny germs on my chest. Basically everyone has been fed and watered and talked to some, but not much else since Thursday. Tonight before I took a shower, I decided to finally get to hold my Rory boy... Go to pick him up... OOF! He's so heavy! He's having tummy troubles  His abdomen is rather firm and I could hear his belly gurgling. We snuggled for a bit and I could tell he didn't feel great- he lay down on me like usual, but didn't have that blissed out look on his face. He's acting pretty normal. Eating, drinking, even giving kisses. Normal enough that I didn't notice he was acting off. Rory has had gut slowdown problems many times in the past, and I think he'll come through okay. He's had much worse situations before. Right now he isn't shedding or anything so that's good. I cleaned his litter box at 1 am and sent Paul out to the 24 hour WalMart to buy veggies and Mylicon drops for Rory. Hopefully he will get better soon! The last thing I want is a sick bunny right now...


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## SnowyShiloh (Jul 5, 2010)

Poor Rory. The store was out of simethicone so he'll have to wait until tonight when Paul can stop at the other store after work. I would walk there and get it for him but I can't leave the birds. I have my doubts over whether simethicone helps him when he has tummy troubles, but I always feed it to him anyway. I'm going to the health food store when it opens to see if I can get some papaya tablets. The health food store is right next door to where we live (literally 20 second walk) so I can leave and get back within 5 minutes. 

Rory's been lying with his tummy pressed to the floor of the cage some. I saw him doing it some over the past couple days, but because of how he was lying I thought he was just flopping. Good news though is that his appetite is normal and he's pooping and everything. I think he'll be okay, just got to sort him out a bit!


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## Wabbitdad12 (Jul 5, 2010)

Your birds are very beautiful, I am glad to hear too that Rory is feeling better.


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## SnowyShiloh (Jul 7, 2010)

Dave, thanks for looking at my blog  I think my birdies are beautiful too. I always wanted a Lutino cockatiel so was really pleased to find Poppet. She's so pretty.

Rory doesn't seem to be improving so far but his tummy troubles usually stick around for a while. On more than one occasion he has had slow digestion for a whole month. Ugh, poor guy. Dude is still eating, pooping, etc though so I think he'll be okay. Can't help but worry some! His belly is a bit firm but it seems like his stomach or cecum is especially firm. Again, not a new thing with him. I don't really consider it to be a reason to go to the vet because a) I'm really disliking the vet as of late (read bird thread to find out why) and b) I don't think they can really do anything for him. They can take x-rays and give fluids and prescribe motility drugs, but I'm skeptical about the motility drugs and I can give him sub q fluids here at home. He did one of the cutest things today and I'd never seen him do it before. He was lying down stretched out on his aching belly, then decided to wash his paws... and ended up rolling over onto his side washing his paws like a cat! Too cute! It would have been even cuter if I knew he was feeling good.


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## Nela (Jul 7, 2010)

Poor Rory and poor YOU. Give him many kisses for me please. Hope he feels better soon!


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## kherrmann3 (Jul 8, 2010)

I hope Rory's tummy feels better soon! When Toby starts to "slow down", I give him a little pineapple juice and tummy massages. He struggles for a bit, then settles in and enjoys the tummy rubs. That normally gets him going again. In the past, I had to do a few rounds of subcutaneous fluids on him when he stopped eating/drinking, though.

We're rooting for better tummy days ahead of you, Rory!


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## SnowyShiloh (Jul 10, 2010)

My sweet Rory is confusing me. He still feels really heavy, but his abdomen feels pretty good to me. I suspect he's on the road to recovery and may just have a lot he needs to poop out. Kelly, I like giving papaya tablets- he thinks they're treats and they're easier to get into him than fresh pineapple juice. He does like fresh pineapple though and I may buy one tomorrow. Back a few months ago when he was having major digestive issues, we had fresh pineapple in the fridge at all times so he could have some every day. We probably spent $100 on pineapple that month because pineapple in Alaska in winter is not cheap! Thankfully he hasn't needed sub q fluids, but I have a great big bag of lactated ringers and several big syringes and needles so we're set if he needs it. I'm so glad I have those things on hand. They really perk up a sick bunny. I even had to use them on Teddy and Kieran. Giving sub q fluids to a 25 gram crying, flailing baby bird is incredibly stressful!

Phoebsie decided to scare me too. Little missy began tinkling outside her litter box and I caught her lapping up the urine more than once yesterday. Silly girl had a great big bowl of fresh water the whole time and went from drinking pee to drinking water! I don't know what is up with that. I'm ashamed to admit this, but I think the tinkling may have been because her litter box was dirty and she didn't want to go in it. I've been so completely focused on the baby birds that the litter boxes got neglected for a while. I immediately did a total cage cleaning and she's since peed outside the litter box once but I haven't seen her drinking pee again. Everyone else got their cage cleaned too yesterday and today so we're back on track. I'm not going to worry TOOOO much right now because I did a search on RO and apparently drinking urine is not that uncommon. I will definitely be keeping my eye on her though.


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## Wabbitdad12 (Jul 19, 2010)

Get better Rory! Any new pics?


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## crystal (Jul 25, 2010)

I am not surprised that there haven't been many updates here lately.

After all, you are getting married in about a week if my calculations are correct?

:toast:


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## SnowyShiloh (Aug 14, 2010)

Quick update time! Paul and I are married  The big day was on August 1st. The wedding was beautiful. Here's the link to a thread where I talk about the wedding:

From Arthur and Poppet's first clutch of chicks, all the babies except the youngest died. They all got sick with sour crop and died one at a time as I tried to save them. Taking care of them and watching them get sicker and then dying was one of the hardest things I've experienced. I've been hand raising the youngest chick, Phoenix, for 5 weeks now and while he was sick with sour crop for a good 3 weeks (which seems like forever when they're sick), he pulled through and is a small but pretty healthy 7 week old chick now. Phoenix is my little baby. He's very opinionated and I think is going to have a huge personality when he grows up!

Arthur and Poppet chose to give us 2 new chicks as a wedding gift. Those babies are 6 and 8 days old now and are doing well so far. They are the age that their older siblings first showed signs of illness at, so I'm hoping that they won't get sick.

And for the bunnies! My sweet bunsies are doing well. I think they've missed me because of all the wedding planning and sick birds and I was gone for a week and then entertaining guests for about 3 weeks, then the honeymoon... Everyone is healthy. Rory is shedding.

This may sound stupid, but Paul and I are still considering getting another bunny even with the new birds. We went to the state fair today, and the highlight of the fair (for me at least!) is always visiting the rabbits in the bunny barn. We decided that if we see a bunny that calls out to us and it's for sale, we'll buy it. I did see one super sweet little Holland Lop baby (he was white with dark blue spots), but he wasn't for sale. Today is the last day of the fair and when they're doing the show and judging, so they had the bunny area roped off. We actually spent about 4 hours at the fair, and are now at home and plan to go back at 7 pm because the rabbit judging will be over and we can actually get a close look at the rabbits! I of course am dying for a Holland Lop, but Paul really likes mini rexes. We'll see.

I will update with fair bunny pictures tonight!


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## JadeIcing (Aug 15, 2010)

Good luck that what is meant to be happens.


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## SnowyShiloh (Aug 16, 2010)

You were absolutely right, Alicia! And I am thrilled to say that we DID find the perfect bunny  I'm still amazed that she's here. The story is this:

Yesterday evening we went back to the fair to see the bunnies since they were doing judging all day and we weren't allowed in. I love Paul so much for being willing to drive back for me! When we were there, I saw the most beautiful little 10 week old sable point/frosty Holland Lop named Purity. She was one of about 20 Hollands at the show. I got to hold her and immediately fell for her, she was so sweet and perfect and I felt connected to her instantly in a way I haven't felt since Tallulah was alive. She even lay on her back in my arms like Tallulah used to and was quite content. There were lots of other adorable bunnies there, but she was THE ONE. And I've seen lots of other bunnies since Tallulah died, but none that absolutely called out to me like this bunny did. Purity had been sold to someone else a few days earlier though  The breeders took down my name and phone number in case something happened with the buyer. 

Like you said, Alicia, I figured it would happen if it was meant to be. Last night and this morning I prayed and asked that Purity end up going to whichever owner she would be happiest and healthiest with, whether it be the other person or me because I wanted what was best for her. I woke up this morning and was hoping for a phone call from the breeder, but wasn't really expecting it. 

But then! At about 1 pm, the breeder called! The other buyer backed out  Paul and I were down at the fairgrounds within minutes, carrier in hand, to pick her up. I couldn't stop crying happy tears when the breeder called. I'm still SO happy hours later.

Here is a video and photos of our new girl. I named her Kerensa Rose. I chose the name Kerensa months ago for my future Holland Lop girl and knew it was her when I saw her last night! Kerensa is a Cornish name and means "love." 

The video (the funny thing is you can hear the breeder's daughter ask me for a pen and paper to write down my name and phone number on at the very end of the video, in case it fell through with the buyer. I'm so glad she asked!!)





Kerensa last night:







Kerensa at home with me this evening!
















It was meant to be  I'm so happy to have my little Kerensa along with Rory, Phoebe Mae, and Ned. Our bunny family is finally complete, over 2 years after Tallulah died!


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## Wabbitdad12 (Aug 16, 2010)

Congratulations on getting married and I am glad everything went well.

What a cute bunny and I love those big feetz!


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## SnowyShiloh (Aug 16, 2010)

Thanks WabbitDad! I'm so far loving being married (it's not that different from when we were engaged- I mean, we've lived together for over 3 years! But it feels different somehow) and loving Kerensa's big feet too 

So I know this sounds silly, but I can't help but think Tallulah helped me find Kerensa. And I've noticed several things that make it almost seem like I was being dropped hints! First of all, one of Tallulah's sisters looked an awful lot like Kensa:






And remember when I saw a picture of Tallulah's niece a few months ago? She looked JUST LIKE Tallulah except her markings were a bit different. The tip of her left ear looked like it was dipped in white:






The tip of Kerensa's left ear is white too:






And her name, Kerensa. Another spelling of it is Karensa. I'm still actually trying to decided which spelling to go with because I want my online bunny friends to know how to say her name! Kerensa's breeder is named Karen, like Karensa minus the -sa. I picked the name Kerensa several months ago.

Then of course there's the whole thing where it fell through with Kerensa's original buyer! 

Kind of funny series of coincidences, huh?


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## SnowyShiloh (Aug 18, 2010)

I am SO in love with Kerensa! It's like she was custom tailored to be all the things that I think are cutest and sweetest about bunnies. She's so sweet, too- she's understandably still kind of skittish, but is really very easy to handle and pick up and everything. She'll lie on her back on my lap without me touching her, no problem. She was one of the favorites of the breeder and her daughter so she has been handled plenty so far in her life! 

I had been worried about her pooping and peeing amounts. She didn't pee at all the first day and hardly drank, but has peed a few times Monday and Tuesday. She didn't drink that much though... I originally had given her a little bowl of water to drink, but she shunned it (and actually waited several hours until I came to see her so she could knock it over!) so I gave her a water bottle since that's what she's used to. She drank out of the bottle, but not a whole lot. I decided to try the water bowl again tonight, and the little girl just went to town drinking out of it! You can tell she's not used to drinking out of bowls because she had water all over her face. It was SO CUTE. I remember Tallulah doing the same thing. Lu always drank out of a heavy mug so her ears wouldn't dip into the water, and that's what I have Ren drinking out of now. Works well, in my experience! Anyway, I got some pictures of her face with water all over it. She kept licking her lips and I tried to get photos of it, but no tongue showed up  Then the camera card was filled! No! It holds 5,000 pictures and had to be full then! In any case, Paul is going to get all my pictures off the card tomorrow and I'll try getting more wet faced licky pictures tomorrow.

The other bunsies are doing well. Neddie is as wide eyed and irresistible as ever. Rory is most likely resenting that he's not the only lop anymore, and Phoebe Mae has been displaced as the queen of the bunnies! I don't mean she's NOT the queen anymore, but she's not my one and only baby girl anymore 

We had a good evening with Baby Phoenix too. I've been putting him in Poppet's bird diaper so he doesn't poop anywhere. He decided he wanted to hang out with Paul tonight, so he spent about 2 hours sitting on Paul's shoulder. It was very cute! And Paul likes him more after tonight too


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## crystal (Aug 19, 2010)

What an adorable new addition you have! Welcome home Kerensa 

Glad I came on here to procrastinate vacuuming haha I didn't know yet about the new bunny in your life.

Congrats again on getting married! Are there or will there be pictures up for us to see?


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## SnowyShiloh (Aug 19, 2010)

Crystal, here are pictures from the wedding (look at the bottom of the first page or top of the second, can't remember): http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=52325&forum_id=5

Hooray for procrastinating, huh?!

Baby Kerensa is doing well. Is it silly that she's been here 3 1/2 days now and I'm STILL in awe? I love her so much and can't believe how lucky I am that she's mine! 

Tonight I held her for about 15 minutes- the longest so far. When I bring home new bunnies, my general approach is to leave them pretty much alone the first day, then for the next couple of days talk to them and pick them up 3-4 times a day for just a minute or so to pet them and kiss them (I can't resist kissing bunnies). No letting them out to play because they're scared and disoriented and I think do best with a small world. So tonight Kerensa graduated up to being held and cuddled for much longer! Tomorrow we will snuggle some more. In a couple more days, I'll let her out to run around the living room some. She's settling in pretty well and is very used to being handled, but she's still obviously on edge (understandably). I suspect that by this time next week she will be much more adjusted.

I got some pictures of her yesterday and will get some more tomorrow! Or I guess technically later today  My camera is having issues so I didn't get any today.


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## JadeIcing (Aug 19, 2010)

I knew you would find one that was yours! So happy I know that feeling. I actually want to talk to you. I have the feeling you would understand what I am dealing with right now.


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## SnowyShiloh (Aug 20, 2010)

Alicia, what's going on?


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## JadeIcing (Aug 21, 2010)

*SnowyShiloh wrote: *


> Alicia, what's going on?


Hard time lately dealing with the loss of Montana. Had her such a short time. Just miss her.


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## SnowyShiloh (Aug 21, 2010)

Ali, I think I can understand how you feel- I know every bunny (and every bunny owner) is different, but I only had Lula for 5 months and you know how upset I was for how long after she passed away. I never got depressed- depression runs in my family big time but I've never suffered from it- it was more like I was traumatized and very emotionally wounded after she died. She was my baby girl and I treasured her deeply. After she died I had a hard time thinking happily back on memories of her, but it's funny because now that Kerensa is here, it's like there's a very happy conclusion to Tallulah and I can remember her with more joy. Don't get me wrong, I'll never forget Tallulah or stop missing her, but it's different now. I do really think that she sent Kerensa to me, Kerensa is the bunny I've been waiting for since Tallulah passed away. It may sound dumb or crazy, but it's true. I wouldn't go around blabbering about that to anyone but bunny folk on here though!

Of course I miss Skyler too. I know it's weird that I talk more about Tallulah when she died over 2 years ago and Skyler just died a few months ago  I think it's partly because Skyler's death was no surprise- I started mourning him while he was still alive and had come to terms with his death when he died. I was just grateful that he lived as long as he did after his diagnosis and did not suffer excessively (which was most important to me). I was eased into his death much more. It's somehow easier to mourn your bunny when you still have them there, alive and happy, to cuddle and cry into.


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## SnowyShiloh (Aug 23, 2010)

Why are all of my bunnies shedding except for Ned? I keep telling them they should hold onto that hair since winter is just around the corner, but they won't listen to me. Maybe Phoebe Mae will finally get some fur on her tummy now! The vet shaved her belly before she was spayed back in January, and Phoebs STILL has a naked belly. Naked except for a stripe of fur that grew in along the incision line 

Kerensa is settling in well. Still a little antsy, but it's only been a week. I think she's doing quite well. I also moved her litter box to the other side of her cage where she was peeing and she hasn't tinkled outside the box for 2 days now! Hooray! I bought her this gigantic dog crate to use as a cage (it's 36 inches long and I think 24 inches wide). It is BIG. We're pressed for space, and realistically I probably should have got the 30 inch wide one, but the 36 was only like $5 more and I thought how she'd like the extra space. Once I get a couple more levels put in the crate (made of NIC panels), it will have so much floor space for her! I haven't put her in the dog crate yet because it doesn't have sides and I want to be fairly confident in her litter box skills (at least for pee) before putting her in. Also because Paul is going to construct a little platform out of a big, flat piece of wood and some 2 by 4s for the crate. That way if pee pee makes its way overboard, it won't get on the carpet, and hopefully the wood on the sides will keep some of the flying turds in.

I think Phoebsie is jealous of Kerensa's new cage, even though her cage WAS perfectly fine. She likes to try to lift the lid of the cage with her head even though there's a 20 pound weight on top (girl is stubborn and persistent!), and last night she succeeded in wiggling the lid so much that the weight fell off. It actually somehow broke one of the wheels off the base of the cage, so now her cage is lopsided by an inch and a half. Silly girl!


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## Wabbitdad12 (Aug 23, 2010)

Thats great she is making herself comfortable around the house.


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## SnowyShiloh (Aug 25, 2010)

Thanks for reading my blog, Dave 

It's so great cuddling with a bunny. Right now my snuggle bunny is Kerensa, she's tucked under my arm. Rory and I have about an hour long snuggle session every night too. Phoebe Mae likes snuggles also, Ned isn't as big a fan- he's a super sweet bunny, but he doesn't like excessively long cuddles. After 5 minutes he's ready to go do other things, but hops back on the couch frequently for pets! I love my bunnies!

Paul and I have taken to petting Kerensa every time we walk past her cage. It's funny because Phoebe's cage is kitty corner to Kerensa's, and if we pet Kerensa, Phoebe Mae clamors for attention so you have to pet them both. Phoebs is used to being the queen bee!


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## Wabbitdad12 (Aug 25, 2010)

*SnowyShiloh wrote: *


> Ned isn't as big a fan- he's a super sweet bunny, but he doesn't like excessively long cuddles. After 5 minutes he's ready to go do other things, but hops back on the couch frequently for pets! I love my bunnies!


Sounds normal to me after all he is a guy.


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## JadeIcing (Aug 25, 2010)

It's just odd, I am very confused by all the emotions going through me.


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## SnowyShiloh (Aug 26, 2010)

I don't know, Dave, Rory's a guy and he has joined me for many a snuggle marathon! Neddie is cuddled with me right now  I'm curious about how long he'll stick around, he seems very content so far and is lying across my torso with his eyes closed. He's probably feeling a little lonely since I've been so busy with the sick baby birds and a lot of my bunny time has been spent socializing Kerensa.


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## SnowyShiloh (Aug 29, 2010)

Kerensa is so funny- Rory's been out of his cage for about two hours ago, and 5 minutes ago she started thumping at him! Her cage is a good 3 feet off the ground so he hasn't tried to bite her or anything. I guess she just doesn't like him. Poor Rory.


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## SnowyShiloh (Aug 30, 2010)

Paul is so funny. He likes to pretend that he doesn't like the bunnies, even though I know he does. When I see him petting them, he always makes excuses. Today his excuses were "I'm rubbing his fur off so he'll get cold!" and "I'm trying to create so much friction that she catches on fire!" Yeah. Sure.


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## Nela (Aug 30, 2010)

Lol @ Paul! I'm glad you are so happy with your girl :biggrin2:I think... THIS THREAD NEEDS MORE PICTURES!

*Ahem. Looks innocent and scampers off*


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## Wabbitdad12 (Aug 31, 2010)

*Nela wrote: *


> :biggrin2:I think... THIS THREAD NEEDS MORE PICTURES!


I concur, more pictures please.


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## crystal (Aug 31, 2010)

lol Paul's reasons for patting your bunnies are pretty funny

Yes more photos are definitely required!


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## SnowyShiloh (Aug 31, 2010)

I'll have to gather photos tonight! My bunnies are cute! I feel bad because I haven't got a ton of Kerensa yet, especially when she was a little baby when we first got her. Oops. I got some, but not lots. I've been so busy with the sick baby birds. She's been getting a good deal of attention, I just haven't been whipping out the camera that much.

Kerensa is a funny little girl. We've had her for a little over 2 weeks now and she's still kind of weary of us. Tallulah and Phoebe Mae were easier to win over. But they were MUCH more afraid of us at first than Kerensa is, and Kerensa is easier to handle than they were when they were afraid of us- she's pretty easy to pick up and everything and will stay with me when I cuddle her on the couch, but she still looks quite uncertain. Paul and I have taken to petting her every time we pass her cage and I pick her up randomly throughout the day, and we have at least one 20-30 minute snuggle every day. I also feed her pellets from my hand 1 at a time. Food is a good way to a bunny's heart  Hopefully she'll love me soon like the other bunny's love me! I'm not worried.


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## okiron (Aug 31, 2010)

Aww Kerensa is just precious. You got her the same way we plan on getting our next bun haha. Hopefully there will be a bun for us at the county fair in May.


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## kherrmann3 (Sep 1, 2010)

*SnowyShiloh wrote: *


> Why are all of my bunnies shedding except for Ned?


Because Ned is waiting for the other ones to stop before he lets loose. 

So much to catch up on! I think I've said that to everyone's blog, but man! A month's worth of bunny-blogs and adorable pictures is almost a marathon to go through! 
:thud:

Kerensa is just adorable! I don't even think adorable is the right word for it... There should be a stronger word for extreme cuteness! Then again, I'm just a sucker for light-gray-colored bunnies with darker gray nosies and ears. It's one of my favorite colors! It's like she was paw-picked for you by Tallulah! I'm glad that you found a little girl bunny to round-out your herd.  Congrats!

Speaking of congrats, big congratulations on getting married!  How exciting! Sounds like a busy month for you!


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## MILU (Feb 13, 2011)

hi Shiloh, how are you and how are these beautiful bunnies you have? Please post more pics!

I went to Alaska and visited Fairbanks in November, last year. I stayed mostly in Anchorage and only stayed in Fairbanks from Saturday night to Sunday morning, I was wondering if I'd be around the area where you are.. I guess it was close to the college. Alaska is very beautiful, your bunnies must love it!
I hope you're all ok, take care.


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## Nela (Feb 17, 2011)

:grumpy:

Shiloh's gotten too busy to share news of her and her wonderful family with us... Seriously, where are you? You need to make a fresh new fancy schmancy 2011 blog Missy. 

Missing you and the furbabies...


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