# The Bunny Bunch



## Hyatt101 (Feb 6, 2013)

So, this blog has kind of a weird title, and I'll change it once I think of a better name, but here is my new, updated blog! 

My old blog, Tasmanian Devil and Ruby, really flopped, so I hope this time around I'll have more viewers 

So, to start off, my name is Christina. I have 4 precious bunnies, all females: Cocoa, a solid black, unknown breed; Pockets, an agouti colored rabbit of unknown breed; Tasmanian Devil aka Taz/Tazzie, a brown dwarf lionhead/Dutch mix; and Ruby, a mismarked Netherland dwarf hotot rabbit! 

Cocoa (photos not available right now) is a sweet, outgoing bunny who loves the great outdoors (perhaps a bit too much as she has run away before to run loose on the property!) She is nicely bonded to us, and always greets us joyously as if we haven't seen her in months! She LOVES food, and would eat enough food for 10 rabbits if we let her! 

Pockets is a sweet, slightly shyer rabbit. She, like Cocoa, has a big appetite, but will gladly pass up pellets for grass from the yard or veggies! She bounces around in her cage to greet us, and I think she is queen of nosebonks! Here is a picture of her below (sorry about the size) 







Taz is a shy, but still adventurous girl who loves to be free from her cage and hop into every nook and cranny she can find! She is shy around people, and DOES NOT like to be held! She gives lots of nosebonks, though! 
Taz checking out the printer:






Ruby is my ND and my newest rabbit. She's sweet and loves to be held, and I always describe her as being a 'dainty little thing'  here's a picture of her:






Well, I hope you've enjoyed my first post, and I hope to get more viewers this time around! I'll post again later, with lots of new pictures!


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## Moochyesh (Feb 6, 2013)

I love that second picture! he looks like he is looking around to see if someone will catch him snacking on paper!
Ruby is my new Lops name also! 
Would love to see more pictures =]


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## Hyatt101 (Feb 6, 2013)

More pictures soon to come!


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## TuckerandGusGus (Feb 6, 2013)

I'm thinking of starting my own blog, too... I just joined this site today, though.. so Idk yet.. your bun buns are adorable.


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## whitelop (Feb 6, 2013)

How are all the buns doing? Are Cocoa and Pockets weathering the cold well? Did you put Taz out yet, or is she in until spring? Did her litter box habits ever improve? 
How is little Ruby doing? Does she still have good litter box habits?


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## Troller (Feb 7, 2013)

Cute bunnies, the lionhead does look like he's about some shady business. As far as views for your blog though, don't get discouraged. Its nice just to right down your thoughts to express them.


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## Chrisdoc (Feb 7, 2013)

They are all lovely, I just love seeing anybody´s bunnies. He does look as though he´s about to get up to mischief with the printer but checking he hasn´t been seen lol. Love Ruby, those eyes are so pretty and Pocket´s fur looks really thick. 

Do they all live outdoors as Morgan mentioned this. 

I´ll keep checking here and I love to hear stories about everyone´s bunnies and I just love checking out new pics so looking forward to seeing Cocoa as well.


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## Ilovemyrabbit (Feb 7, 2013)

Aww, hadn't seen your old blog before. But I enjoyed reading about all your bunnies . Hope you will have pics of Cocoa soon!


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## agnesthelion (Feb 7, 2013)

Loved seeing pics of all your sweet buns. I always forget how much Taz reminds me of Agnes


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## Hyatt101 (Feb 7, 2013)

They are doing great, thanks everyone! To answer your questions....

All the bun buns are doing great! We haven't moved Taz yet, since we're preparing for a big snowstorm! Cocoa and Pockets will get extra protection around their cages because of cold weather and the snow. We like to cover their cages, because warm air rises, but does anyone have further ideas? Cocoa is in a barn, so should we move Pockets' hutch into the barn, maybe for wind protection? Note: the barn doesn't have electricity or anything, so it's not heated. 

In the new indoor cage with xpen that we Taz in, I noticed that Taz only poops and pees on one side of the cage...? Her litter habits never improved or anything, but I thought it was interesting that she was only 'going' in one side if the cage. 

Ruby is great too! I put a little pet bed in her cage to see how she would react to it, and thankfully she doesn't use it as another litterbox, but she does shred it quite a bit, which is making my wonder if I should take it out. I feel bad, because she loves it so much! 

Oops, missed a question: no, they're not all outdoors; cocoa and pockets are, but Taz and ruby aren't, although Taz will soon be going outside in the spring. 

In other news, I'm home sick I have a combination of sore throat, cold, and headaches  I'm hoping for a snow day tomorrow!!

I'm also looking for new hutches for th outdoor bunnies. Anyone have any good ideas of what the hutches should be like or where I might look for one? We want nice ones, maybe with a little mini run attached? We would prefer to just buy one, not build one too. And we're thinking of getting 2 hutches, since Pickets already has one, but of course, I get all weird about the "equality" stuff I posted in another thread about, and I feel bad that Taz and Cocoa will get nice, new hutches with runs hopefully, and Pockets still only has her regular hutch  

Phew, I feel like all my info is scattered throuout this post, haha!  I'll just end it with some pics I guess! 






Tazzie loves to explore! (And don't worry, she was under close supervision, what with those wires!  )








Crazy Tazzie!








Dead bunny flop in the litterbox! 








Pockets!


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## Hyatt101 (Feb 7, 2013)

Ok so I'm super annoyed because I just posted 10 pics, (the limit) and it wouldn't let me post until I had reduced it down to 4!! It said, when I had only 5 pics, that I had 11!?


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## Hyatt101 (Feb 7, 2013)

Here are some more pics: 






This is Ruby in the cage we first brought her home in












Ruby as a baby








Taz as a baby!


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## whitelop (Feb 7, 2013)

I've never had that problem with the pictures. 

I would probably move Pockets into the barn, even though it doesn't have heat, it will be better because there won't be wind on her. As for covering them, I would trying to find some wool blankets, wool is water proof and pretty warm. And as you know, stuffing their hutches with hay or straw, its a great insulator. 
I've never had to buy an outdoor hutch, but do you have tractor supply companies up there? I think they have a good deal on their hutches, and its about to be spring time so they'll have them on sale I'm sure. Once chick-days comes around they should put the rabbit and chicken coops on sale. I would look and check. 

I'm glad everyone is doing so well! 

Sorry that you're home sick! I hate being sick, I've had a headache for a week so I understand your headaches! Get lots of rest and drink some juice!


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## Hyatt101 (Feb 7, 2013)

Thanks Morgan! Yes, we do have Tractor Supply here so I'll check those out  Yes, we cover the bunnies with wool blankets anyway, and of course, stuff he cages! Sometimes we stuff it so much I wonder if they can move!  the picture thing is still bugging me...

Unfortunately, this was the one week that i really didnt want to be sick; we're throwing a surprise party for my teacher in school tomorrow, and my brother's birthday is Saturday, and with the storm coming, we need to work hard to get the house and bunnies "storm proof" because our pipes freeze easily and we also use firewood along with oil heat, so we need to stack up the firewood in the little fireplace area!


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## Ilovemyrabbit (Feb 7, 2013)

Aww, my favorite pics were, the one with Ruby doing a dead bunny flop, and little Ruby as a baby . How old was she?


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## Hyatt101 (Feb 7, 2013)

That pic (of her as a baby) was from before I got her... I can't remember how old she was, maybe 4 weeks??


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## Ilovemyrabbit (Feb 7, 2013)

She sure is a pretty girl!


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## Chrisdoc (Feb 8, 2013)

Oh, they are so lovely. Taz really does remind me of Agnes. I laughed at the picture with the cables. They wouldn´t last two minutes with mine even with supervision lol.

That pic of Ruby as a baby is gorgeous and Taz is adorable, he has changed so much. I just love baby rabbits. I went to Malaga today and can´t help but look in the pet shop window and they had two babies, a white sort of dutchie but with really long ears and it was grooming a really small lop. I tell you, if I had loads of space, i´d ended up with a house full. 

Hope you get better soon,nothing worse than feeling lousy and stuck in the house.


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## Hyatt101 (Feb 8, 2013)

Thanks  oh, I'm hopeless when it comes to baby bunnies!! When I go to the pet store to get something, I always go straight to the baby bunnies. I do like this one place, because they keep no more than 2 bunnies in one large, pretty spacious cage. Still, once I saw two baby harlequin lops and wanted to take them home with me!! 

Well, it's snowing heavily up here in Maine, but thankfully the bunnies are fine! I'm still under the weather, but improving slowly  

I'll give a better post later!


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## Chrisdoc (Feb 8, 2013)

Look at that little face.....oh, i could just kiss it lol.


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## TuckerandGusGus (Feb 8, 2013)

Herro! Yur buns are so cute! (Yes my mum made me say it!)


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## Ilovemyrabbit (Feb 8, 2013)

I hear you on that one! I love baby bunnies. I'm always so tempted to by them when I see them.


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## Hyatt101 (Feb 8, 2013)

Herro Tucker! You're cute too! 

Ilovemyrabbit: I know I shouldn't look at baby bunnies, but they are the cutest things on the planet!! I find myself just looking at ads online because I love to see the pictures! Some ads make me angry though; for example, when I was looking for the bunny that would soon be Ruby, I saw an ad that literally said, "rabbits for sale." I called, and the man sounded like he knew absolutely nothing, he said, "uh yeah we got some rabbits, none of them floppy eared ones, we got ones with blue eyes and lots of rabbits". I was like, "ok, thank you!" And hung up! There are so many ads like that, and then I was fortunate to find Ruby's ad, which was very informative and had pictures! That's another thing I also look for in an ad (back when I was looking for Ruby) I always like to see an ad with pictures  

But enough rambling about ads! It's been snowing nonstop all day, and apparently it's going to be worse tonight! Is there anyone in the Maine/New England area facing the storm? Good luck to those who are! ray:


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## Hyatt101 (Feb 9, 2013)

Good Lord, there's so much SNOW!!! We couldn't get off the porch, so we all went out to shovel it, then we tackled our long driveway, and I handled shoveling the path to the barn for Cocoa and Pockets! More updates and pics to come! I'll have to post one of the pictures of the snow! It's up to our knees, and much higher in some places where the plow came to help us!


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## Chrisdoc (Feb 9, 2013)

I´ve been seeing it all on the TV with the snow on the East coast....I couldn´t believe it, it´s so deep and causing chaos. I just can´t imagine that sitting her with brilliant outside and quite warm temperatures.


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## Hyatt101 (Feb 9, 2013)

Chrisdoc said:


> I´ve been seeing it all on the TV with the snow on the East coast....I couldn´t believe it, it´s so deep and causing chaos. I just can´t imagine that sitting her with brilliant outside and quite warm temperatures.



Haha I couldn't imagine wanting to go out in the cold now! What are your temperatures like?


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## Chrisdoc (Feb 9, 2013)

It´s been about 18ºC this afternoon, really nice weather to sit outside in...can´t imagine you doing that over there unless it´s in an igloo lol.


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## Hyatt101 (Feb 10, 2013)

So....

Nothing much new going on! The bunnies are doing great! Taz grunted at me today though, when she was eating her greens and I went to pet her.  it actually freaked me out a little at first! Ruby is still shredding te bottom of her pet bed, and it seems like she's almost thinly lining it with fur because of shedding. She stopped shredding today, and as long as she continues to not chew her pet bed, I'll let her have it  

I also have another thing I wanted to talk about was rabbit showing/4-H. This sounds really stupid, but I've never done anything like these things so... What are they exactly?  I've just gotten curious after reading about showing rabbits on here. Not that my rabbits could be show rabbits, but I just was wondering what you guys do in showing? What breeds do you show? This is something I'd really like to learn about, although I don't even know where you would show a rabbit in Maine  

Anyway, enough about that, I was just a little curious  
Have any of you noticed how expensive these rabbit toys are!? The grass caves that my bunns ADORE are like $20!! It's kind of annoying, because Taz destroys them, but she loves them so I wish I could get her more caves, but it's not like we want to spend $40 on two grass caves that aren't going to last very long anyway  Do you guys know of any good places to buy rabbits toys such as grass mats, caves, fun toys for cheaper prices? Online maybe?

To finish up this post, here are some pictures:






Taz's grass cave before she utterly destroyed it  





Tasmanian Devil wants to escape from her cage! Which she has done, by the way, twice!





Excuse the poop, this was before Ruby began her perfect litter habits! I'm still shocked with how there's never a stray poop out of the litterbox now!


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## Hyatt101 (Feb 10, 2013)

Still annoyed about this picture thing... It's saying I have 11 pics when I have 4!?!?!


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## Hyatt101 (Feb 10, 2013)

????? Trying pics again:





Another fav toy!!


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## Hyatt101 (Feb 10, 2013)

It seems to work! Thanks Watermelons!!


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## Hyatt101 (Feb 10, 2013)

Lots and lots of pics!!


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## Hyatt101 (Feb 10, 2013)

Ahh, now I've got all my pics working again! Enjoy!


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## whitelop (Feb 10, 2013)

Ruby is so cute! ahaha. So is Taz, I like her little mane. 
Ellie grunts at me while shes eating too. I just press her head down and tell her to "hush, no one should bite the hand that feeds you" haha. She hasn't growled in a while. 

I am so glad we did not get the snow you guys got! My whole town would be completely shut down, it would be terrible. Thank goodness for the South, the magical place it is! My husband went to Maine when he was a teenager and said it was beautiful, he went in the summer and stayed at a hotel that over looked a harbor. He said it was really nice there. 

Do you eat the lobsters? I know that probably sounds like such a silly question, but I know Maine is famous for lobsters! I don't really like them just plain, but I like lobster as an ingredient in things. Weird, I know. 

Wow, sorry, I'm just rambling on. Hahaha. Talking about lobsters.


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## Hyatt101 (Feb 11, 2013)

Haha actually, I HATE lobster. The smell is revolting! Unfortunately, my brothers and dad love it, so when they eat it, I have something else 

The snow was CRAZY!! I'll need to post some pictures to try to show just how deep it was! Yeah, Maine is known for snow too.... But I like the snow (after shoveling is done with!  ) because its so pretty, especially when it snows lightly and covers the trees. I guess when you live in Maine, you really have to like snow to some degree, because you'll be seeing a lot of it 

Yes, Taz always nose bonks my hand when I reach it to grab her bowls, but she's never bitten me, and usually she's pretty good about being petted while eating; I guess there was just something special with that romaine heart!


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## Chrisdoc (Feb 11, 2013)

They´re both so lovely and I love the pics. Mine go mad at food time, as soon as I get the bag out of the storage box, they´ve got their noses in the dish. I always give Houdini one pellet before I put the food in this dish just in case he mistakes my hand for a piece of lettuce again lol. I really laugh when any of them grunt, it´s such a funny noise. I really laughed last week cos Houdini was on the sofa with me and every time I stroke his head, he honked..I´d never heard anything like it and can you believe I kept doing just so he´d keep honking...how bad am I but it was so funny. 

I saw the snow there on the news, couldn´t believe how deep it was but I love it when you haven´t got anything to do. I haven´t seen snow here ever, it´s does snow on the mountains beyond Malaga and in Granada but that´s about it.


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## Hyatt101 (Feb 11, 2013)

Chrisdoc said:


> They´re both so lovely and I love the pics. Mine go mad at food time, as soon as I get the bag out of the storage box, they´ve got their noses in the dish. I always give Houdini one pellet before I put the food in this dish just in case he mistakes my hand for a piece of lettuce again lol. I really laugh when any of them grunt, it´s such a funny noise. I really laughed last week cos Houdini was on the sofa with me and every time I stroke his head, he honked..I´d never heard anything like it and can you believe I kept doing just so he´d keep honking...how bad am I but it was so funny.
> 
> I saw the snow there on the news, couldn´t believe how deep it was but I love it when you haven´t got anything to do. I haven´t seen snow here ever, it´s does snow on the mountains beyond Malaga and in Granada but that´s about it.



Haha the honking noise was kinda funny 

Oh, I love the snow, most of the time! We got another heavy snowfall today, and it covers the trees and very branch with a thin lining of snow, so it looks so pretty!


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## Hyatt101 (Feb 13, 2013)

So, last night, Ruby gave me the biggest scare ever!!! I went in to give them their dinner, and Ruby was not in her cage. Oh, I figured, she must have broken out. But then I looked down, and the cage was locked...? So my mom and I just kinda waited for her to pop out of a corner, but she didn't. There was no noise at all, and this is a tiny room btw. So, we start frantically searching, and that's when I begin to wonder if she left the room. But the door is kept closed so she couldn't have. It was like she just disappeared. She usually makes scratching noises or SOMETHING, but not today. Then, I looked over by my desk. It has these low shelves, and there was a decorative basket of shells witty on the low shelf, but now, it was on the floor, shells everywhere, and the wood basket looked chewed. My guess was that Ruby tried to jump on the shelf (though i really don't know why) and spilled the shells. What a scare that must have given her  
I looked over at Taz, and she's just stretching and yawning and waiting for me to feed her. 

So, anyway, we keep looking, and then, my mom pulls out the hay bin, and we find her! I then realized that she must have jumped onto the second level, and jumped over the roofless top. (I will be putting on a roof, needless to say!) I thought she would never jump that! Then we realized that she must have been out of her cage, unable to get back in all day, because she immediately ran for her food and water  

The only thing that was different about her cage was that I had moved the pet bed to the top level, so maybe that made her angry!? :shrug: I checked her for injuries, thankfully she had none! I moved the bed to the floor, and she hasn't jumped to the second level since. Silly bunnies!! Ruby scared me so bad, and my mom too! We had no idea where she was or why she wasn't making any noise! When I saw the shells, I was so scared that she had gotten hurt! I checked on her just now, and she is happy chewing hay in her pet bed  

Whoo, just wanted to get that whole story on here! 

As for the other bun bunns, Taz is great! She actually seems like she's becoming more friendly towards me, since she's always been a little on the aloof side. I definitely want to hold off moving her outside, because Maine has such changing temperatures every day! Maybe mid April? 

For Cocoa and Pockets, I am still looking for better hutch(es). I wish I could find one that was semi cheap, had room for two bunnies with a divider, and had those little tiny separated runs at the bottom! That is probably my 'dream hutch' for the bunnies  If you guys know of any, let me know!

Alright, I'm done posting for now! Pictures coming later!


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## whitelop (Feb 13, 2013)

WOW! I would have been freaking out if I couldn't find Ellie! That did happen to us one morning. My husband and I walked into the kitchen and I called for Ellie and put some food in her bowl and she didn't come. My husband checked the gate to make sure there were no holes. I called and called for her. I checked all her boxes and finally found her under the cabinet I'm making into her cage. I was like 2 seconds away from totally panicking! Its scary when they do things like that! 

I'm glad Taz is being a little more friendly to you. That sounds exciting. I couldn't imagine the temp changes up there. It has to be hard to decide to do anything up there, like planting veggies and putting animals outside. How difficult that is. So glad I live in the south! LOL.


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## Chrisdoc (Feb 13, 2013)

I know the feeling, not being able to find a rabbit is a bit scary. I was on the phone the other day and left the door open, one of those days where you´re mind´s on other things. After a couple of minutes, I suddenly realised that the boys were out and couldn´t find one of them. I had a massive panic as if they get into one of the other rooms, I´ll never find them. I then suddenly realised I´d forgotten to look on the chair under the dining room table and there was Bandy as comfy as anything....panic over but it does make your heart race. Glad she was Ok anyway, she is such a cute little girl.

Glad also that Taz is warming to you, sometimes they just need a bit of time. 

Weather sounds terrible, we´ve had another gorgeous day, 21ºC, can´t imagine freezing temperatures.


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## Hyatt101 (Feb 13, 2013)

Aw, I wish we had warm temps! Yes, it was terrifying, mostly because its a small room, and she wasn't making ANY noise whatsoever. And then I was worried she had escaped the room...that would not have been good....


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## Hyatt101 (Feb 14, 2013)

So....
I think I found the PERFECT hutch for one of the bunns outside, problem is, I couldn't decide which bunny should get the super awesome hutch! I've talked before about how I'm really crazy when it comes to all the bunns having equal everything. But, here's the link to the hutch, tell me what you think!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pawhut-Wood...071&pid=100015&prg=1085&rk=1&sd=121048991722&


I think it looks great!

As far as the bunnies go, they are all great  I'm not happy about the exercise level of the outdoor bunns, so I'm working on that, which is another reason to get a bigger hutch.


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## Hyatt101 (Feb 17, 2013)

I need help/advice! 

Cocoa was acting very strange. I went to feed and water her, and she was fine, but is very cold outside, and there's some of the worst wind we've had all winter!! So, anyway, Cocoa suddenly started moving around like she couldn't get comfortable, and then she kind of flopped down, not like DBF, her head was still upright. She did this a few times, and then she was fine. Is she just cold? We loaded her cage with hay, and covered her cage to try to block out the wind. She's in the barn, but it's an old barn, and the back door is so flimsy that the wind gets through easily, along with quite a bit of snow. 
We can't bring her inside, that would basically be sending her to her death, what with our dog. 
Anyone have any ideas?!?!


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## whitelop (Feb 17, 2013)

I know that your barn doesn't have electricity but could you run an extension cord out there to set up a heat lamp for them? I just had to do it for my chickens, my hen is freezing. 
Maybe Cocoa is cold, if not then maybe she is having some tummy upset. Has she gotten anything new to eat recently? It sounds like she has plenty of hay, so thats probably not an issue, lol. Maybe she is cold.


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## Hyatt101 (Feb 17, 2013)

Nothing new to eat that I know of... Just pellets, hay, and a few cucumber peels, but that's it. I'd have to see about the extension cord, it's just so cold!


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## whitelop (Feb 18, 2013)

I thought about your rabbits last night, with the weather and the heat lamps. I put a heating lamp in my chicken coop and I was worried all night last night about it starting a fire in my coop because of the hay. I put in a black light that has 5W, so its just for heat and not light. It seemed pretty warm in there and they seemed pretty happy. But I wanted to tell you tyo maybe get one of those instead of using regular light bulb, if you decide to put lamps out. 
You can get the black lights anywhere, they're critter lights and I got mine from walmart for a few dollars I think. They put off a lot of heat. I used to use it for Foo in the kitchen, when it was REALLY really cold in the kitchen at night, I put it in one corner of her cage so she could get out of it if she needed to and she liked to bask in its warmth. 
But I thought about your girls outside at like 4 am this morning when I got up to make sure my chicken coop wasn't up in smoke. I can't imagine how cold it is up there. Its just so hard on all the animals involved. 
So basically what I'm trying to say is the critter black light would probably be better with all the hay in their hutches. haha.


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## Hyatt101 (Feb 18, 2013)

Aw, thanks for thinking of them! They're alright, thankfully. It was brutal last night! We're just so concerned about any kind of heat lamp left in the barn, because its very old, and we also stack firewood and hay in there, so if a fire were to be started, it would completely destroy the barn and spread to our house, because the house and barn are kind of attached. We put up boards around the back door of the barn, so that the wind wouldn't reach cocoa's cage, and the blanket on top to keep the heat in was helpful. 
Pockets has the part of her hutch that's totally covered, so if we just up hay in there, she's fine. She actually pushes some of the hay out!? I don't know why the silly rabbit does that; the hay keeps her warm!


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## whitelop (Feb 18, 2013)

Yes I totally understand the fear of fire in old barns filled with hay! I would be terrified. I thought I didn't sleep last night, I would never sleep if I had a lamp in my actual barn. hahaha. 
I'm glad she's okay! I bet Pockets is pretty warm in her hutch, since she has a house part. I bet she's nice and cozy in there! haha.


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## Hyatt101 (Feb 18, 2013)

Yeah, she loves it in her hutch!  I hope your chickens made it through alright! Do you have baby chicks hatching? I just had to ask because I LOVE baby chicks and honk hey are the cutest things ever!


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## whitelop (Feb 18, 2013)

No chicks yet! I think she's getting ready for them hatch though, she was very restless when I was out there a bit ago. She was shifting around a lot so there might be some movements in the eggs. I hope they hatch soon! I love baby chicks too, they're so adorable. 
And yes, they made it through the night fine, I'm just a worrier and I have a hard time with things like that. It just comes with being a parent and an animal owner, maybe nights of lost sleep. 
There will definitely be lots of pictures of the chicks when the come!


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## Chrisdoc (Feb 18, 2013)

I´d be a real worrier if we had temperatures like that and animals outside. They do say that the drafts are the worst thing for them not the cold so you just need to make sure that they are well protected from them which must be really difficult. I´d love to see a pic of them in their outdoor hutches in the barn. 

I just find it really difficult to imagine how cold it is, we´ve had really dull weather today and expecting rain but it´s still quite warm in comparison.


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## Hyatt101 (Feb 18, 2013)

Yes, it's freezing here! They're well protected, so I'll try to get a pic later. 

We're going to Florida on Saturday!! We'll be able to get away from all the cold, and relax on the beach! We'll be in the Englewood area  
So, that means my older sister gets to watch the dogs and bunnies  I wrote out this whole sheet for her on caring for Cocoa and Pockets, and I was VERY thorough so she would know exactly what to do. Still, I can't help but worry a little since I'm not there, and what if something were to happen... anic:


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## whitelop (Feb 18, 2013)

I'm sure you're buns will be fine! It sounds like you got everything in order for her. 

Oh and I wanted to stop by your blog to say that I have chicks! I've seen 2 so far. I'll be able to take some pictures later and post them on my blog. I'm so excited and they are so cute!


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## Chrisdoc (Feb 18, 2013)

:woohoochicks at last, I so want to see pics

Nice, a holiday in Florida sounds wonderful. Would love to go there, I´m so jealous. I´m sure the buns will be fine but I think it´s normal to worry even so.


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## Hyatt101 (Feb 18, 2013)

I'm very relieved to get out of this cold! 

Ooh, Morgan, pics please!! I love baby chicks!!


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## Ilovemyrabbit (Feb 23, 2013)

Yes Morgan, we need pics! 

Christina, that's great that your taking a vacation in Florida, have fun!


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## Hyatt101 (Feb 27, 2013)

Well, I haven't updated in awhile since I'm in Florida, but I thought I would give a quick update:

Since I'm in Florida my mom has emailed me telling me that ruby has been VERY bad lately. She's digging the litter out of her litterbox, and eating a lot more than usual...? She also is desperate to get out of her cage all the time, and she'll bite at the bars. What happened to my perfectly litter trained, sweet, calm girl?!?


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## whitelop (Feb 27, 2013)

HORMONES! hahahaha. Welcome to club, My Baby Bun Has Become a Monster; or MBBHBM. We're making shirts next week and I'll mail you your registration forms! hahahaha. jk. 

But seriously, its the hormones. You've reached the point in her life where she thinks pottying outside her litter box is okay, that stalking you for apple jacks is just fine and digging in litter boxes, bars of cages and your skin is perfectly acceptable. The only real cure is spaying. 
I'm going through this right now with Ellie. Its difficult. What I've been doing that seems to be working is cleaning her litter box out every single morning, like almost first thing. While my coffee brews I clean the boxes. If I don't, she will use the floor. I have put an extra box out where she likes to go potty when her boxes aren't up to her standards. 
When Ellie scratches on her cage, I just ignore her. I don't say anything to her, because they're like kids, when you say something to the bad behavior it reinforces it that its something that gets a rise out of you. I also try to give her lots of stuff in her cage that she likes. I've found that pine cones are good now, you might have an issue being in Maine, but if you find some and bring them in to dry, they'll open up and she might like them. 
Sometimes it just takes a little work with them. And when she poops in the floor you have to sweep it up and put it in the box and clean her pee up! You have to tell her that the boxes are the only place to potty! That doesn't always work, but it can't hurt.

Hows Florida? Is it warmer than Maine?! haha. I'm sure it is! Hope you're having fun down there!


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## Hyatt101 (Feb 27, 2013)

Thanks! Oh, gosh, I'm not ready to deal with hormones from ruby yet! I'll look around for good rabbit toys and just try to give her a little more exercise. Do they grow out of it?! I'll tell my mom to keep cleaning the cage until I get back. 

Yes, Florida is sooo nice! It's super warm, like 80 degrees all week! I can't imagine how cold it will be going back to Maine, since they're getting a blizzard!


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## whitelop (Feb 27, 2013)

I don't know if they grow out of it or not! I don't know if they just modify their behavior or what, I'm just not sure. 

I wish it were 80 here! That would be so nice! I can't wait for spring. Now I want to go to Florida! I'm jealous!


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## Hyatt101 (Feb 27, 2013)

Haha, yeah, I wish it was warm back home in Maine!! 

I hope Ruby gets better! Cocoa and Pockets are sweet and for the most part calm, and they're both older than Ruby by a lot. 
Speaking of Cocoa, my older sister, who's taking care of Cocoa and Pockets, said today that when she went to feed Cocoa, Cocoa ripped the bowl out of her hands!  She's never done that, and my sister doesn't love the bunnies anyway, (she's scared of them ) so this didn't help her impression of them  It did make me laugh though, because Cocoa can be a wild girl, especially when it comes to food!


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## Hyatt101 (Mar 2, 2013)

RIP Taz

Well, I just got back from Florida, to find out that my beloved Taz has died. My mom said that Taz had been acting sluggish, and just wasn't normal, and then she died. I'm so devastated, but now I have to worry about Ruby. 

My mom said that Ruby has also been acting a little strange. I don't know what's going on, if there was something that Taz might have spread. I just don't know what to do, and I need help! I feel so awful about Taz, but I have to figure out whats wrong.


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## whitelop (Mar 2, 2013)

Oh my god. My heart just totally stopped. Christina, I am SO sorry! I don't even know what to say. I just feel so bad. 
I hope Ruby is okay, and jeez, I just can't believe it and I'm so sorry. 
Binky free Tazzie. :rainbow: :hearts


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## Hyatt101 (Mar 2, 2013)

Thanks Morgan. Ruby is okay, but we're going to get her out of the room even though my mom already took care of Taz and the cage, and we'll give the room a thorough cleaning. I just can't believe this happened to my little Taz. 

Binky free my baby :hearts:


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## JBun (Mar 2, 2013)

I'm just shocked! I'm so sorry. What a horrible thing to come home to. She was a nice little bun and I know that you are really going to miss her.

You are going to want to check Ruby's poops and her eating. Don't feed her any treats right now. Clean out her cage and her litter boxes so that you can see if she is pooping at all. If she is, then check her poops and make sure they are normal sized for her and not really small. And make sure she is eating her food normally. I hope Ruby ends up being ok. Make sure to let us know if she isn't.


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## PaGal (Mar 2, 2013)

I am so very sorry for your loss! I don't even know what to say.


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## Hyatt101 (Mar 2, 2013)

Thank you all. 

Ruby's poops are normal and she seems fine. I'm just so upset and overwhelmed. I do have a question: can rabbits sicknesses spread to dogs?


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## missyscove (Mar 2, 2013)

I'm sorry to hear about your Taz. I know what it's like to come home from vacation and have lost a bun as the same thing happened to me over my winter break. 
Most of the illnesses that affect our rabbits are pretty rabbit-specific and aren't much of a concern for dogs or humans.


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## Hyatt101 (Mar 3, 2013)

Thanks. I'm just upset that I don't know what caused her death, and it was awful coming home to find that out. 

It seems like I have a lot to decide with the bunnies now. 
Ruby is hormonal, and I'm going to rebuild her NIC so that it's smaller, and I want to give her more free run from her cage. I'm hoping her litter habits will pick up again. Will wire cutters work best for cutting zip ties? As far as Ruby's health, she seems normal, other than the hormones. 
My original plan in the spring was to move Taz outdoors to my dads house, but now that won't happen  So instead, if we end up getting the new outdoor hutch, I have to decide whether Cocoa or Pockets gets to go in it. How can I decide that?? Cocoas current cage is my least favorite, so I was thinking to let her have the nice hutch, and Pockets would have to keep her current hutch, but I'm not sure.


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## Hyatt101 (Mar 5, 2013)

Well, I haven't updated in a few days, so I think it's time. 

Its still been a little hard losing Tazzie <3

The other bunns are fine, except for Ruby's hormones. She's stopped digging all the bedding out of her litterbox , thankfully, and she's continuing to go perfectly in the litterbox. She still wants more time out of her cage, but we're going to finish cleaning and sterilizing the room first. I might be taking the sterilize thing to the extreme, but I want to be absolutely sure Ruby can't catch anything. 
I'll be reconstructing Ruby's cage soon, and I feel like I know what I want, but I just can't find it!! I want to find an NIC plan I can really follow, rather than just winging it. I want something smaller as at as width goes, but taller, for more levels. Does that make sense? She'll have more time out of the cage, so that's why I want to make it a little smaller. 
Here are some ideas I had, and please share your own ideas and opinions!! 






















I feel so jumbled because none of these cages look alike, and I feel like I can't find an example of what I'm looking for!!


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## Hyatt101 (Mar 5, 2013)

The first pic is one I like, but I can't quite get a clear picture of it


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## Chrisdoc (Mar 6, 2013)

Christina, I was so shocked to read about Tazzie, can´t believe it and so hard for you to come back to. RIP little Tazzie, binky on to your heart´s content. 

I like the first cage but can´t see if it has more than one level. I love the NIC cages but can´t get them over here. Like the last one as well. 

Hope little Ruby´s doing OK and give yourself time, it´s been quite a shock. Always loved those baby pictures.


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## Hyatt101 (Mar 6, 2013)

Thank Chris. Taz will be missed! 

As far as the cages go, I liked the first one the best, but you're right, it's so hard to tell, so I couldn't use it as a model for my cage anyway!


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## Hyatt101 (Mar 6, 2013)

I also really like the last cage, and that would be easy to follow!


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## agnesthelion (Mar 6, 2013)

I saw your bridge announcement but I wanted to stop in and say again how sorry I am about Taz. What a shock and it is so hard to lose them  How is Ruby doing?

As far as cages I like the first one or the last one, they seem to provide the most room. I'm not one to give advice on building NIC cages, I was overwhelmed too! Haha but either one of those cages look great to me


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## whitelop (Mar 6, 2013)

I like the first one and the last one. It looks like in the first one, there are two levels and they're half way up the grids. I like that, since Ruby is small, I know she can jump, but it could be easier for her to only have half a grid to jump. It looks like the top level goes all the way across the back of the cage too. 

I do really like the last one though! Its got plenty of room and it looks like there is a lot to do in there and the top level is REALLY big and spacious, so thats great. I think if I were building a NIC I would go with the last design. 
I think Ruby will really like whatever you make. 

When you let her out, how do you keep her in the room? Do you close the door? Do you sit in there with her to watch her? Sorry for the million questions, but I always wonder what people do when their buns are in bedrooms.


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## Hyatt101 (Mar 6, 2013)

Lisa: Thanks, it's been sad going in that room and not seeing my Tazzie in there. Ruby's still doing great, so I can breathe a sigh of relief! I also like the first and last cages, and yes, I feel overwhelmed with all the designs, and I wish we could find one to perfectly follow!

Morgan: when I let Ruby out, I'll supervise her for a little bit, and since its s bunny-safe room, I can close the door for her too. Sometimes, she'll go back in her cage for a bit, but most of the time, she likes to crawl between tight spaces. 
Btw, I just saw your blog, sorry about your finger!! Ouch!!


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## JBun (Mar 6, 2013)

So this is my favorite condo that someone did.

http://rabbitcondo.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/condofortwo.jpg
http://rabbitcondo.com/lara-and-harrels-deluxe-wide-rabbit-condo

You could do it kind of like this but only 3 grids wide instead of the 4. Do one lower shelf on one side and a slightly higher shelf on the other side, with a ramp connecting them. Then for the top floor do a full floor with a one grid hole above the slightly higher shelf. That way she'll have a whole other floor to run around on.


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## whitelop (Mar 8, 2013)

Hey Christina! I was thinking about you and little Ruby today! How are you guys doing? Well I hope. 
Have you decided about the cage design you want?


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## Ilovemyrabbit (Mar 11, 2013)

I read your Rainbow bridge post, I'm so sorry about Taz I hope all your other buns cope with the loss of their friend.


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## TuckerandGusGus (May 1, 2013)

Thinking of you..


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