# Butter



## BunnyButter (Dec 18, 2011)

Butter and I met just a few months ago! My aunt introduced us. She belonged to a litter born to one of my aunt's does. My aunt doesn't breed rabbits, but just had a bit of (bad?) luck that all of a sudden put 8 baby bunnies in her charge!

Butter happened to be the only one of her color, and my aunt claims that the kits are a mix of Havanna and Lop. Besides from being the only orange one, she also happened to be the only one who didn't have her ears fall, like Lops. Unfortunately, she also happens to be the only kit who has a new home.

I absolutely adore my rabbit, and hope that she and I have years together. So far, everything is going great, and I can't wait to see how things go from here!


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## BunnyButter (Dec 18, 2011)

She loves to do homework with me! Sometimes, though, she'll get super jealous and will grab onto my books and try to pull them away from me. Fortunately, she hasn't eaten my homework yet, but she certainly has tried!


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## Nancy McClelland (Dec 18, 2011)

Very cute. She looks just like our Commander Bun-Bun did. She loved to chew the spine on any books in the bookshelf and was the runningest rabbit ever.


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## BunnyButter (Dec 18, 2011)

Currently, we're combating chewing, and I've tried to set up one defensive line after the next! It seems like the most effective thing so far has been a pile of phone books and magazines. I took the magazines out, but so far, it still works! It also seems to help when I give Butter fruits and veggies. 






She has a log in her cage that chews on, too. Unfortunately, it always wakes me up around 5 in the morning. :grumpy:


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## BunnyButter (Dec 18, 2011)

Nancy McClelland wrote:


> Very cute. She looks just like our Commander Bun-Bun did. She loved to chew the spine on any books in the bookshelf and was the runningest rabbit ever.



Butter recently discovered my bookshelf! She found the cheapest/oldest books I have, but I'm waiting for her to find my good ones. I know she shall.


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## candykittten (Dec 18, 2011)

She is soo beautiful! More Pictures!


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## BunnyButter (Dec 18, 2011)

Butter and I are currently visiting my parents for the holiday! Butter did really great on the drive home. I was quite impressed.  Fortunately she won't have to do that again for another two weeks. My parents really, really like her and think she is incredibly adorable. Fortunately I still have a room at my parents where I can hide her from their dogs. I really don't want to introduce two German Shepherds to my tiny bunny! She loves exploring her temporary space, but nervous enough that she huffed at me when I tried to get her out of her cage.  But, she did come out on her own and let me pet her again. It was the first time she met my mom, too. She ran right up to her and smelled her toes. My mother fell in love instantly!






She also went to the vet the first time yesterday. She's really healthy! Has some minor, easily correctable points on her back teeth, but good color, good weight. She did really well with the vet. He gave me some pointers for getting her to chew, like soaking her toys in juice. It worked (for the most part). I also introduced her to celery and bananas today. She absolutely loves bananas! She ignored the celery for awhile, but she ate it eventually. I knew she wouldn't be able to resist something that wasn't a pellet.


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## wendymac (Dec 19, 2011)

Butter is absolutely adorable!


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## BunnyButter (Dec 20, 2011)

So, Butter has decided to chew on wires at my parent's place. I bought her a few more toys, as giving her paper hasn't really done ANYTHING. She prefers toys to anything free I could giver her. (She's such a brat.) 

I think it's about time to get her spayed too. She is about 6 months now. I kinda want to get her spayed ASAP, but man, it certainly is expensive! :shock: She has started chewing more (not on the walls too!) so I'm feeling better that her teeth will stay smooth and not get overgrown.

Sigh, I think she's getting frustrated that I don't let her run around as much, but I really don't want her to eat electrical wires and I REALLY don't want her to meet my parents' dogs.


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## MiniLopHop (Dec 20, 2011)

Butter is so cute! I love the ears :inlove:

Wires are a fovorite snack at my house too. You really have to rabbit proof and have them all covered or out of reach. To a rabbit a wire is like a root. In the wild tripping over a root could mean death, so they are very particular at keeping paths clean. Not the case for indoor buns, but they still have the instinct.

Have you tried apple or willow twigs from untreated trees? My kids LOVE them and will chew on the apple twigs before anything else. The store bought ones are ok, but from a real tree is even better. Apparently the bark is extra tasty.

I hope your aunt will be able to find homes for the rest of the babies. Perhaps if your mom is infatuated enough she could take one 

Getting Butter spayed is a great idea. It will remove the chance for reporoductive cancers and help with naughty behavoirs like marking.


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## BunnyButter (Dec 20, 2011)

If it has to do with keeping a path clean, that explains why she is only doing that now. Any wire I have out at home is only in an area where she doesn't roam. She never has needed to clean, I guess!


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## BunnyButter (Dec 22, 2011)

I've widened Butter's palette to now include: bananas, cucumber, red leaf lettuce, celery, grapes, apple. She loved the red leaf lettuce (she took it to her hidey hole to hoard it) and really enjoys bananas too. So far it hasn't really upset her digestion either.

Also, she's getting SO big! Not in a fat way either. Then again, the buck that fathered her was the size of a cat, so I shouldn't be surprised. She's still doing great and is as adorable as ever.


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## candykittten (Dec 22, 2011)

I use old hosing to cover my wires. It's cheap and easy to use


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## MiniLopHop (Dec 22, 2011)

With ears like that I'm not shocked she is getting big. I can't get over what a beautiful color she is. 

I have always thought that giving all sorts of foods helps prevent picky eaters and tummy upset. I feed basically everything on the safe foods list.


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## BunnyButter (Dec 23, 2011)

So, really think Butter is a little bit irritated at me. After all, she's changed locations recently, got introduced to an environment where there are dogs and keeps getting put in her cage for longer periods of time then at my apartment. I learned how to beat her chewing though! She likes to chew on the rubber ends of a guitar stand, and I decided to stick paper towel and toliet paper rolls on the ends where she chews. She did not like that, and pleasantly ignores it now. HAHAHA! VICTORY IS MINE.

Speaking of chewing, I'm ecstatic that she has started to chew on her toys more! I've tried correcting her behavior by presenting her with her toys when she is chewing on the walls. It's working! At least, right now it is...

It's about time to get her spayed too! I found a Best Friends Vet Hospital that provides the cheapest price, and I think I'll go talk to them after the holidays, you know, to interview the vet and see how the vet handles my baby girl. I'm not going to let just anybody knock out my Butter and cut into her!


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## BunnyButter (Dec 26, 2011)

Best Christmas gift ever: Butter letting me pick her up and hold her... 4 times (in a row!)


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## Wabbitdad12 (Dec 26, 2011)

A beautiful bun and it sounds like one with a lot of character!

My buns like tp tubes stuffed with hay to chew on and cardboard boxes with holes cut in them.


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## Serenity73 (Dec 26, 2011)

Butter is gorgeous. What an inquisitive bun!


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## BunnyButter (Dec 27, 2011)

Butter and I went to another vet today. I'm looking around for a place to get her spayed. The place was the cheapest I could find, and definitely seemed like the techs were familiar with all the patients and their owners/slaves. 

HOWEVER. My appointment was scheduled at 1:30. I arrived at 1:10. No one addressed me until 1:25, at which point I filled out about 6 lines of paperwork. There were maybe only 15 lines, most which concerned spouse information. What kind of vet clinic focuses more on spouse information than pet information? Anyways, they finally acknowledged my completed paperwork at 1:45 and decided to take me back for a 6 minute check up at 2:00. The vet didn't even check Butter's teeth. She said that she'll just do that when I bring her in for surgery. I even told her that a previous vet said she had some growth on her back teeth. The vet still dismissed it until the surgery. Skipping over the argument, I decided to just ask about the recovery time. Initially she said a week where everything is quiet. I mentioned how I live two hours away, and she changed her tune. I understand that it is rabbit dependent, but I seriously felt like she was trying to sell this surgery to me. I did not leave happy. :grumpy:

However, she did know how to pick Butter up and hold her, so that's a perk. However, I think I'll look somewhere else. 






So, I spent the day looking at wonderful You tube videos of rabbits and the occassional one of dogs. Personally, I want to train Butter to do this:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmroaYVD_so[/ame]


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## MILU (Dec 29, 2011)

Oh, we never know what goes on with certain vets.. is there any other one you can take Butter to? Some vets say they're rabbit savvy and they're not (well, at least it happened to me, but I live very, very far away from the real world).. I hope you find a good vet! 

Butter is a very beautiful bunny! I like how you created a defense line with magazines and phone books against chewing - did it work? Did the defense line protect your cables and furniture? 
But I know that, having such a cute bunny, you don't even care about cheap things like furniture, right? heheh


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## BunnyButter (Dec 29, 2011)

It did work! (For the most part.) Having her at my parent's has taught me a few ways to distract her and train her. I do need to bunny proof my apartment more though!

Haha, it's hard to be angry at her when she chews on my chairs. SHE'S JUST SO PRECIOUS!


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## BunnyButter (Jan 2, 2012)

Butter and I survived visiting my parents for the holidays! It was rough, but things are getting better at their house. Hopefully it won't be so stressful the next time we decide to stay there. Right now Butter is under "cage-arrest." I need to finish some bunny proofing and I am doing a cleaning overhaul on my apartment. I really don't want her out and about while I'm vacuuming and using cleaning supplies everywhere. She's taking it in stride though and seems to be content to sleep in her hidey hole.

My little sister has been visiting us that past few days. She keeps commenting on how Butter likes to sit in her litterbox. I laugh and just remind her that Butter has a high fiber diet. And to not judge, because I know how her body responds to fiber too. My little sis (Maggie) doesn't really like Butter (much). She's a bit scared of rabbits, so it's interesting to see them interact. Of course, Butter is oblivious, but I think Maggie is warming up to her. Tries to pet her now, etc. I think Maggie can only accept Butter because she doesn't have red eyes and that she doesn't bite. 

I'm really glad to have a good tempered bunny as my first bunny love. She's doing wonderfully well and is winning the hearts of many people who were once indifferent or ignorant. She's so precious!


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## BunnyButter (Jan 9, 2012)

Butter is doing fine still! She's gotten a LOT better at chewing, but I do provide her with a variety of toys and veggies now. She loves craisins and cilantro!

I've started looking into a variety of vets to get her altered. My sister shadowed at a clinic and knows the vet who does bunny spaying there. She likes him and trusts him. This is the same clinic that my family has historically taken our animals. Those have been nearly all dogs, but we know them and they know us. I also hear they have a half price month. They also seem to have one of the cheaper prices (before delving into suspicious like the vet I talked about earlier). I think I'll deal with all that in the summer though. I just have a few more months of hormonal bunny left!

By the way, she is really bonding with my boyfriend. I let her out one morning before he woke up and she climbed all over him. Haha, he woke up a few hours later and thought he just dreamed it. It was so cute!

Well, Butter and I are just waiting for the semester to start. I am also hoping to get a job at my university's library. It would be cool to get her trained enough that I could take her with me. Haha, doubt that my school would be okay with that, but it'd be super fun! My roommates say they'll help me with her while I'm on campus late, and I have a schedule worked out where I can let her out during the late hours of the night if not earlier. She's so precious. I absolutely love her. 

I can honestly say that a rabbit might be the best pet for me. :inlove:


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## BunnyButter (Jan 9, 2012)

Butter in her hidey hut.


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## BunnyButter (Jan 9, 2012)

Butter and Blaise











The "clean my cage, please" look.


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## BunnyButter (Jan 12, 2012)

I've been forgiven! (Sorta.) Butter and I had our first issues. She had been put in her cage for a few days because she kept misbehaving. However, I blocked those areas off and she has been free to roam for the past few days. She won't run from me now when I reach down to pet her. It's nice.


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## jujub793 (Jan 13, 2012)

Butter is so cute, I can see why you can't be mad at her for being bad


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## Wabbitdad12 (Jan 21, 2012)

She might be reminding you who is really in charge.


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## candykittten (Jan 21, 2012)

MORE PICTURES!

edit to add..


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## ZRabbits (Jan 22, 2012)

What a sweetie. Hope all is well. And yes it is tough to be mad at those little faces. 

That's how they keep us slaves. 

K


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## BunnyButter (Jan 24, 2012)

School started again, just recently. Of course, I'm already floundering. However, coming home to Butter certainly makes the day better. She is absolutely adorable (of course) and likes to sit under my desk at my feet while I'm working on my homework. Maybe I could try to teach her Russian? It certainly gives me someone to practice with, even if she isn't much for conversation. 

She's started following me around when I walk about my room. She'll also run up to me if I've stepped out. She's doing great. My roommates like seeing her run around too.

Speaking of roommates, I got a new one recently. She may have a slight aversion to rabbits, but she knew what she was getting in to when she moved in. Besides, Butter was here first. 

My most favorite thing in the world is watching Butter flop.

I'll add pictures soon! It's only the second week and I'm behind in homework, so gotta catch up first!


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## BunnyButter (Feb 3, 2012)

Butter and I survived the first month of my last semester of my first round of senior year at college! Wooo! Hahaha

So, a few things:

1) College is going to be crazy. I haven't been able to spend as much time with Butter as I would like. In fact, I haven't been really able to do ANYTHING for a while. I finally had the first opportunity to clean my room last night. It's fantastic. Also cleaned Butter's cage. Moved things around a bit too (which she doesn't like) but she is adjusting well. Still using her litter box and all.

2) Butter has been eating NONSTOP. Like, I always have to have food in her bowl. She also isn't gaining weight. It's weird. However, I do plan to use any tax return money I have on getting her spayed. It will happen, whether or not she likes it!

3) I have really crazy roomies. Love them to death, but man, passive aggressive behavior gets OLD.

Hope y'all are great!


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## BunnyButter (Feb 3, 2012)

Here is how she is lookin' today!


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## Wabbitdad12 (Feb 5, 2012)

Such a cutie.


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## BunnyButter (Feb 11, 2012)

Butter is bringing me to tears. I love her to death, but I can't keep her from chewing on my walls and she keeps displaying agression to only me. My roommates are fine. Me? HELL NO. She boxes and bites me. I've tried ways of telling her "no."

For example (and this is probably bad), I grabbed her after she bit me. I put my hand squarely on her shoulders and pressed her down. Not hard enough to hurt, but hard enough for her to not run. Then I fed her a craisin. She calmly took it from my finger, whereas right beforehand she had bit me for it, while grunting and charging. 

This is really frustrating me. (I'm posting this here and not in behavior, cause I know enough people look over this. Just need to rant. Sorry.) I don't want to hurt her or scar her, and I really want to get along with her. 

I don't think I'm meant to own a bunny. Or at least not give her craisins anymore.

Does anybody have faith that getting her spayed may just solve all the problems? This is super frustrating.


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## BunnyButter (Feb 11, 2012)

My roommate got a really good picture of her the other day.


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## candykittten (Feb 12, 2012)

Yeah I think her not being spayed is the issue. She is beautiful! Hang in there!


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## Bonnie Lee (Feb 12, 2012)

May I ask what that colourful stuff on the bottom of her cage
is? it's really pretty...

I hope her attitude changes towards you...
My moshi is only 3 months but I purposely put my finger out
to test her and she kept sniffing and then biting on to it
and I would squeal and then she knew it hurt me... but I
kept doing it and she kept biting me and I just repeated until
she got the picture that biting hurts... and until my finger
couldn't handle it anymore  lol. But I guess its probably
not easy for everyone to purposely let themselves get bit
over and over again...


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## ZRabbits (Feb 12, 2012)

I think spaying will take that hormone aggression away. It is tough to have your bunny growl and charge. Kreacher was my nipper. Got me several times, but since his neutering I can say No more biting. He now just thumps at me when he is in a mood. And bunnies are definitely moody animals. 

Hang in there. I know it's frustrating. Think about spaying, but don't give up on her. Though the growling is scary and the nipping hurts, giving up on this attitude just makes an anti-social bunny. And we all want to socialize with these neat creatures.

K


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## BunnyButter (Feb 15, 2012)

Double sent, my b.


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## BunnyButter (Feb 15, 2012)

Came home today and immediately knew something was up. Butter wasn't eating, moving around much or responding to anything, like her cage being open or craisins (which are her FAVORITE). 

So, I waited a little while, watched for signs of change... and... nothing. So, took her to the vet. Thank God for 24 hour services! WOO! They (like we think) she is experiencing GI Stasis or is super constipated. They gave her fluids, an anti-biotic and stimulating meds. They sent us home with anti-biotics and this stuff called Critical Care which is an "assist-feeding" powder that is supposed to help clear things up.

So far, only two poopies (but at least that's progress!). She looks like she is trying to stay comfortable. She is super lethargic and at first she growled at us when we came near her. She wasn't moving at all initially, but she at least hopped over to her litterbox to at least TRY. 

I hope she has a bowel movement by morning, so I don't have to take her back. I've already missed my morning class on Monday and Wednesday once this semester. I can't really afford another absence. Not like saving my bunny isn't worth it, but not very many people take rabbits seriously...


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## funnybunnymummy (Feb 15, 2012)

Rabbits don't generally go into stasis out of the blue (though it may seem that way), there's usually a cause. I suspect the growling and boxing a few days ago may have been because her tummy was bothering her. Hope you can establish what the cause is. Oh, and two tiny poops is good! If she continues to poop (even if they're very small), she's on the mend. Just keep giving the Critical Care!

Hope that helps!

Rue


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## funnybunnymummy (Feb 15, 2012)

BTW, she's beautiful! I love big-eared bunnies. 

Rue


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## BunnyButter (Feb 15, 2012)

I had to put Butter down today. I don't know what to do.


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