# The adventures of Tuck...



## TuckerandGusGus (Feb 7, 2013)

Hi there! I'm not exactly sure what this blogging thing is about, but I figure I'll figure it out as I go... I wanted to be able to keep tabs of my life with Tucker, and his adventures, and of course what I learn from him and about him as he grows. 

Tucker is my baby bunny who is around 9 to 10 weeks old right now... and this is my first time owning a "baby" bunny, so of course I am learning so much about him, and hopefully doing things right! 

I will start off with how I came across my little Tucker.. I had a bunny whose name was Jake, and he passed away this past August, I had him for 11 to 12 years... he was approximately 14 or so when he passed away. I am only 25 this april, therefore I got him when I was young... and I did NOT do my research prior, he definitely lived a long and healthy life, thankfully. Needless to say, I still had his cage and supplies, and I am a big animal rescuer, I am almost always looking at craigslist at the pet section.. and I saw this person posted a "free bunny" and I felt so bad for the bunny! I emailed the person, and they basically said that we could meet the next day, but that it was going to be 50 for the bunny, cage and supplies, I said I didn't need the cage and supplies, and they said that there would be a fee for the bunny then. (Even after I told them what great home I'd give the bunny) I honestly think that they just cared about the money. 

Not that I didn't want a bunny, but I really was only going to take him because of how bad I felt that someone would be offering their bunny on craigslist for free.. I wouldn't have been getting a bunny otherwise. Anyways, I then started browsing and ended up finding a different ad with 3 little baby bunnies. They were asking 25 for each. (Again, not that I can't afford to spend 25 on a bunny, I would've rather spent the 25 buying the bunny a new toy or something) After I explained the great home and promising the family updates and pictures through facebook, they agreed on letting me pick him up for free, with no issues. I also figured if I paid the $25 in a way I'd be supporting a breeder, and I'm not a big fan of that. 

Meeting people off craigslist.. what an experience that was! That's a story for another time (I think).. haha

Here comes Tucker. 







I think I forgot to mention I have 4 cats and 2 dogs.. and when I first brought Tuck home, I let him hop around my kitchen with my dogs and cats checking him out. I never realized how much it would stress him out! I mean, he doesn't know me, and he doesn't know this new environment, and he did live with cats in the past, but he did NOT live with dogs, especially my dogs were so interested in him. 

(My dogs are very playful and just were like "What is that? Can I play with it?" kind of thing.. nothing vicious at all. Same with the cats, although I think they just wanted to know what he was -- not that they wanted to play OR hurt him, at all.)

He was very scared of me at first, so sunday I left him alone all night, and then monday when I got home from work I cuddled him a few times and sat in the room with him, I held him and was on my laptop and he hung out on my shoulders, behind my head in my hood most of the time. He also came down and hung out in my lap and watched me on my laptop, too.






Tuesday, Mike (my other half) and I went and picked up a playpen off of craigslist, again. And we set up Tuckers cage. I noticed when Mike was holding Tucker he was a little more stiff, and then when I held him it was the first time he actually explored my hoodie and my face and neck, because he was finally getting comfortable. I loved it! 











I really didn't feel like the cage I had was good enough.. with the litter box and his igloo and whatever else, those things basically took up the whole cage, so I decided to order him a new one. We put that one together last night... and he loves it!! 






I could've sworn when I put him in there I heard him hopping around (maybe possibly doing a bunny binky???) I was so excited! 

But the greatest thing is.... tonight when I was hanging out with him in his pen once I got home from work... he binkied like crazy all over me, and he has been opening up, too. He has been coming right up to me and hopping in my lap and then up on my chest for cuddles and everything. It's amazing, it's only been a few days and he already loves me so much! I am so happy for that!

Anyways, I want to end this right now with some pictures. :] 


When I itch his butt, this is what he does! 






How cute is this little boy? 








And the other day in the morning when I went to pet him he laid down on his side, it was so cute and I knew he trusted me when he did that, but he did it again tonight when I took him off my shoulders and put him on his floor before I left him... here's an adorable picture.


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## agnesthelion (Feb 7, 2013)

Tucker is such a handsome guy. I saw your introduction and as I said I'm a bit partial to lionheads. I got my gal when she was about that age too! They are just so darn cute at that age and seeing pics of your Tucker does bring back memories.
Glad you decided to do a blog. I also have one called The Antics of Agnes and Archie and it is a fun way to keep a record of bunny life 
It sounds like your previous bun led a great life! No need to feel guilty about previous rabbit care. My first bun was 20 some years ago and I still cringe at how I took care of him. I just didn't know any better and I also think rabbit care has come very far the past few years.
This is a great forum full of lots of rabbit obsessees. Glad to have met Tucker and we look forward to hearing more from you!


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## Katielovesleo3 (Feb 7, 2013)

He's _*too*_ cute! I want to bunny-nap him muahahahaa! He reminds me of Nala (imbrium's lion) a little bit! yay! I get to follow another blog! ahhahaha! It's hard to keep up with some of the other ones, they write so fast. And some bore me because they write every once in a blue moon :|


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## Hyatt101 (Feb 7, 2013)

Cuteness!


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## Moochyesh (Feb 7, 2013)

I love his color!!! and that last picture is just too cute!=]


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## whitelop (Feb 7, 2013)

Tucker is adorable. He does remind me of Imbrium's lionhead Nala. I guess its a harly lionhead thing! haha. 
He is so cute! I'm also living my first go-round with a baby bunny and its crazy how affectionate they are! They're so sweet and they just love you right off the bat, I love that about them! 

His cage set up looks awesome! I have those same litter boxes, lol. 

Can't wait to read more updates on Tucker! 
And yes, like Katie said, sometimes the blogs do explode(mine being one of them) and there is a lot going on on them!


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## TuckerandGusGus (Feb 7, 2013)

I am hoping I don't bore you guys!! 

I just looked up Imbrium's rabbits.. and oh em gee!! Haha... Tucker does kind of look like her lion head, and whats even funnier is there has been multiple bunnies that I have looked at online and have wanted to adopt, and they have all been lops that look exactly like her other bunny!! We apparently have similar taste in bunnies, haha. 

I was very proud of myself when it comes down to Tucker's set up.. I don't feel so bad that he's in there because he's got so much space! And he seems to LOVE LOVE LOVE it. As I said earlier, I am pretty sure he took his first binky last night while he was in his new big cage. <3

@whitelop - You have a baby bun, too? any pointers? This is my first baby... 

@Katie -- Please don't bunny-nap him.. I'd miss him too much already!! Funny how bonded we can get to these babies. I hope I don't BORE you too much with my yackin


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## whitelop (Feb 8, 2013)

I don't really know what pointers I could give, other than go slow with all new foods and always watch their poop! haha. I had a bun for 2 years that passed away in December and the bun I have now, Ellie is my first baby baby. I got her at a little less than 8 weeks and its been a total learning experience! They're so tiny and seemingly fragile. At least thats how I felt about Ellie when I first got her. 
She is super lovey and REALLY smart...and sneaky. haha. 

I would watch out for the sneakiness! I would also make sure you keep up with his litter habits and make sure you're putting all the out of box poops and pees in the litter boxes. I really only have general baby advice! haha. 

OHHH! TAKE A LOT OF PICTURES! They grow up really fast! You'll look at this little tiny baby tomorrow and then the next day you'll be looking at an almost grown bunny! haha. Thats really how it happens. Especially where you bun is now in age, he's going through a growth spurt right now. 
And they eat A LOT! When I first got Ellie, I waited a few days to give her pellets because I was unsure about her little tummy, she ate like 3 times her body weight in hay a day for the first few days. Now she is up to I think over a cup of pellets a day! But she is eating Sherwood Forest and they recommend unlimited and thats pretty much what she gets. 

Sorry for like taking over! hahaha. Those are the things I felt like I should pass on to another baby haver. haha. 
LOTS OF PICTURES!


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## TuckerandGusGus (Feb 8, 2013)

@Whitelop - How old is your baby Ellie now? I didn't really know until just the other day that I shouldn't let him try a ton of new veggies, oops, but he's been doing really well! I also didn't know to put all his loose poops into his litter box, he is literally REALLY good with his potty habbits, no pee outside of the cage AT ALL.. and maybe 2 to 4 poop pellets out of his litter pan... but now that I know this, I will put those pellets into his litter box, I always thought it was okay to just toss them out. 
You don't have to tell me twice about taking tons of pictures, I am taking pictures and videos and everything and anything I can! haha.
Tucker doesn't really eat many pellets, I mean I know he does EAT them, but he never finishes all of them, and he does chomp on hay, but never finishes it... he does gobble up his parsley and basil, he also loves baby carrots (I don't give many of those)


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## whitelop (Feb 8, 2013)

Ellie is between 14 and 16 weeks. I think she was about 6 weeks old when I got her, but the pet store said she was 8. I don't think she was 8 weeks. 
Its great that Tucker doesn't pee outside his litter box! Thats great! Ellie was really good at her litter box too, until about a week ago when she picked a spot in the kitchen she liked to potty on. Ahh. She's going through puberty and she's VERY picky about her litter boxes. If they're even slightly dirty she won't use them and uses the floor. hahaha. Since Tucker is so good with the box, I don't think you necessarily have to put the stray poops in the box, I thought you were still going through litter training and thats how I did it. 
I don't know why Ellie eats so many pellets, she just really loves them I guess. She didn't used to eat that many because I limited her to half a cup a day and she was losing weight so I had to add more pellets. She still eats the same amount of hay, so the pellet addition wasn't a huge deal. 

They say to wait until 12 weeks to feed the veggies. You just have to look out for soft poops. I wouldn't feed him too much of anything, just like a little amount. I only feed Ellie like 1 romaine leaf and a sprig of cilantro in a day and maybe a raisin or two. I'll up her green intake, but she's still really little and really young so it freaks me out a little. But my last rabbit ate 4-6 cups of greens a day, but with no pellets. But, you just have to feed him what you feel is right, like the amount and everything. The key to a good rabbit diet, is finding a balance between all the things, the hay, pellets, greens and fruit. At least, thats how I feel about it. haha. 

But to me, it sounds like you're doing everything right. And if he's already binkying around, he sounds pretty happy! 
Can't wait to see more pictures and watch him grow up too! I love lionheads, they're so cute!


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## Tam O Ham (Feb 8, 2013)

awww, he sounds adorable and certainly looks the part too. With a name like Tucker, I want to see him in a little green John Deer hat now haha! Sounds like he was a good rescue and he knows he's in good hands now. Can't wait to read as he grows up.

And a lot of people will charge 'rehoming' fees for pets. Sometimes it's about the money but sometimes it's to discourage people that aren't serious or - around these parts at least - people that are looking for cheap snake food.


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## TuckerandGusGus (Feb 8, 2013)

I have read so many different things regarding food and everything. A couple of things were... that you should feed unlimited ALFALFA hay and alfalfa pellets.. then I heard that it could get them sick and they could die from the upset tummy/diarrhea, so I decided to mix in the regular timothy hay and alfalfa hay, always unlimited, however much he wants he can have. Also, I give him the Oxbow young rabbit food, I put half a cup but he never ever finishes it, so it is pretty much unlimited as well. 

The veggie thing -- I heard not to start them on veggies until they're a bit older, BUT, he was getting some veggies when he was at his other home and doing just fine, not sure WHAT she was giving him, but I have been giving him parsley and basil and sometimes a baby carrot, but never many of those. I give him a small thing of parsley, and maybe 2 to 3 leaves of basil. He absolutely LOVES basil, and he is doing really well with his poops.  All healthy. 

I am worried that I am giving him too much now, but he has been doing just fine with it... so it should be okay right? 

Ugh, I have never worried so much about a bunbun, haha! I love him so much already.

I am so so happy and pleased and excited that he is comfortable and happy enough to actually binky for me!! I thought it'd take me soo long to see him do that, and I am so glad that me spending even just an hour when I get home from work every day has opened him up this much. 

Question for all you folks out there with kitties and doggies AND bunnies -- Tucker lived with kitties before he came to my house, but he seems sooo afraid of my animals at my house, and I really really would love it if he could hop around my house when I'm home and not have to visit them seperately. Any advice at all on getting him to be more comfortable and less afraid of my other animals? 

I brought my cat Sophie into his room just last night, held Tucker in my lap and he was just fine, then I let him hop off of me and check her out and when he got up to her and sniffed her he ran away so afraid. When he was in my lap and she came and sniffed him he was perfectly fine (or so it seemed). Sophie is my more social cat who really only sniffed him then was purring and rubbing on everything in the room (it's not a room she is usually in, like ever) so it's not like she was focused on Tucker... 

Please, any advice is appreciated.

I also understand people giving their bunnies away for a fee to protect the bunny itself - but when someone promises to give you updates and takes the time to tell you the kind of life they'll give the bunny, I mean I feel like that person really only cared about getting money for it's bunny, and it made me sad. I mean Tuckers first Mom was fine with giving me him for free, knowing that I would keep her updated on facebook and everything.


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## DUSTBUNNY-CLYDE (Feb 8, 2013)

great pics!!!


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## whitelop (Feb 8, 2013)

His diet sounds pretty good to me! Since he was eating greens at his first house, then he should be fine. It doesn't sound like you're feeding him that much anyway, so I'm sure its fine. As long as his poops are solid and normal! Poop is the most important thing! hahaha. 

With the alfalfa hay. I did the same thing as you are doing. I mixed alfalfa with timothy hay and I feed an alfalfa based pellet. I'm not sure what the oxbow baby food is made out of, but its fine. I've heard lots of good things about oxbow foods. I only gave her a few handfuls of alfalfa hay a day though, since she had never had it. Too much alfalfa at once WILL upset their stomachs, because its a different kind of hay than timothy. It sounds to me like you're feeding the right things though! 

As for the cats and dogs and rabbits. I have three inside cats and I had a dog up until a few days ago. Ellie was TERRIFIED of the cats and dog for a few weeks! She would sniff them and then take off running from them. You just have to give them time and be patient with them. Just let the cats sniff Tucker, maybe from the outside of the pen. He'll get used to them on his own. Now Ellie will chase one of my cats and she plays with one of the other ones. A lot of people have problems with cats and rabbits together, because cats carry a lot of bacteria under their nails and in their mouths, but you just have be vigilant when they're together. Also, if Tucker is out in the house and not just in his room, make sure he has enough places to hide. I like to give Ellie a few boxes to choose from to sleep in and hide in. Since she lives in my kitchen cage free right now, she has like 3 boxes to choose from. I would make sure he had a box to hide in to get away from the dogs and cats. But he'll get used to them and they'll probably all be good friends. 
My last rabbit was totally in love with one of my cats, they were such good friends. It was really sweet to see! 

Like I said before, it sounds like you're doing a pretty great job!


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## Chrisdoc (Feb 8, 2013)

He´s so lovely and I just love it when they´re really little. They do grow up quickly and you tend to forget how small they were. When I look back now at the first photos, it´s amazing how much they´ve grown and changed. 

Sounds as though he´s a healthy bun. Mine also love basil, they actually like most herbs especially dill and sage as well. Just keep your eye on him with what you feed to make sure it´s not upsetting him. His cage is really good, a bit like mine, I´ve got cages and then an xpen set up around them to give them more space although they are out quite a lot of the day. 

I think particularly at rescues, they ask for a fee just to cover their costs and others to make sure that they´re going to someone who´s serious about getting a bunny. 

Hope to hear more about Tucker as he gets bigger and settles in. 

I think most of us on here have our blogs as well as it is a great way to document your bunnies progress and a great way to exchange stories and ideas.


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## TuckerandGusGus (Feb 8, 2013)

What made me decide to do a blog, was exactly that. I wanted to really document his progress, whether people follow it or not, you know? I just think it's a great tool to see how his life progresses and how his personality shines, I can't wait to see what he'll be like, but I'm loving this little baby bun part. 

My only concern with his diet is, once I start introducing him some more veggies, I know we're supposed to switch them up, I heard we aren't supposed to feed the same thing day after day... well lately I've been doing a mixture of basil and parsley, should I be worried about this hurting him?? I hope not. 

I understand rescues need to charge, but at the same time THEY put money into them, by getting these babies spayed and neutered. I don't understand why people would be asking for a expensive rehoming fee if I still have to pay the huge vet bill of getting them fixed, you know? It's silly to me, really. 

Whitelop & anyone else that can help -- When I let the kitties come over to the pen to smell him he freaks out and runs all around his cage wicked afraid, should I let him continue to do that until he calms down eventually? I am guessing he'll eventually end up being okay and maybe check out the cat/dog eventually.. I really just don't want to give him a tiny heart attack, you know?


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## Chrisdoc (Feb 8, 2013)

If he´s accepting the veggies Ok then just make sure you keep your eye on him. I try and vary mine but sometimes, if i get stuff from the market and there´s loads, i feed them it for several days as, if not, I have to throw it out. I try to mix wherever but sometimes do a couple for a few days and rotate the rest. i do keep checking to make sure they´re doing well. 

As for the other animals, i´ve never had cats or dogs with mine but I´m sure someone else can help you out as there are loads of people on her with experience of this. I have read that some bunnies can get so frightened it literally scares them to death but I don´t think that´s the norm.


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## TuckerandGusGus (Feb 8, 2013)

Is anyone getting this snow? I sure am! and I am loving it! It's so peaceful to watch, not that excited about shoveling it.. and was hoping for an actual full day off of work, but I did get a half day off, which was nice! I got to come home and spend some time with Tucker, I am actually going to be going back in his room after this update. I wish he could be out here with me all the time, but until he gets more comfy with my other animals it's just not doable. 

*My main question on this update will be, I've been reading about introducing your bunny to your other animals and the first step is to let your cat/dog check the bunny out through the cage. Tucker freaks inside his cage, though, and I don't know how long he'd keep freaking out, but I do know that once he spazzes all around his cage I end up removing the cat/dog... I don't know if I should just wait and see what happens? I just don't want him to get so scared he gives himself a heart attack. I also don't know any other way that he'd get used to them, either.*
Any advice would be great with this..

Today I picked up Tucker and started to brush him  He actually loved it! Or atleast was okay with it! He was soo soft after that! 





I got some cuddles from my cuddle monster.





I am always trying to get good pictures of him to share. 

I'm researching the vets in this area, so I can figure out estimates on spaying/neutering... at what age should they be fixed? Also, have been doing a bit of research on the whole One vs Two rabbits... what do you guys think? I know mostly everyone here has more than one. I did find one vet that said the spay/neuter surgery.. for both it's $216.. which isn't that bad, comparing it to the $377 estimate we got from a different vet. I am going to contact some rescues and shelters to see what they think or if they can offer anything for us, too. 

Anything to save a little money..

Here are some more pictures.


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## Moochyesh (Feb 8, 2013)

Oh I just love your bun, so cute!

I think introducing your other pets depends on your other pets, A hyper dog may be a lot to take in. 
I let everyone come up and sniff around the cage for a few days to make sure it was all ok =] 

277 for being altered seams like a lot? In my area all the vets vary from 50-125
I would call around everywhere and see what the cheapest you can get is. Also a lot of counties all over the us have started a Low cost spay and neuter program. Only very few do rabbits but its worth a look!


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## Katielovesleo3 (Feb 8, 2013)

I got Bister neutered for about $240 as well. 

Lol. Buster is still pretty scared if Rosco but for good reason, Rosco is a giant!!! Lol and when the cat comes inside for his meds he gets scared if the cat too but I wish he wouldn't because Toger is a great cat and doesn't have claws 

I like having the blog too, it's like having a journal that nobody can read and it's online  it's fun!


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## TuckerandGusGus (Feb 8, 2013)

My biggest thing is.. I need to know if it's okay to let Tucker spazz in his cage while the cat/dog is on the outside of the cage... if Tucker will just eventually calm down and teach him to get used to them?


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## Ilovemyrabbit (Feb 8, 2013)

Aww, Tucker is sooo cute! Good luck with getting him neutered!


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## Ilovemyrabbit (Feb 8, 2013)

This website might help: http://www.ehow.com/how_16480_introduce-rabbits-other.html


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## TuckerandGusGus (Feb 8, 2013)

Yeah, all these websites which I've seemed to have already read.. doesn't say anything about if the bunny is freaking out.. :\


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## Ilovemyrabbit (Feb 8, 2013)

Yes, I thought you might have. And I agree with Lisa, maybe you should hold off a while. But good luck!


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## TuckerandGusGus (Feb 8, 2013)

I will hold off for a little while with the meeting of the other animals, I just am so anxious to let them all spend time together, it's so hard on me trying to split my time all the time, you know? :\ 

Anyways, tonight I am sitting in Tuckers pen and he has done binkies in his cage and has sniffed me and taken treats from me, but hasn't been cuddling like he usually does.. he doesn't like me tonight  I'm bummed.


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## whitelop (Feb 8, 2013)

Don't be bummed! Babies tend to be a little flaky! Ellie is like that still. Today, she has been totally in love with me, every time I walk into the kitchen she is right on my heels, she's standing up against my legs for me to love her. But tomorrow that could all change, she could be like she was a few days ago; she didn't want anything to do with me. haha. It changes day by day. I think its like that with most bunnies. 

But it IS really nice when they're in love with you. hahaha.


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## TuckerandGusGus (Feb 8, 2013)

I guess it's just really disappointing because aside from the first day he has been wicked cuddley and all about me, he still let me pick him up and cuddle him, he did actually come over and hang with me for a little bit after I posted that little update, so I was pleased with that. I am going to try working on clicker training him, thanks to @Katielovesleo3! haha. I just need to find a good treat that'll work for him.

Also, just went outside int his wonderful snow storm... OMG the wind and the snow is *crazy!* I have a mountain cur, he is around 45 to 50lbs, he can be hyper and a little crazy, haha.. but he came all the way from florida, we got him this past august... then we have Tinka, who we've had for over a year now. We got her Dec, 2011. & She is a chihuahua mix, she is approximately 12lbs, and she is getting LOST in the snow.. and it's not even over. I am anxious to see what it's like tomorrow! Although, we haven't even shoveled at all.. we may be asking for it. My other half's brother is coming tomorrow with a snow blower since ours is broken. I was hoping this would've come during the week so I could get a couple of days off of work, or atleast a half day off and a full day off.. can't you tell I love long weekends? haha. 

Anyways, on a side note, as I was leaving Tucker and I came back to finish getting my stuff out of his pen (Like my laptop - cup of soda, etc) my small kitten Ramona sneaked in the bunny room to see Tucker... and I decided to just give it a go.. He surprisingly wasn't as bad as he had been before. I am so proud of him! So... Ramona went up to the pen and he came up to the pen to see her, and they sniffed eachother then both got scared at the same time! They ran away from one another, then... get this! Ramona was hanging way back not wanting to see Tucker and he was trying his hardest to come see her! It was almost as if he wasn't afraid of her at all, he was sticking his nose and his little paws right through the pen! I was so so proud of him!

We also tried cucumber for the first time, I thought it'd be a good treat to do the clicker training with.. he liked it but not enough


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## Katielovesleo3 (Feb 8, 2013)

A good treat is to use their pellets. Or for us a cut up a petite baby carrot into teeny tiny pieces and just a little nibble is perfect for treats bc they chew them up real fast and you can maintain a high rate of reinforcement. I trained a very rambunctious dalmation puppy and had to block off Busters room for a while. But now he has free range but only likes to stay in his room mainly. I also gave him many hiding places so he can Escapayyyy!


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## Katielovesleo3 (Feb 9, 2013)

I saw Massachussetts on CNN! Man y'all are getting hammered! Looks like you will be staying home from work this week lol


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## TuckerandGusGus (Feb 9, 2013)

No way, we have sunday to recover.. ugh haha. It's still snowing pretty **** good here, too.. and we had like 3 feet when I woke up!


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## TuckerandGusGus (Feb 9, 2013)

I figured maybe I should kind of introduce my other animals, since they are a big part of my life and maybe share their stories with you, as well. (Sorry if you're not kitty or doggy lovers, but I love love love all my babies.. and love talking about them, as well..

I'll start off with my first, and go in order. When I was in highschool, I used to volunteer for a feline shelter by my house, and when I was there... this one cat would follow me from room to room, he would even jump from the floor up into my arms, or from a cat tree into my arms.. and it was only me that he would do it to. His name is Eechy... and he was around 2 and a half when I got him, which was probably about 7 or 8 years ago. He's about 10 or older now. Hard to keep track... but I convinced my Mom and (now ex)stepdad to get him for me for christmas. Boy that cat had us fooled! He was SO sweet at the shelter, would suck on my shirt and need me with his paws, I mean he still does that but BOY is he grumpy. You can't pet him anywhere past his shoulders... or he'll bite! Haha and he only wants to be petted when HE wants to be petted. Eh.. anyways I still love him. He's always been really nice to me, but he has issues with everyone else.. though as he has gotten a little older (and once he met my kittens) he has been... I hate to admit it, acting kind of HAPPY... wow! It's been over 2 and a half years now though that he's kind of changed for the better.. still not exactly sure what or why... but here's a picture of my grumpy mcgrumperson. 







Then came our two kitties named Boogeyman and Sophie.. Mike (other half) had a cat named Lily who ended up being crazy about going outside, and so we caved but asked roommates not to let her out at night, and our roommates were VERY polite... *headshake* NOT. And didn't listen to our one rule about keeping her inside the house at night and let her out one night at 2 or 3am... and we never saw her again. Don't know what happened to her. I wasn't living with them at the time, but saw her enough and was dating Mike when she came in the picture, so I was very heartbroken. Mike mentioned that he wanted to get another cat, and I told him that he should get two, because that way they'll keep eachother company and not want to go outside. It ended up working... we searched craigslist and found these two kittens, went and met the lady, she promised us them, we were excited, even bought a kitten book & picked out names. We specifically wanted a orange tabby, and weren't very specific about the other.. She emailed us saying she promised the orange tabby to a more "stable" family, because they had a child... are you kidding me? Thanks a lot. So.. we searched again. My aunt told me at her vets they had orange tabby kittens, so I went and checked it out. Sure enough they had 3 orange tabbies and 2 "flame points" but they were all from the same litter. This is not a shelter, but a rescue who runs only off foster homes and rents a cage at the vet to give their cats a little more exposure. I called the lady a few times, and when she got back to me we knew it was meant to be.. So we adopted our Boogeyman and our Sophie. 






After we got the kittens together there was absolutely NO way I wasn't going to be moving in and spending a ton of time with my babies, of course .. I was already there almost every day as it was. So, we moved in together.. and a year or so later, we were thinking how much we'd want a dog. We go to our camp a lot in New Hampshire, and we decided we have the perfect, and I mean perfect lifestyle to own a dog. We were going to wait until we bought a house because we were saving up for that and our roommates absolutely did NOT want a dog at the house.. but we wanted puppy fixes, or maybe I just did, so we would check out a local shelter often... and one sunday when we went there were like NO dogs there but maybe a few, and one of the ones that were left was a little tiny chihuahua named Louie.. I felt so so bad for him, but he was the only one really left because it was sunday.. haha. Anyways I fell inlove with him and talked Mike into it. It was around christmas time and I told him if my family gave me enough money to come up with the adoption fee it'd be like he was just my christmas gift... we went back the next day to adopt him and found out he is aggressive with other animals, and we really wanted a dog that would be able to go to the dog park, etc.. and really enjoy life with, so we looked around a little.. Meanwhile we told our roomies that we were going to be petsitting, but were already planning on adopting and moving out the next month to my Moms to pay less rent and save more money for our house. We found "Fluffy" aka my sweet little Tinka, and there was no saying no to her. The second she was brought into the room we were in it was love... she ran and jumped right into my lap and curled into a ball. It was a big decision to make and we are so GLAD that we made it. I couldn't picture my life without her! 
Mind you, we aren't small dog people at all.. totally only wanted a big dog or two. But we are smitten with her, and a lot of people who hate little dogs are ALSO inlove with her.. just something about her. <3





While we were saving up for our new home, I was always browsing around. We knew we wanted a big dog, and Mike wanted to pick out the next dog, but we LOVE brindle dogs, and I can't even remember how I came across this lady in Florida who had my dog Stubbie, but we did and she promised to hold him for me. Sylvia is such a sweet lady, she went to this kill shelter and asked which dogs were on the euthanasia list for the day, and Stubbie was one of them. She couldn't let that happen, she took him home and adopted him and paid for everything out of her own pocket, she had him for 8months and had him up for adoption but she wasn't pushing him out her door, she really wanted to keep him but she was living in a place with her elderly parents because they needed her help. Anyways, we worked out transportation and got him up to virginia, and we went and met him there. Long road trip but well worth it, we love our boy. He is a perfect fit here. <3 





Then we have sweet little Ramona... we acquired her through our first batch of foster kittens. Haha.. She is TROUBLE. I told myself we weren't going to keep one, but as Mike says, I always have some kind of crazy reasoning. This time it was because it would make an even amount of pets (six) and 3 would be girls, and 3 would be boys, and there were 2 dogs and now 4 cats.. all even, or split in half. haha... but she is so adorable, just kind of wish sometimes that she wasn't so cheeky. I should've known.. she is a kitten after all. My two other cats JUST got out of their kitten stage, but now I welcomed another. Haha.. I love her. But next time we foster... they're ALL leaving, and maybe taking her with them! haha justtt kidding.






And now we have 7 pets... because we took in our Tucker. <3 





I'll end this here with a cute video of Tucker checking out the bathroom, 

[ame="http://youtu.be/4gkW29l74mY"]http://youtu.be/4gkW29l74mY[/ame]


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## whitelop (Feb 9, 2013)

I love your animal stories! I also have cats and did have a dog, and I have chickens and a rabbit. So I know what its like to have a lot of animals. 
Your Ramona cat looks like my old lady torti- Smedley.


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## Chrisdoc (Feb 10, 2013)

You´ve got quite a houseful and they´re all so different. Ramona is so sweet, she looks just like a cat my friend had years ago now, I just love that colouring.


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## TuckerandGusGus (Feb 10, 2013)

My life pretty much revolves around my animals, and I truly love it this way. They are all loved and taken care of very well, I couldn't imagine my life without any of them. 

Ramona is very very cute and CAN be sweet, but mostly she is just trouble trouble trouble. Sometimes I ask myself why I decided to keep a kitten! haha. She is the one I am slowly working on Tucker becoming friends with, haha.. they seem to be doing pretty good, been doing a couple little spurts every day to see how it goes. But man, she can be trouble!!! Haha... my other two, Boogey and Sophie JUST got out of kitten stage and then I decided to keep her, I think I was crazy!! haha. No really though .. I do love her, and wouldn't want her with anyone else. 

My mom kept one of the other kittens that I fell inlove with from the batch, I named her Rascal, my mom renamed her Misty, haha, she is also a trouble maker! IT was hard for me to decide between Ramona and Rascal when they were here with me, so Mike got to choose.. and he chose Ramona because of her coloring.

Anyways, hanging in the pen with Tucker, he did some cute little running around and happy squirts, but now he's chilling by his dish in his cage, I think he wants his parsley and basil, so I should go get him that.. that or he is totally not inerested in his Mum anymore 

What are some ways you guys interact with your bunnies? Fun things to do.. he's making me think strongly of getting him a friend, I feel like he's bored haha


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## whitelop (Feb 10, 2013)

I just sit in the floor with Ellie and fill her toy thing up with treats and watch her figure it out. I let her climb all over me and dig at my pants. She's isn't much of cuddle bun, but she lets my husband pick her up and carry her around. haha. I give her lots of toys and boxes to play with, so I don't think she's bored.
But you have to remember with buns that, they're most active in the morning and at night. So during the day if you go sit in the pen with Tucker, he may only do a little bit of playing and then go back to take a nap. Thats how Ellie is. Some other peoples buns are total carpet lumps during the day and can't even be bothered to get up to say hello. Half the time Ellie is like that. I walk into the kitchen and she perks and ear up and looks at me to make sure its me, stretches and lays back down. hahaha. 
I'm sure he's not bored, he's just showing who he really is! Probably a lump like the rest of our buns.


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## Jessica&Smitten&Bitten (Feb 10, 2013)

I want to own every bunny in the world 
But then the bunnies wouldnt like me o.o
At least i still have 2 :')
Go rescue bunnies


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## Chrisdoc (Feb 10, 2013)

I try and spend some time on the floor with them every day and they usually come round and have a sniff and a climb on me and come for food if I have it. They´ll let me stroke them and they lick me and pull at my clothes and groom but I usually do this at night as they´re more active. They usually just lie about or meatloaf in the afternoon so I don´t even know where they are half the time. 

I cleaned out their cage today and thought I´d tidy them up as well so I cut all their nails and groomed them all and they were all quite well behaved. Bandy struggles more but, in the end, even he decided that I was going to do it and sat nice and quiet. 

They also come up and see me on the sofa when they´re out and they jump across me, have a look a the laptop and give me a few kisses even.


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## PaGal (Feb 10, 2013)

All of the animals are gorgeous. :nod
Thumper will run around for a short time in the morning. Most of the day he spends laying around being a lump. In the evening he gets very active. I am sure you will over time find the ways that your bun likes to interact.

Thump likes to play chase he will run around in small circles with me chasing. When I get too dizzy then I will start running from one side of the room to the other and he chases me. When one of us gets tired then we stop and I pet him. I would have never thought a bunny would enjoy playing chase but he does. If I clap he stands up on his back legs and shivers and when I laugh he will binky.

I didn't have much trouble introducing my dog to Thump. Thumper doesn't scare to much and usually he's over it very quickly but I do have up baby gates to Thumps room so for a week he got to see the dog and hear him before I ever let the dog into the room. Maybe it would help if you put something that smells like the cats and dogs in your buns pen with him. That way he can get used to the smell before they are around him and moving around. I wouldn't put anything in his cage since that should be his safe place but place it in his pen outside the cage. I would watch closely to see how he reacts. After some time then I would probably let the most calm of animals in the same room for a short period supervised. If your bun doesn't get scared then I would slowly increase the time and introduce the other animals but only one at a time. Eventually when the bun is comfortable have more than one in at a time.


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## TuckerandGusGus (Feb 10, 2013)

I am a big animal lover, I can't help but rescue all my babies.. I could take in so much more, but theres only so much my other half will take, and also that my bank will take. I need a better paying job, but hey... who doesn't right?? I would love to work with animals, but it's so hard to get into...

@Agnesthelion -- Tinka is actually a chihuahua mix, we aren't sure exactly what she is mixed with, BUT, she could very well be mixed with a papillion, we thought she looked similar to one as well, and a lot of other people think so, too. But, who knows. We love her either way, and aren't too stuck on what breed she is. I know some people are really stuck on their dogs and if they don't know their mix will get the DNA testing done because they just have to know. I'm not sure how much I trust them, to be honest. 

The thing with Tucker that gets me bummed, or rather makes me think he doesn't want to hang with me, is that every time I come into the room to check him out he's up an about, mostly by his food dish, etc... and then when I sit in the pen he'll do his own thing in his cage or whatever. (well that's what he's been like the last couple of times) I am in his pen right now and he is hopping around and exploring a bit more right now. Not really interacting much with me besides just letting me pet him.  Oh well. He doesn't seem to just FLOP all afternoon .. not yet anyways. it's okay I still love him, I just don't want him to be bored. I put some newspaper in his cage and I think he likes it 

Since Ramona (the youngest cat) snuck in the room and he wasn't spazzing as much I've been letting them spend a little time together, one on on, getting used to one another, and it has seemed to be going okay for the most part.

So, we do training classes with our dog Stubbie every sunday. (He has 2 more left) after we did our class, we went to the grocery store to get some ingredients so I could make some dog treats, and some bunny treats.

Ugh, it was such a sticky mess.. 





Going in the oven... 





Baking in the oven...





All finished.. 





Tucker taste testing it... (video) Sorry it's dark!
[ame]http://youtu.be/GtrnnDWdONw[/ame]



As you can see, he did take some, but he wasn't a huge fan... BUMMER! I put a ton of work into it. 

And a picture of him doing some nom nom on his treat..





I'll move on to tell you the dog treats I made were a huge success!! (Of course they were, they're dogs!!)
Here are the before & after shots










And a cute video of my two doggies enjoying their treats
[ame]http://youtu.be/n6jct4ZFlLs[/ame]


I think this was a little too much cute for one update, haha. I'll leave it at that.. I am hoping Tucker will come out and play with me !!! 

Update: Nope.. instead he plopped down by his food dish. what a butthead. aaha.. I thought we were doing so good and now he has been antisocial with me besides when I pick him up to cuddle me.


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## TuckerandGusGus (Feb 11, 2013)

I guess what is kind of bumming me out is, I completely understand that bunnies aren't like cats and dogs that are all begging for attention, etc, but I almost feel like with Tucker we have gone backwards in just a week...  

He used to come right up to me hop in my lap and ask for cuddles, I don't know if I scared him with trying the clicker training too soon? Or.. I really have no idea. 

But when I used to sit in his pen he'd come right over me, now he hides under his ramp of his cage (which is like a little cave).. In the beginning he used to "run" from me and hide, but as time went on he started being really good and not doing that and I could come in and feed him and he'd take his veggies from my hands, and then now this morning he ran and hid in his little cave instead of taking his veggies from me.. Idk. I'll just have to take it slow and see... I can't tell what he likes to do and stuff yet


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## whitelop (Feb 11, 2013)

You've only had him for a little while, I think his behavior is probably pretty normal. Ellie was like that for a bit too, she would run when I came over to say hello. It took her a few weeks to become used to me coming over to bother her, then she had to get used to the washing machine and the dryer, then all the animals coming to say hello to me coming to say hello to her. haha. 

Just be patient and he'll start to come to you again. He's only a baby and he might be a little scared because to him you're just this big cumbersome human and hes tiny ball of fluff. And a prey animal. It just takes a few weeks for them to really get used to you and really love you. Now, Ellie stalks me in the kitchen. haha.


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## agnesthelion (Feb 11, 2013)

Yes I agree with Morgan you've only had him for a short while. He will come around 
And you actually might want to go a bit slower with things. Some suggest, upon bringing a new bunny home, to not even get them out of their cage or interact with them at ALL for a few days! This is to let bunny first feel secure in their new cage and get used to sounds/sights/smells of their new home. Tucker has already spazzed (as you said) in his cage upon being introduced to your other furry friends and been clicker trained and handled alot. So he may be regressing just because of overstimulation and lots going on for him so soon.
When you do hang out with him now, keep things quiet, just sit with him and ignore him, let hum come up to you on his own time. Don't reach out and try to pick him up or pet alot just yet. Let him build some trust again.
And again, don't worry, Tucker is not being out of the norm at all! It can take months for a rabbit to truly trust and bond with you. He is still young and new in his home so this is all very normal


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## whitelop (Feb 11, 2013)

Now that Lisa mentions it, I left Ellie in her cage for the first few days. I cheated though, I picked her up and held for about 30 minutes a day, and put her on the couch with me so she could still roam on the couch and come to me when she wanted. We did that for a week or so. Then after my other rabbit passed away, I would let her out for a few minutes while I was sitting there. She was so tiny she could fit into the smallest places that I never had to worry about with my other rabbit. I think it as like 2 weeks or so of having her before she could be out of her cage by herself. Then I would leave her out for a few hours, we worked up to about 12 hours of free time, then we worked up to 24 hours out by herself. Now she hasn't been in her cage for like 2 weeks and she does just fine because she has plenty of places to hide and get away from cats and me. 
But it was all a slow process. Just a little more everyday, very gradually. 

Like I said before, hes acting completely normally. Don't worry.


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## TuckerandGusGus (Feb 11, 2013)

With everything you guys just said then I would say he's actually doing very well! He does still come up to me and let me pet him and everything.. he comes to me more than I go to him, so I think he's actually doing real well and you just made me feel a lot better!  

I will stop with the clicker training, and will start that up a little later... prob in a month or so, give him some time. He is doing really well spending a little bit of time a day with Ramona, I think I am going to still work on that. She is more afraid of him at this point. Kind of silly. 

Anyways, thanks guys!! I hope you enjoyed my pics and the videos


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## whitelop (Feb 11, 2013)

Your rabbit treats and dog treats looked good...you know, if you're an animal! haha. I've made cookies for a rabbit before and weekly I make 'cakes' for my chickens. 
What did you use in your rabbit treats? When I made them, I put squash baby food, raisins, apple sauce, pellets and water? I think. They were really sticky too. Ew.


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## TuckerandGusGus (Feb 11, 2013)

This recipe said to use pumpkin but I bought the wrong pumpkin, so I used unsweetened apple sauce, banana, honey, flax seed, rolled oats and his pellets. He did nom it up once I left it in his cage over night.. he did chew a couple of good bites off of it while I gave it to him, too, but then he ended up not being so interested.

I was worried because that was a lot of new things but he seems to be doing good. 

I am amazed at how much this bunny boy poops!! holy moly!! haha.. I am also excited to do the whole baking of dog cookies, it's cheaper! and healthier (i think) I made their cookies with apple sauce, and peanut butter.. so many other recipes I want to check out, though!! They absolutely LOVED their cookies!! As you could see in the video above


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## Chrisdoc (Feb 11, 2013)

I love the pics and the video. I just love Stubbies face looking at you and you´re talking and he´s saying " hey, just shut up and give the darn treat", he just looked so funny. And Tucker, well, rabbits are a lot more cautious and seeing him taking it in the end is a good result. They looked really good so wondered what was in the rabbit ones, I don´t have a dog any more.

Agree with Morgan and Lisa, just take it slow. I also spend time on the floor and lie down or just sit there and they do come over and climb on me and sniff, like and pull. Sometimes, I´ll pet them but sometimes, I´ll just let them be so they don´t get scared and run off. I´m just happy that they approach me and spend time with me. Same when I´m on the sofa, all of them will jump up and climb all over me and annoy me most of the time but I love that they do it. Give Tucker time, he´s only young and he´s learning new things all the time. He is such a cutie though.


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## TuckerandGusGus (Feb 15, 2013)

Hi, everyone.. it's been a couple of days since I've posted a little update -- SORRY! Been a little busy, of course that happens with me and my zoo. My papa (great grandfather) is turning 102 *TOMORROW*. So crazy! He's in real good health besides a fractured hip he acquired bowling a couple of years ago. He still drives and still bowls (candle-pin) I'd say that's a pretty great success! 

:hello

So, driving to work today was crazy! Literally all the crazy people were out and trying to kill me.. I hate when I run into all of the idiots, it stresses me out and makes me not want to drive again ever! But, alas, here I am... and I'll be leaving in a couple of hours to drive on home, too. I used to walk my dogs every single day before work, but where it's been cold and everything (the huge mounds of snow make it hard to walk on the sidewalks, too) I have been slacking big time. Now I'll walk them randomly, which is kind of sucky because they deserve so much more. Tinka (my little chi mix) could care less, but she does enjoy the walks.. Stubbie goes CRAZY for walks, haha.. and so he makes me feel horrible that I don't take him, esp whenever I get my shoes on or my jacket he goes INSANE. So I am trying to atleast take them when I get home from work... the other day I walked them around my neighborhood, not a long walk, but it's so hard because it's so ICEY and slippery out, and not everyone shoveled their sidewalks so I'm in the road and on the sidewalk then back to the road, like back and forth and I don't feel safe, you know?? Anyways, it's WICKED nice out today and I'm hoping some of the snow is melting.... even tho I love it! I'll be taking the babies for a walk tonight no matter what! <3 

I don't know if I told you guys yet, but we foster animals, too. Yes, in my zoo, we help the babies that need a temporary place to stay before they find their forever homes <3 We fostered a batch of kittens, and that's how we came with Ramona. Then, we fostered a dog named Hazen.. he was a pit chocolate lab mix, sweet and very lovable, but he needed some good training.. he counter surfs, which was so so annoying, he'd basically eat our food right off the counter, even if it was left there for JUST a second. But my Stubbie and him were the best of friends, and Tinka liked him, too... but she liked him more towards the end.. she never had any issues with him but started actually playing with him before he went to his forever home. Now we are back to fostering some kitties... we should be getting them tomorrow night..
-Side Note: The rescue I fostered the dog for, I wasn't very impressed with. I actually was the one to find the dog it's home, they didn't do ANYTHING in regards to getting the dog more exposure, and they even thought that the foster home should be taking care of buying the flea and tick stuff, and the heartworm preventative... which is expensive, and to me ... NOT acceptable. I can only imagine how many other dogs go without their monthly preventatives. But the kitty rescue I foster for is a wonderful organization that I am very happy to help, AND they're local, so that helps, too. I deal with the person face to face.. and they take care of everything, even food, which is wonderful. I am very very happy with this rescue and will prob. continue forever to foster for them. Cats are also a little easier to foster than dogs, but we wanted to switch on and off do cats and then do dogs, then back to cats.. in the summer time it's going to be a little harder, we will figure it out, obviously.
The kitties that are coming to us tomorrow night are coming from a kill shelter in North Carolina, getting transported up here. They look a little nervous, which I would be too in a shelter like that, I'm hoping I can warm them up and get them to be friendly and loving. It just may take some time. I'm gunna be one busy girl.

Anyways, Tucker is doing very well. My dad (who I don't see very often & am not that close with) came over the other night and met him. He bought me a pen off craigslist that I can use when I have him out and about if I need to, or up at our camp this summer when he comes with us. So he came over to my house and met Tucker for the first time -- and Tucker amazed me. He is always a little weary of new people but he did VERY very well!! He let my Dad hold him and he wasn't frozen in one spot. He also has been making a ton of improvement with me, too. I noticed he's pooping a little more outside of his cage, but NO peeing, only peeing inside his cage from what I can see/tell.  

Another side note --- I keep thinking how I want to get him a friend, and esp more so when I see little baby bunnies, but I have decided that he is enough for now, whether it be for a couple of years or for his whole life time. Even though I really really wanted a lopped ear bun bun.. I'll get over it. I want him to bond with my cats and have fun with my dogs and everything, and I think eventually we can get there.. hopefully. 

On another note; I am applying for a certificate to get him neutered for cheaper, because all the places I have here in my area are 300+ to get him neutered, if I get this certificate it'll be $80.  
 We'll see.. crossing my fingers.

Anyways, I'll post some pics later on. Long weekend, no wonder today at work is NUTS!!! Hope everyone is doing well, <3.


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## TuckerandGusGus (Feb 17, 2013)

So some good news and some bad news.. the 3 kitties we are going to be fostering were on their transport yesterday, and two of them did just fine, but one escaped and is now loose in Richmond, Virginia... ugh. Breaks my heart.. We got the other two cuties today, but Luigi is still out there. Last night he went in a trap they set up for him but he got out and it never shut on him completely.. bummed about that. Hoping tonight he'll be trapped. Worried sick about him. The other two are nervous nellies, one more than the other, but with some proper time spent with them I think they'll do just fine, too. If Luigi is caught he'll be joining us at a later date... 

Anyways, Tucker has been doing real well meeting my kitties, by the way  Here are some pictures. 











and then some cuteness of him. 




















enjoy!


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## Chrisdoc (Feb 17, 2013)

Tucker is such a sweetie and I love the cat in his cage having a look around. Sorry to hear about Luigi and so do hope they can find him and bring him back to you, I´d hate anything to happen to him. I just love the third picture of him looking out of his cage, he´s got such a lovely coat.


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## TuckerandGusGus (Feb 17, 2013)

I forgot to tell you guys the best most cutest thing!! -- Tucker has started giving me kisses!! I think he loves me, I think he really does <3


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## whitelop (Feb 17, 2013)

Of course he loves you! You're his mama! 

I'm really sorry you lost that one kitty. I would be devastated. Totally beside myself. That really sucks. 

The pictures of him and the cat are adorable! I would watch out though, sometimes my cats like to poop in Ellie's litter box. So watch them, for some reason my cats love the hay on the litter and they like to poop in the hay. Silly cats. 
He looks pretty happy around them though and doesn't look like he's too scared. Ellie likes to chase the cats around now.


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## agnesthelion (Feb 18, 2013)

Aww he is so sweet! That is great he is kissing you. Definetly a sign of love


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## Ilovemyrabbit (Mar 18, 2013)

Yes he definitely loves you!

I'm so sorry you lost your kitty, hopefully you found him.


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## TuckerandGusGus (Apr 24, 2013)

Ugh, so of course I have been missing for quite a while & I am SO so sorry!! I am back now, with some good news, and of course some bad news.. and some new questions & advice to ask you guys of!! ... First off, bad news is... in the last post I posted I mentioned how on transport they lost one of my kitties that were being transported to me, oh.. he's STILL missing in Virginia. I am infuriated, I think what kind of got me going crazy and not being around so much was because I was dedicating all of my time to finding him and pouring everything I had into the search... but he is still missing, and I have almost lost all of my hope in finding him at this point. Ugh. 

I am only going to do just a quick update, as I am at work, but I will be doing a bit more tonight, (I think).. 

So, the GOOD news is... we got another bunnyyyy!! (I know I know.. crazy crazy person I am.) The biggest thing is.. before I got Tucker and I had my other bunny, I had always wanted a floppy eared bunny... but then my other bun died, and I wasn't planning on getting another bunny.. but then I wanted one and we found Tucker and I was inlove. Now, I ALWAYS browse on craigslist, hence how I got Tucker to begin with.. and I saw someone offering a free bunny and kind of how I got Tucker, I was a sucker and couldn't say no, I wanted to save it... I had seen this bunny posted a few times before, so I felt soo soo bad for it. I contacted the lady and decided to give it a go! We just got him last night.. Yes, I said him. :| am I asking for trouble here??

This one IS a flopped ear bunny.. I don't know the difference between floppy eared bunnies.. breed wise, but I do know he's cute. He was very neglected, I mean not to the point where he's terrified of me, or skinny, but he was left alone at a house (with a person who was his caregiver and didn't like him) since December!! I am so devastated, the poor boy! And he never even had hay before! Meaning obviously he wasn't even taken care of right in the first place!!! >.< Makes me so so mad! (And I'm sure it'll make you guys mad too!!) He is scared, and has become shy because of the lack of attention, but he isn't that bad at all. He was in Foxboro, MA, which was pretty far for me... I am in Peabody, MA, about 30 to 40 mins away from Boston (Yes, close to where everything happened...  but we're all okay over here) When I GPS'd where he was I got 1hr and 10mins away, but of course we left right after work yesterday & I was stuck in traffic.. it took us just about 2 hours to get him, then of course our ride home. I wasn't home til about 9pm.. then I had to get him all situated and also take care of my lovely zoo, too. :\ It was busy and I didn't get to get much time with him. I don't have a name for him yet, he was named Thumper. *(I also just realized I should probably check to make sure he is actually a HE)* 

So, yes, I know to keep my bun's seperate right now. They are both unneutered.. the good news is I set up appointments to get them neutered already, it is going to be going on... FRIDAY! I am a nervous wreck. This is my first time having such small animals go under anesthesia besides my kitten who was young when she got spayed. And then they'll be seperate for 3 to 4 weeks and then I can slowly start introducing them and try bonding them.. but I have a ton of questions;

First off I actually feel bad because when reading Katie's blog with Buster & Phoebe you all mentioned how it's bad to let one roam and leave the other in a cage, and OF COURSE I didn't know that, so little Tucker is roaming around right now & my new guy is in his cage (on a desk away from the floor so Tucker can't even get at him) probably sulking while Tucker is like "I WIN I'M the BEST!!!" That little butthead!! I feel horrid now, my poor new bun bun. (I am liking the name Gus Gus for him right now, we'll see) 

My biggest issue is, Tucker has his own room now. Because I tried the whole pen thing, and even though he is very small, he kept escaping!! And then he couldn't get back in, so he'd have accidents (never anywhere bad, he was always so good about it) but he'd also be away from his food and his water (along with his litterbox) and I felt bad, so I just took the pen away since nothing else is in that room anyways! But now of course I run into an issue while I am doing this bonding process.. I am debating on what to do, what do you guys think? Should I put my new guy's cage on the ground next to one another, and start locking Tucker up all the time now and let him out for some time afterwards? I just don't know what to do afterwards because Idk how I can seperate their roam times in that room, etc.. help!!

Also I am worried sick now about getting them fixed because of course I am a huge worry wart.... the biggest thing is.. I can't actually like TALK to the vet.. because the rescue I foster for uses this one vet, and they only take in cats (the rescue) but the vet that they use does do male rabbit neutering (not females), and so my rescue I foster for is able to get me a good discounted price. The issue is, around here to get a bunny neutered (I posted this earlier) it's close to 300 and even one estimate I had was close to 400.. I think that's NUTS. I know it's more about the safety of my bunnies than it is about money, but this place says they can do a male neuter rabbit, because they've DONE it before, obviously, and it IS something they offer. My rescue wouldn't use this vet if they weren't good vets, and there is a lady who I know and am close to, I completely trust her judgement, she works there part time and has complete faith in them, she also brings her ferrets and her cats there. Her ferret has had a surgery there before, too. But basically people on this group on facebook that are "bunny experts" are basically making me crazy!! AHH!!! 

Anyways, I know that it's important to have a rabbit savvy vet, but I also do not think that a licensed vet is going to say they'll do it if they haven't ever done it before, the last thing they want to do is hurt animals!!!


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## TuckerandGusGus (Apr 24, 2013)

So, it's not the vet that said anything; I am on facebook and a part of a group called "Bunny Talk" on there, they are all very nice people, BUT they all are "bunny experts" and basically they had me very very concerned.

The issue at hand is, I know this might sound bad and this is probably why I felt people were attacking me... is that I basically have to pretend I am a foster for these two rabbits that my rescue just took in and found in order to get the discount price, and as I had said before, if I had to I would pay a ton of money, but of course everyone is hard of money and we are all trying to save a few dollars, so if I can save literally hundreds of dollars to get these guys neutered - of course I am going to do it. 

I have had to take a couple of my foster cats to this vet and they are very abrupt and almost kind of don't listen or talk to you all that much, (none of the things I brought the cats there for were serious) but apparently they are very quick with rescue people. I don't know why, but one of my friends works there and she said that for some reason the owner told everyone to be that way to "rescue" people... like as if she has something against rescue people. My friend said if I went there as a regular client then I'd see a whole different situation and whatever. I mean I know they know what they are doing and that is what is important. But the hardest thing is I am technically not allowed to ask many questions when I go there, it's basically just "yep" and listen to them, and thats about it.. answer any questions they may have, I think the biggest thing is my rescue guy doesn't want an emotional foster mom (with the cats) being too much for the vet to handle and to deal with, yanno? So.. with the bunnies I am basically going to have to do that, too... BUT obviously when I pick them up I will be asking what to do care wise etc for them.

The biggest thing is the girl I know that works there, I trust, and I do trust her recommendation of them, and I do know she wouldn't work there if she didn't believe them to be good, and I also know that my rescue wouldn't use them if they weren't good vets. The biggest thing is... she doesn't have a rabbit, and they aren't a rabbit rescue. So no, I do not think that they are amazing rabbit vets, but I DO think they can get the job done and it'll go smoothly, I do trust them in that.. or I would in no way be doing it. But of course you're always worried and concerned.

I am so VERY glad that you mentioned that your vet said that there is no bigger risk than a cat or a dog, so that is pretty exciting.  Thank you for that, it does give me a ton of reassurance, because I have just kind of felt that way due to the people I have talked to on FB about the surgeries, etc.

My other thing is, I DO not feel like this vet would tell me they'd do the surgery if they hadn't done it before or didn't have experience in it. All my rescue did was ask if they spayed/neutered rabbits, and they told him they do neuter rabbits, only males, not females. (Now again- this sounds like they obv. aren't experienced, I understand that..) But I only have males, and they DO know how to do them, so that's fine with me. Maybe I'm crazy? I don't know but I do feel like I need to stop worrying and just let them do their job. I honestly know they do surgeries on even FERRETS !! which I feel like if they can do that, they can definitely handle a bunny! 

Am I worrying over nothing? I think so..

ANYONE have any ideas on a higher pen option so that Tucker my basketball player can't get out? I'd just seperate the room for the boys if I could until they're bonded... but like I said, he is a basketball player and can somehow manage getting out.. it's insane.

I have a question for all of you too... 
Let me explain my situation ; My Tucker, like I said previously, has his own room. New guy (possibly GusGus or maybe Toby) is in the room on a desk in his cage right now. I read that Tucker being out and roaming around and Gus being in his cage is going to make Tucker feel like he's the best and he wins and that Gus is going to be sad or whatever.. so if I lock Tucker up daily along side Gus, put Gus's cage on the floor next to him and then when I get home let Tucker out to do his thing, can I leave Gus in his cage on the floor where Tucker will check him out and Gus may feel sad because Tucker is out and hes not? And then switch off, vice versa? But again I feel like because one is locked up and one isn't they're going to have that horrible feeling...

Until I can figure out the pen wise and everything should I just put one in the bathroom to run around and one in the room? and switch off daily which one goes where? I just feel bad and want to do this as best as I can for them. 

Poor Gus has really only known his cage. :\

I also am such a pest, sorry guys! I'm just so new at this stuff!!


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## JBun (Apr 24, 2013)

I don't think it's a problem letting them out to play individually, in the same area, you just want to make sure they have equal time.


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## TuckerandGusGus (Apr 24, 2013)

You don't think my boy Tucker is going to be extra upset because it's his room and I am spending time with another bun in there?


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## JBun (Apr 24, 2013)

Could you put them in cages, in a different room for now? Then Tucker may not get upset if he's not in his room, but in a new area. Or you could try putting them both in cages in that room, and give it a few days for them to get comfortable with this new situation. Then start letting them out. It's just going to depend a lot on his personality. You'll be able to tell by his behavior, if he is getting upset by having a new rabbit around. But it also may be that he will be really glad to have another rabbit around.

There are several people on here bonding right now, that already had a rabbit, and brought a new bun into the home, and let them both have turns out running around the same area. It's when you are doing the actual bonding that you have to take them both to a neutral area. You may just have to experiment a little to see what is going to be the best setup, and what is going to work out the best for both rabbits.


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## TuckerandGusGus (Apr 24, 2013)

So, right now.. I moved Gus Gus's cage to the ground, and Tucker was out roaming so they got some good sniffles in and everything, nothing mean, they were just sniffing and everything, and it looked good because Gus Gus doesn't seem very confrontational... BUT, then Tucker decided to poop all around Gus Gus's cage.. so I know he was marking and not completely happy. He also rubbed his chin on Gus's cage which I have never seen him do before, either. 

(MIND you, I am not sure if Gus will actually be his name, still looking into it.. we will see but this is what I'll call him.. for now)

I put Tucker in his cage, and he is not happy.. he wants OUT, he is bitting his cage. I should mention this little guy has never been locked up since he's lived with me, he either had his pen, or he has had the whole room. Ugh makes me feel bad.

Of course he's biting his cage and Gus does his very first BINKY!!! I'll never get sick of binkies, by the way.. but it's almost like he's like.. IN YO FACE!!


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## TuckerandGusGus (Apr 24, 2013)

Also, what does everyone think about making a pen to seperate my bun room in half with these?.. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Whitmor-White-Wire-Storage-Cubes-Four-Cubes-Interlocked/5005200


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## JBun (Apr 24, 2013)

That's actually not a bad reaction for a first meeting. I have scratching at the gate and lunging, with two of my girls. So from your two, that's good that there wasn't any outright aggression towards each other. 

Those NIC panels could work for that. I think xpen panels might be easier for dividing the room though. You just need to make sure it's high enough that either bun can't jump over to the other side. You may have to use cardboard/posterboard ziptied towards the top to discourage climbing, if you have a climber. If you opt for the NIC panels, if you have a sears near you, they seem to have the cheapest price for them online, then you just select store pick up so you don't have shipping charges.


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## TuckerandGusGus (Apr 24, 2013)

Could you link me to what you are talking about perhaps?? 

I am excited that they had a good first initial reaction, though Tucker is going CRAZY in his cage still and I feel bad.. It's also almost time for bed for me.. and I don't know if I should let Tucker back out for the night like he usually is..


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## JBun (Apr 24, 2013)

Are you talking about the wire cubes or the xpen. Here's the sears link. You can also order them online from kmart and have store pick up for free shipping. Whatever you do, just don't get the kind with the extra large square spacing on some of the panels. A few stores carry that kind, and they are a pain to deal with. If you are wanting to use an xpen, then you'll just need to shop around to find the best deal. You can often find a pretty good deal on amazon, and usually with free shipping. You can also sometimes find them used on local classifieds listings.

http://www.sears.com/stor-floor-sta...p-00913332000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1
http://www.kmart.com/stor-floor-sta...W435219990001P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1


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## Katielovesleo3 (Apr 25, 2013)

I am in a bidding war on ebay for an exercise pen and they have some other ones that are TALLLLL!!!!! and are very reasonable priced 46" for less than $50 and I thought of you so if you cant find an exercise pen in the classifieds check out ebay!


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## TuckerandGusGus (Apr 27, 2013)

So... Friday, as I was at work and worried all about my Buns, who I had dropped off earlier around 7:30ish... I got a call on my phone from an unknown number and got a voicemail... it was a lady in Virginia, who was on ground searching for Luigi! She passed out flyers with her number on them, telling people if they see him to give us a call.... she got a call! That some park rangers a mile and a half up the road, they TRAPPED him. And they were 99% sure it was him. Are you kidding me? It's been since Feb. 16th, literally over 2 months that he has been missing.. I have just lost hope, seriously. 

Anyways, the lady Donna ended up having to go see and verify that it was actually him... and she sent me a picture of him and it was 100% HIM. I was so anxious awaiting that call back to tell me it was him. Like seriously.

The last time I did an official post here it was about him... now I start blogging again, and he comes out of hiding? Oh wow. 

Anyways.... he's doing well. He went STRAIGHT to the vets, he got neutered and microchipped.. he got a spa treatment, he got the whole rounds, he is so friendly and so so sweet from what I hear, and I am so thankful he is safe! I am already inlove.. I was intears and so worried about him constantly that I just couldn't help but get emotionally involved. And so now, I have ANOTHER announcement.

He is coming here after all.. he originally was going to be here to be fostered... But now, he's going to be officially my boy. I can't let him go after this... after all we've been through. My birthday is April 30th, and he has given me the best birthday ever. 

I know everyone in my family and friends will be judging me badly, but seriously I don't care. Okay so I'll have 2 bunnies, 5 cats and 2 dogs. Get over it. It's my life, not yours. I am just hoping he gets along with them all! haha 

The biggest thing is; The only way I know he won't go through anymore hell .. is having him here with me. He has been through the ringer.. who knows what kind of life he had before, but then he ended up in a kill shelter, was pulled from that the day he was to be euthanized, I mean REALLY? And... then... lost during a transport because of someones idiot mistake... and missing for months. Honestly, I was definitely thinking we would never find him alive, I am so thankful! I will post some pictures, soon. 

Now anyone who thinks I'm crazy, let me have it. 

Edit; I was in a little of a rush when I was writing this yesterday; I wanted to let you guys know, too, that there is a lady who claims to be "emotionally involved" which I could believe, but I am unsure really at this point. She said she was interested in adopting him. She is a very nice lady, she ended up actually camping out at the site he was lost a couple of weeks into it and searched the surrounding areas looking for him.. which was VERY nice of her, but she told me she wanted to adopt him Friday, so I called her after work, and she never answered. She texted me and told me she'd call me back, and she never did. She ended up texting me a lot later and said she'd call me Saturday.. which she never did. Seriously, I just think if she was serious about wanting him she'd be very anxious and excited and would've gotten back to me. So, to me, she isn't good enough.. and that was decided BEFORE I decided I was keeping him.







Above is a picture of him at his foster home after he was pulled from the kill shelter, before he headed off for transport. 

Next picture is the picture I got Friday saying it was HIM!






And then, when he got to the vet.










Now, we just got to get transport to me.. and we have to make sure it's people we can really truly 100% trust, we don't need any of this ever happening again.


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## TuckerandGusGus (Apr 30, 2013)

Alright, I am kind of mad.. I actually have a headache because it's how mad I am. It's my birthday, and all I wanted to right now was post some cute pictures of my bun buns for everyone to enjoy, and to of course write a blog entry.. Tucker even wanted to chat, but photobucket has been wicked stupid these past couple of days and if I add a picture in on here it ends up being HUGE and I can't even type after it, it's wicked strange, I have done it many times before so I don't know WHY it's being like this I am just getting so angry at this!! 

Anyways, today is my birthday. (Yay. I am now 25 years old! Ugh!! haha) And I took the day off work, all I really wanted to do was like.. do nothing. I get into those modes, where I kind of just want to hang out and do basically nothing..actually I get like that a lot. I did wake up still pretty early, though. I didn't want to sleep in because I knew I had to work tomorrow so I couldn't stay up late tonight. So I checked on my buns, I took care of all the animals, and just hung out. Tonight we're going to dinner at the Melting Pot.. it's like a fondue thing. I am pretty excited about this actually.

While I showered I let the new guy Gus out in the room, and I took Tucker into the bathroom with me so he could roam around. He basically just hid behind the toilet the whole time. Once I was done showering and I was dressed and everything I brought him into my bedroom. I thought he'd be freaked out and everything because he hadn't ever been on my bed before, and I had my 4 kitties laying on the bed, but he did SO well. Infact I think he liked them, haha.. here is a picture of him with my oldest cat, who is wicked grumpy. 






And a picture of me & him.. I obviously was forcing him. He didn't want to stay still at all. (I apologize for the huge picture here, this is what was annoying me)






I meant to tell you guys, too, that Tucker is basically a basketball player. HA. When we first got Tucker I bought him a giant cage, and I had a pen for him, I set up the pen so that he could hop in and out of his cage as he pleases, but then he somehow kept escaping, and I couldn't figure it out. So, I took down his pen, and let him have the whole room. He is a spoiled bun.. but I wasn't using the room for anything else and there isn't anything else in there anyways, so it worked out. The only issue was he wasn't doing anymore binkies because there was all hardwood floor and no rug or anything. The two towels that were in his pen kept bunching up with the pen not being there to hold them down, so... I decided to get him a rug. & Oh my, he was one happy bunny. He actually did some crazy binkies that I wish I caught on camera, I called them "Matrix binkies." Gosh, he's so adorable. I just can't get enough of him. 









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& of course finally, let me officially introduce GusGus to you all. 






GusGus came to me in a tiny little dog kennel, and I kept him in there for a couple of days, but this past weekend I set up the big dog kennel I have (x-large) and he's really enjoying it. I'm so glad I got him and now he can be spoiled, and I can already see him becoming more and more happy... he was in a little bit of a depression when I first got him, I mean could anyone blame him?

Sunday it was SO nice out, so I took them outside, (separately) I had one of Tuck's old pens out there and figured I could use it, I took Tucker out first and sat in his pen with him.. He was SO nervous! It was his first time going outside, so I'll have to slowly try and get him used to it. First he hopped around a little, then he decided that I was the best, and kind of hung all over me. Here are some pictures of that. 
















And then Gus... he LOVED it. He hopped around like he owned the place, and when I sat with him he actually cuddled up against my leg a little bit, but I think he just did that because he wanted a little shade. 












This is like our first offical summer at our new home, we bought it back in July of last year, and I am ecstatic that my whole yard is filled with Dandelions... and they both LOVE them so far. lol. 

I am slowly introducing Gus to my pellets and also slowly introducing greens.. so far I have tried Parsley, and that is one of his absolute favorites. I have also given him a few leaves of Kale, and he likes that, too.. he pretty much hasn't said no to anything. He also loves craisins. 

Tucker on the other hand, is being a picky butthead. He never was, but for some reason he has gotten more and more picky. He decided he doesn't like Parsley anymore, he'll just let it rot there. He LOVES Kale and it's like all he wants, and I know it's high in calcium (Thanks to Katie for this) I know I need to watch out giving it too regularly, so I am trying to switch it up. I tried escarole, and he didn't eat it first, but he did eat it up last night.. I also tried arugala and he did pretty good with that, we'll see.. it's a work in progress. He also used to LOVE basil, but now he seems to be forcing it down. And he's okay with craisins.

How do you guys decide what you're going to feed veggie wise? I give carrots randomly, but always cut one carrot up and split it between them and my dogs, so there isn't a big portion at all for them when it's left over. 

My biggest thing is.. FRIDAY was the best day ever. Once I got the call that Luigi was captured, (as I just wrote on April 24th I had lost hope and then he gets caught two days later -- i mean really??) I knew that nothing bad could happen to my bun buns. And it didn't. They got neutered, and they did REALLY well. The thing that aggravated me is the vet only put hay in Tucker's cage and none in Gus's cage.. I noticed Tuck eating hay a little all night, but didn't see Gus eating anything, he was just sleepy... they didn't get out of surgery until later, and I'm positive they didn't give them food before hand, so I was afraid he went too long without food. I figured he was still real sleepy if he literally had just gotten out of surgery when I got there to pick him up, so I was trying not to freak... but I was very concerned. It all turned out well.. he ate overnight and he is doing amazing now. Tucker didn't have me worried at all.. 

Though, Tucker is being a big butt lately. He's still so cute & loving to me, but he's definitely throwing a temper tantrum. He's not happy he has to be locked up.. which is why I gotta figure out a good x-pen for him. I'd love it if they could both roam atleast half the room.. but ugh, I have to figure it out. I'll probably order the cubes that I was talking about before. Tucker is actually pooping out of his litter box now. Before Gus when Tuck had his whole room he'd have little kick outs, I guess I can't figure out if these are kick outs or if he's just pooping because he's mad, but theres a lot more poops out of his litter box.. and no pee. Though he basically splashes his bowl and gets water everywhere, too.. so his towel is always wet. But I always find pee in his litter box. 

On the whole "bonding" note... the boys actually do pretty well sniffing through cages and everything.. I don't see anything aggressive at all. I think when the time comes they'll do really well with one another.


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## TuckerandGusGus (Apr 30, 2013)

I thought this was so cute


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## Ilovemyrabbit (Apr 30, 2013)

Wow, I can't believe he was found! That's fantastic!!! And what a great birthday present! That's great that you are keeping him, he looks like such a sweetheart and I love his coloring. 

The pictures of Tucker are adorable! what you were saying about Tucker not being able to binky because it was hard floor gives me an idea, when I let my Ash out he only binkies on the rugs and not on the hard floor. And also once I took Ash outside in a pen and put towels on the ground and he started binkying when normally he doesn't binky in his pen. So maybe he just doesn't like binkying on hard floor.

Gus is adorable, and he looks like such a sweetheart! I hope he settles in to his new home well. He sounds like he is settling in nicely so far. Hopefully him and Tucker will bond nicely. 

Yes, there are a lot of dandelions here too, Ash likes them. But a word of caution, I fed Ash some dandelions and he had mushy poo afterwards, maybe its because I gave him a few at once instead of slowly introducing them. I'm not sure, just sayin .

About the veggies, I don't really think about what I give Ash. Well for instance if I have some Parsley in the fridge and some carrots I give him maybe a little bit of carrots and a little bit of Parsley. sometimes I just give him only some carrot or only some Parsley. It doesn't really matter to me as long as its safe . 

That, I felled over. picture is so sweet such an adorable bunny!

Oh and happy 25th birthday!!! :woohooarty::birthday:airborne:


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## Katielovesleo3 (Apr 30, 2013)

Yay happy birthday and I haaaate photobucket. I just load everything straight from my phone. But then of course sometimes my pics go sideways upside down or just retarded. That's awesome you have a bunch of dandelions, lucky. Or unlucky? Bc they're weeds lol. I want to get my two a rug too bc they don't binky. Well Phoebe does but only when she has room, and she does bust her butt it's kinda funny.


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## TuckerandGusGus (May 1, 2013)

@Katie, haha.. I guess "unlucky" to some people, but I don't care, I think they're pretty & they're obviously useful for my Bunny-boos!! I usually love photobucket, it seems to always work for me, but it's been acting up as of lately.. oh well. Definitely buy a rug, we have a store right down the road from us that does like discount store prices kind of... so it was like $60 for a 6 by 9, and it's perfect for our room. Tucker hasn't been chewing on it, aside from the little 'just checking it out' kind of nom. Gus I did see him take a big bite out of it, but I think he was kind of mad at me, but I'll keep watching, haha.

@Ilovemyrabbit - Thanks for the happy birthday! I got the day off work, so that was awesome.. I love days where I can just hang with my favorites. <3 (aka my animals) This so far has been the best birthday ever... just hearing that Luigi was caught was the best gift ever, then I decided to officially adopt him, and now THAT'S the best gift ever. I can't wait to have him here with me. You should also definitely try a rug, it has made a huge difference with my bun Tucker. And Gus also binkies too on it  My bun's have been doing pretty good eating the dandelions, so far.. I only gave one to each of them the first day, and there was no mushy poops so I gave them one again, and then yesterday I gave them two each... and they're doing fine. 

Question : Will Tucker and Gus stop making such crazy messes in their cage once their hormones calm down? Or am I gunna have to deal with this forever, haha. I need to get a better water bowl for Gus.. but Tucker is actually pooping all over his cage; and as mentioned above I believe it's more because he's mad about being locked up in his cage. I'm working on an x-pen idea for them so they have a little more time out of their cage while I bond them together.. Ugh he actually PEED on the floor next to Gus's cage, and he's NEVER peed on the floor before, he's always been pooping near Gus's cage, not peeing... this bunny. *shakes head*


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## Katielovesleo3 (May 1, 2013)

Yeah, my dad owns a lawn service so we always get calls like help us get rid of these dandelions! I'm like ok I'm on it! And I went to the house and picked her dandelions!  
Phoebe has been begging like crazy every morning when I give Buster his veggies so I usually give her one or two but I've been giving her more and she's adjusting so well and no bad poops! They all look great!


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## whitelop (May 2, 2013)

So I just had to catch up on your blog! I have so much I want to comment on so I'm going to go in points! haha.

1. Happy Belated Birthday!  

2. I am so glad that Luigi was found safe and alive! That is SO amazing! Its so hard to find them sometimes. Once they go missing its usually impossible to find them, so I am so glad he was found. Thats pretty spectacular. 

3. I know EXACTLY what you're talking about with the vets treating rescue people different. I've experienced it first hand! There is this group that does low cost spay/neuters and they cater to mostly rescues for dogs and cats but even if you're not a rescue you can still pay for them to do the surgery. Anyway, you have to email this one lady and you can't call the vets office that actually does it because the vet does it on the side. So you have to park in the front of the building and walk around back and you have to pay them in exact cash. Its weird. Its like some shady operation! Anyway, when you go get them in the afternoon, the lady who runs it is already gone so you have to talk to the receptionists and they're RUDE as hell. OMG super rude. I just took my last cat in there in like September and she was SO RUDE to me because he was a "rescue" cat and I didn't want to pay $200 for a neuter in their over priced office. She was rough with the kennel and everything. I mean, he is my barn cat so he's big and rough and tumble, but he just went through surgery! I don't have anymore cats to get spayed or neutered, but I think its the last time I'll take them to that place even if I do get another one. I just can't beat the $56 for a male and $65 for a female and they do shots and everything there. But they're all rude and no questions are answered and just ridiculous. 

4. Tucker and Gus are adorable! How much does Gus weigh? That would tell you what kind of lop he is, either a holland if he's 3-4 lbs or a mini if he's 5-6 lbs. But he's really cute, but I do have a serious soft spot for lops. haha. That little Tucker is adorable! I love all the fur! 

5. I don't know anything about bonding, Lisa and Jenny will be able to help you! hahah. 

6. For pictures, I use tinypic. It makes the pictures the right size, so they aren't huge and they aren't thumbnail sized either. Tinypic is really easy to use. 

I think thats it for now! I'll be looking for updates!


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## TuckerandGusGus (May 2, 2013)

It's crazy how some vets treat rescues... I'll explain a little bit more right now. Since we foster kitties for this rescue, and we use this vet, they give us a great discount.. so I feel like they're not very compassionate... I think the way they are looking at things is like, "we won't spend a lot of time with you because we aren't making as much money while we're with you" kind of thing. I mean, that is all just me saying that, but it's the feeling I get. Personally, I wouldn't want or choose this vet as MY vet.. for my bunnies neutering I chose it because it was an option that didn't break my bank, but as far as a regular vet for my buns... this will NOT be the place. 

The girl I know that works there, she said that the main vet, the vet that runs the place, and the only vet I've ever had the "pleasure" of meeting when I brought one of my foster cats in, kind of tells her staff to be crappy to rescue people.. you'd think if you were a vet because you loved animals you'd be ecstatic that there are people out there trying to save and help these babies... but apparently they're just .. excuse my language, douches. 

The way it works with my rescue bringing anything to get surgeries, (cats, bunnies, whatever) is.. you have to either a) bring them in a have a heart trap, or b) bring them in a metal transfer cage that is similar to one.. without the trap part. Because most of the cats are feral strays and it's safer for all involved. So, that included my bunnies.. They had to be in these metal transfer cages... and my rescue guy basically told me before hand to make sure I had a towel covering all ends of it because if there were other cats they'd get fleas, etc. But basically you don't even TALK to anyone, you enter the vet, go up the stairs and place the cats/bunnies on this landing thats outside of the surgery room, and you place their paper work explaining what they are there to get done, what animal they are, what age, female or male, and then you leave. and then when you pick up you just go back there and take them, but they don't get out of surgery until like 4pm.. and we aren't allowed to pick up until after 5, which was fine with me because I had to work anyways. I left a huge bag of hay ontop of the cage along with the paper work... and wrote Tucker & GusGus on it, and even wrote "Rabbit 1 and Rabbit 2" and when I got to see my Tucker and GusGus.. TUCKER was the only one with the hay. I was mad. 

Also, so what ended up happening because I was so anxious and I was at work, my mom lives closer to the clinic than I did, so she offered to pick them up. and then meeting me on the highway after work to exchange. They didn't even have their blankets that were in their cages when I dropped them off. I placed blankets because I didn't want them to slip and slide everywhere on the slippery cold metal. But then I heard that it was because they could suffocate. :| But they also didn't even give me the correct towels that were covering the bunnies to begin with! I was pissed because now we "changed" up their sheets and blankets with random cats, and I was concerned about the flea situation. ugh... anyways, it all ended up working out okay, but I don't think I'd wanna do it again.

Of course AFTER all of this, I am so relieved to have it all done and over with. Last night I got an email from one of the rabbit rescues I emailed through petfinder asking for help/assistance, and she had a great deal to offer me for an $80 neuter and this is with a vet that even does females, for like $100.. I was like You have GOT to be KIDDING me!! I would've felt a lot better with this vet, but it's okay.. it all worked out & we'll leave it at that.

Also, I had NOO idea that the mini lops are actually BIGGER than the lops itself? That's confusing!!! Gus weighed in at 4lbs at the vet last friday. Not sure if he's done growing or not yet either, he's about 10months.


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## whitelop (May 2, 2013)

If he weighs that at 10 months then he's probably a holland lop. They're a really popular pet breed of lop. Gus is really handsome though! 

See it sounds like your experiences with the spaying and neutering were a bit shady too. I always felt weird coming out of there like I was doing something wrong dropping my cat off for a back ally neuter. haha. I can't believe that they gave the wrong blankets, I would be grossed out.


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## TuckerandGusGus (May 2, 2013)

So Mini lops are bigger than lops? lol.. I'm confused, shouldn't it be the other way around? LOL. Do you think he's done growing? I think he's pretty handsome, but of course I'm a little biased here. d: 

Definitely was shady.. like seriously shady. I also was worried that anyone could go upstairs and take my bunnies since even when picking up you don't talk to anyone.. :\ but obviously; that didn't happen.


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## TuckerandGusGus (May 2, 2013)

I'm just having a hard time with all of this, probably because Tucker has never been locked up, I feel like he's extremely mad at me. I have two pens, but he is able to jump out of them SOMEHOW. And they are connected & don't come apart, so I can't even split the room into two with them, anyways... I think if I could atleast set up an x-pen for him side by side with Gus, they BOTH would be happier..

I have been thinking about ordering some interlocking shelves to use for them, and finally ordered some today. I hope I made a good choice, but we'll see.. if it doesn't work I'll just bring them back.. now I am anxious to get them. 

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Honey-Can-Do-6pk-Modular-Mesh-Storage-Cubes/17108697

I ordered two of those ^ .. Not sure if I'll need two, or if it'll even work, esp if Tuckers a CLIMBER and not a jumper like I thought haha.. we'll see.

I really hope that 1) I chose the right one 2) that they're gunna work well with my two. :|

I absolutely HATE doing seperate play time for them, Tucker throws a tantrum every single time he's locked up.. and even like 100x worse when Gus is running around... Last night though GusGus laid down next to Tuck's cage.. and Tuck was up on his shelf and he actually flopped down, too!! Usually it's GUS that's laying and Tucker trying to get at him.. They sniff through their cages just fine, and Tucker hasn't tried biting him... but he does bite his cage a LOT when he's locked up. So it's hard to tell... 

d: 

I don't really mind what breed GusGus is either way.. It's just nice to KNOW, haha if he weighs more than 5 then he's a mini, if less than he's a holland.. either way he's a cutie with a booooty.


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## JBun (May 2, 2013)

Yeah, the whole mini lop thing is confusing. You would expect them to be the smallest lop breed cause of their name.

I don't know if this was already suggested, but you can zip tie or tape cardboard or posterboard, near the top of the xpen panels, then if he is climbing the top part, the smooth board will stop him from being able to climb out. Also, if you post a pic of your pens and how they are connected, we might be able to give you some ideas on how to disconnect them and use them to separate the room with.

If you end up keeping the storage cubes, just make sure that you got the ones with the small 1 inch squares. Some of the new sets from a few of the stores, have some panels with really large squares, that little buns can get out through, or get their heads stuck in.


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## TuckerandGusGus (May 2, 2013)

Jenny! You are so right, I didn't even think of that!!! SO now...... I can't even cancel my order of those ones I just ordered but they definitely have like a 2 inch square.. sooo... I ordered the other ones, AND I am going to return the one I ordered that has 2inch squares. Thank you! You could've just saved my Tucker's life! 

I will post pictures of the pen I own now.. I'm just thinking he is actually JUMPING out somehow... super bunny.


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## TuckerandGusGus (May 2, 2013)

I feel like that sometimes, too, but right now I'm not really "supervising" them 100% of the time while they're out, I just try to spend some time with them because I love to. But they're really good while they're outside of their cage and roaming around their room anyways, thankfully. But it breaks my heart because Tucker throwing a temper tantrum just breaks me into a million pieces. I know that I don't want him to think he's the winner or anything, it wouldn't be good for the boys relationships.. thats why I am trying to quickly get a x-pen set up so I can split the room into two for both of them.. I feel like by the time I get the one I want it'll be time to start them to bond hahaa

I just wish I could kind of skip time!


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## Katielovesleo3 (May 2, 2013)

I don't like that they gave you the wrong towels, and they took out your sheets. My vet lost Phoebe's towel and gave me some nasty stained white one! GROSS! But I was like hey whatever I will bleach that son of a gun! 
Poor angry little Tucker. Its for the best though.


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## TuckerandGusGus (May 3, 2013)

Hi guys! It's Tucker hereeee!! *nom nom nom* sorry I'm just eating some hay... 'cuse me? WHAT DID YOU SAY? ... Mum just told me I need to share with this other hairy monster.. she calls him "GusGus" and I'm REALLY not sure what I think of him just yet!! Wanna see something cute...? Get ready for it...







NOT!!! ... 
No seriously..
HERE is something cute... readyyy??






Mum's been taking me outside and I'm really not sure what to make of it... what do you guys think of outside? A couple of days ago when she took me out, the sun was so warm... at first I was a little nervous, but then I decided Mum would protect me from anything baddddd.. I live wiff two dogs, so I know there are evil things out there -- THEY tell us all the time!!! ARF ARF!!!! I just wanted to snuggle & cuddle up to her, and she told me everything was okay, sometime's that's all we need to hear. >:B Anyhooo, she took me out again the other day, and I LOVED it... Mum sat with me in my pen incase I needed her, but I decided she needed me more, so I'd go reassure her that I'm jussss fine. I'd give her a little snug & then I'd go check out the greeen stuff.. there's SO much of it. & GUESS WHAT? She didn't even take that other monster out with us!! 

Mum said it was the perfect weather for some 'sun-bathin' so... I washed myself. lots.






& washed myself sum moreee.






I'm juss the cutest aren't I? :B

Anywayz... Mum said I need to broaden my horizons.. what does that mean? She's been giving me some more green stuff and asking me to try things.. summmmtimes I'll nibble a little, but I really just want KALE & that's about it. I hate parsley.. I used to wuvvvv it, but then mumma introduced me to the yummy kale and now I can't get enough!! OH & arugula... mum said she needs to start eating like me *nom nom nom*






I'm learnin' to like the new guy, I juss can't seem to undastand why I have to be in my cage all da time.. I mean I still get to roam around ferrr a few hrs, but it's not da same!!! Ever since that new guy came!! >.< Makes me sooo mad, I just have to poop all over the place now.. jusss so he knows that this is MYYYY room! and MYYYY world, and right now I don't wanna invite him in!!! Mum said I won't be lonely anymore.. BUT WHO SAYS I WAS LONELY TO BEGIN WIFF?!!
Now I just wanna reorganize my cage all da time... infact I'm gunna go do it right now!! 

I laid down with GusGus yesterday though, Mum wanted to share this picture.. she thinks its a good 'sign'


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## Katielovesleo3 (May 3, 2013)

Ohhhhh pooooor Tucker!!!!! But that seriously just made me laugh!!!! Tucker, you need to chillax because your mommy loves you and she just wants you to have a friend to share your wonderful life with. Don't you ever get tired of nomming all alone while mommy's at work? Yeah that's what I thought! And you need to lay off the kale some, we don't want you getting bladder sludge! Doesn't that sound painful? I wouldn't like that at all. Outside is a wonderous place, it really grows on you! As long as mommy's out there with you to protect you (not that you cant protect yourself, I mean, youre a lion! You can kick butt!) from harm and as long as theres no fire ants!!!!! Beware of those guys!!!! And watch what plant life you eat!!! Just bc its edible doesn't mean its good for ya! Now you be a good boy and make friends with GUSGUS!!!! Pretend like hes a fat little mouse with a shirt on hehehehehehe! 

PS Danielle, I hear Disney is re-making Cinderella next year... :| I don't know what to think of that.


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## TuckerandGusGus (May 3, 2013)

Alright so I went and visited my friend today who has a bunny and she had an extra pen... So I could split the bun room into two now. I am gunna borrow her pen until my other things come in this week... So I left tucker out tonight to see if he escapes... My biggest concern is having them escape and fight with one another. We will see. Ill post a pic... Turns out by the way... My pen actually comes apart after all! Ugh lol!! Okay so it won't let me post a pic from my phone but ill keep you guys updated I hope when I wake up Tucker is still in his side! Lol!!


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## TuckerandGusGus (May 4, 2013)

So, something I wasn't expecting AT ALL.... like AT ALL.. happened... when I woke up around 6:15 to pee I heard some noise in the bunny room, and thought I better check it out because I knew Tucker could've easily figured out how to get over the fence, since he's a little houdini.... but seriously, I have TWO houdini's in my house. Not only did Tucker get over the pen, but GusGus got out of his cage!! Like WHAT?! So needless to say, when I came in.. Tucker was being humped by GusGus... and when I broke them apart, Tucker ran right back up to GusGus and started humping him... in the face. I honestly think that it was just all dominance, and they definitely weren't being VIOLENT... I didn't see any violent acts or anything; I was asking on the bunny page if I should just let them work it out or not, what do you guys think? I'm gunna let them hang again tonight (short & sweet) and record it.. so be ready for some bunny porn. d: 

Advice?

Edit: I read somewhere that if they're humping for dominance then their penis' wouldn't be out? When Tucker was humping him and I picked him up.. his penis WAS out, so maybe it's just the hormones.


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## Katielovesleo3 (May 5, 2013)

????? I would like to hear others advice on that too. That's so crazy they both escaped!!! And then they were humping, good thing no fighting though!


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## whitelop (May 5, 2013)

Maybe Tucker jumped over the enclosure or climbed it. I don't know what kind of cage Gus has but maybe he pushed through the door because it wasn't latched properly or something. 
Ellie has pushed her cage door open several times and escaped because I never put a real lock on it. haha. But I put her feed tin in front of the door and it stops her from pushing it.


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## JBun (May 5, 2013)

Some rabbits are little escape artists  It seems like the really smart ones are the most prone to getting into trouble.

It can take 4-8 weeks after a neuter/spay, for hormones to be completely gone, so that would be the reason for the humping, and not a display of dominance. It's only been about a week since their neuters hasn't it? It might be best to wait on bonding attempts, til the hormones have gone down quite a bit more. If you put them in too soon together, continual humping attempts may start to aggravate one of the buns and will make future bonding attempts more difficult, or even cause all out fights, which could end up causing serious injuries. Best to just wait and let them keep getting used to each other while in their separate pens/cages.


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## Chrisdoc (May 5, 2013)

Just been catching up with Tucker and GusGus, they are both so adorable. I did laugh at them both escaping and Tucker humping Gus...bet he wasn´t impressed. Tucker is such a fluff ball and GusGus has such a lovely little face. I´m sure that they will become the best of friends.

Loved reading you´d found Luigi again and that you´re going to keep him, he is just such a sweetie and I´m sure he´ll be so happy in his new home. 

Just give them time after the neuter and there are lots of people on here who will give you great advice on bonding when the time comes.


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## TuckerandGusGus (May 5, 2013)

So, when I first got Tucker I had a pen around his cage, and he kept escaping... so I then gave him the whole room because there was no reason not to let him. & he did so well in it anyways! No pee ever anywhere! He does SOO good, I've always been so proud of him. I think the way he was getting out of the pen was climbing ontop of things and then hopping out. It was easy for him to move things to the pen itself because he didn't have any traction - it was just hardwood floors. SO... when I decided Friday night to split the room into two with the pen that my friend let me borrow (until my interlocking cubes come in) I put his igloo next to the pen to see if he'd get over... & of course he did. With GusGus's cage.. his doors were locked completely. I didn't mislatch them or anything, there was no way for him to get out, or so I thought, but then I noticed that somehow one of the metal bars on the side had deattached, so it was just hanging there, so he could totally just squeeze his butt out.. I still think that it's strange because he has a huge body!! BUT, I guess anything is possible. Who would've thought? I mean I left Tucker out because I had assumed he WOULD get over, but I wanted to test it out, so to say. 

Well, whatever, they're both fine, and it's totally hormonal. I obviously wasn't TRYING to get them to bond, but I have to admit when I saw there was no fighting I got excited and was a little anxious to get them to bond NOW, but you all are SO right, I am going to wait 4 more weeks.. that'll make 5 weeks total since their surgeries. I'm just so anxious.. but with the pen seperating them it'll make me feel better and it'll make it a lot easier on me. It is hard when I have to do seperate play times, but if they have the run of half the room it'll be great.

I do have a couple of questions for all of you out there for NOW though, do I start switching their cages/sides now? just go back and forth? & when I switch their litterboxes, should it be cleaned out all the way or can their be some of the other bunnies business in there still? I was thinking of switching their sides tomorrow, letting Tucker go in GusGus's cage area and vice versa. What do you guys think of that? 

I am SO glad, Chris, that Luigi was found! Also that he didn't have any health issues going on after being found. He is a little thinner than he was before, but that is totally understandable.. and I can't wait to get him here so I can spoil him. I already bought him his own little dish, though I'm sure he'll share nicely.  

Also, when I first walked in GUS was humping TUCKER... it scared me b/c Tucker is SO small I feel like compared to Gus.. haha, but then when I put Tucker down after seperating them he ran right after Gus and started humping Gus... I put them together that night for a minute just to see and it was basically the same thing, but I got too nervous because Tucker was like humping Gus' face and I was afraid he'd bite his peepee off. :\ I read those stories, and I don't want to experience THAT! So, as you all said, that's the end of that! 

Though, should I be encouraged that there was no fighting?


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## JBun (May 5, 2013)

No fighting is always encouraging in a pair you intend to bond. I have rabbits that won't even bother with humping and are out for the kill. Obviously those rabbits are never let near each other. So it IS good that they didn't just want to kill each other when together. You may not need to wait 4 more weeks, it just depends on how fast the hormones start to fade. I think you may be able to try a little mini date in a couple weeks, to see how they do and if the hormones have gone down enough. I think you can start with switching personal objects before you try again in a couple weeks. Start with switching feed bowls, toys, then you can work up to switching litter boxes, and eventually you switch cages.


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## TuckerandGusGus (May 5, 2013)

Thank you Jenny, what about like it being completely clean? Does the litter box have to be completely clean when you switch them? I thought I should just have them start switching their play places now so they don't get territorial over it.. ? You're saying I should wait a little bit before I start switching things? It's also encouraging to hear you say that I may not have to wait THAT long, I just want to be so positive that nothing bad is going to happen.. I have seen good things and bad things, of course.. but I'm still so new to this.


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## TuckerandGusGus (May 5, 2013)

I started a new blog, so I can include Gus, too.. please follow me there  "A Lion and a Lop.. Tucker&GusGus" Thanks!!  We can continue there! xoxo


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## JBun (May 5, 2013)

Well, it's already been about a week and half since their neuters hasn't it? So waiting a couple weeks would put you close to the 4 weeks that it sometimes takes for the hormones to fade. It can take longer, but doesn't usually seem to take longer than the minimum 4 weeks. 

I'm not as well versed on the technicalities of bonding as Lisa is, so hopefully she'll chime in. I've been lucky with pretty much being able to put my rabbits together and them being pretty ok. And I know enough about signs of aggitation and aggression in rabbits, that there are some that I won't even chance trying to bond or put together to play. Then if a rabbits behavior seems ok towards another rabbit, sometimes you just have to take a chance, and just hope there isn't an all out fight. I have several rabbits and I let them have playtime outside. Because I have so many, it makes it easier to let them play in groups, but I have to carefully pick who gets to play with who, and not all of them are neutered/spayed yet, so some boys and girls can't play together, for obvious reasons. Anyways, I got this girl bun and she was pregnant when I got her, and she had some babies. I still have most of the babies, and they are all grown up now. Well the momma bun hadn't been around the babies since I weaned them, but I wanted to be able to let her, one of her girl babies, and another girl bun, out to play together. The two girls are best of buddies, but the momma when inside playing by herself, had shown signs of aggression. So I wasn't sure I would be able to let them out to play together. So I let them see each other through a gate and they seemed ok, so I let them out together, and I was literally hovering over the momma bun with gloved hands ready to grab her up if she seemed aggressive at all. I watched for pinned ears, raised tail, but she didn't do any of that. They all just hopped around exploring and playing. But you do have to be very careful with introducing altered rabbits, and even more careful with unaltered rabbits, and just know the signs of aggression, and be ready to intervene immediately. But once you've set it up for success, like switching stuff so they get used to each others scent, then you just have to take that big step and have that first date. I don't think the litter boxes have to be completely clean. You're just trying to get them more used to being around each others scent. But you want to start with small things like food dishes and toys first. No, you don't need to wait, you can start switching those things now, then maybe after several days you could switch litter boxes. And switching play areas should be ok.


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