Rabbit Pedicures

Nail trimming is a very important part of caring for healthy bunnies. We just trimmed our bunnies nails the other day for the first time ever! When we had Mr. Sparkle, I was so nervous to do it myself, that I just took him to the vet every 3-4 months for a checkup and had the vet do the trimming for me. But when we got Hazel and Fiver, I knew I had to get past my fears and learn how to do it myself. First of all, I now had 2 buns instead of 1 and second of all, the vet we use now is much further away. I don't have the time or the money to take them to the vet that often just for a nail trim!

When I took my buns to their very first vet visit, I was determined to have our rabbit-saavy vet show me how to do it so I could try it out myself. For those who may not know, trimming bunny nails is not quite the same as trimming your own. First you have a very wiggly creature who really doesn't like to be held unless its on their own terms. And then bunny nails have something called the "quick". This is actually a blood vessel in the nail and if you cut too close to that, its very uncomfortable for the rabbit and they will bleed...a lot. Some dogs have this too.

So before you trim bunnies nails, you should prepare yourself with all the proper equipment you will need...scissors (I use a guillotine style that has a circle cut-out where the nail goes), a small bowl of water, cotton swabs, Kwik Stop (a styptic powder used to stop bleeding, or in a pinch you can also use flour or cornstarch), and a towel or blanket. In case you do get too close and cut the quick, all you have to do is take the cotton swab, moisten it in the water and then the powder and press gently onto the rabbits nail that is bleeding. This will help the bleeding stop quickly with minimal harm to the rabbit. However, if you take your time, you shouldn't need to worry about this step.

Two important things to keep in mind when giving your bunny a pedicure: 1) while you can do it as a one-person job, its really better and easier with two (one to hold bunny, one to trim) and 2) if you're nervous about cutting the quick, just trim the tip, you can always go back and trim more later as you get comfortable. Its better to cut just a little than to cut too much.

My husband decided I should do the holding and he would do the trimming. We took one bunny at a time and set them on our bed. We picked a time in the middle of the day when they are less active and the bed was a place they hadn't been to before so they were more likely to let me hold them and comfort them and then afterward they got the reward of being able to check out a new place.

For the front paws, when I held each of them in a semi-loaf position (on their tummy like they would normally sit), I only gently put one arm around them and used my other hand to pet their nose. Very little restraint is actually needed, just enough to keep them still. If bunny was reluctant to let hubby pull out a paw, my one hand could slide a little underneath them and gently push on his/her elbow to get the paw to stick out. Rabbits have 5 nails on the front paws, 4 regular ones and a dewclaw which is like their thumb and is somewhat on the underside of the paw. A little trickier to get to that one but it just requires a little patience.

obviously this isn't my bun but this is a good picture of how I position the buns to do the back nails. this might be a good position to do the front nails too like this person is doing.

For the back paws, I gently slid my hand under the front paws and lifted them up close to my body as if they were standing up and used my other hand to flip their rear end out so their big back feet pop out right in front, in plain view. The rabbits are always gently but firmly supported in either position with constant comforting and reassuring affection. Its a win-win for all parties...the bunny feels safe, Mama gets lots of bunny snuggles, and Papa gets the trimming job done quickly and easily. There are only 4 nails on the back feet and since my bunnies have clear nails, the quick is very easy to see so it was easy to avoid the quick. (Note: not all bunnies have clear nails. If your bunny has dark nails and you can't see the quick, use the scissors to press on the nail before you cut. If bunny flinches you're too close to the quick.)

My Hazel-girl checking out the bed

Both Hazel and Fiver were very well-behaved and cooperative for their first at-home nail trimming. And all in all I think hubby and I did a pretty good job too! Now we have the confidence to do it ourselves each time going forward. I'm not sure why it took me so long to learn!

look how pretty her little feet are now!

Do bunnies like story-time?

I've been having a few rough days recently with this whole bonding process and I'm pretty discouraged and frustrated. So I needed to look back to happier times with the buns to remind myself how much I really do love them. I immediately think back to the two weeks directly after their spay/neuter surgeries.

The surgeries were a success but Hazel still had her stitches in and they both had received doctor's orders to take it easy for at least ten days, at which point the stitches would be removed (for her) or dissolved (for him). When I asked if they were allowed to have any exercise time at all, I was cautiously told, "very limited".  My buns were used to having lots of playtime every morning and every evening. And any time Fiver, especially, was told it was not his turn to be out yet, he would promptly begin to chew on the cage bars. So I knew right away, this was going to be a very long two weeks.

Hazel, with her cone of shame, which lasted all of about 5 minutes before we took them off

The first few days they were both pretty subdued with recovery, though Fiver was ready to go much quicker than Hazel. I knew if I didn't come up with some way to keep them occupied and relaxed during their most active times, they would drive themselves (and Mama) absolutely crazy in no time flat! I once read something somewhere about someone reading to their rabbits and at first I thought, yeah right, that'll work! But during this crazy time, what was a crazy book-loving bunny mama going to do to keep her buns happy? Why not try reading to them and see what happens?

by Chapter 2...

Well, there's no better book to start with than Watership Down, of course. Not only is it about a group of brave intelligent rabbits not unlike my own, but its also where their names come from! So I dim the lights a bit, turn down the TV, and sat down on the floor in front their cages with the book in hand. As I begin reading, they're still pretty active and dying to get out to run around. But by Chapter 2, I notice they had quieted down and were calmly grooming themselves.  By Chapter 3, I look up and about die from a cuteness overload when I see both bunnies flopped out on their sides with their eyes closed!

by Chapter 3...

Could it be? Are they actually enjoying the reading? Is this actually working?? Maybe it was just a fluke. But night after night, I go through the same process and every night I see the same response! They were so relaxed and looked so happy! I felt like the best bunny mom ever!***

so relaxed and happy!

Every once in a while, I still pull out the book and read to them just for fun. But bunny story-time got us through a really rough time for them. And after the rough day we had today, it reminds me that we will get through this too. This too shall pass. And at the end of the day, all I want is for them to be happy. Whether they ever end up being happy together, or have to stay separate to be happy, I just want what's best for them. I do still truly love my Hazel Basil and my Fiver Boy!

bunny kisses through the cage

What's in a name?

Many people look at rabbits and think about how cute they are. They look so cuddly and sweet. And sometimes they are. But not all rabbits are sweet and most actually do not like to be cuddled. And as adorable as they are (I have yet to meet an ugly rabbit), they can also be very naughty. Hence, the reason we came up with the nickname "fart bunnies".

they look sweet, right? looks can be deceiving!

                                   

Hazel: charged with mail burglary and domestic violence

       

Fiver: charged with chewing without a license and escaping prison

                           

Before Hazel and Fiver came home to live with us, I was so excited and full of anticipation. It had been 8 years since I had a bunny or pet of any kind. But I was a little nervous too...will I be a good bunny mom? Will they like me? Will they be happy here? Will I be happy with them?...All of that was tested with one drama after another beginning only one week after they came home.

Drama #1: I had constructed a lovely multi-room hidey house for both of them from a couple cardboard boxes and had used masking tape to put them together. Little Miss Hazel decided it would be a good idea to try to chew a piece of the tape off. It got stuck to her, from her chin to her belly. And it was stuck good enough, we had to cut it out! When you look at the video below, you can actually see the tape on her, which I didn't notice until a while after I took the video. It was a painstaking process that left me in tears, partly out of relief and partly out of guilt that it was my fault. Lesson learned...NO TAPE!

Drama #2: About a week after the "tape incident", there was a freak-out with Fiver. He was comfortably resting in his x-pen, while Hazel was out playing.  Everything was fine and quiet when suddenly Fiver went crazy! He went racing around his cage as fast as he could go and his eyes were bugging out of his head. Something had spooked him, though I will never figure out what. He was so frantic that he actually rammed himself into the side of his cage in an effort to escape and his little face actually got stuck between the bars! Then he screamed...that was the most horrible sound I've ever heard. I was able to gently get him un-stuck and calm him down fairly quickly. And then everything was fine as if nothing ever happened.  Lesson learned...rabbits are crazy and hear things we don't!

Drama #3: At one point, it became time to separate the buns into their own living quarters because they were at the beginning stages of puberty but not yet ready for their spay/neuter surgeries. One would get to play, while the other had to be sequestered in their cage. And then they would take turns. Fiver would get very irritated that he couldn't get out whenever he wanted to so he would chew on his cage. One day he decided he wasn't going to wait for his turn, and took a flying leap out of his cage! Of course, he jumped out at the exact moment I had left the room and I came back to find him under my desk, where he knew he wasn't supposed to be! Lesson learned...don't put their hidey houses too close to the side of the cage.

Drama #4: For most of their time of separation, the buns x-pens were right next to each other so they could still see each other, sniff each other, and groom each other through the cage. We had worked very hard to keep them separate and take no chances of any accidental oopsy litters of baby buns! About 2-3 days before their scheduled surgeries, I was sitting on the couch when I heard a loud crash of the cages. I jumped up to check on the bunnies and to see what was going on. Fiver had jumped into Hazel's cage and was sitting right next to her!! I scooped him up as quickly as I could, while still trying to process what just happened, and put him back in his own cage. Thankfully it happened when I was only a few feet away! Lesson learned...there needs to be a little separation between the cages.

Drama #5: My Hazel-girl sometimes thinks she's a goat and likes to jump on everything, trying to see how high she can jump. My office chair is one of her favorite things to jump on. I call it her princess throne. Most of the time I leave the office chair out in the middle of the room so she can jump on it but not use it to jump on other things. One morning I was sitting in the chair doing something at my desk, when I had to leave the room to go do something else. I forgot to move my chair away though and when I came back, Miss Hazel was hopping all over my desk and tried to make herself a cozy napping spot on my shelf. Lesson learned...always move the chair away from the desk, even if you're only going to be gone a few seconds!

Drama #6: I had been waiting patiently for the bunnies to have their spay/neuter surgeries over and done with so we could move on, and have them be reunited as a bonded snuggly pair. Once their recovery was complete and they were given Dr.'s approval, we gradually allowed them to have more time together. Separate houses but short supervised playtime visits. They were getting along so well, we didn't waste hardly any time putting them back together in the same house! Then about a week or two later, they had a spat.  Then they were fine. A couple weeks later, another fight. This time more serious. I wasn't sure what to do. We put them back in separate cages but gave them supervised playtime together. The last couple weeks, they have been so sweet and affection with each other so I was beginning to think, maybe they're ready to be together full-time again. Then tonight...another fight!!  It's a little disheartening and I'm not sure how much longer this is going to go on. Lesson learned...since we're still in the middle of this one, I'm not sure yet. Patience?

My Hazel-girl right after her surgery...so sad looking! And the cones didn't last long.

Thankfully its not always drama. There are plenty of cute, sweet, and precious moments that I cherish and try to remind myself of when they are being fart bunnies! But this goes to show, owning a rabbit (or two) is not all sunshine and butterflies either. They require a lot of work, care, and patience. Maybe this is why God made them so adorable...so we can still love them unconditionally even when they are behaving like mischievious little fart bunnies!!