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!!

Bunny Entertainment

Rabbits are very smart and curious creatures.  This makes them wonderful pets to interact with and see how they interact with you and their environment. However, it also can get them into trouble! Hence, the term "fart bunnies" comes into play.

 Their intelligence and curiosity can also lead to boredom fairly quickly, which means they will either get into something they're not supposed to or try to find new ways of escaping the area they're in or they will start chewing on the nearest thing to them. So its important to provide bunny with lots of "toys" to keep them occupied. To redirect their little bunny natures to something positive.

cardboard oatmeal containers...great for hiding treats in and they like to roll them around

soda boxes make great tunnels...however, notice the tape holding them together? yeah, don't do that!

Its best to provide toys that are safe for them to chew on. Because, no matter what, they will chew on anything thats put in front of them. Partly thats their way of investigating things and partly they just have a natural chewing instinct.  You can't keep a rabbit from chewing. They need to chew...it keeps them busy and it helps keep their teeth healthy and trim. And keep in mind, anything they chew on, theres a possibility they may ingest some of what they're chewing on. Anything cardboard or paper is safe for them to chew on, and even ingest as long as its only in small amounts.

this is a cool activity mat from the Busy Bunny, which is made from all natural materials they can chew on!

Empty paper towel rolls or toilet paper tubes are perfect for bunny toys! They like to chew on them and sometimes even toss them around. And they're perfect for hiding treats! Put a special treat or some hay in a toilet paper tube and watch them tear it apart for fun trying to find the treat!

a tunnel made from timothy hay, also from the Busy Bunny

Willow branches are okay for them to chew as well. There are many bunny products out there made from willow, like a bundle of sticks or a ball. My Hazel-girl likes to pick up a stick in her mouth and carry it around the room. She usually takes it to a corner so she can chew on it without having to share it with her brother.

these sticks used to be bundled together. the buns quickly figured out how to un-bundle them! and on the right is one of their willow balls they like to toss around

Bunnies also love to hide in things.  One of the best "toys' we have, we actually came up with accidentally.  We had taken a large box, cut out a few holes for windows and doors, and set it upside down as a nice house for both of them.  One night, on a whim, my husband threw a sheet over it and it created a tent of sorts. They loved it! Sometimes you can't get them to come out of there! I've even caught them taking naps under there.  There are a couple entryways going in and out of the house and the sheet so they can come and go however they please. And they like bunching the sheet up and digging around in it.

We also have a paper tunnel. Sometimes when you have a big box shipped to you, it comes packed with with brown paper. I saved a long piece of it, threw it on the floor however it would land and it creates a tunnel. Again, it makes a great hiding place for the buns and they like to chew on it a bit, and rearrange it to their own liking.

Notice, most of these toys are things we've found around our house. Trust me, I've spent my fair share of money on store-bought toys as well. In fact, I've been grounded for going shopping at the Busy Bunny  for a while.  They have lots of cool bunny products! But bunnies can be like children. You know, you spend all that time finding this really cool but expensive toy for your kid and all they want to do is play with the box? Thats how bunnies are! Save your money and get creative with cardboard and paper! One word of caution though...no tape!  We found out the hard way...but thats for another post!

Hazel loves to climb on chairs...and be nosy...

I seriously did not put her in there! she jumped in of her own accord!