Harvex' Blog

[CruiserMaiden]

Ok so I thought I'd join in and start a blog for me and my new bunny Harvex For anyone who missed his intro thread here is his first picture from his first family (new ones to come once he's settled):

Here's a picture of his "Mommy & Daddy" - myself (Mary) and my SO (Ken). :hearts

And of course here are his "Brothers" - Spooky (Black) and Mulder (Orange).

Enough with the pictures, on to the reporting!

Today is day one of his ownership of us and he's doing quite well with my training though he is still pretty terrified of Ken. He approached me for a treat during his out of cage time this morning so I feel that is progress. I don't know how much out of cage time or handling he got for his first 6 months of life! Currently he will be a cage bunny with lots of out time, though we are moving to a new house soon and are considering him being a house bunny there.

Right now he lives in a Wabbitat 37" cage, I want to build him a cube cage but that will have to wait until after the move because we just don't have the space here. His first owner said he wasn't litter trained but I put a litter box in the corner where he was doing his business and he hasn't gone anywhere but there (yet). My first cage liner attempt of newsprint was shredded overnight while we were sleeping, so I am going to try to figure something else out today. I really don't want to put shavings/bedding all over the bottom of the cage because it doesn't have a lip and would be a BIG mess!

As I said my training is going beautifully, I am on my way out to the store right now to buy him some toys (which he didn't have from his last home!), some better food, a new dish and hide box and oh yea, some more treats! I hope I can find things to meet his highness' approval!

Thanks for reading, I will report more later!

 

[hartleybun]

i just love the look on that little bunny's face! he is sooooo cute it's quite clear that he's gotten you all wrapped round his little paw - already you're bunshopping:rollseyesi know what you mean about cage lining. mine are free range buns with their own bunnery but still manage to cover it and the garden. i do use fleeces and old sheets for liners - anything that can be washed or sent to textile recycling when it's too shredded to be safe.

btw - what is on the board in front of you both? im trying to read it but cant!!

 

[CruiserMaiden]

So I went shopping today and got him a new ceramic dish because the people who had him before used a little sauce cup that he kept knocking over. I got a mat to go on the floor of his cage instead of the newspaper, its a pretty red that looks striking with his colors. Oh and some toys because he didn't have any of those either - he got some baby keys and a wiffle ball (human toys) and some wooden bunny blocks to chew on.

I also got a steal on a small waist high entertainment center to put his cage up on, he seemed nervous having us looming over him while we walked around and seems more relaxed now that he's up a little higher. That took me awhile to figure out how to assemble but hey he seems to like it.

I don't know what to do for his hidey box! He came with this giant plastic igloo that would fit 3 of him and takes up almost half of his cage so I wanted to get him something a little smaller so he could have more room in there to move around and also to feel more secure when in his hiding spot. I took a cardboard box that was about 1.5x his size and cut a hole in the side and put it in there instead but he wouldn't have anything to do with it and kept sitting in his litter pan, so I gave him back his igloo for now...

What I'd like to get is an enclosed hide box with a hole in the top or high on the side for him to enter so I could fill it with bedding for him to nest in without having him toss it all out of the cage. That's what I was going for with the box but again he didn't like it. Maybe I will just get him a slightly smaller igloo so he can have what he likes without having to take up so much space?

I am worried all these changes to his cage may stress him out so I want to leave him alone for now. The people that had him before had him just in his cage with some carefresh bedding on the floor, a food dish, salt lick, igloo and water bottle. No toys or hay at all! I bought a suet bird feeder last night and filled it with hay and he's gone crazy for that. Today I added the new flooring and bowl and will leave him alone to settle with that before I mess with his cage anymore!



hartleybun wrote:

btw - what is on the board in front of you both? im trying to read it but cant!!

It says "See Seven States" - it's from when we went to Rock City in Chattanooga, TN.

 

[Becknutt]

Aww he is adorable! That look he's giving the camera, reminds me of Albert Einstein. Paper is a favorite toy of my buns, so I can feel your newspaper frustration. He may love his igloo and I'm sure he'll grow into it soon. I got one of those for my first bunny when he was just a few weeks old and 3 years later it's still his "safe spot" it's where he hides when he doesn't want to be bothered.

Has he met his "brothers?" Does he get along with the cats? I didn't really know much about rabbits when I got my first and people who came to my home thought he was an odd looking cat because he ran free with the cats.It took a double take to see he was abun.

 

[CruiserMaiden]

No, Harvex hasn't met his 'brothers' yet. His last owner had dachshunds and he did OK supervised with them so they said. The kitties are still in Atlanta with my parents because I just moved to Knoxville and I am waiting until we move to the house to bring them here. I don't want to cause them undue stress with trying to adjust to one home and then another... I am curious how they will react to Harv, and how he will react to them!

Harvex has decided toys are great! I thought he would be a bit confused because he hadn't had them before but no problem. He made me play 'fetch' with him awhile ago - he would push his wiffle ball out of the cage and wait at the door for me to come get it and put it back, and he would run back over to toss it out again. He also thinks that throwing baby keys around is the best thing ever! Suprisingly he hasn't even touched the actual rabbit toy I got him - chew blocks. Go figure!

I am still doing my research so any tips would be wonderful! They gave me a big bag of food with him but it is the pellet and seed mix type that I know isn't the greatest for them. I don't want to stress him with a food change along with everything else so I am going to wait until his bag gets about half full and then start cutting it with the pellets I want to change him to in increasing amounts until it is gone. He has already made his treat preference for yogurt drops known! I need to read around more on what the deal is with veggies - treats or daily staple? I am figuring out the basics but am still really curious as to what kind of toys/stimulation I can give him or 'non-essential' ways to make his life better and happier!

 

[Wabbitdad12]

First, I love your blog, especially the part that your training is going well, I got a good chuckle.

If you try cardboard boxes again, I cut several big openings in them. Big ones for them to run in and out of and a couple where they can chew the openings bigger if they want to.

Try craisins or banana chips for treats too. Now about veggies, some people feed their buns primarily veggies with a few pellets and lots of hay and others give lots of hay, some pellets and some veggies. If he hasn't had them before introduce them slowly. A rabbits digetive tract is very sensitive, I would try and get as many of the seeds out as you can and then mix his old food and the new together to make the transition.

Something that entertains my rabbits, gives them something to play with and chew on are tp tubes filled with hay. Some people paint banana flavoring on the insides.

Great blog, I look forward to future entry's and pictures. Feel free to send me a pm if you have any questions.

 

[CruiserMaiden]

Well if his cage was bigger I wouldn't be concerned about the amount of space his igloo takes up. I am going to try getting him a smaller igloo that he can still fit into and see if he boycots that one too.

Here are some more Pictures!

This is Harvex' cage as of this evening.

This is just a picture of him in his cage before I made the changes to it today.

This is him in his igloo about to go to bed!

No new news except he let me brush him a little and actually came to the cage door to be petted by Ken! Woot!

 

[hartleybun]

Wabbitdad12 wrote:

First, I love your blog, especially the part that your training is going well, I got a Something that entertains my rabbits, gives them something to play with and chew on are tp tubes filled with hay.

:yeahthat:definitely roxy and hartleybuns' all time favourite toy:biggrin2:

thanks for describing the sign too

 

[missyscove]

Congratulations on your new addition! Harvex is very cute!

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

Harvex is such a cutie!
I don't have a house rabbit myself, but I must say from reading about others on here, that they are very fun!

Emily

 

[CruiserMaiden]

Ok so I went bunshopping again today... his litterbox with the 'small animal litter' that came with it was already really dirty and I wanted to change it and didn't have anymore litter. Actually last night he pooped all over his new floor mat because I had moved his hay where he couldn't stand in the box and eat. When I moved it back he hasn't gone outside his box again at all!

As for the fun stuff: I got him a new igloo -the one that wasn't quite the largest size like his first one was. He still fits in it fine and gives him more room in his cage. When he grows I will give him back the bigger one because hopefully by then he will have a bigger NIC cage!

I also got him a little cotton blanket (about the size of a hand towel) to push and toss around, a bird toy that is big plastic chain links that I hung from the ceiling of his cageand he was having fun knocking it back and forth, some craisins for treats,a stuffed toy to snuggle with (with no eyes, etc.) and anuntreated wooden "H"that I am going to mount on the side of his cage for him to chew on.

I did give him a TP tube filled with hay and a couple of yogurt drops, but he paid no attention to it until I started giving him other toys then he wanted to toss it around. He didn't seem interested in the hay or chewing on it?

I didn't give him the stuffed toy yet because I will be in and out all weekend and I want to monitor him to see if he wants to shred and eat it before I leave him alone with it. I am soaking the wooden letter in strawberry Kool Aid to dye it and give it a tasty flavor. I used to do that when I kept pet rats and they loved it!

As for the "practical" stuff I got a little cereal pouring container to put his pellets in and a sealed box to keep his hay in for organization. I got him some wooden kitty litter pellets for his litterbox because I couldn't find anymore of that "small animal litter" that the box came with.

This weekend he will be primarily left to himself to settle in as I will be VERY busy dealing with the realtor for our (hopefully) new house. I will post pictures and an update hopefully Monday! Thanks for reading my ramble!

 

[Wabbitdad12]

CruiserMaiden wrote:

Thanks for reading my ramble!

You ramble well

 

[CruiserMaiden]

Ok so a new update today. Harvex decided I was cool enough to eat a carrot out of my hand!

On the other side, he hates his new igloo as much as he hated the box. Somehow he is bonded to the giant igloo, I don't get it but I gave it back to him anyways.

He did finally go after the toilet paper tube and eat the hay yesterday though. And he thinks his new toys are the absolute coolest!

Today I've spent half the afternoon on the phone calling various vet clinics to find one to do his neuter. I found one finally who can do it, but they want me to wait 2 to 4 weeks before I try to schedule to bring him in because we aren't 100% sure of his age. His first owners sold him to me as 6 months, but the vet wants to wait to make sure. They said it was better to do it a month late than to do it too early.

Also they are giving me the choice as to if I want to bring him home with pain medicine or not? I've only ever had cats neutered and they never required any pain meds - should I opt to get it for him? How do you give pain medicine to a bunny anyway?

I'm also concerned about taking him to be neutered so soon after bringing him home to live with me. He hasn't had a chance to decide if I'm scary or his friend yet - will I make him hate me permanently if I take him right away to have his boys cut off?

I will probably do forum searches later to see if I can find some answers or maybe post another thread in the appropriate forums, just thinking out loud right now...

He has started spending more time out of his igloo as he settles so I think I can probably safely take some pictures later tonight or tomorrow - woot!

 

[Luvr of Wabbits and Polar Bears]

CruiserMaiden wrote:

Ok so a new update today. Harvex decided I was cool enough to eat a carrot out of my hand!

Me thinks he really likes you
On the other side, he hates his new igloo as much as he hated the box. Somehow he is bonded to the giant igloo, I don't get it but I gave it back to him anyways.

HAHA you went to all that work to get him a smaller one and he liked the bigger one better!

He did finally go after the toilet paper tube and eat the hay yesterday though. And he thinks his new toys are the absolute coolest!

Today I've spent half the afternoon on the phone calling various vet clinics to find one to do his neuter. I found one finally who can do it, but they want me to wait 2 to 4 weeks before I try to schedule to bring him in because we aren't 100% sure of his age. His first owners sold him to me as 6 months, but the vet wants to wait to make sure. They said it was better to do it a month late than to do it too early.

He can be neuter as soon as his little boy bits drop.

Also they are giving me the choice as to if I want to bring him home with pain medicine or not? I've only ever had cats neutered and they never required any pain meds - should I opt to get it for him? How do you give pain medicine to a bunny anyway?

Yes defiantly get pain meds. They will give you a pain med called Medacam that taste really good and given orally. He shouldn't refuse it.
I'm also concerned about taking him to be neutered so soon after bringing him home to live with me. He hasn't had a chance to decide if I'm scary or his friend yet - will I make him hate me permanently if I take him right away to have his boys cut off?

He'll be fine. He might be upset and give you the bunny butt for a while but he'll get over it and Bunnies can usually be won over with a treat

I will probably do forum searches later to see if I can find some answers or maybe post another thread in the appropriate forums, just thinking out loud right now...

He has started spending more time out of his igloo as he settles so I think I can probably safely take some pictures later tonight or tomorrow - woot!

Harvex is a really cute little guy.

 

[CruiserMaiden]

Well, his "little boy bits" have definitely dropped! So I guess that's good news for me, and bad news for him... Ken (my SO) wasn't on board with having him neutered at first, he didn't see the point in spending the money if he's going to live by himself anyway. That was until I explained he could start spraying all over the house like a cat, and humping legs like a dog. Now he has volunteered to pay for the surgery and drop him off himself. Heh - Men!

Now Harv has decided he doesn't want to eat his pellets. He is still eating hay but he picks all the seeds and stuff out of his food and drops the pellets on the floor. I know I need to switch him to an all pellets diet but his last person was feeding him the seed and pellet mix and I didn't want to upset his system by switching him immediately. I have been running the mix through a colander to get most of the seeds, etc. out but not all and will start mixing more pellets in when the bag of seed mix is 1/2 gone. Is there anything I can do to entice him to eat the pellets? Or do I need to work harder so that ALL he gets is pellets and hay and eventually he'll eat it?

Last night he was out of his igloo playing with his toys and I took a few pictures of him. I know y'all like pictures! Sooo here's Harvex!

 

[Wabbitdad12]

Great pictures! He has been eating the seeds for so long that he prefers them to the pellets, as you make the switch and he finds fewer seeds, eventually he will begin to eat more pellets.

 

[CruiserMaiden]

Today Harvex met the vacuum cleaner! We had been putting off using it in the room he is in as to not startle him while he was still settling in but it needed to be done today! He actually didn't freak out as much as I thought he would, he just stood up on the edge of his cage with his ears forward and sniffed at Ken running the vac, and looked at me like "is this ok?". Then he started thumping his back feet on the bottom of the cage to make a really loud noise whenever the vacuum got close to the stand his cage is on. He didn't seem terrified or anything, just curious and maybe a little alert. It was interesting to behold!

I am going out of town for a few days (Ken will be home to take care of him!) and I am going to try to introduce some veggies to his diet when I get home! Slowly, of course. He never had hay at his old home either, and he has taken to that beautifully!

 

[Luvr of Wabbits and Polar Bears]

Those handsome pics of Harvex. He's ssssoooo cute. 2 of my bunnies hide in the igloo when the vacuum comes out.

 

[CruiserMaiden]

So I've headed down to visit my family in Atlanta for the weekend and Harv is staying home with "Dad".

Ken hadn't done much interacting with him before this but he seems to realy be bonding with him now that I'm gone. He called me earlier and said that he had been lonely because I left and he couldn't believe a bunny could be such good company!

I brought a blanket that I had in Harv's cage to let the kitties sniff and see what they think. Mulder started grooming the blanket. Spooky laid on it. Since Spooky is nearly 16lbs, I hope that is not his response to Harvex in person!!!

I am trying to catch up on some much needed rest here with my family. Ken and I are trying to buy a house in Knoxville and the stress is really getting to me. Someone told me that trying to buy a house is one of the true tests of the strength of a relationship, hope we survive it!

 

[hartleybun]

more cuteness, especially that first pic with him holding the bars in his little paws i've been there with regards to making the switch to a more suitable diet. the little buns can make you feel guilty. persevere tho' eventually they get the hint:rollseyes

have a good break