Monty, my [big] baby bunny 2012

[agnesthelion]

Aww Monty is getting to be such a big girl. She really does seem so content. Agnes hates being in the kitchen when I cook somwe don't do that much anymore. It's cool that Monty just flops down.

 

[HolyHandGrenade]

Troller wrote:

Curious, I've read and been told that I got to handle him more, meaning pick him up and such daily so he gets used to it. I try, but its a struggle and he doesn't like it, not violently so but I just can't do it and I think it affects his relationship with me in a negative fashion when I try. For instance today I didn't at all and he approached me more often. Do you have such a problem?

Thanks for reading! Yes, actually. Monty is getting more skittish about being lifted, no matter how careful I am to support her properly. She's just not a fan anymore, or maybe it's just me. She allows herself to be cuddled and cradled and such at the pet store I got her from when I take her to get her nails trimmed, but she was also handled that way by them when she was there as a young'un, so it could be that she feels more familiar with them. Oddly, I can pick up just her front end to kiss her head when she's laying in her crate, or even her back end, or lift her entirely and set her in her litter box as I sometimes do to show her that I filled her hay rack, but outside of her cage she's like OH HELL NO. I feel a little discouraged, or like she's stopped trusting me because I handled her in a way she didn't like at some point, but I try to remind myself that it takes them a while to trust, and any impatience or lack of confidence I feel will be sensed by her.

 

[Troller]

Heh, its hard to feel confident about a task your so unfamiliar with. Lifting 50lb bales of hay or 40lb of litter no problem, but being delicate and swift, so not my thing.

After seeing your blog I went out and got a cement tube myself and Conan loves it. We have you to thank for our newest entertainment. Its the first toy I got him that I can see he clearly likes.

 

[missyscove]

HolyHandGrenade wrote:

She's just not a fan anymore, or maybe it's just me. She allows herself to be cuddled and cradled and such at the pet store I got her from when I take her to get her nails trimmed, but she was also handled that way by them when she was there as a young'un, so it could be that she feels more familiar with them.

I've found that when a lot of animals are in a more stressful environment away from home and are out of the sight of their "parents" that they'll actually behave much better. I've had animals that wouldn't let their owners anywhere near their paws that get into the treatment area of an animal hospital and are absolutely no problem. I always encourage people to learn how to trim nails themselves because you can usually get a pretty nice set of clippers for cheaper than it costs to have someone else trim them at the vet, but I get that some animals just behave better when someone else is handling them.

 

[HolyHandGrenade]

missyscove wrote:

I've found that when a lot of animals are in a more stressful environment away from home and are out of the sight of their "parents" that they'll actually behave much better. I've had animals that wouldn't let their owners anywhere near their paws that get into the treatment area of an animal hospital and are absolutely no problem. I always encourage people to learn how to trim nails themselves because you can usually get a pretty nice set of clippers for cheaper than it costs to have someone else trim them at the vet, but I get that some animals just behave better when someone else is handling them.

Yeah, I can understand that. I did buy some clippers, but I like the positive experience at the store I got her from, plus I have *yet* to be charged for a nail trim there. They enjoy seeing "their" baby come back! If they did, they said it's only $10. Not a bank-breaker when I only need it done every couple of weeks. Although I'd be more motivated to do it myself even at that price if the visits weren't so fun and positive

 

[HolyHandGrenade]

Troller wrote:

Heh, its hard to feel confident about a task your so unfamiliar with. Lifting 50lb bales of hay or 40lb of litter no problem, but being delicate and swift, so not my thing.

After seeing your blog I went out and got a cement tube myself and Conan loves it. We have you to thank for our newest entertainment. Its the first toy I got him that I can see he clearly likes.

That's awesome! Did he get the hang of getting through it right away? Monty accidentally walked too far off center the first couple times and rolled it (and herself) across the floor. It sure didn't discourage her from trying again, though! I like it when she rockets straight through and then turns around and goes right back again.

 

[cwolfec]

Your big baby is the cutest thing! I guess I didn't start early enough picking up my buns, and now they pretty much won't let me do it ever. Just keep at it!

My rabbits absolutely HATE the sound of the sauté pan too! They go flying from the room whenever I get something in a hot pan. I don't think they'll ever warm up to it.

 

[HolyHandGrenade]

My patient little clown...

The story goes: Before I recorded this, Monty and I had been playing with this empty tofu container. I would push it near her, and she would alternate between nudging it away with her nose or picking it up and throwing it with her mouth. After she laid down, I wanted to see if she would play more so I could record it. This is what happened instead...

[flash=425,344]http://www.youtube.com/v/-1PR22dWVjo[/flash]

 

[Blue eyes]

I'm so glad I finally got a chance to read your blog. I've wanted a Flemish for a long time. My next rabbit will be a Flemish, so this is just so fun to read and see. :biggrin2:

Do you know how much she weighs now? With her being such a large breed, do they suggest feeding her the juvenile pellets for a longer time than other breeds? When are they typically considered full grown?

I've always been drawn to larger breeds. I've had a french lop mix. Ironically the buns I have now are the smallest I've ever had.

Thanks for sharing your adventures with Monty!

 

[HolyHandGrenade]

I wish I knew how much she weighs, but I don't have a scale here. We set her on a digital food scale a little over a month ago, and she was at about 7 pounds, but it wasn't exact because she was squirming around and had one foot on the counter. Silly girl

As far as feeding, I'll have to look into it more just to make sure. I was planning on switching her to adult pellets at 7 months, but that kinda depends on whether she's at ideal weight for that age. If she's under, I might do juvenile pellets for another month. I've had her on pellets and unlimited timothy hay since I got her in mid July, plus increasing amounts of leafy greens (never had soft poo, yay!). I just added alfalfa hay last night and she's totally in love with it. In the future, if I can't find a pellet without wheat, barley, or rye in it, I might just go pellet-free. I'm allergic to gluten, so having anything around with those grains in it makes me uncomfortable. I asked my boyfriend to dump the last of her food from the bag into the plastic container I keep it in, and he did it ON THE COUNTER and left behind a pellet and some dust. Hello cross-contamination!!! He got a lecture this morning when I found the mess. I always do any food pouring on the floor so I can't have an accident like that, and I have informed him more than once that her Oxbow pellets contain wheat, but he conveniently forgot. *sigh*

 

[holtzchick]

I am enjoying Monty's blog! I would love to get a Flemish some day. They are great characters... part of me thinks Phoenix has some Flemish in her but she's WAY too small, Monty is already 7 lbs, shes around 3-4 and is only 4.06 lbs...

I can't wait till he reaches full size.

 

[agnesthelion]

Funny video with the tofu container. She was SO chill! She was not gonna move a muscle over that thing

 

[HolyHandGrenade]

Happy Thanksgiving! I guess it's as good a time as any to update my bunny blog. I've been meaning to for over a week, but my pics are all taken on my phone lately and I didn't feel like emailing them to myself so I could access them from my desktop, and then my USB cable was hiding...

without further ado, it's time for a pic dump!

She has started to flop next to me after she eats her pellets!

She started nomming before I finished setting her alfalfa hay down (I can't put it in her hay feeder or on top of her litter because she will dig RELENTLESSLY to try to get the last bits of fluff, she loves it that much. So it goes on the bare crate floor where she can get every morsel easily

Monty's as long as a 12-pack! These two boxes were together before she decided to nudge them apart a couple inches, then plop down between

Part of my good morning/good night routine, Monty steps partially out of her crate for head rubbies, and lets me cradle her head in one hand as I stroke the top and sides of her face.

I caught her right before a DBF, and you can see her DEWLAP is starting to come in. My baby is growing up :shock:

All flopped out with her head UNDER her water bowl

Monty getting plucked while she eats out of my lap...see the pile of fluff in the lower left corner? Poor fluffybutt is molting again:

She looks like someone spilled coffee on her where her top coat has shed and her fluffy (and much softer, if that were possible) under coat is showing) (and holy crap, now she's a *lot* longer than her stuffed toy that she still ignores)

Dat chin!

 

[holtzchick]

haha Awh! Monty is one big bunny and it looks like the two of you are bonding closer each and every day! I love the big dewlap, not all females get them

 

[HolyHandGrenade]

Now for a little about other parts of my life...I cut fabric at work, and they're letting us wear our own crafted holiday-themed aprons between Thanksgiving and Christmas, so I jumped right on board and made one: (shown over the red dress I have on my mannequin)

Last weekend we had my car put into winter mode. I have two sets of wheels & tires, so it was time to get the snows put on. I am quite proud of my paint job on these. I sanded down stock wheels and spray-painted them in my previous apartment three years ago, and they're still holding up!

Forgot image of wheels:

Good timing, too, because two nights later, I got called in to stay late (into the wee hours of the next day) while they refinished the floors in the store, and it snowed a little:

The first winter I had my car, I participated in an ice rally out on a frozen lake in WI and placed in the middle of my class! Not bad for a GIRL on her first time, and having only owned this car for a couple months at that point. I hope to get out there again this year

I love this car so much

 

[HolyHandGrenade]

holtzchick wrote:

haha Awh! Monty is one big bunny and it looks like the two of you are bonding closer each and every day! I love the big dewlap, not all females get them

See, and I don't really like them that much. Monty's might "grow" on me as it slowly comes in, so we'll see I'll love her to bits either way, fat fluffy chin or not, haha.

 

[JBun]

Lol, the picture of Monty's head resting in your hand is too funny! One of my rabbits whole body fits into the palm of my hand

 

[whitelop]

Monty is so beautiful! She seems so chill too!
How can you not love the dewlap? They're so funny, when they use them as built in pillows. It will probably grow on you, you'll walk in one day and she will be sleeping on her own dewlap and you'll just laugh and say "okay, it IS adorable!"

I really love the apron you made! Its so cute and it looks like you have a real talent. I wish I could sew like that.

 

[agnesthelion]

HolyHandGrenade wrote:

holtzchick wrote:

haha Awh! Monty is one big bunny and it looks like the two of you are bonding closer each and every day! I love the big dewlap, not all females get them

See, and I don't really like them that much. Monty's might "grow" on me as it slowly comes in, so we'll see I'll love her to bits either way, fat fluffy chin or not, haha.

Missy, I'm glad someone else admitted they are not a fan of dewlaps! I don't really like them either. I can't even say why and everyone always seems to think they are cute so I never wanted to admit that I don't like them. Agnes has enough of a mane so i won't see hers (she doesn't have one yet anyway).

 

[holtzchick]

Lol I don't like the way it looks but sometimes it is funny to see like a little petite rabbit with huge dewlap like Gracie in her harness lead it looks cute on her.