My Backyard Bunny

[Mariam+Theo]

I hope that since your parents let the dogs come inside that they’ll warm up to letting Theo come inside. Also I have no idea how I haven’t noticed this thread yet but I noticed it and read through it all lol. It was actually really interesting and I really liked it.

I am hoping that Theo could come inside too, but I highly doubt it because my dad is allergic to him I do think Theo will come inside for a grooming day soon so that will be fun!

Thanks for reading through the blog! I'm glad you like it!

That is so cool! I like it a lot!

Thanks! I designed the logo a while ago when I was thinking about starting a youtube channel. I just forgot to share the design idea with y'all.
Also, @Madelyn L., I know you use Pic Collage for most of your designs, I used to use Pic Collage too. But, I recently heard about Canva so now that is what I use. I think it looks more professional since it doesn't have the branding on the picture. It is also free, but if you want more design options then you will have to pay for them

 

[Madelyn L.]

Thanks for that tip! I will definitely look into canva!

 

[Mariam+Theo]

I have some exciting news...Theo has moved inside!!! My parents said it is only temporary (we'll see about that) until the freeze passes. Theo actually really loves the cold, but I needed to move him in because his water was freezing and I was having to thaw it every hour. Since I live in West TN, we never get any snow, but crazy enough we have already gotten about 6 inches and we have a wave with another 2-4 inches coming tomorrow.

Also, I saw the weirdest thing today. There were a bunch of seagulls hanging out with some crows in the TJ Maxx parking lot (see picture)! The seagulls were seriously sleeping in the snow! We have some weird birds in TN

Theo is loving inside! Yesterday, I finished bunny-proofing so he has been able to freeroam in my room all day. He gets lots of energy at about 1-2 AM (which is when I'm normally reading) and he will run around my room binkying and flopping. It is the cutest thing ever! Last night I had just finished cleaning his litter box and of course, he decided it would be fun to pull all the hay out of the box and drag it around his perfectly clean playpen

I have discovered a bunny-proofing idea! Does your rabbit also like chewing plastic trash bags? It was Theo's favorite thing to do until I realized that stores give out paper bags, so why wouldn't I just use that in the trash can. Now, he doesn't chew the trash bags anymore, and even if he did, it wouldn't harm him.

 

[JingleBellTheBunny]

That's great! Any tips on how to get my parents to let jingle bell inside?

 

[Madelyn L.]

Awwww that is so cute! Glad Theo found a way to get inside, and hopefully he will stay inside! it would be awesome if Theo could live inside permanently.

 

[Mariam+Theo]

That's great! Any tips on how to get my parents to let jingle bell inside?

My trick was to not use a heated water bowl when it got really cold! Since his water was freezing, my only 3 options were:
1. Change his water out every hour - which would mean waking my parents up because we have an alarm system in our house
2. Buy a heated water bowl - I called everywhere and every store was sold out
3. Bring Theo inside - no issue there!
So...since my first 2 options wouldn't work, Theo had to move in and it has been AMAZING! Everyone (save for my dad) is loving him being inside, even my mom who won't admit it. I'm hoping he can stay inside forever! My mom keeps talking about how happy I seem, and I really am just so happy.

I am having a friend stay the night and since Theo was sleeping under my bed she didn't see him. When he came running out to meet her and she was so shocked! She and my sisters were petting him on his back and I told them that he was going to spin around and lunge and their hands because he doesn't like being pet on his back, they laughed it off. Right then, he spun around and almost nipped my sister! Now they are all kind of scared of him

 

[#SirThumpsAlot]

Definitely need to keep them out of freezing temperatures🌡our little guy is a house rabbit but he too loves the cold! Here he is getting a face full of snow!

 

[Mariam+Theo]

Time for another update!
It has been over 2 weeks since Theo moved inside and I have a feeling he won't be going outside ever again. I have loved 98% of him being inside. The other 2% that I have not liked is that he chews through EVERY cord protector. I'm having to buy PVC pipes or something to keep him away from cords. The good news is he won't chew the actual cord, just the protector. I think he likes the texture of the cord protector. Last night I had hidden a cord protector under my couch (which is seriously 1.5 inches off the ground) and Theo crawled under the couch, and chewed the cord protector to pieces! Thank goodness he didn't eat any of it.

He has a check-up at the vet for next week and I will be asking the vet what she thinks about getting a friend for him since I will be going to a private school in the fall. I have been homeschooled my whole life so I have always had plenty of time for Theo, but since I will be gone most of the day I know he will need someone to spend time with and keep him out of trouble. I'm hoping the vet suggests getting him a friend because that is the only reason my parents would be okay with it.

I have been wanting to get lots of pictures of him flopping, but I never have my phone with me when I need it! So, this picture of him posing will just have to be enough.
*I don't know why he has a dewlap, he is a healthy weight. He is going to get bloodwork done at the vet to make sure it isn't a health issue

 

[ArtistChibi]

Honestly, I hope you are allowed to keep him inside from now on. Especially with that bad weather in February that TN and KY had. And if they allow a companion for him, that would be great. He would have someone to play with while you go to private school.

 

[Mariam+Theo]

So, I obviously have a bad habit of forgetting to post on here
Theo is inside now, and never going back outside (YAY)! I can tell he is much happier being inside, and it is so much easier taking care of him. He has started to bond with my couch, but he still isn't a huge fan of it. He hates my bed and I'm actually okay with it because I am always eating in my room and I need a spot he can't get to.
His vet appointment had to get rescheduled, so it isn't for a while I had been wanting to get him bloodwork, but the vet told me it was going to be around $170 instead of $80 (which was the original cost). I have a job so hopefully, I can afford it by the time he goes in for his appointment.

Ok, crazy story that made me super mad: I bought a bale of orchard grass from R and J Feed and it is huge! Exactly what I've been looking for and it was only $10. But, when I was waiting in line I decided to walk around the store and I found 4 cages of baby bunnies!!! They were in wire bottom cages, with water bottles, no hay, and unlimited pellets. There were probably 5-8 bunnies per cage and some of the bunnies were larger (Flemish/New Zealand mixes) while some were tiny (good news, they were flopping so at least they were kinda happy). I asked how old they were and the lady said they were 6 weeks and then started telling me all about them. I totally would have told her what was wrong with their living situation if she wasn't so nice and if my mom wasn't with me. Anyway, I started telling the lady why I was buying hay and how Theo had never had Orchard Grass before but I knew he would love it (trying to hint that rabbits need hay) and she said "I should put some hay in the bunnies cage." I don't know if she did give them hay, but I'm hoping she did! I also was telling her Theo's living situation (how he is free roamed, litter trained, etc.) and she was amazed and said "I always hear of people training them, I just don't understand how they do it." I wish I had been able to get a bunny, and now I'm super worried about where they will end up. This situation made me think, I should buy a bunch of bunnies around Easter that would otherwise just go to bad families, spay/neuter them, get them on a great diet, and then rehome them. The only issue is my parents would never let me do that Are there any other ways I could help bunnies like these out? I called the humane society recently wanting to take them some donations, but they didn't have any rabbits (which is wonderful!!!) so I'm going to wait until after Easter.

 

[ArtistChibi]

Look at the happy boy you got there.

 

[Mariam+Theo]

I never post on here anymore, but I knew I needed to share this with y'all! I have a feeling lots of people who got bunnies for Easter are about to be in this situation.

 

[BunBun71]

I never post on here anymore, but I knew I needed to share this with y'all! I have a feeling lots of people who got bunnies for Easter are about to be in this situation.
View attachment 54612

Some times that dose not happen.

 

[HalaBuns]

I never post on here anymore, but I knew I needed to share this with y'all! I have a feeling lots of people who got bunnies for Easter are about to be in this situation.
View attachment 54612

With the number of buns we’ve seen dumped here this week, I think you’re right. 9 or 10 so far 7 of those in 24 hours.

 

[ArtistChibi]

I never post on here anymore, but I knew I needed to share this with y'all! I have a feeling lots of people who got bunnies for Easter are about to be in this situation.
View attachment 54612

Sadly. It's true. We got Xiao Wu from the shelter because someone just dumped her. There's more bunnies there now, unfortunately. I bet there are baby chickens there as well as baby ducks because of the same thing. Some people just don't want to commit or realize just how much it takes to really care for them. The cost for their food, vet, environment...
Oh, there's a bunny cafe in Japan where the patrons get to bond with a rabbit and adopt them. I wish we had something here like that.

 

[peanutdabunny]

Rabbits are pretty small. But isn’t everything bigger in America! The cars, the houses, the animals... But that’s probably major stereotyping

haha kinda I guess, maybe not the animals but your correct with everything else, Ive never heard that stereotype before, Just an ignorant American haha

 

[peanutdabunny]

I went digging through the attic to get the boxes I have been storing up there. This is what I found: View attachment 45696
I got to work making some awesome toys! We'll see what he thinks about them tomorrow!

wow I love that!

 

[Catlyn]

That's great! Any tips on how to get my parents to let jingle bell inside?

@Mariam+Theo glad to know that Theo can stay indoors for good!

@JingleBellTheBunny

I am sorry beforehand if i'm imposing, but i thought i'd share my story on how Musti got to be living inside when he was still around.

All it took was some Estonian cold autumns, a midnight wave of depression, a not-so-rational mum and a bit of dad being asleep. Mum and i carried his crate along with him, and although dad was initially super grumpy about it, he didn't send Musti back outdoors, as his water would also thaw every few hours, plus the noisy neighbouring dog and stray cats helped the situation.
I also explained over and over as to why it was better if he was indoors- closer bonding, easier to care for him, easier to monitor if anything should happen to him, more stable environment cuz indoors there is no noisy dog or wild winds.
My parents had just gotten their brains rewired about indoor rabbits the following mornings.
After he passed, Storm started his few days also in the shed (t'was summer then) but i reminded dad of the promise we had made before, that if he allowed me to get a new bun, he would also allow it to live indoors away from wild predators, bugs and wily weather.
True, he got kicked out five minutes after entering for he had chewed through a speaker cord (the boy just wanted to be heard, it seems) but after i had protested by staying in the shed with him unless he could come back indoors, the boy had been permanently allowed to stay inside.
Took a while, but they made it!

 

[TreasuredFriend]

Catlyn, Grateful you'll have more bonding time now with your bun. {{ hugs to you and Storm }}
The threats, dangers of predators lurking, and loneliness of isolation from a caring human won't cause stress or death, or sadness. Thanks for mentioning your experiences.

Volunteering at a shelter for numerous years there were so many surrenders. I commiserate wrt "Easter Bunny" - easter impulse - dump-offs. And the bin of "for sale" baby rabbits featured. Marketers know that cute baby bunnies sell faster than an "old" mature adult...

We saw the floor bin of numerous blk/white dutches at Pet Place Warehouse when we entered to purchase food for our first adopted from the shelter. 2003. Like you, I wonder if they'll all live to their senior years, be kept inside, be much loved, be sp/eutered when Hormones begin to rage -- or later passed off as "can't keep", "lost interest" ...

Hooray for parents that read up, educate, and understand also.

Thank you, gals, for sharing your stories! It's amazing how much people fail to research before acquiring a living being. When a stray dog appeared while our kids were visiting Grandma's cottage, we literally walked miles to the local library to obtain books on how to care for a lab/retriever, and this stray would've been euth'd at the rural "pound" - the term used when my MIL called to inquire. / We ALWAYS informed potential adopters of education resources while I socialized with the adoptables at the shelter. PLUS education events were held by our rabbit-savvy DVMs and HRS.

Thanks for sharing your stories of your much loved companions or therapy support animals/pets.

 

[TreasuredFriend]

Mariam & Theo, Hooray for Theo moving inside! Will hop back here for pics when time allows.

- My heart has a strong attachment to harlequins and all of ours were found as strays or were Unwanteds. But I'm at fault for loving any mutt that needs a forever-loving home.

So many experiences I could type, will hold-off. I enjoy hearing how much you love your rabbits, and choose to give them the best life possible.