Grooming the Hoomen

The first step to grooming your hoomen is to start off around the mouth. It's a little icky I will admit but nobun wants dirty kisses. We spend a lot of time grooming our coat only for the hoomen to dirty it with their kisses - nobun enjoys that!

Now, a quick note to the hoomen : Hold us close and push those kissers out! These two combined allows us to clean your mouth area the best we can.

Buns, don't forgot to clean those chinnies too! But be gentle if you plan to nibble - hoomens do tend to pull away at the feel of our nibblers.

Next is those fingerlings! Start with the side of the finger, you need ease your hoomen into this part as the next step is under those nails and that part can be.. tedious.

 Top Tip : When it comes to the nails, the use of nibblers is required. Avoid nibbling of the hoomens skin - this can be a no-no for some hoomens.

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Wiggly-pigs! You have not been forgotten - Nacho and Noah from Hutchagoodlife have a fantastic moving picture tutorial for grooming ze hoomen!

- Cloud

Bunny Jail

4.00am : Early hours of Day Two inside the "Bunny Jail", Pellets and Hay are given in unlimited quantities but alas my tummy growls for something more.. sweet.. something green. Oh that magically place those hoomens refer to as "The Lawn", even the name just makes me drool! The master hoomen offered a small portion of a carrot as a reward for my good behaviour yesterday but my dreams are consumed with the thought of grass.
Am I obsessed?
Toss a toy here and there, push that noise maker around the cell, flop to one side, flop to the other.. THIS is what my day is being reduced to so far..

9.30am :  Mummy has visited for her Daily Dose of Cloud. The affection was welcomed after a night in the slammer - until she started with that high-pitched voice again. It seems more like punishment to listen to that rather than some sort of "praise".

10.00am : My dreams have come true! They have, they have, they have! After my best attempt at the puppy dog eyes, Mummy caved - free time with a handful of grass! My life is good again!

- Cloud

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No To Wee Accidents

Mummy has been speaking in the high-pitch baby voice of hers again.. Why do the hoomens do this? I mean.. I know I am a cute ittle fuzzball but weally?!

I suppose if Mummy were to write this blog post, she would be talking about how I "hit" a milestone or something. Today was the day when I didn't have an accident outside of my litter box! I had been having a few weeee accidents outside of the litter box up until now - Mumma doesn't understand how I could miss such a giant box.

The silly hoomen thought that hay or shavings would be the best stuff to put in the box but no one appreciates being poked in.. that area when trying to go potty. Hoomens don't have this problem so why would they expect me to put up with iiit?

- Cloud

Summer Is Almost Here

Summer is on its way, the temperature is rising and it is becoming very difficult to think. Inspiration is just barely taking a hold of my fingers, tap tap tapping at the keys. Though I will admit, I have written this very small paragraph more than a few times. Sigh

Despite having owned rabbits for a most of my life, owning Cloud is definitely a learning experience as most of my previous buns have been much older and already very much use to grass and fruit/veges. He's been allowed to spend most of the last week outside enjoying the sun and stuffing his face with grass but we both had to face the truth today : That much grass is not very good for a young buns tum! So for the next few days, Cloud will be remaining inside with those.. yummy pellets and hay - not that they compare to fresh grass though.

Banned from the outside world all because of a few runny poos? But Maaaa! The outside worlds is so pretty and nommy and green and nommy and.. look at how photogenic I am outside! - Cloud

The Jungle Venture - New Addition

With time to relax, I allowed Cloud to venture into the unknown - the grass jungle! You see, I have left an area of the lawn/orchard untouched for months allowing the grass to grow so I would always have an area to pick grass from for those guineas and bunnies who live indoors. I just cannot seem to keep up with the grass! Or is that a great excuse to get a few more guineas? Hmmm


So with the spring growth kicking in, I decided to let Cloud have a bit of fun in the long grass before we mow it all down - he seemed to love it!

Hey Ladies ;)

A Day Trip

Well would you look at that, it's after midnight - I dearly hope sleep decides to grab hold and pull me into a deep slumber soon but for now, I shall type!
I thought I had my day all planned out, plenty of time to do everything but alas, I always underestimate Aucklands traffic. Being a country girl, a large city with a lot of people is still so foreign to me. Oh the things you do for your fuzzems!

While waiting for Rowans surgery to be completed I ventured into the city on the hunt for a few pet stores, dragging Cloud with me almost everywhere! He behaved like a pro, a very.. relaxed young bun to say the least. Hands came from every direction wanting to pat the wee bun-man, I'm surprised I can say that he fell asleep half way through all of this. Dreaming the day away.

While driving to the vets, I drove through a little town (if you can even call it that) called Waiwera. This place is absolutely STUNNING, I could never explain it in enough detail for anyone to understand the simple beauty of this place - though as with most things, beauty doesn't last forever. By the afternoon, the tide has gone out and you are left with more mud than water but never-the-less, I was adamant on taking Cloud to the beach and getting some photos.

I think someone should have reminded me about how windy it is at the beach, oh! And seagulls...

 
On Tuesday (I was meaning to post this that day but my internet decided it didn't like me and wasn't going to work) a friend of mine gave me a little harness for Cloud. While I was adjusting it and getting him use to the feel of it, I snapped a few pictures of him out on the lawn - I just had to share. Had To.

Lap Time!

Despite being somewhat sidetracked by one of my rats picking out the pebbles that surrounds my bamboo plant and the other attempting to climb said plant, I figured what better time to attempt to type today's blog post!

At first Cloud was far to interested in exploring the couch to even consider sitting in his bed for more than a few seconds, let alone ever laying down in it but he bored very quickly of the brown suede 'not-grass' flooring and soon returned to the familiar oddly formed thing sitting on the couch with him. The oddly formed thing being myself - not rabbit like and all.

As my cats are something Cloud will probably see fairly often, I decided an introduction was needed. Please note that my cats are use to smaller critters and if approached are more likely to back off or run away than deal with any sort of confrontation. With Cloud sitting on my lap, Luca jumped up onto the arm rest, gave him a wee sniff and just sat there. Cloud on the other hand didn't seem to be phased by the larger fuzzy thing in close proximity and hopped a wee bit closer for a better look!

In the end, I think all the excitement tired him out (either that or the bed I had made was just THAT comfortable) and he flopped over onto his side to begin the process of a nap.
  

If I'm being completely honest, I've never met such a relaxed and trusting bun.
Not a single care in the world!


"Spoilt rotten"

The Outside Experience

 To continue the bombardment of new or somewhat new experiences I decided to take Cloud out onto the lawn for a while. A day for lawn exploration!

After such an adventurous day, the wee bunny bun was tired to say the least..

The Pet Show

Busy busy busy. Hot, muggy, surrounded by animals - how could that not be a good day?!

I am so over-tired, I'm not 100% sure what I will write, how it will turn out or if it will make any sense whatsoever. Today was the fourth and final Pet Show held by the Northern Rabbit and Cavy Club for the year - the Christmas Show! 

Just the perfect excuse to dress up your animals

While usually I would allow an animal to settle down, the pet show was just the perfect opportunity to introduce Cloud into my life with everything it entails. A&P shows, Pet Shows, People and Animals Galore!

So once I arrived at the Pet Show, I set up a play pen out in the courtyard (think of the building where the show was held as the shape of a donut, the courtyard in the centre) away from the major crowds but still close enough that he would hear the nose and the occasional person would see him and request some Cloud Cuddles.

The double trouble jersey woolleys were there and absolutely adored Cloud from the moment they were introduced - the feeling of course was mutual, how could it not be? They are pure fluffy cuteness!

Despite the cuddles from strangers, the loud noises and the strange new environment, Cloud handled it like a pro and was more than happy to stretch out and enjoy the cooling breeze in the shade - what bliss.
Now we are home, I'm exhausted, Cloud is snoozing away so it is about time I take a leaf from his book and call it a day!

He's Here!

The title says it all - now I'm off to go cuddle this gorgeous wee bun!

 

Waiting Impatiently

1 Day To Go

The sun is setting, it's the end of another day, the day before I go and pick up the new addition. For a moment, only a moment, my mind was starting to relax but I am one of those people who over thinks almost everything and when it comes to Cloud, it's no different :

Every animal I adopt either needs help or I have a connection with, will the connection I feel with Cloud still be there once he arrives?
What if he starts spraying everywhere before I can get him neutered?
Is he going to be easy to toilet train?
Will he be a bunny who is accepting of travel?
Will he be able to jump out of his temporary cage?
What about when I want to let him out on the lawn, what if he can jump out of the pen?

So many questions running through my head for which I cannot wait to answer.

Cage Modification

2 Days To Go

After having joined a few rabbit forums and talking to people who had much more experience than I in regards to owning rabbits and housing them indoors, I found that parts of my set-up were not suitable and others that could do with some improvement.

 "Rabbits like to pee on soft things"
I have read this over and over again and I couldn't believe I had forgotten about it. So, the fleece items have been replaced with cardboard boxes which will also give him a place to hide if he gets scared.
The only downside so far is he may use them as a step and escape from the play pen.

"The rope tennis ball thing may cause issues"
With owning mice, I have been using hemp rope for a lot of things in their cages so I assumed there wouldn't be a problem with using it for Cloud. Strands of the rope may get caught and twisted up in the rabbits digestive tract causes serious potential issues.

"Rabbits tend to poop where or near where they eat"
By simply moving the hay bag to in front of the litter box, (something I haven't done yet) this should decrease the chances of him pooing outside of the litter box.

Sooner than Expected. Maybe.

4 Days To Go
or maybe its..

3 Days To Go!

 

Cloud might be arriving a day early? Yes! His breeder, along with her family, are coming down this way to go to the Glow Worm Caves and have offered to bring Cloud down a day early - I'm absolutely ecstatic!

 

 
I started to set up Clouds temporary cage today, I've still got to add some willow branches, a box for him to hide in and of course a drink bottle. The set-up so far :
The cage itself is a 6 sided puppy play pen, held in place with a wooden frame, a black tarpaulin plastic attached to protect the floor from urine while he is still learning to use the litter box.
A Thick Layer of newspaper on top of the tarpaulin along with a puppy training pad in the corner under the litter box which is filled with a small amount of shavings and hay - this is what the breeder has in the area her bunnies seem to use as a bathroom.

Can you believe that this gorgeous boy will be here in just 3 short days?

Tossin' Around

5 Days To Go

Toys, Toys, Toys!

Throwing away a toilet paper roll is a waste of a perfectly good toy.

This is something I have heard all to often and something I completely agree with. They can be cut, folded up and tied together to make all sorts fun little toys - I personally decided to go with the options best suited for picking up and tossing around, something Cloud LOVES to do apparently.
One to toss, one to stuff with hay, another to hide some treats in and make him work for something yummy!

The tennis balls were purchased as more of an experiment. The large purple tennis ball is probably going to end up in a destroyed mess in the end but I intend to turn it into a home-made cheaper version of a Kong, or one of those roll around treat balls.
The smaller one? Well I'm not sure yet - thankfully I purchased a pack of 3!

Puppy Play Pen

6 Days To Go

I've been looking at indoor cages ever since I started being a 'small animal slave' but the cages were over $200 for something that is nothing more than a glorified litter box. For Cloud I felt it would be better to have a 'cage' thats size could be easily altered and could also be stored away when necessary.
A Puppy Play Pen! 6 grids each measuring 60cm wide, 63cm tall.

When he first arrives, he's going to be surrounded with the unfamiliar so while he settles, I'll be able to set up the puppy play pen so his 'cage' will be 1.2m long and 0.63m wide. Small enough for him to feel secure but big enough so he can still run around if he wants to.

From some of the information I have come across, it also seems that starting bunnies off in a small cage can help with litter training. It seemed that young bunnies aren't the umm.. brightest when it comes to remembering to go back to the litter box when its bathroom time.
So as he gets older and more reliable with using his litter box, I will increase the size of his 'cage' until he has free range of almost the entire mouse room!

 

Almost Wordless Day

7 Days To Go

I have been at a somewhat local A&P show all day showing off the fluffy moo's or as someone else put it : "The over-sized fluffy guinea pigs"
I'll be sure to post something with a bit more content tomorrow but for now, enjoy a gorgeous picture of Cloud snoozing away the day!

Food Bowl

8 Days To Go

Everything pet related in the local stores is always very pricey so when a friend was kind enough to offer to buy me a few things and post them up? How could I refuse! In the package was everything I expected and a gorgeous little surprise for me - a small ceramic food bowl with a hand painted picture of Nephelie (one of my many mice).

Quite frankly, art has never been my forte. A steady hand is just not something I was gifted with but I figured "Hey, one less thing on my yet-to-be-made bucket list."

Quick Note : Unless this is something you plan on doing a lot, the price of the paint and brushes is not really worth it. For me, this is more of a 'one time thing' and I didn't even make a dent in the paint pot!Ceramic bowl from Harrison and Lane. 
The size of this bowl is just perfect, it fits about 1 cup of pellets which when accompanied by unlimited grass, hay and nightly fruit/veges seems to last a day or two before it needs to be re-filled.
Marabu Porcelain Paint Pot in "Black" and "Light Blue"
I found myself giving it all a second coat just to make the lines more 'defined'. While it does not need to be baked to set the paint, it does required 3 days to try for the same effect.

Hay Rack

9 Days To Go

Unlimited access to hay for a bunny is a must but the mess that comes along with hay? It definitely isn't 'desirable'.

A while ago, my Dad kind enough to fold up a hay rack out of something similar to amplimesh. My guinea pigs LOVED it but didn't do a very good job at "containing" the mess. It was more of a raised bed to them. So with a quick google search, I came across tutorial after tutorial on a DIY Hay Bag - Perfect!
The tutorial can be as simple as cutting a hole in a reusable shopping bag or if you don't have one? Well you have the 'oh so special' job of making your own bag.

 Originally I wanted to make two cloud shaped holes but with the way I was planning on sewing it up, it just wasn't going to work - plus sewing around a cloud shape is just difficult! So I went with the slightly less basic star shape.

I think in the end I would have preferred to use one of the reusable shopping bags, it would have just been a lot neater than the way I went about it - I'm left with the thought of "How on earth am I going to hang this thing up?"

The Bed

10 Days To Go

Every house bunny needs a nice bed. So with that in mind, I looked up a tutorial online and set to work.

The tutorial is as basic as they come, almost to the point where a few extra instructions wouldn't have gone amiss. I used some of the thinnest wadding available at my local fabric store which was all that I had on hand - while thick wadding may be difficult to sew through with some sewing machines, it would definitely be worth it for that extra cushioning but if that isn't an option, you could always sew up a "pillow insert" that is filled with polyfill or the like.

With most tutorials online, I have always found myself making them bigger (this time 6 cm bigger in diameter) than suggested which has worked out very well for me in the past - this time however has resulted in a bed that would better suit a small cat than a newly weaned bub.

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 An itty bitty bunny in a not-so-itty-bitty bed? We can't have that can we?
So I made a new, smaller one!