Ten Ways to a Happier Bunny

Here are some great ways to make your rabbits life a lot happier! To get the best, safest and most accurate information on any of these ways of how to make your rabbit happier, check out the House Rabbit Society website at www.rabbit.org .


1) Neuter your Rabbit: Neutering your rabbit will help eliminate behaviors that stress you and the bunny out.


2) Interact with your Bunny: Bunnies are quite social, but just be patient with him or her. Remember they are prey animals and take time to trust you, as opposed to a dog or cat, which are predatory animals.


3) Give your Bunny Toys: Bunnies are intelligent and like to exercise their bodies and minds. Toys can be simple things such as a corrugated cardboard box or an inner roll tube from toilet paper.



4) Rotate your Bunny's Toys: Just like us, rabbits get bored with doing the same thing all the time. If you remove toys and put out different ones regularly, they are likely to look at their old toys with a new burst of enthusiasm when placed out again. Keeping a bunny stocked up with toys and rotating them will also help eliminate negative behaviors such as chewing.


5) Bond your Bunny with a Friend: Just as much as you can be social with your rabbit, it is great to be able to bond them with another bunny, especially if you are not home often. Bonding is something that should take place slowly and be monitored. Check out the House Rabbit Society website link at the top of this article.


6) Keep Your Bunny's Environment as Stress Free as Possible: Bunnies can stress easier than many other animals, so keeping the environment more low key, less noise and quick paced young children, for example, will help your bunny feel his or her best! Reduced stress in the environment probably would help you too!


7) Give your Bunny Play Time: Rabbits love to play, are very social and quite entertaining to themselves and to us! Along with the toys and other interesting things in their environment, it is very healthy for them to give them time out of their cages (if not totally free range in the house) for play and exercise in a safe environment.


8) Give Your Bunny Play Space: Healthy exercise and play for rabbits includes having space to run, explore and hop around. Those legs are made for hopping. This will also help your bunny maintain a healthy weight and help prevent issues that come with being sedentary.


9) Learn your Bunny's Language: Bunnies, like other animals including humans, have their own noises and body language. Learning what these are can go a long way in helping you understand them and for you to communicate with them. They are intelligent, have good memories and are very social! Getting to know some of the basics and learning my own bunnies methods of communicating certain things has greatly enriched my relationships with them!


10) Keep your Bunny As Healthy As Possible: Getting regular vet checks, feeding bunnies the right stuff (such as hay being number one), getting exercise and watching your bunny for signs of sickness or different behaviors (actually anything different) can go a long way in keeping your bunny healthy. (Bunnies are prey animals and won't show being ill or in pain, but will hide it as an instinctual form of defense against predators). Healthy bunnies are happy bunnies and will make our lives fuller and happier too!

Rabbit Slippers has a new e-mail address rabbitslippersblog@gmail.com if you want to e-mail any ideas, suggestions, comments, concerns or share anything. 

Please follow Rabbit Slippers Blog on Twitter, too, @RabbitSlipprs . 

Please "like" Rabbit Slippers Blog on Face Book to keep up with the latest postings & events.

You can also sign up by e-mail notices at the top right of the page. (Your privacy is important to Rabbit Slippers).

You can also follow through Google Friend Connect or Networked Blogs, both located in the right side bar.
Thank You!
Please visit the Rabbit Hop Shop at the following link (Rabbit Hop Shoppe link) for rabbit themed items and gifts!  Please also "like" the Rabbit Hop Shoppe Facebook page. Thanks!

Have you seen a Jackalope?

Editor's note: This is for fun, but as for fair warning: taxidermy and slight innuendo are in this post, if this might offend you.  Otherwise, I hope you enjoy.

Have you ever seen a Jackalope? I've seen lots of them-kind of like the Unicorn horns I saw in the Cloister's Museum in New York City, the Jackalope is more common here in the USA!  Usually, I've seen them on t-shirts and bar signs, but then when I was on vacation in the woodsy northern New England states last year, I saw a real one! That's right.
Well maybe I better back up a bit and tell you what a Jackalope is supposed to be!  According to the latest entry on Wikipedia, it is:  "a mythical animal of North American folklore (a so-called "fearsome critter") described as a jackrabbit with antelope horns or deer antlers and sometimes a pheasant's tail (and often hind legs). The word "jackalope" is a portmanteau of "jackrabbit" and "antalope", an archaic spelling of "antelope". It is also known as Lepus temperamentalus.". (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackalope ).

Another website describes them as: "an aggressive species, willing to use its antlers to fight. Thus, the jackalope is also sometimes called the 'warrior rabbit.'

The jackalope is the product of a male jackrabbit and a female antelope. Jackalopes possess an uncanny ability to mimic human sounds. In the Old West, when cowboys would gather by their campfires to sing at night, jackalopes would frequently be heard singing back, mimicking the voices of the cowboys. Jackalopes become especially vocal before thunderstorms, perhaps because they mate only when lightning flashes—or so it is theorized—which explains the rarity of this species." (source: http://www.jackalope.com/legend-of-jackalope/ )

Traits that are supposed to be common to Jackalopes (source: http://www.jackalope.com/legend-of-jackalope/ ) :

• Size: Males to 24″, Females to 20″
• Weight: Avg. 6 to 8 lbs. Binge up to 12 lbs.
• Horns: Up to 12 inches across; 2 to 3 points common
• Coat: Tawny-brown, lighter on chest and underside
• Disposition: Secretive, easily agitated
• Habitat: Grasslands and KOA Campgrounds
• Range: Western North America into Canada
• Diet: Grasses, beenie weenies, smores

• Mating Ritual: Only during intense lightning strikes
• Population: Less than 10,000 (2000 Census)
• Predators: Taxidermists and tourists
• Status: Endangered to threatened
• Traits: Sure footed and agile; nocturnal; opportunistic; crude ability to mimic campground chatter; fondness for whiskey and Harley Davidson oil lines; will attack if cornered or provoked. 

Now it seems many of the sources on Jackalopes call it folklore, hoax or legend.  This surprises me. But then again, people don't think Bigfoot or the Loch Ness monster are real.  Or the unicorns either. Unicorns are probably just extinct.  I have found a website that examines the conspiracy of the Jackalope. It looks interesting. They have sightings, photos, video, everything to prove the majestic and very rare Jackalope really exists! I suggest you check it out for yourself and decide!  Click here for Jackalope Conspiracy website.

Now early on, I told you that I saw a Jackalope on my vacation in the woods of  northern New England. I have a photo that I want to show you that I took of it!  We got lost in the Green Mountains in the car and stopped at campground for directions. We asking for directions and there it was!  He must have been a young one because the antlers were a bit smaller than you see on some.

Okay, so it wasn't alive, but look, it's real! The store was in the woods at the Crawford Notch Campground. It all exists! Someday, I know, now really...I will...seriously see a live Jackalope. I will respect him, but I have this 6th sense for finding and befriending rabbits (he's part rabbit!)...who's to say that I won't find one and befriend him or her.  They found unicorns hundreds of years ago. I just hope the jackalope is more able to elude the humans who seek out his magic powers (his milk is said to be a great aphrodisiac, because he has antlers-sometimes called the "horny rabbit".) and not become extinct, like I believe has happened to the unicorn.


Seriously, just by googling "jackalope" you can find all kinds of fun stuff on him. Hope you enjoyed this.

Rabbit Slippers has a new e-mail address rabbitslippersblog@gmail.com if you want to e-mail any ideas, suggestions, comments, concerns or share anything. 

Please follow Rabbit Slippers Blog on Twitter, too, @RabbitSlipprs . 

Please "like" Rabbit Slippers Blog on Face Book to keep up with the latest postings & events.

You can also sign up by e-mail notices at the top right of the page. (Your privacy is important to Rabbit Slippers).

You can also follow through Google Friend Connect or Networked Blogs, both located in the right side bar.
Thank You!
Please visit the Rabbit Hop Shop at the following link (Rabbit Hop Shoppe link) for rabbit themed items and gifts!  Please also "like" the Rabbit Hop Shoppe Facebook page. Thanks!

Bale Me Out! All About Hay

 Hay and Rabbits

Hay is a necessity for rabbits. It is necessary for their digestion in many ways. Rabbit's teeth grow continuously and eating hay helps wear them down in the right way, compared to eating just pellets. Hay also provides fiber that is necessary for a rabbit's digestive system and also helps prevent blockages which can cause G.I. Stasis, which can be deadly. Alfalfa hay is commonly and best used because of it's higher protein and calcium content  for young growing bunnies until about 6-9 months old. They then should switch over to Timothy Hay because it is lower in the calcium and protein. Timothy Hay is also lower in calories which will help your rabbit maintain an ideal weight or lose it if too heavy. Below you will find select quotes on different aspects of  hay from some places on the web that are more expert than me. Alternatively, you can also check out online universities to find animal care degree programs that can teach you about rabbit food and diet information.


"Adult rabbits need a quality grass hay always available. Grass hays include timothy, orchard grass, bermuda grass, and others. You can find grass hays in pet stores, from horse farms or feed stores, at vet offices who specialize in bunnies, or online from pet hay suppliers. The trick is to find a good hay. Look for a green, fragrant hay. Most rabbits like soft kinds best, but having a mix of stalks and soft parts is great for providing the different kinds of bulk fiber that are good for teeth and digestive systems. Don’t buy hay that is all brown, dusty, has visible mold, or smells moldy. Dusty/moldy hay is dangerous for a bunny!
The most important part of a good hay is one that your bunny will eat. If you find a huge bale of timothy for $4 and bunny loves it, great! But if bunny won’t eat it, it just won’t do her any good. Picky bunnies often love Oxbow Hay brand, which can be found in some pet and feed stores, online pet suppliers, and at www.oxbowhay.com. If you can’t find it locally, ask your pet supply store to order it for you or to start carrying it!"
from  http://www.indianahrs.org/rabbit-care/food-pellets-hay.aspx



Hay (definition from wikipedia) "is grass, legumes or other herbaceous plants that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal fodder, particularly for grazing livestock such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep. Hay is also fed to pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs. Pigs may be fed hay, but they do not digest it as efficiently as more fully herbivorous animals."
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hay


Cuts of Hay

"Horsemen are very opinionated on which cutting is the best to buy. Although there are some differences in the cuttings, the quality of the hay is much more important than the cutting. From a nutritional standpoint, all cuttings can result in prime horse hay. With alfalfa, there will be some variation in protein content between cuttings. First cut alfalfa hay has the reputation of having large tough stems, but this is only true if the hay was too mature when cut. If first cut hay is mowed at the pre-bloom stage, the stems will not be coarse and the nutritive value will be high. Weeds do tend to appear in first-cut hay.

Second cut alfalfa hay is usually the fastest growing because it is developing during the hottest part of the season, and it usually has more stem in relation to leaf. Of all cuttings, second cut tends to be the lowest in crude protein, but its 16 percent average is adequate for all classes of horses.

Third (and later) cut alfalfa, develops a higher leaf to stem ratio because of the slower growth during the cool part of the season. Therefore, third cut hay will usually have the highest nutritive value. Horses which are not accustomed to a good, leafy hay may experience flatulent (gaseous) colic or a loose stool.

Mixed hays from all cuttings will have similar nutritional values except that with a grass/alfalfa mix, the first cutting will contain a larger proportion of grasses than the other cuttings."
 from www.horsegroomingsupplies.com


Other Links On Hay
The article at this link is probably the best on everything a rabbit owner should know about hay in relationship to bunnies! Maybe even more than you ever wanted to know!  http://www.rabbit.org/journal/4-7/hay.html
http://bunniez.hubpages.com/hub/Bunny-Care-Guide-The-Importance-Of-Feeding-Hay-To-Rabbits

Rabbit Slippers has a new e-mail address rabbitslippersblog@gmail.com if you want to e-mail any ideas, suggestions, comments, concerns or share anything. 

Please follow Rabbit Slippers Blog on Twitter, too, @RabbitSlipprs . 

Please "like" Rabbit Slippers Blog on Face Book to keep up with the latest postings & events.

You can also sign up by e-mail notices at the top right of the page. (Your privacy is important to Rabbit Slippers).

You can also follow through Google Friend Connect or Networked Blogs, both located in the right side bar.
Thank You!
Please visit the Rabbit Hop Shop at the following link (Rabbit Hop Shoppe link) for rabbit themed items and gifts!  Please also "like" the Rabbit Hop Shoppe Facebook page. Thanks!

Watership Down Land is Threatened by Development

Many of us have been enchanted by the book Watership Down by Richard Adams. The rabbits in it have helped give us a more kindred feeling with those of us who have rabbit companions in our lives, or with mother nature and the threats she faces. Perhaps you or your children have seen the animated versions. The basic idea is the same,  the beautiful land that the rabbits live on is threatened by development. The story takes place in England, which I, being from the USA, picture as being the prisitine land that it is portrayed as being in the book, animations and many other movies there as well.  Perhaps, it's a romanticized version.  The land, Watership Down, is based on a real place that is supposed to be very faithful to the Berkshire Countryside of England. This land is now under a great and serious threat of development.

It seems unbelievable that of all land that is potentially under threat of development is one that helped influence protection of land and the environment in the 1970s. Here is a website where you can take action to help protect the land.
Click here: www.sayNOtoSandleford.org.uk

Here is a link to some pictures of the beautiful countryside:
Click here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7360239@N02/sets/72157628025040309/with/6461287567/

I am doing more research into this, will update you and let you know what else we can do to help stop the destruction of this beautiful and inspirational land!

Rabbit Slippers has a new e-mail address rabbitslippersblog@gmail.com if you want to e-mail any ideas, suggestions, comments, concerns or share anything. 

Please follow Rabbit Slippers Blog on Twitter, too, @RabbitSlipprs . 

Please "like" Rabbit Slippers Blog on Face Book to keep up with the latest postings & events.

You can also sign up by e-mail notices at the top right of the page. (Your privacy is important to Rabbit Slippers).

You can also follow through Google Friend Connect or Networked Blogs, both located in the right side bar.
Thank You!
Please visit the Rabbit Hop Shop at the following link (Rabbit Hop Shoppe link) for rabbit themed items and gifts!  Please also "like" the Rabbit Hop Shoppe Facebook page. Thanks!

Share Your Rabbit Resource Links

Do you know where to get great rabbit health info? Where can someone learn about rabbit health conditions in the middle of the night? Where can I go to know if my rabbit can eat a certain veggie? My rabbit is biting me and no one else, what am I doing wrong? Seems like my bunny is trying to communicate with me, what is he saying? Dogs have body language, like the tails between their legs, what about rabbits?  What's the best hay? What is a good bunny toy? Where can I buy great bunny items online? Why adopt, not use a pet store?

You will sooner or later have a need to know something in reference to bunnies, be it behavior, food, medical and a whole host of other topics.  Do you have a place you always refer to something to answer one of these types of questions? Do you know something or some place that would really help out other bunny lovers?

Please share them with Rabbit Slippers Blog so we can share them on our resource pages we are putting together for others! I have places I've been going to for over ten years now and have even been able to help others by sharing info. It can do a world of good, might help someone get a night's sleep, save a life or put even more of a spring in a rabbit's hop!

Please share your links with us via email at: rabbitslippersblog@gmail.com

Thanks for hopping by and please share! Thanks.

Rabbit Slippers has a new e-mail address rabbitslippersblog@gmail.com if you want to e-mail any ideas, suggestions, comments, concerns or share anything. 

Please follow Rabbit Slippers Blog on Twitter, too, @RabbitSlipprs . 

Please "like" Rabbit Slippers Blog on Face Book to keep up with the latest postings & events.

You can also sign up by e-mail notices at the top right of the page. (Your privacy is important to Rabbit Slippers).

You can also follow through Google Friend Connect or Networked Blogs, both located in the right side bar.
Thank You!
Please visit the Rabbit Hop Shop at the following link (Rabbit Hop Shoppe link) for rabbit themed items and gifts!  Please also "like" the Rabbit Hop Shoppe Facebook page. Thanks!

Rabbit Rescues/Shelters: Share Your Links

Rabbit Rescues and Shelters, Would you like to share links to your links with us? We are working on Resource Pages for people who may want to adopt or learn about it, or looking for a shelter in their area. I know some rescues like to remain low key and don't have a large presence to be able to control from rabbits being dropped off on their door step.

We would like to make you more accessible without but let you control what information you would like out there.  We will post links and info on our Rescue/Shelter page for you. Please let us know your name, websites, twitter, Facebook page links and physical addresses if you do want them posted. Please also let us know what town, state, region and country you are from so local people will be able to contact you and know they aren't thousands of miles away from you.

Please send us that information at rabbitslippersblog@gmail.com . 

Rabbit Slippers has a new e-mail address rabbitslippersblog@gmail.com if you want to e-mail any ideas, suggestions, comments, concerns or share anything. 

Please follow Rabbit Slippers Blog on Twitter, too, @RabbitSlipprs . 

Please "like" Rabbit Slippers Blog on Face Book to keep up with the latest postings & events.

You can also sign up by e-mail notices at the top right of the page. (Your privacy is important to Rabbit Slippers).

You can also follow through Google Friend Connect or Networked Blogs, both located in the right side bar.
Thank You!
Please visit the Rabbit Hop Shop at the following link (Rabbit Hop Shoppe link) for rabbit themed items and gifts!  Please also "like" the Rabbit Hop Shoppe Facebook page. Thanks!

Buzzing Butterscotch Bunny (with video)

Not too many bunnies make a buzzing noise, but I had heard of them. Last year one had come into our lives. He didn't start making the noise until he was sexually mature at a few months old (the buzz seems to be hormonal from research I did).  He would buzz at the sight of us or other bunnies, especially females of course.  Most male rabbits do make a sort of grunting noise when "in the mood", but not Butterscotch, he buzzes.

Butterscotch was affectionate from the start, showering us with bunny kisses and responding to any movement we made. When he became "mature", he started buzzing when responding to us. He had become very territorial.and would start chewing on the bars of his cage, the wire barrier in his out of cage area. He also started thumping repeatedly at any perceived sleight from us.  He would become easily insulted if he saw us or heard us giving attention to other bunnies in the house. Thump, Thump, Thump...repeatedly...until we came...and more thumps if we came but weren't petting him, coddling him or whatever he wanted fast enough. The only time he wouldn't thump is if I was carrying a female bunny, which he seemed to think was for him. Then he would start thumping when he realized I wasn't bestowing him with a concubine. He would thump even if we got up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night in the dark. He was way too high strung, cute as the buzz was. He didn't even sleep too much or too well. The hormones were stressing this poor little guy to no end.

His buzzing normally makes him seem very cute and appealing.  He was going in for a neuter the day after I shot this short video. This shows the ugly side. I shot the video because some people, including a vet, said the buzz might go away after his neuter. So far it hasn't, but he's a lot more pleasant than he appears in this video.

This is a good reason to neuter a rabbit. The bunny will be easier to get along with for us and other bunnies, but most importantly he won't feel so stressed out due to hormones either. Butterscotch is still affectionate and is calmer. For the record, he was in this confined space only so I could record the sound close up. He was came out and was given lots of attention after!

Rabbit Slippers has a new e-mail address rabbitslippersblog@gmail.com if you want to e-mail any ideas, suggestions, comments, concerns or share anything. 

Please follow Rabbit Slippers Blog on Twitter, too, @RabbitSlipprs . 

Please "like" Rabbit Slippers Blog on Face Book to keep up with the latest postings & events.

You can also sign up by e-mail notices at the top right of the page. (Your privacy is important to Rabbit Slippers).

You can also follow through Google Friend Connect or Networked Blogs, both located in the right side bar.
Thank You!
Please visit the Rabbit Hop Shop at the following link (Rabbit Hop Shoppe link) for rabbit themed items and gifts!  Please also "like" the Rabbit Hop Shoppe Facebook page. Thanks!

Share your Rabbit Saavy Vets

Butterscotch is groggy in the car after neutering surgery.

Rabbit Slippers Blog is compiling information for it's new resource pages for people who own bunnies and for those interested in them.  We are hoping that you will share your rabbit saavy vet with us to list on our pages for others. Please send that information to: rabbitslippersblog@gmail.com. Please include the name of the practice (sometimes the name of the veterinary practice or animal hospital is different than that of ), the Doctor's name (so they know who to ask for), an address, phone number, and if you might have any internet links for them.We will share them on that page along with any brief comments you may wish to share if they might be helpful (you can be anonymous if you wish).

This may help someone from making a desperate unwise decision when they are in an emergency situation.  I have just found a new vet (read about it here: Click here) that I am very happy with now after nicknaming our former vet Dr.Kevorkian. This gives me such a feeling of reassurance that I know who to call and where to go. My vet's office will be put on that list also. Rabbits require specialized veterinary care so make sure that you only go to a veterinary clinic with staff who attended vet tech schools.  I will include vets for other countries too other than the United States.

Thanks. Please let's all help each other. Information is one of our greatest tools!

Rabbit Slippers has a new e-mail address rabbitslippersblog@gmail.com if you want to e-mail any ideas, suggestions, comments, concerns or share anything. 

Please follow Rabbit Slippers Blog on Twitter, too, @RabbitSlipprs . 

Please "like" Rabbit Slippers Blog on Face Book to keep up with the latest postings & events.

You can also sign up by e-mail notices at the top right of the page. (Your privacy is important to Rabbit Slippers).

You can also follow through Google Friend Connect or Networked Blogs, both located in the right side bar.
Thank You!
Please visit the Rabbit Hop Shop at the following link (Rabbit Hop Shoppe link) for rabbit themed items and gifts!  Please also "like" the Rabbit Hop Shoppe Facebook page. Thanks!

February is Adopt-a-Rescued-Rabbit Month: Save A Life!

Former Easter Dump Adoptee Jamie

Former Easter Dump Adoptee Grumbles (an affectionate name actually!)

Okay, it never dawned on me until now, so late in the month of February that this is Adopt-a-Rescued-Rabbit Month.

Having rabbits in my life is one of the most rewarding things. Not all of my rabbit came from rescues (from before I knew better). I have taken in rabbits that others decided they didn't want or couldn't hold on to. I have been called the Rabbit Lady in many places that I have worked or been involved with. I'm sure other rabbit owners get similar nicknames. Some bunnies over the years were rescues that people considered "Easter Dumps", that is: bunnies that were impulsively bought as Easter gifts like a toy and then dumped when people decided they were more than just a cute toy, but a living breathing creature they didn't realize is a commitment and has needs. Although those that truly learn about bunnies, take the time to get to know them, will find out how special they are & won't ever want to let go of the piece that was missing from their lives, not everyone comes to that conclusion. They get dumped in parks, the woods, on farm property and at shelters. The best choice of those is a shelter. The rescued Easter dumps that I've taken in have been some of the best company and brought some of the most joy into my life and that of others!

Former Easter Dump Adoptee Trixie

Not only does adopting a bunny bring joy into your life, you can really make the life of a bunny special, by adopting one. You can show it real love, the kind it didn't know before. It is one of the most incredible feelings that I can't even begin to describe. It is an investment that keeps rewarding you over and over again. Not only can you make their lives special, but you may even save a life! There are rabbits that get euthanized when put in a shelter that does kill them if they aren't adopted within a certain amount of time. Those stories break my heart.  One of my bunnies, Lizzie (whom I lost a year ago shortly after her husbun passed away), was given to one of those shelters, but saved by a no-kill rescue. They were told that she was unadoptable because she was vicious. I took her in to foster her and instantly got attached to this "vicious" bunny that begged for affection and accepted it every time it was offered.  She was a big (Flemish Giant mix) bundle of affection that went from foster to adoptee, when someone else showed an interest in her on Petfinder (couldn't give her up). I could absolutely not understand what was supposed to be vicious about her. She was super sweet, but a bit shy and easily frightened.  A rescue that I took in later, was a big fat large white bunny named Nick (because he got beat up by other bunnies at a rescue and was "nicked"). He was afraid of everyone and everything. It took him a long time to become relaxed with us. One day, it dawned on us that they were both shy and might hit if off. We were doing a bonding thing where we put them near each other, but separately. The showed interest in the other through the safety of a barrier. Then we introduced them face to face under very guarded conditions. They wouldn't go near each other, until she approached him. He cowered. Then all of a sudden, they started smelling each other and checking each other out. They were pals that day and married the next!  None of this would have happened if Lizzy had been "executed" on death row. Nick and Lizzie were neutered. Originally they were victims of circumstances beyond their control, then through love they were loving companions to each other and to us humans too.

If you can't adopt a bunny right now, you can sponsor one in a rabbit rescue or make a donation to a rescue. You can also buy a Flat Bonnie toy , which was created to help educate about adopting bunnies and a certain percentage of money is given to rabbit rescues and educational organizations.

If you want to know more about adopting a bunny, you can check out the House Rabbit Society, where you find out just about anything you want to know about rabbits and adoption. Another place you can help out rabbit rescues by donating to them and learn about rabbit adoption is at Baskets for Bunnies (don't forget to check out the story of the adopted bunny Flopsy Parker while you are there!).  A great place to look for rabbit rescues and shelters where you can adopt a rabbit is at Petfinder, where you look at listings, usually with photos and good descriptions right on line. You can search by different ways too- by location, type of animal, age, etc. I love Petfinder.

If you can't adopt a bunny right now, which it's good if you aren't being impulsive about the thought, then perhaps you may be willing to sponsor one or make a donation to a rescue.  Share this info with others, please.

Thanks for stopping by!

Rabbit Slippers has a new e-mail address rabbitslippersblog@gmail.com if you want to e-mail any ideas, suggestions, comments, concerns or share anything. 

Please follow Rabbit Slippers Blog on Twitter, too, @RabbitSlipprs . 

Please "like" Rabbit Slippers Blog on Face Book to keep up with the latest postings & events.

You can also sign up by e-mail notices at the top right of the page. (Your privacy is important to Rabbit Slippers).

You can also follow through Google Friend Connect or Networked Blogs, both located in the right side bar.
Thank You!
Please visit the Rabbit Hop Shop at the following link (Rabbit Hop Shoppe link) for rabbit themed items and gifts!  Please also "like" the Rabbit Hop Shoppe Facebook page. Thanks!

New Rabbit Vet Zen

A short while back this month, I brought a bunny in for a pre-neuter physical because the other vet office we used had raised their prices astronomically, were pushing services and other things not pushed before (and that weren't necessary), and didn't seem to be as rabbit savvy in as they were when we started going there. The old vet's office people couldn't handle the bunny who had come in for his physical. Four people couldn't control him or calm him enough. He was so frightened and anxious, he was ricocheting off of walls and people, so it seemed. This experience, along with the vet telling me she was nervous because she just lost a rabbit during a neuter surgery took away all my last bit of confidence.

The new vet's office was less convenient to get to, about a 25 minute ride on some country back roads. They did have a great reputation though! I went into a much larger building that had two separate directions you could go in- the Emergency Hospital and the routine visit side. The feel of the building (for a reason that I still can't figure) was much calmer and soothing. The smell was clean, like a hospital. There were glass display cases that held very old veterinary tools, books and products. Some of those went back to the day of being used by the founder of the hospital. Somehow, they gave me comfort instead of thinking of them being great props for a horror flick.

When I talked to the staff, I just gave the Bunny's name and they were calm, pulled up all the info right away. They didn't seem to have one bit of feeling of chaos and urgency the other place did. The costs were reasonable, but they were well-staffed. They were up front about everything.

When the Bunny and I went in, the vet tech, who did some in-take & weighed him, didn't seem alarmed about my warnings of how four people had difficulty with calming & controlling him. She said, I have bunnies at home. Then a bit later, it turned out she told me she runs a rabbit rescue. I was overjoyed.  Although the Bunny was nervous, he was pretty cooperative with this tech.

When the doctor came in, I warned him about the bunny too. He immediately told me that he had bunnies also and started telling me about his long-earred friends. There were actually three rabbit doctors at this place that all owned rabbits he also told me.  The bunny was very calm for him, with just a couple of typical squirmy bunny type moments that quickly subsided.

Bunny in Car at Vet

The vet answered all my questions. Checking out was easy.   The bunny and I couldn't have had a better experience. I actually felt a sense of calm- a zen-like moment when I was leaving there. I thought about it after, there were no animals making those noises that frightened animals would normally make going to a vet. The dogs on leashes were calm and quiet, the cats in carriers and other animals that I couldn't see in carriers were all calm. The humans with them were calm and didn't seem to need to reassure their animal pals that everything would be okay.  The energy of the place was amazing.

Soon there will be a post on this bunny's surgery. I just thought I would share this separately. The message in this is that you can and should shop around. Don't do it when you have an emergency.  It could not only save your bunny's life,but also your nerves and sanity.

Rabbit Slippers has a new e-mail address rabbitslippersblog@gmail.com if you want to e-mail any ideas, suggestions, comments, concerns or share anything. 

Please follow Rabbit Slippers Blog on Twitter, too, @RabbitSlipprs . 

Please "like" Rabbit Slippers Blog on Face Book to keep up with the latest postings & events.

You can also sign up by e-mail notices at the top right of the page. (Your privacy is important to Rabbit Slippers).

You can also follow through Google Friend Connect or Networked Blogs, both located in the right side bar.
Thank You!
Please visit the Rabbit Hop Shop at the following link (Rabbit Hop Shoppe link) for rabbit themed items and gifts!  Please also "like" the Rabbit Hop Shoppe Facebook page. Thanks!