Thursday, February 11, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Memorial - Angel January 13, 2010
Angel was a sweet bunny girl who was about 1 year old. She had come from a sad situation originally but quickly adapted and loved the life as a house rabbit once in foster care. Angel was best friends with fellow foster bunny Chocolate. They snuggled together and were so adorable. Angel will be missed very much ...by all of us. Through we cannot understand why some lives come to us for only a short while, we are happy for any moments we can share together.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
West Michigan Critter Haven in the Advance Newspaper.....sort of!
Look for our director in this week's Advance newspaper under "Community Views."
Friday, December 18, 2009
Are Rabbits Right for You?
Before I got my first rabbit I wondered if rabbits were right for me. I wasn't sure because I didn't know what rabbits were like. Do I get an older rabbit, or a baby? What do I need for housing? What do they eat? Will they destroy my stuff?
Just like any other animal, all rabbits are different. Some are needy, some are pushy, some love pets, some hate pets, some are skittish, and some are right in the thick of any trouble. 
If you have kids, they must be supervised around rabbits. Sometimes rabbits don't like being picked up. If you have other pets, you cannot leave them alone with rabbits until you are 100% sure nothing bad will happen. Rabbits take daily care just like any other pet. Do not leave your rabbit's well being up to your child. They are an adult pet.
Should I get a baby rabbit or an older rabbit? Babies tend not to be litter trained. Babies take a little more patience. I got Steve when he was a baby and he liked to leave poop everywhere. It isn't a big deal with poop because a dust buster cleans that up quickly. I also had two babies born from a foster rabbit, and they learned to use the litter box from their mother. They also learned to drink from a bottle from her. As soon as they are old enough get them altered. This helps with the litter training. Plus, baby rabbits are so darn cute!
Babies also haven't shown their true personality yet. It's a lottery with babies. They haven't had the hormonal shifts yet. They haven't lived through adolescence. It is difficult to predict later on what you will encounter. Older rabbits will already display their personality.
For example, you will know if they like to climb on the table when you leave the chair out.
Just like babies, rescue rabbits are difficult to read when you first get them. They are skittish and they are scared. Consistency is key with rescue rabbits. Consistent food, consistent water, consistent hay, consistent treats, consistent litter cleaning. Feed them the same time every day. From my experience rescue rabbits tend to be crazy about water, or hay, or food, or pellets. One rabbit I couldn't keep enough water in his bottle. Another, not enough hay. Another scarfs down veggies, and pellets quickly. This is normal. Until they gain trust in getting consistent food, this will happen.
So should you get a rabbit?
Just like any other animal, all rabbits are different. Some are needy, some are pushy, some love pets, some hate pets, some are skittish, and some are right in the thick of any trouble. 
If you have kids, they must be supervised around rabbits. Sometimes rabbits don't like being picked up. If you have other pets, you cannot leave them alone with rabbits until you are 100% sure nothing bad will happen. Rabbits take daily care just like any other pet. Do not leave your rabbit's well being up to your child. They are an adult pet. Should I get a baby rabbit or an older rabbit? Babies tend not to be litter trained. Babies take a little more patience. I got Steve when he was a baby and he liked to leave poop everywhere. It isn't a big deal with poop because a dust buster cleans that up quickly. I also had two babies born from a foster rabbit, and they learned to use the litter box from their mother. They also learned to drink from a bottle from her. As soon as they are old enough get them altered. This helps with the litter training. Plus, baby rabbits are so darn cute!
Babies also haven't shown their true personality yet. It's a lottery with babies. They haven't had the hormonal shifts yet. They haven't lived through adolescence. It is difficult to predict later on what you will encounter. Older rabbits will already display their personality.
For example, you will know if they like to climb on the table when you leave the chair out. Just like babies, rescue rabbits are difficult to read when you first get them. They are skittish and they are scared. Consistency is key with rescue rabbits. Consistent food, consistent water, consistent hay, consistent treats, consistent litter cleaning. Feed them the same time every day. From my experience rescue rabbits tend to be crazy about water, or hay, or food, or pellets. One rabbit I couldn't keep enough water in his bottle. Another, not enough hay. Another scarfs down veggies, and pellets quickly. This is normal. Until they gain trust in getting consistent food, this will happen.
So should you get a rabbit?
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Hershey's Memorial
"Every bunny we have met has taught us something new. In meeting Hershey, we learned that certain rabbits thrive in different situations. When we first met Hershey, she was a growling, batting, angry bunny that actually scared me! However, once we brought her into our home, absent of other girl bunnies, which usually don’t get along unless spayed, she calmed down and became the perfect companion. 
Hershey loved it when my husband and I would have conversations on the floor. She would bounce between the two of us, begging for treats or forehead rubs. Our favorite memories of Hershey involve her walking on floors other bunnies would slip on like linoleum, and how she didn’t like going into any box, but jumping on top of them. 
Hershey’s major way of communicating with us was her wonderfully cute lop ears. She had total control over them and if she had no interest in something, they would be lopped. Partial interest in something got one ear raised, full interest had both raised. To this day, I can’t image having another lop eared rabbit that couldn’t have this amazing ability. If you ever even casually petted her, Hershey would throw herself onto the ground, silently demanding to be pet for hours. She loved the attention and was too cute to ignore. She never took any petting for granted.
Hershey came to us with a respiratory problem she most likely got while living in her first home as a hutch bunny. Her previous owners probably could have prevented the problem. We treated her with many antibiotics, but unfortunately pneumonia claimed her short life too quickly. We very much miss our cute lop eared companion."
Hershey loved it when my husband and I would have conversations on the floor. She would bounce between the two of us, begging for treats or forehead rubs. Our favorite memories of Hershey involve her walking on floors other bunnies would slip on like linoleum, and how she didn’t like going into any box, but jumping on top of them. 
Hershey’s major way of communicating with us was her wonderfully cute lop ears. She had total control over them and if she had no interest in something, they would be lopped. Partial interest in something got one ear raised, full interest had both raised. To this day, I can’t image having another lop eared rabbit that couldn’t have this amazing ability. If you ever even casually petted her, Hershey would throw herself onto the ground, silently demanding to be pet for hours. She loved the attention and was too cute to ignore. She never took any petting for granted.
Hershey came to us with a respiratory problem she most likely got while living in her first home as a hutch bunny. Her previous owners probably could have prevented the problem. We treated her with many antibiotics, but unfortunately pneumonia claimed her short life too quickly. We very much miss our cute lop eared companion."
Monday, November 9, 2009
Aerogardens
A few years ago I received an Aerogarden as a gift. After having it for this long, I figured I would impart some knowledge I have gained from the experience.
It is nice to have around for some fresh greens. The fertilizer pellets don't have information as to what is in them but I never bothered to look it up online either. I don't know what is in them.
What are some of the pros and cons?
Pros:
- Fresh greens
- Nice to feed rabbits and eat
- 66 pod seed starting kit for a real garden
- Easy to use
- Easy to maintain
- Easy to clean
- Easy to grow their plants
- Cheap replacement parts
Cons:
- Price
It is incredibly easy to use. It will give anyone a green thumb. However, you will not offset any costs of growing the vegetables with money saved from those vegetables. It is just too expensive. With Aerogarden ($150), seed pods($20), motor replacement ($10), growing bulbs($20), and electricity you will not offset the upfront costs. They are just too high. You will replace a motor or two with roots growing into the motor and clogging it.
We are going to try the 66 pod seed ($30) starting kit to see how everything will transplant into the ground. I will let you know next spring when I start it up.
It is nice to have around for some fresh greens. The fertilizer pellets don't have information as to what is in them but I never bothered to look it up online either. I don't know what is in them.
What are some of the pros and cons?
Pros:
- Fresh greens
- Nice to feed rabbits and eat
- 66 pod seed starting kit for a real garden
- Easy to use
- Easy to maintain
- Easy to clean
- Easy to grow their plants
- Cheap replacement parts
Cons:
- Price
It is incredibly easy to use. It will give anyone a green thumb. However, you will not offset any costs of growing the vegetables with money saved from those vegetables. It is just too expensive. With Aerogarden ($150), seed pods($20), motor replacement ($10), growing bulbs($20), and electricity you will not offset the upfront costs. They are just too high. You will replace a motor or two with roots growing into the motor and clogging it.
We are going to try the 66 pod seed ($30) starting kit to see how everything will transplant into the ground. I will let you know next spring when I start it up.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
