Happy Easter 2013!!

Also…

If you are thinking about buying a bunny: Don’t by bunny on a whim…

If you already have and are committed: Bunny-Proofing Your Home.

Don’t buy bunny on a whim…

And by “whim” I mean “Easter”.

Bunnies are special. Lots of parents think buying a bunny for their child/children for Easter is a fun idea, but bunnies are a huge time and financial investment. I wouldn’t deter anyone from owning and caring for a bun-bun, but you should know that they are not like conventional pets.

Bunnies and rabbits require more hands-on care than a cat, but only slightly less than a dog. They don’t need to be walked, but they require lots of fresh food all day; refreshed water; playtime. Also, you’ll have to invest in bunny-proofing your home. Or as Doug puts it: There is no such thing as “bunny-proof”, only “bunny-prevention”. They are crafty and can get into (and out of) just about anything.

Also, they don’t usually like being picked up. Children can be indelicate with them and they are fairly fragile.

For instance, it is a common misconception that picking up a rabbit by its ears is normal, but their ears are actually very delicate. Never pick up a bunny/rabbit by its ears. It’s a senseless thing to do. Your child must be conscientious of this and a number of other things lest they harm the bunny.

In short, do your research before you make an impulse purchase. Read up on bunny needs, toys, nutrition; and make sure you’ve got lots of space for them to move around and cavort. I’ve got plenty of links here already about a number of bun-related things.

• Bunny Bascis
• Info if you also own a cat
• Peculiar bunny behavior
• Video on Rabbit Habits
• Bunny-Proofing Your Home

The only issues I’ve missed so far–I think–are illnesses. If your bunny stops eating, drinking and pooping and peeing, you must take bun to a vet immediately. And call, first. Some veterinary clinics have a bunny specialist they must schedule. Did I mention bunnies are special?

Bunny-Proofing Your Home

Bunny-proofing your home can be an expensive endeavor, but it’s important. Here is how Doug and I have bunny-proofed one room of our house to accomodate our bun so that he has space to run, binky, investigate and lounge, without having full run of the house.

Behind Shadow you can see our television set. The wires on the set are covered in thick plastic tubing Doug bought at Fry’s Electronics. It’s possible you can also find it at Radio Shack; you can definitely buy it online. Do some research to find the cheapest price, and measure the space well to know exactly how much you need.

In this picture we have a number of things going on.

First, the carpet you see is not the first layer of carpet. The carpet is beige, and because we rent, we are protecting the carpet with a darker layer of carpet.

Second, what you can’t see in the picture is the layer of plastic separating the original carpet from the top layer of carpet. This is an expensive workaround, but necessary because Jonnie is not exempt from messes now and then just because he’s potty trained and poops hard, odorless pellets. Even bunnies get diarrhea sometimes–and spray, and so on and so forth–so we have really taken the extra precaution here for that as well as unforeseeable things.

Third, the baseboards have been covered with a slab of wood Doug trimmed to keep Jonnie from chewing on them, as well as pulling up the top layer of carpet. Bunnies chew on everything. This is a great precaution to ensure bunny doesn’t tear up the wood in your house. It’s an expensive step, as well, but it actually prevents more expensive costs down the road.

There are several types of pet gates you can buy. Most–if not all–are designed for dogs. The trick with finding one for a bunny is making sure the bars aren’t too widely spaced, lest he wriggle through; and also that it’s not too low, lest he jump right over it. We’ve found that when he has enough space to move around, he doesn’t care to try and clear it. One large room makes for a nice enclosure he’s comfortable enough to enjoy without getting restless and trying to escape.

Ideally, finding a gate that’s tall, with a door for yourself, is best. Our kitty can’t jump too high, so we have compromised on a gate the reaches 23″ in height. We step over it and the kitty clears it with ease.

Doug was able to come up with a cheap solution for the door edges.

Again, bunnies chew on everything. If it’s wood, it’s perfect for their constantly growing teeth. We get him “natural” cardboard toys–as you can see here–and try to keep him from the wood he’s not supposed to chew on.

The barrier on the door above is a round shipping container used for mailing posters, that Doug cut to wrap around the door’s edges. They are not that expensive and can be found at Staples, UPS, the Post Office, etc. The actual pet gate provides the extra protection to the other side of the door, as you can see.

Bunny-proofing your home will not stop there. And what better way to illustrate that fact than with a picture of Jonnie and Shadow cohabiting; with a couple of extra “fixes” in the background. A plastic file box to block JA from a power cord, my clothes folded neatly off-ground (so he doesn’t chew them to pieces), a protective blanket on our bed…

Happy Halloween 2012

Happy Halloween!! ~ Jonnie Awesome

Compilation of Cuteness

A fairly young Jonnie Awesome…

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