My new bunny! (pic) :D

bellinakitty

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Eee he hee! I just got meself a dwarf bunny...OMG she is the cutest thing ever. I told myself I'd never have another rabbit, but the dwarves are so endearing and this little gal stole my heart. She likes me alot, I've had her one week and when I have her on my lap she licks me, I get so many bunny kisses! ^^ She even likes to hop onto my neck and snuggle against me, and usually she licks my face. LOL This bunny is a real lover.

I call her Pixie. It seems to suit her, and it kind of stuck once I started calling her that.


She's sitting in my lap. She's all white except for some tan around her face, especially on her nose. It's so cute.


I now have a mini-menagarie going....my cat, a dumbo-eared rat named Chibi, and now this little floofball I call Pixie. She's maybe a little sick though, she's got a runny nose.
I'm worried about her but I'm going to try to take her to the vet tomorrow, I know a place that is open Sundays.
 

naturestee

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What a cutie! And such a cute name. I love buns- I have four.


Although do you have a better profile pic of her? And how old is she and where did you get her? She doesn't look like a dwarf breed to me. It's not unusual for pet stores to sell "dwarf rabbits" that are actually larger mixed breeds, and I've even seen painfully young New Zealands (10 lb adult size) sold as dwarf rabbits. Essentially, don't believe anything a pet store tells you about their rabbits or how to care for them. 90% don't know anything.

I hope you can get her runny nose treated. Respiratory infections are rotten. Is the vet rabbit-savvy? Please be careful with who treats her, because some of the most common drugs used in cats and dogs (like amoxycillin or any oral penicillin) are fatal for rabbits.
 

pushylady

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That's a shame about the pet stores.


BellinaKitty- little Picie is just adorable! What a cuddle bunny. Hope her runny nose isn't anyting serious.
 

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What a cutie! I love bunnies, but do not have any as pets. There is a family of them that lives in my backyard. I would like to put some food out for them, but what do you put down for wild bunnies?
 
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bellinakitty

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Originally Posted by Naturestee

What a cutie! And such a cute name. I love buns- I have four.


Although do you have a better profile pic of her? And how old is she and where did you get her? She doesn't look like a dwarf breed to me. It's not unusual for pet stores to sell "dwarf rabbits" that are actually larger mixed breeds, and I've even seen painfully young New Zealands (10 lb adult size) sold as dwarf rabbits. Essentially, don't believe anything a pet store tells you about their rabbits or how to care for them. 90% don't know anything.

I hope you can get her runny nose treated. Respiratory infections are rotten. Is the vet rabbit-savvy? Please be careful with who treats her, because some of the most common drugs used in cats and dogs (like amoxycillin or any oral penicillin) are fatal for rabbits.
She was given bactryl? (I don't know if I spelled that right.) They had to cut the pills to slightly less then half, and she gets one a day. I gave her some yesterday and she seems fine with it. The vet gave me an "unfit for sale" letter I can show to the pet store, though when I called them they said they only cover the expenses with a dog or cat that ends up sick, and not a rabbit. I'm still going to complain though.
I love the rabbit, I can't bear to part with her right now, even if they are willing to offer an exchange. I know buying animals from pet stores is really not a good idea, but I really did want one.
Pixie is still doing ok she eats well and drinks a lot of water...and when I have her out she likes to bounce all over the couch.

The vet said her infection was caught early and thinks the antibiotics should work, but she did caution me that if it didn't or it seems worse to contact her immediately. She does seem like a rabbit-savvy vet.
 

jenny82

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Pixie is adorable!

We "have" a bunny that recently decided to live in our yard.
 

naturestee

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Baytril? Good. That's a common rabbit-safe antibiotic. It can be hard to give pills to rabbits though. It's okay to mix Baytril with soft food such as canned pumpkin (my rabbits' favorite) or a teeny bit of banana (be careful with treats or anything sugary with young rabbits- they have sensitive stomachs). Or you can dissolve it in sugar free apple juice, carrot juice, or flavored Pedialyte. Many rabbits will take their meds willingly if it tastes good.
If nothing else, it lets you syringe it into their mouths.

She didn't give you the liver flavored pills, did she? I know some vets only carry the liver flavor, not the unflavored, even though they treat a lot of rabbits. Eww.

Is she settling in well? Baby buns are such cute little bundles of trouble!
 
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bellinakitty

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Originally Posted by Naturestee

Baytril? Good. That's a common rabbit-safe antibiotic. It can be hard to give pills to rabbits though. It's okay to mix Baytril with soft food such as canned pumpkin (my rabbits' favorite) or a teeny bit of banana (be careful with treats or anything sugary with young rabbits- they have sensitive stomachs). Or you can dissolve it in sugar free apple juice, carrot juice, or flavored Pedialyte. Many rabbits will take their meds willingly if it tastes good.
If nothing else, it lets you syringe it into their mouths.

She didn't give you the liver flavored pills, did she? I know some vets only carry the liver flavor, not the unflavored, even though they treat a lot of rabbits. Eww.

Is she settling in well? Baby buns are such cute little bundles of trouble!
LOL I don't know what the flavor is, but she doesn't like it!
I just dissolved it in water and they gave me a syringe to give it to her, but I ended up just putting drops on her nose and she'd wash it off instinctively. (OMG, it's the cutest thing watching a bunny rub its face with its front paws!
)
I've never tried juice or even fruit because so far she won't eat anything else I give her. I tried carrots, celery leaves, and green beans to start with veggies and she won't TOUCH it.
I should try some fruit though, she may like that, who knows. Yeah I'd only give small amounts.
She seemed to "settle" quickly, since this bunny seems used to noise and activity. Only good thing about being in a pet store, I guess.
I handle her daily to keep her used to it. I noticed last night she seemed slightly lethargic, I'm keeping an eye on it. I'm hoping the medicine is doing its job...I'll keep ya updated.
 

naturestee

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I wouldn't start with the veggies yet anyway because too much new stuff at once can upset her stomach, especially since she looks pretty young. And you wouldn't know if the diarrhea was from the veggies or the antibiotics.

Have you seen this site yet?
http://www.rabbit.org/

There's lots of info on caring for house rabbits, including good basic instruction on how and what to feed depending on the age of the rabbit as well as lists of safe veggies and fruits. Some veggies cause gas problems that can be severe (cabbage, cauliflower), while others aren't recommended for other reasons (ie onions). I don't know why, but I don't think I've seen green beans on any safe list.

When you do start veggies, try a yummy-smelling herb. That always gets them. Parsley and cilantro are favorites of most rabbits.
 
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bellinakitty

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Oh she doesn't have diarrhea. Her only problem was the runny nose and sneezing, which I'm happy to say seems to be improving. She hasn't been sneezing as much and her runnny nose it getting better. The medicine seems to be working, at least for now.
I gave her small pieces of the veggies so as not to get her stomach upset. She still won't touch anything, even a piece of apple or applesauce. I have to give her the meds through the syringe and she really hates that. I wish I could find something easier to mix it into so she would eat it without knowing, but she doesn't eat anything except pellets and her Meadow Mix. (Great hay mix I found at Petsmart.)
You were right about the veggie thing though, she's a bit too young for it yet. She may acquire a taste for it later in life.
Yeah I've seen rabbit.org, it had a section on behavior which explained to me why my bunny licks me or makes those small grinding noises. She really likes me!

Thanks for all your advice.....what kinds of bunnies do you have and what are the names? I'd love to see pictures if you want to send me some in a PM.
I'm going to get a better picture of Pixie eventually.
 
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bellinakitty

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Ohh I really love Fey!
What a pretty white rabbit! (Can you tell I have a thing for white rabbits?) Those eyes are amazing too, almost exotic looking. Is that just the way I perceive it or do those bunnies have eyes like that?
All your buns are cute, thanks for sharing the pictures!
 

naturestee

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Originally Posted by BellinaKitty

Ohh I really love Fey!
What a pretty white rabbit! (Can you tell I have a thing for white rabbits?) Those eyes are amazing too, almost exotic looking. Is that just the way I perceive it or do those bunnies have eyes like that?
All your buns are cute, thanks for sharing the pictures!
Yes, Fey and Sprite have "mascara" around their eyes.
All dwarf hotots are supposed to be completely white except for black eye rings. Although Fey has almost no black around one eye and the other is smudgey and looks Egyptian. Not like I've ever been in the market for a "show quality" rabbit anyways. Actually the coolest thing is their eyes- they're mottled blue and brown. That is not a breed trait, at least not a showable one.


Fey and Sprite just celebrated their first Gotcha Day on Monday, September 11th. Their last owner was a real jerk and Sprite still has issues with hands because of it.


Anyway, how's Pixie doing today? Is she feeling better?
 
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bellinakitty

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Pixie is doing fine in fact she's hopping all around her cage now, showing more energy then when I first got her. I discovered she likes Multi-grain Wheat Thins! lol Well at least that's SOMETHING I can treat her with. I only gave her one cracker.
I love the bun-bun.
My poor cat is getting jealous because I'm giving the bunny so much attention. But Pixie is a real charmer and she KNOWS she's cute and irresistable. (They learn that quick, lol) When she sees me come in the room she likes to press her nose against the bars and who can resist THAT? lol
 
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bellinakitty

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OMG! That is the biggest and most plump rabbit I have ever seen! LOL What a cutie. ^_^ VERY funny, thanks for sharing that!
 
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