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Finally bonded!

Mischief is trying to do something. We have no idea what. But he keeps scraping his nails down the side of a chest of drawers as if he is trying to dig through it. Then he goes down the side of the puppy pen and tries to dig at the carpet. It is as if he is trying to break out the room.

The funny thing is that little missy is following him everywhere watching everything he does. It is as if she is goading him on. They are like a little gang now causing double trouble!

Then one goes somewhere and distracts us while the other one pushes open the door and escapes! [emoji38]



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We just cut Mischief's nails while Lillabelle looked on with curiosity.

Then it was her turn. After a battle with her to hold her while she buzzed like an angry hornet we sat her on the bed. I managed to persuade her to let me touch her paw with some arguing and swearing (from her mainly) I managed to cut the very tip off 4 nails on her front paw. I didn't want to do it too short as she was wriggling a little. I quite pleased with that result [emoji4]

It was a nightmare trying to look at her dew claw though as she started to get a bit upset so we decided that was enough for one day. Will try and do the other front paw and then attempt the dew claws tomorrow.

Bearing in mind we couldn't hold her without her scratching us to bits 4 weeks ago I think we have progressed somewhat [emoji3]

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Mischief is, in the main, gentle yes! However this morning I gave them pieces of long kale (Cavolo Nero Cabbage) and they were arguing over this one piece of kale literally both hanging off it with their teeth! Mischief yanked it off Lillabelle and turned his back in her though so he won for once! I think he is learning now. The funny thing is there were 5 more pieces of kale there! I had split each piece up into 2 or 3 though. They didn't have 6 whole pieces! [emoji44]

I do keep a close eye on them eating veggies at the moment as they are most likely going to argue with these (or treats) if anything. Touch wood it does seem that they are working it out between them well though. I don't know when I will feel totally able to relax about this but I am not as vigilant now as they are seeming fine. I guess as the days go by I will relax more and more [emoji4]

Yes they do seem so happy together. They remind me of me and my OH. A happy old married couple. That has to be a good thing [emoji173]

Mischief does feel a little like he is gaining weight. He is certainly eating enough! They are polishing off all the food so quickly. Veggies go in minutes. I love watching them eat veggies together. It is definitely one of my favourite past times. Rabbits are so fascinating when they eat. How they eat along one side of the long kale and then down the other then polish off the middle. Lillabelle seems to argue with hers though trying to control it. Mischief is a master at eating veggies now and does it with ease [emoji38]

I have a notebook which I use to note the weights down but it has not been every week. Only if I saw a change would I weigh Mischief. After reading your post (and this one on weight loss) I will be definitely weigh them weekly so I can monitor their health through this.

I feel I learn every day with bunnies and RU is so educational aswell as putting the bunnies first and foremost. This is what I love about RU. I have been on other sites and am just shocked at their lack of knowledge and feel sometimes the buns suffer and feel so helpless. RU is 100% for the bunnies first and speaks out for them [emoji173]

I know I make mistakes still however I hope they are smaller ones as I learn more. Having two bunnies has meant learning new things as have to learn how they can live in harmony and still cater for their different personalites and needs. I still have lots to learn though but that is half the fun of having bunnies on your life [emoji178]

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Aw, silly bunnies, arguing over that piece of kale when there was enough for both of them. :lol: But, hey, Mischief won this time! Good job, Mischief! :lol: That sounds wise to keep an eye on them for now when they have their veggies since you think they're most likely going to argue about those if anything. But, yes, I think, too, that as time goes by you'll be able to relax more. It's always a bit worrying during and right after bonding when you think things might go wrong!

That's so sweet that they remind you of you and your OH, of a happy old married couple, aww. They do sound very happy together. :love:

I'm really glad Mischief is feeling like he's gaining weight and that he's eating well. I love watching bunnies eat, too, and, yes, the way they eat big pieces of veggies is always so fun to watch. Lillabelle sounds like she hasn't figured it out completely yet, though. :lol: Sounds like Mischief could teach her, since he's so good at it now. :lol:

I really like how RU puts bunnies first, too. :love: That's why I'm here instead of on a Dutch bunny forum. I don't like the Dutch one at all.

Aw, making mistakes is part of learning. I'm sure every single person here has made mistakes with their bunnies, and probably still does sometimes. And, yeah, when the situation changes, like now when you have Lillabelle, too, there are new things to learn! But I agree that learning about them is part of the fun of caring for bunnies. :love:

Also, I like that Lillabelle and Mischief are working together on causing trouble. That's so funny. :lol: I wonder what Mischief is trying to do, though, digging like that!

And good job on getting their nails clipped! I think you're doing the right thing, not doing all of Lillabelle's in one go since she was starting to get upset after those first four nails. It does sound like you've all made progress compared to 4 weeks ago! :love:
 
Aww your bunnies sound ideally suited, like a long married couple :D they've certainly worked out a plan together on getting up to mischief :lol: well done on Lillibelles pedicure, you are a braver soul than me, j always used to let the vet nurse do it, Treacle had such floofy feet !
 
Aw, silly bunnies, arguing over that piece of kale when there was enough for both of them. [emoji38] But, hey, Mischief won this time! Good job, Mischief! [emoji38] That sounds wise to keep an eye on them for now when they have their veggies since you think they're most likely going to argue about those if anything. But, yes, I think, too, that as time goes by you'll be able to relax more. It's always a bit worrying during and right after bonding when you think things might go wrong!

That's so sweet that they remind you of you and your OH, of a happy old married couple, aww. They do sound very happy together. :love:

I'm really glad Mischief is feeling like he's gaining weight and that he's eating well. I love watching bunnies eat, too, and, yes, the way they eat big pieces of veggies is always so fun to watch. Lillabelle sounds like she hasn't figured it out completely yet, though. [emoji38] Sounds like Mischief could teach her, since he's so good at it now. [emoji38]

I really like how RU puts bunnies first, too. :love: That's why I'm here instead of on a Dutch bunny forum. I don't like the Dutch one at all.

Aw, making mistakes is part of learning. I'm sure every single person here has made mistakes with their bunnies, and probably still does sometimes. And, yeah, when the situation changes, like now when you have Lillabelle, too, there are new things to learn! But I agree that learning about them is part of the fun of caring for bunnies. :love:

Also, I like that Lillabelle and Mischief are working together on causing trouble. That's so funny. [emoji38] I wonder what Mischief is trying to do, though, digging like that!

And good job on getting their nails clipped! I think you're doing the right thing, not doing all of Lillabelle's in one go since she was starting to get upset after those first four nails. It does sound like you've all made progress compared to 4 weeks ago! :love:
Yes I am watching them closely when they eat veggies/treats and even nuggets to be fair. They seem to be able to share pretty well so far however Mischief hasn't been around another bunny for nearly 3 years. It actually makes me sad to think that now seeing him with Lillabelle as he seems soooo happy with her. Also Lillabelle is still a baby really at 18 weeks old (doesn't time fly!) and is still learning table manners. Mischief seems very patient with her though. I am glad we waited until she was a bit older before bonding them as she has grown somewhat. I think bonding them when she was tiny would have been terrifying lol. However I think as she has grown a fair bit now Mis hief is standing his ground more. I am mindful aswell that as she grows into puberty she could start to throw her weight around so I will have a watchful eye on them woth food until she is spayed and the few weeks following until her hormones die down.

Out of interest is it usually best to put her back with Mischief once she has been spayed? Obviously I need to keep her in the puppy pen until she is healed but I wonder if buns can usually live together happily after spaying. I don't fancy the idea of having to bond them all over again especially if one pines for the other [emoji22]

I thought maybe Mischief was scratching the furniture as his nails needed trimming as in the wild they svratch on bark don't they? The action looked as if he could be scratching up a tree so I thought 'his nails!' We didn't like to interfere when they were being bonded and due to ill health I didn't get around to it before. He hasn't done it since though. I haven't done Lillabelle's other paw yet as my OH is exhausted from work today bless him! I did wonder if she feels crooked with nails on one paw longer than another but she is zooming about like a flash of grey everywhere so I think she is fine [emoji38]

I need to take more photos of them and there would be a few for the 'awwww thread' definitely if I was quicker! They are so adorable resting their heads on each others tummies or lying with their noses touching. I love how they do their own thing sometimes (Mischief usually eating and Lillabelle being Speedy Gonzales) and then bump into each other and nose bump then lie down together [emoji175][emoji170]

The new thing I noticed tonight is when I came into the bedroom at half 6 to find them both sitting there looking at the door as I walked in. Lillabelle has sussed that it is 'veggies time' soon aswell now and joined him in his 'feed me' look that he has perfected.

They also gang up on me now and sit looking up at me together by the bedside asking for their Science Selective loop. Although they are ignoring the 'one a day' rule [emoji38]

We can't imagine not having Lillabelle now. She is in our hearts and they are absolutely adorable together. It is worth the hard work to see them causing mischief and mayhem [emoji173]



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Aww your bunnies sound ideally suited, like a long married couple :D they've certainly worked out a plan together on getting up to mischief [emoji38] well done on Lillibelles pedicure, you are a braver soul than me, j always used to let the vet nurse do it, Treacle had such floofy feet !
Awww thank you. Yes it does seem like they are perfectly matched so far. Oh Mischief has really floofy feet! The fur grows really long past the nails. I have a truck to dampen the fur so I can see the nails better. I wouldn't try it alone though
My OH has to hold Mischief as he hates is paws being touched at all. It was a battle to start with but now he is really good and we can do all 4 paws in one go [emoji4] xx

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Yes I am watching them closely when they eat veggies/treats and even nuggets to be fair. They seem to be able to share pretty well so far however Mischief hasn't been around another bunny for nearly 3 years. It actually makes me sad to think that now seeing him with Lillabelle as he seems soooo happy with her. Also Lillabelle is still a baby really at 18 weeks old (doesn't time fly!) and is still learning table manners. Mischief seems very patient with her though. I am glad we waited until she was a bit older before bonding them as she has grown somewhat. I think bonding them when she was tiny would have been terrifying lol. However I think as she has grown a fair bit now Mis hief is standing his ground more. I am mindful aswell that as she grows into puberty she could start to throw her weight around so I will have a watchful eye on them woth food until she is spayed and the few weeks following until her hormones die down.

Out of interest is it usually best to put her back with Mischief once she has been spayed? Obviously I need to keep her in the puppy pen until she is healed but I wonder if buns can usually live together happily after spaying. I don't fancy the idea of having to bond them all over again especially if one pines for the other [emoji22]

I thought maybe Mischief was scratching the furniture as his nails needed trimming as in the wild they svratch on bark don't they? The action looked as if he could be scratching up a tree so I thought 'his nails!' We didn't like to interfere when they were being bonded and due to ill health I didn't get around to it before. He hasn't done it since though. I haven't done Lillabelle's other paw yet as my OH is exhausted from work today bless him! I did wonder if she feels crooked with nails on one paw longer than another but she is zooming about like a flash of grey everywhere so I think she is fine [emoji38]

I need to take more photos of them and there would be a few for the 'awwww thread' definitely if I was quicker! They are so adorable resting their heads on each others tummies or lying with their noses touching. I love how they do their own thing sometimes (Mischief usually eating and Lillabelle being Speedy Gonzales) and then bump into each other and nose bump then lie down together [emoji175][emoji170]

The new thing I noticed tonight is when I came into the bedroom at half 6 to find them both sitting there looking at the door as I walked in. Lillabelle has sussed that it is 'veggies time' soon aswell now and joined him in his 'feed me' look that he has perfected.

They also gang up on me now and sit looking up at me together by the bedside asking for their Science Selective loop. Although they are ignoring the 'one a day' rule [emoji38]

We can't imagine not having Lillabelle now. She is in our hearts and they are absolutely adorable together. It is worth the hard work to see them causing mischief and mayhem [emoji173]



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I'm glad they're sharing their food pretty well. It still sounds like a good idea to keep an eye on them when they eat, though, yeah, since the power dynamics can change once she starts puberty. And I think it was a good idea to bond them once she was a bit older, too. The idea of bonding really young baby bunnies with adults makes me really nervous! They're so little! Also, yes, you can keep Mischief and Lillabelle together after she's spayed. When Sophie was spayed, Tom, her previous friend, went with her to the vet, and then they came home together and stayed together. You shouldn't have to bond them all over again, unless their bond breaks before she's spayed, which will hopefully not happen!

That's clever, that you thought that Mischief was maybe scratching the furniture because his nails needed trimming! That wouldn't have occured to me! I've never really thought about how wild bunnies keep their nails short, but that would make sense if they scratched them on trees. I guess running and digging helps, too? And it sounds like Lillabelle isn't bothered by having short nails on only foot. :lol:

I'd definitely love to see more phots of them. They're so cute. :love:

I think that bunnies tend to learn when it's time for food pretty quickly. :lol: I'm glad to hear Lillabelle has been learning the 'feed me' look and that they now both ask you for the Science Slective loop, haha. I don't think bunnies understand what 'one a day' means. :lol: It's so lovely to hear how happy you are with Lillabelle being in all of your lives now. :love:
 
I'm glad they're sharing their food pretty well. It still sounds like a good idea to keep an eye on them when they eat, though, yeah, since the power dynamics can change once she starts puberty. And I think it was a good idea to bond them once she was a bit older, too. The idea of bonding really young baby bunnies with adults makes me really nervous! They're so little! Also, yes, you can keep Mischief and Lillabelle together after she's spayed. When Sophie was spayed, Tom, her previous friend, went with her to the vet, and then they came home together and stayed together. You shouldn't have to bond them all over again, unless their bond breaks before she's spayed, which will hopefully not happen!

That's clever, that you thought that Mischief was maybe scratching the furniture because his nails needed trimming! That wouldn't have occured to me! I've never really thought about how wild bunnies keep their nails short, but that would make sense if they scratched them on trees. I guess running and digging helps, too? And it sounds like Lillabelle isn't bothered by having short nails on only foot. [emoji38]

I'd definitely love to see more phots of them. They're so cute. :love:

I think that bunnies tend to learn when it's time for food pretty quickly. [emoji38] I'm glad to hear Lillabelle has been learning the 'feed me' look and that they now both ask you for the Science Slective loop, haha. I don't think bunnies understand what 'one a day' means. [emoji38] It's so lovely to hear how happy you are with Lillabelle being in all of your lives now. :love:
Thank you for your comforting words on bonded bunnies through one being spayed. It makes me feel less anxious to know that. I don't know how we can take them to the vets together though. We have 2 carriers so could take them seperately but not sure if that would help Lillabelle. They are too big to carry in one carrier. We could get a small dog crate but it would be very heavy with both of them in. Also Mischief hates the vets and gets very stressed out. I'm not sure if it would help to calm Lillabelle down having him there with her? I was wondering what to do with a vet visit actually.

Noted about the photos. We will do more soon. Actually it is very hard to take one of Lillabellr as she does not stay still long [emoji38]

I want to upload some videos of them. I need to read up on how to do that still. Also how long a video can you upload on here? I was wondering that a long video would take forever plus I'm not sure how many people would watch them if they are too long and take ages to upload xx

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We use climbing clips to secure our puppy pen doors when ours were little. Once they're screwed up they can't open them.

Although Primrose could if I forgot [emoji1787]
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0965...abc_AM6T2XRYQ26ME66WTE2M?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

I swear they do get so smart, she used Flopsy and Rodney as distractions before slipping the bar open and making a run for it.

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Thank you for the idea of the climbing clips. That is a good one [emoji4]

At the moment the velcro is working and they have not tried to chew it. Yet!

I thought I had it sussed last night when I used a Science Selective Loop to entice them into the puppy pen for bedtime. Only when I gave Lillabelle hers she sprinted back out the pen again! I forgot to close the door first! [emoji38]

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Thank you for your comforting words on bonded bunnies through one being spayed. It makes me feel less anxious to know that. I don't know how we can take them to the vets together though. We have 2 carriers so could take them seperately but not sure if that would help Lillabelle. They are too big to carry in one carrier. We could get a small dog crate but it would be very heavy with both of them in. Also Mischief hates the vets and gets very stressed out. I'm not sure if it would help to calm Lillabelle down having him there with her? I was wondering what to do with a vet visit actually.

Noted about the photos. We will do more soon. Actually it is very hard to take one of Lillabellr as she does not stay still long [emoji38]

I want to upload some videos of them. I need to read up on how to do that still. Also how long a video can you upload on here? I was wondering that a long video would take forever plus I'm not sure how many people would watch them if they are too long and take ages to upload xx

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Yes, I wondered about that, when I told you that Tom went with Sophie, that it must be impossible to have a carrier big enough for Mischief and Lillabelle together. A small dog crate with both of them in it does seem like it would be super heavy! Since Mischief gets so stressed at the vets maybe it'd be better to leave him at home? It's possible that if in the future he goes to the vets while Lillabelle is with him, he'd get less stressed, but you'd have to try that out, I suppose. There's no way to know beforehand. It's normally recommended to not split pairs up, even to go to the vet, because it can cause trouble in their bond if one comes home smelling differently, so you'd have to see if they'd be able to deal with that if it'd be too hard and too stressful for Mischief to go together. Oh! Have you considered pet strollers? Since they have wheels, you won't have to carry them. I know you live in a basement flat, though, so I'm guessing you'd still have to carry them up some stairs...

I'll look forward to the photos! It does sound hard to take pictures of a bunny who doesn't stay still for long. :lol:

About the videos, you'd have to upload them to a different site, I think, like Imgur or YouTube. I don't think you can upload them to the forum directly? Unless you can do it with Tapatalk. I've never used that, so I don't know... With Imgur you can only do videos of up to 30 seconds, but YouTube videos can be as long as you want as far as I know.
 
Yes, I wondered about that, when I told you that Tom went with Sophie, that it must be impossible to have a carrier big enough for Mischief and Lillabelle together. A small dog crate with both of them in it does seem like it would be super heavy! Since Mischief gets so stressed at the vets maybe it'd be better to leave him at home? It's possible that if in the future he goes to the vets while Lillabelle is with him, he'd get less stressed, but you'd have to try that out, I suppose. There's no way to know beforehand. It's normally recommended to not split pairs up, even to go to the vet, because it can cause trouble in their bond if one comes home smelling differently, so you'd have to see if they'd be able to deal with that if it'd be too hard and too stressful for Mischief to go together. Oh! Have you considered pet strollers? Since they have wheels, you won't have to carry them. I know you live in a basement flat, though, so I'm guessing you'd still have to carry them up some stairs...

I'll look forward to the photos! It does sound hard to take pictures of a bunny who doesn't stay still for long. [emoji38]

About the videos, you'd have to upload them to a different site, I think, like Imgur or YouTube. I don't think you can upload them to the forum directly? Unless you can do it with Tapatalk. I've never used that, so I don't know... With Imgur you can only do videos of up to 30 seconds, but YouTube videos can be as long as you want as far as I know.
I don't know if I could lift a dog crate with both of them in but my OH could as he is super strong. Perhaps that is best as I don't want to break up their bond. As found out last night (it kicked off arguing over a treat) their bond is going to be rocky until she is spayed so it will be extra important to keep them together.

I will look into a pet stroller thank you! [emoji3] To be honest I'm not sure what they are so will look them up! We do have stairs but maybe I can bump the stroller up them? We have to travel to the vets either in taxi or on bus so will need to look at whether they lift off the wheels to go in car etc. It's like having twins again! It was always a nightmare going out then aswell with all the luggage and pushchair! [emoji38]

I will have to look at how best to upload videos. I think most of them are over 30 seconds though so maybe Youtube. Thanks for your help xx

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I don't know if I could lift a dog crate with both of them in but my OH could as he is super strong. Perhaps that is best as I don't want to break up their bond. As found out last night (it kicked off arguing over a treat) their bond is going to be rocky until she is spayed so it will be extra important to keep them together.

I will look into a pet stroller thank you! [emoji3] To be honest I'm not sure what they are so will look them up! We do have stairs but maybe I can bump the stroller up them? We have to travel to the vets either in taxi or on bus so will need to look at whether they lift off the wheels to go in car etc. It's like having twins again! It was always a nightmare going out then aswell with all the luggage and pushchair! [emoji38]

I will have to look at how best to upload videos. I think most of them are over 30 seconds though so maybe Youtube. Thanks for your help xx

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Oh, hey, that's convenient, having a super strong OH! If he could lift a dog crate with both of them in that could work! I think if you can keep them together when she's spayed that would make things easier, as you don't risk their bond breaking when Lillabelle comes home smelling like the vets.

There are lots of different types! The downside is that most are made from fabric, so you'd have to bunny-proof it, or put the crate inside somehow... Maybe one like this could work, if you put the crate inside:

61lPIheFwPL._AC_SL500_.jpg


Not sure if that would fit into a taxi or bus, though! Or if you could bump it up the stairs! It does seem like it would be similar to going out with twins. :lol:
 
My carrier is massive and would fit them both but its awful to carry! It's the biggest cat carrier I could find as I bought it when we had our English Lop and I was expecting him to need it.

My two hate it, I bought a smaller one but they look so squished I'm never sure about it.

The stroller looks like it would pop in a taxi like a pram if it was one of those sliding door ones?



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Oh, hey, that's convenient, having a super strong OH! If he could lift a dog crate with both of them in that could work! I think if you can keep them together when she's spayed that would make things easier, as you don't risk their bond breaking when Lillabelle comes home smelling like the vets.

There are lots of different types! The downside is that most are made from fabric, so you'd have to bunny-proof it, or put the crate inside somehow... Maybe one like this could work, if you put the crate inside:

61lPIheFwPL._AC_SL500_.jpg


Not sure if that would fit into a taxi or bus, though! Or if you could bump it up the stairs! It does seem like it would be similar to going out with twins. [emoji38]
Hmmm I think a pet stroller with a dog crate in would be ultra heavy. And the stroller would have to be huge to get the dog crate in aswell. I will look into it though xx

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My carrier is massive and would fit them both but its awful to carry! It's the biggest cat carrier I could find as I bought it when we had our English Lop and I was expecting him to need it.

My two hate it, I bought a smaller one but they look so squished I'm never sure about it.

The stroller looks like it would pop in a taxi like a pram if it was one of those sliding door ones?



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I was wondering about an extra large carrier. We saw one at the local pet shop when we bought the last one for Mischief recently as he chewed the plastic fastening on his old one and it didn't close securely. Why do they hate the big carrier? Do you have an idea?

The stroller would be a good idea but we would have to watch Mischief in case he chews it. To be honest whenever we put him in a carrier he sits there shaking as he knows it probably means a vet visit. So that could work. Can you take the base off the wheels though? They couldn't go in the boot of a car so the base would need to come off so they can go in the back of the car with me. There are big taxi carriers in our area but they are limited so there is no guarantee we would be able to get one on the day though. So it would really need to go in a normal taxi I think.

I think it will be a case of trying one of these options to see what works best. Or a small dog crate. And hoping that option does work.

I think whatever option we choose Mischief won't like as he hates the vets. But at least they would be together.

I guess a carrier would be the cheapest option?

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Hmmm I think a pet stroller with a dog crate in would be ultra heavy. And the stroller would have to be huge to get the dog crate in aswell. I will look into it though xx

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Oh, that's a good point... It seems like a bit of a challenge to get big bunnies to a vet!
 
Oh, that's a good point... It seems like a bit of a challenge to get big bunnies to a vet!
Seems that way doesn't it lol. As if trips to the vet weren't stressful enough! We will have to look at carriers and pet strollers and see if they seem better than the dog crate we used to have. I'll let you know what we decide on xx

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