After already being here a few days it must be time to introduce myself. My name is Tom and I'm from Melbourne, Australia and yes I love cricket but no I won't discuss it.
There are 4 of us here (sadly it was 5 until a few days ago) My partner, her 11yo boy and Fluffy our 2yo male REW. We had Patch (Fluffy's sister) until last sat night when she passed away suddenly. (that is my other post), she was a 2yo tan and white bunny. Before we got the bunnies I grew up with a cat and had 2 Border Collies with my ex wife, I knew nothing about rabbits. Fluffy and Patch came into our lives when they were 3 months old and very suddenly. They were rescued from a food breeder (I apologise for the F word) by a friend who needed a home for them urgently, so here they came. They couldn't have been more different in personalities. Fluffy always likes attention but not being picked up, Patch even from a young age kept her distance and would growl, bite and scratch if picked up or cornered. Our boy learnt his lesson early on about trying to pick either up for cuddles. They were inside bunnies to begin with and happily ran around, explored and chewed every corner of the house they could get too. As they grew we would let them run around outside and they loved it. We decided to make the yard bunny proof and leave them out during the days while we are at work and in early evening to sleep after an explore. No neighbours close by have a dog or cats so we are lucky. They did escape twice but only as far as the neighbours beautifully manicured front lawn and garden. They were easy to round up surprisingly. Now the fences are also bunny proof. (wire along the bottom edge extending out onto the grass by about a foot.)
Patch was very skittish and would only let you pat her if she felt like it, she wasn't as fussy as Fluffy seems to be about food and was a serious digger. Eventually we converted an old raised garden bed (about 2 metres x 10 metres) into mostly her play area and I planted some kentucky blue grass. She liked to dig there as the ground was fresh and had nicer grass to eat. That is where she is now at rest.
Fluffy is a people rabbit, he is chilled out and spends most of his time resting. He does run around on the grass and play but prefers the under cover area most of the time. The Vet explained REWs are sensitive to bright sunlight, especially there eyes, so he isn't lazy just smart. Food wise he can be a fussy bunny (spoilt early until we learnt more about them) he doesn't like blueberries but Patch loved them, he loves strawberries and both love spinach and would eat it from your hand (the only food they will take from your hand). They also liked most other greens we gave them - kale, bok choy, parsley, broccoli but only the head, not the stalk and of course hay and grass. It was distressing losing Patch although apart from the first few days Fluffy seems to have taken it better than us. (we did let him spend time with her before we laid her to rest where he sniffed her and licked her and i guess said his own goodbyes). One thing I will say to any new owners is rabbits are hard work to look after and nothing at all like having a dog or a cat but they can be loving and fun to be around. But you need to do your homework and be prepared for them in every way. well I have bored you all to death by now so I will see you around on here. Tom
There are 4 of us here (sadly it was 5 until a few days ago) My partner, her 11yo boy and Fluffy our 2yo male REW. We had Patch (Fluffy's sister) until last sat night when she passed away suddenly. (that is my other post), she was a 2yo tan and white bunny. Before we got the bunnies I grew up with a cat and had 2 Border Collies with my ex wife, I knew nothing about rabbits. Fluffy and Patch came into our lives when they were 3 months old and very suddenly. They were rescued from a food breeder (I apologise for the F word) by a friend who needed a home for them urgently, so here they came. They couldn't have been more different in personalities. Fluffy always likes attention but not being picked up, Patch even from a young age kept her distance and would growl, bite and scratch if picked up or cornered. Our boy learnt his lesson early on about trying to pick either up for cuddles. They were inside bunnies to begin with and happily ran around, explored and chewed every corner of the house they could get too. As they grew we would let them run around outside and they loved it. We decided to make the yard bunny proof and leave them out during the days while we are at work and in early evening to sleep after an explore. No neighbours close by have a dog or cats so we are lucky. They did escape twice but only as far as the neighbours beautifully manicured front lawn and garden. They were easy to round up surprisingly. Now the fences are also bunny proof. (wire along the bottom edge extending out onto the grass by about a foot.)
Patch was very skittish and would only let you pat her if she felt like it, she wasn't as fussy as Fluffy seems to be about food and was a serious digger. Eventually we converted an old raised garden bed (about 2 metres x 10 metres) into mostly her play area and I planted some kentucky blue grass. She liked to dig there as the ground was fresh and had nicer grass to eat. That is where she is now at rest.
Fluffy is a people rabbit, he is chilled out and spends most of his time resting. He does run around on the grass and play but prefers the under cover area most of the time. The Vet explained REWs are sensitive to bright sunlight, especially there eyes, so he isn't lazy just smart. Food wise he can be a fussy bunny (spoilt early until we learnt more about them) he doesn't like blueberries but Patch loved them, he loves strawberries and both love spinach and would eat it from your hand (the only food they will take from your hand). They also liked most other greens we gave them - kale, bok choy, parsley, broccoli but only the head, not the stalk and of course hay and grass. It was distressing losing Patch although apart from the first few days Fluffy seems to have taken it better than us. (we did let him spend time with her before we laid her to rest where he sniffed her and licked her and i guess said his own goodbyes). One thing I will say to any new owners is rabbits are hard work to look after and nothing at all like having a dog or a cat but they can be loving and fun to be around. But you need to do your homework and be prepared for them in every way. well I have bored you all to death by now so I will see you around on here. Tom
