Our big box of Timothy hay from Small Pet Select arrived today, and needless to say, the buns were very excited. They could smell the fragrant contents before I even opened the box. Cosette decided I was too slow opening it, so she started to help. She’s very good at unwrapping gifts.

She became a blur when I finally opened the box, swiping the first bite.

Coco decided he’d have better luck on the other side.

He happily munched away…

…until he realized that the lid had created a makeshift tunnel. He can never resist a good tunnel.

Cos started to wonder why I was taking photos. The clicking was ruining her dining experience.

“Still here, eh?”

I took the hint, and turned off the camera so they could eat in peace.

You can buy this hay online for your buns at Small Pet Select. Their boxes of Timothy hay come in various sizes all the way up to 60 pounds. (Click on the link for Timothy Hay on the left to see the larger size options.)

On the topic of hay, be sure to check out our article about the importance of hay in a rabbit’s diet.

Here at My House Rabbit headquarters, we’re taking part in Apartment Therapy’s The January Cure. The idea is to spend a little time each day this month decluttering and organizing various rooms in our home. Of course, we had to include the bunny space on our list.

We started by recycling some of their overly-renovated cardboard castles and removing some of our underused items from the area. We then took the opportunity to tend to the flooring. After a thorough vacuuming, we shampooed the carpet with eco-friendly carpet detergent and a steam vac. What a difference!

Here is part of the rabbits’ space, decluttered with newly-shampooed carpets.

With the space now clean and decluttered, the fun began!  We rearranged the bunnies’ remaining cardboard castles and tunnels, which is always a delight for them. The change in scenery equates to a whole new playground for them.

Here they are enjoying their “new” space:

Cosette explores one of the tunnels.

Coco joins in the fun as Cosette investigates the tunnel from another angle.

Another tunnel?

Checking out the cardboard castle.

Doing some more renovations.

Thinking about going in the tube.

Taking a break after a tough evening of exploring and renovating.

Coco and Cosette during one of their daily naps.

When we switched from store-bought timothy hay to a locally-grown timothy hay-orchard grass mix from a farm, we realized there was one disadvantage.  The hay was more tangled together than the store-bought kind, and Cos, being very greedy/possessive of her food, started running away with large clumps of hay in her mouth. The hay got all over the carpet, and it was a big pain having to constantly clean it up.

Enter the Screwy Rabbit Hay Buffet.  We recently acquired this durable (but lightweight) hay feeder from Wabbit Works.  It’s actually large enough to hold a substantial amount of hay, unlike the hay feeders available at the pet store.  This feeder caters to a rabbit with a proper hay-based diet.   It keeps the hay contained (so no dragging large clumps out of the litterbox anymore), and it fits next to a litterbox.  (We actually have three small litterboxes surrounding it because our rabbits seem to like having options.)  There is less waste because the hay stays more or less in the feeder rather than being sat on in the litterbox.

Cosette eating out of the Screwy Rabbit Hay Buffet.

Coco takes his turn.

Cos gets jealous…

and joins him.

I get a lot of emails describing the same scenario:  Bunnikins has taken to hopping on the sofa and peeing on it. It’s a frustrating situation and one that has happened in our household as well. I remember after the third time it happened with Cosette a few years back, I had picked her up and put her in her cage.  (She still had a cage back then although it was always open.)  I closed the cage door and closed the kitchen door where the cage was located.  But even in the other room I could hear her thrashing around in the cage trying to break free.  For a rabbit who detests being picked up and despises even more being cooped up in a cage, this was the greatest insult.  I felt bad locking her in – and I did let her out  again after an hour -  but after that time, she never peed on the sofa again.

I later came across an incredibly useful article on the House Rabbit Society website which helps shed light on this behavior and suggests ways to train your rabbit.  The article is called “FAQ: Training,” and under the heading “Behavior motivated by social structure,” it delves specifically into the peeing on the couch problem.

Anyone who is experiencing this issue should read the article.  The entire article is actually very enlightening as well- covering various issues that most bunny owners will come across at some point.

Cosette with co-editor P.A. Smith  in 2006.

We’ve had a very scary last few days here. Cosette had to go to the emergency vet over the weekend because she had stopped eating and pooping and looked quite hunched. After an x-ray, the vet found that her stomach was extremely distended and she had two large gas bubbles. The diagnosis was GI stasis, and her prognosis was guarded.

A dental exam showed that her molars were unevenly worn, which most likely led to her digestive issues. They filed her teeth that night, and during her stay at the vet’s, she received motility medication, pain medication, IV fluids, and force feeding of Critical Care.

Sunday morning, her condition had worsened, and the vet was not optimistic about her chances of survival. With dull, droopy eyes, a hunched, tense posture, and a visibly bloated stomach, Cosette looked like she was experiencing a lot of pain.

Sunday evening, she started perking up a little, and she managed to eat a little on her own and finally excreted some soft stool. We brought in more greens and she ate some cilantro with encouragement by us. This morning, she excreted formed stools and had more of an appetite, so she was allowed to come home this evening. Coco was very excited his friend was finally back.

We will continue her motility medication for the next few days, and if necessary, we may need to continue syringe feeding Critical Care to supplement her diet as well. She is not quite back to her old self at this point. She doesn’t have quite the appetite, and her stools are quite small. But I was pleasantly surprised that her litterbox habits appeared to remain in tact, despite having quite a stressful weekend. (And of course, that she was actually going to the bathroom again, and her digestive system was active again.)

I wanted to share this story so that other people could learn from our scary experience. For example, it’s so important for your bunny to get regular checkups, including a dental examination. Even rabbits with a hay-based diet, who show no signs of pain, can have molar spurs. And this condition can lead to potentially deadly conditions like GI stasis. For more information about GI stasis, see Dana Krempel’s article, GI Stasis: The Silent Killer.

Sometimes Coco and Cosette like to snuggle. I thought their first formation was a little bizarre, but it seemed to work for both of them…

until Coco decided he needed to groom… maybe he got fur in his eyes somehow?

He decided on a different formation when he finished grooming.

Coco and Cosette relax in line.

Cosette and Coco show off some tail.

(In honor of Hans from Furrybutts, who recently passed away.)