Rabbit Rhythms of March - April
Toys for Rabbits
By Kim Martin, raiser of Angora rabbits. Ms. Martin uses toys regularly with her rabbits and is the author of a guest post about rabbit toys, published on Raising-Rabbits.com, from which the following is excerpted. Enjoy!
Are Rabbit Toys Silly?
Above: This nifty rabbit toy cost pennies to construct from a couple spare shower curtain rings and a block of scrap 1x4 wood.
The star rabbit of the 2010 ARBA Rabbit Convention in Indianapolis was an English Angora with a ring of baby keys, which it threw repeatedly into its water dish. The resulting splashes nailed the passersby, who then paid him some very complimentary attention.
Who would expect a show-diva to be such a clown? That rabbit had more repeat visitors, and people dragging their friends to see it than any other rabbit on the aisle.
Whether you own a pet rabbit or raise livestock or wool rabbits, consider these eight suggestions about toys for rabbits. Perhaps your own rabbits will enjoy them.”
- Rabbits like to make noise with their rabbit toys and to have fun…
- Rabbit toys are temporary, because they will get chewed, peed on, and eventually ignored…
- Rabbits benefit from some exercise…
- Mental
stimulation is a good thing for rabbits….
Go to Toys for Rabbits to read the full post.
Overheard Regarding
Rabbit Raising Problem Solver
We heard recently from Jan in Alabama:
"I had read and reviewed the rabbit book earlier this year.
“My rabbits had some digestive issues on and off, and then a recently acquired doe was trying to get sick. There are no vets in this area that know rabbits, but I wanted to do more than just feed hay and wait and hope.
“So I treated with antibiotics recommended in the book, plus probiotics. The doe is still on this side of life. She’s lost some weight, which concerns me; off pellets and on hay for 4 days now. She’s got jelly-like stool but she’s nibbling hay, drinking (Corid in water), and is alert.
“It's handy being able to flip through the book as a 'what-am-I-missing' list. Thanks again for the details in it."
It was great to hear from Jan, who is the owner of
Slow Money Farm and happens to be an experienced rabbit breeder. She, like me, found that the section on rabbit diseases can come in very handy when one’s rabbits are in the throes of some health challenge.
It's wonderful if you can find an excellent vet who understands a rabbit's herbivore digestive system, which is completely different from the carnivore digestive systems of dogs and cats.
It is difficult to know exactly the diagnosis of digestive problems in a herd of rabbits without a vet. While our Q&A book is a great resource, it is not a replacement for good veterinary attention. It is, however, a great resource in the absence of a good vet, and makes for a wonderful adjunct to vet care when you DO find that great vet.
Over the years that Raising-Rabbits has been online, nearly every known problem people have had with
their rabbits has been asked of, and answered by, Raising-Rabbits, sometimes multiple times. It was a logical step to compile all those questions and answers into one comprehensive, Q&A-formatted book.
- Are you having trouble understanding your pet rabbits?
- Are you unsure of the best ways to take care of your pets or livestock rabbits?
- Are you interested in colony rabbits but not sure how to make it work?
- Are you worried your rabbit might be sick?
- Are you a brand-new rabbit owner?
- Are you generally well-versed in rabbit care?
The chances are very good that you’ll find answers in Rabbit Raising Problem Solver, even if you "know it all already" and just need a ready resource available for a rare crisis (like Jan above).
More info about “the rabbit book” here.
Rabbits in the News
Raising Rabbits in Colonies:
Is this something you’re considering?
Rabbits in Colonies 101
This is a nearly perfect article introducing the idea of raising rabbits in colony groups without cages. The author, Cait Carpenter, does a great job of covering the topic without glossing over some of the problems that colony-raising can create. She even recommends toys for rabbits. Almost makes me want to give it a try!
If you’ve ever thought of raising your own rabbits in cageless colonies, check out the tips and recommendations in the article, and links to online resources and forums that can help.
On the other hand, she didn’t mention the problem of predation or the risk of disease spreading through a colony. Depending on how you
set up your colony, you may be able to minimize these difficult-to-control problems. The article is still a GREAT read.
So you know, Rabbit Raising Problem Solver covers the difficulties of colony-raising at length (starting with page 84).
Easter is Around the Corner
Believe it or not, Easter is NOT all about bunnies, lol.
But here are some very creative bunny- (and egg-) themed ways to add color to your Easter season.
And, the deviled egg Easter eggs at this link were not laid by rabbits.
(But they DO look like great fun to serve around Easter time.)
And just for good measure, you may or may not have seen these “Bunny Butt” cupcakes, which which ought to delight your kids and grandkids, even though Easter has NOTHING to do with rabbits!
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Thank you to everybody! If you haven't yet stopped by, please feel free to do so, and leave us a note or a photo of your rabbits. We'll celebrate when we hit 1000 with a few giveaways, so keep an eye out for announcements on Facebook!
Your friends at Raising-Rabbits.com wish you a wonderful Easter Holiday and Springtime 2015.
Enjoy your rabbits!
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