Found Rabbit

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Kieka

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Peter has decided in the last 6 months that grass is really great stuff. He's been with us three years, nearly four, and has had access to grass that entire time. But for some reason, the last 6 months it is just this amazing stuff that he munches on throughout the day. I'm guessing some combination of him being (likely) kept confined without grass access for the first 3 to 7 years of his life and it took a little while to adjust to it and/or us reseeding to a different type of grass and/or his area needing more trimming so more fresh cuttings with the new seed all combined into it being great stuff and/or he is more comfortable with the redesign late last year. We've noticed he's been more active and outgoing the last year or so, so maybe the quarentine for RHDV2 and more contact with people made him more relaxed.

Who knows, he just knows he is a happy bun with yummy grass and I just know I am happy he is happy.

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Kieka

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One of the lesser known rabbit care knowledge items is that rabbits have scent glands on either side of their bum. These glands should be checked on a regular basis for build up that can lead to infection. We usually check Peter twice a year and he is pretty good keeping himself clean. We checked him last week and it was not good.

Not only were his glands packed but his butt has dried poop stuck to it. Not good at all. We tried cornstarch powder and gently brushing the poop out plus cleaning the glands. But we could only do so much before Peter was too stressed to safely continue. We did need to get it all off though because dirty bum is not a good look and isn't healthy, but he was otherwise good so it could wait a few days to finish since we did take care of most of it. So today, a few days later, we gave him a bum bath since everything left was too stuck for the powder to get out. Some people will do what is called trancing (putting them on their back which triggers a response that they go completely immobile. Some people think they basically pass out but in reality the rabbit is awake and aware just unable to move). But we don't do that because while it looks like the rabbit relaxes, they are actually highly stressed by it. Wrapping Peter in a towel snuggly supports him and keeps him from hurting himself, we exposed the bum to clean and held his feet, keeping him inclined and awake. We used bunny safe soap and only wet the part we needed to clean using a fine tooth comb to work out stubborn bits.

He then hung out on a towel while his bum dried off. He relaxed after a few minutes and we pet him until it was dry enough that we could use a hair dryer on cool to make sure he was completely dry before letting him back outside. Bum cleaning does have to be done sometimes, especially on senior bunnies like Peter, but it really should be avoided when possible. We will be checking him more often though to keep it from getting to that point again.

My Moms cat, Nightfury, decided he was jealous of the attention and decided to join in on the petting and affection for a little.

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rubysmama

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I've said it before, but Peter could not have found a better yard to hop into than yours. You guys are the best rabbit parents. You are also educating us cat parents on rabbit habits and care needs. Thanks for all you are doing for Peter, and for any future rabbit parents who may be reading this thread.
 
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Kieka

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I've said it before, but Peter could not have found a better yard to hop into than yours. You guys are the best rabbit parents. You are also educating us cat parents on rabbit habits and care needs. Thanks for all you are doing for Peter, and for any future rabbit parents who may be reading this thread.
Thank you! We do try to do the best for Peter. He had a rough first few years (assumed from his condition and long term impact) and deserves some good golden years. I do purposefully share rabbit care in my posts along with the cute photos so that someone doesn't stumble across this thread and misjudge what care a rabbit needs.
 
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Kieka

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Peter has been getting full yard time about twice a month. Yes, he lives outside normally but it's a confined space that he knows inside and out. Yard time is letting him hop around the whole backyard. We did try this when we first got him but he was stressed with the space. Recently, he's been pushing his way outside at times so we've started letting him out, at his request. He usually spends the whole time running from place to place and when he either thumps from something scaring him or starts laying down we know it is time to herd him back in. I do have to supervise to make sure Rocket doesn't get out of hand because she still thinks he is fun to chase. So if she starts looking serious I warn her off. He is starting to chase her back though so we will see how that changes over time.

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neely

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It looks like Peter is enjoying his free playtime and has earned the whole yard to himself even if it's only twice a month. Rocket does look very intrigued but Peter trying to chase her back hopefully will be the start of a beautiful friendship. :crossfingers:
 
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Kieka

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Peter may be a tad spoiled. Typical interaction with Peter....

"You got treats?"
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If no, immediate next step.
If yes, eat then next step.

"Bye!"
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And yes, he has a scruffy shedding rear end right now.

He also is scheduled for his RHDV2 vaccine updated in July. For those who missed it, RHDV2 is a highly fatal, long living on surface, and easily transmissed rabbit virus that came to the US last year. There is a vaccine overseas that US vets can get special authorization to import. Peter was in a strict quarentine last year when the virus got to my area until I could get him vaccinated (the vaccine is only authorized in states with known fatalities within a certain time period). It was kind of funny and I did have to laugh when I was scheduling the vaccine appointment. His regular vet doesn't carry the vaccine so I called the closest vet who does to get an appointment. When scheduling it the receptionist asked me if I had any other concerns that he needed to be seen for. I had to laugh only because if I had concerns I wouldn't be waiting until early July to get them addressed. Sadly, there are bunny parents who would wait that long but I also don't think they'd be the ones calling for a vaccine appointment two months before it is due.
 
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Kieka

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Every week, I clean Peters bowls and change his hay. Every few weeks, I also change all his bedding, air out the hutch and dust it with DE. Today's yard time was a full cleaning and dusting. One of the things I love about his custom cage is I can open it fully up and reach every corner. He still has toys, of course, and I don't sweep everything out because he does get a little annoyed if I clean too well.

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Peter enjoyed some yard time while I cleaned.

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And you can still see his scruffy bum shed line, AKA tide line, between his winter and summer coat.
 

rubysmama

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Gorgeous yard and set up. What a lucky boy Peter is! He's a member of the one-percenters of the rabbit world. :)
He really is one lucky bunny, isn't he. And though I've said it many times before, I'll say it again, Peter really hit the jackpot when he chose Kieka Kieka 's family's yard to hop into. :redheartpump:
 
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Kieka

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Peter relaxing after this mornings yard time. He really does run around almost non-stop during yard time. Which is partially why I limit it because he is an old man with an old man's heart.

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While Peter was running around the boys decided to play bunny.

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